By REYNALD MAGALLON
His glory days are already way behind him and Father Time has certainly caught up but Efren ‘Bata” Reyes’ old and wrinkled hands continued to weave magic even abroad.
Already 68, the living legend in billiards, long considered as the greatest pool player ever, regaled the crowd and awed his younger rivals by finishing third in the 2023 Derby City Classic One Pocket Tournament on Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Caesars in Southern Indiana in the US
Sure, Reyes didn’t bring the title home after yielding to Jonathan “Hennesee” Pinnegar, 3-0, in the semifinals of the tournament, which during his heydays was his personal stomping ground, winning 13 titles, including six one pocket crowns.
Reyes was undefeated through the 12 rounds and reached the semifinals out of the 428 participants. He bested former world champion and Fil-Canadian Alex Pagulayan, 3-1 on his way to the Final Four before also beating Skyler Woodward, 3-0, to get a shot at making it to the Finals.
The Filipino sports legend then mustered all his might and showed superb mental and physical stamina in the semis match despite already playing a total of six hours ˗a feat already considered extraordinary for an already weary cue master ˗- but was not enough to topple the younger Pinnegar.
Still, it was a remarkable achievement for Reyes that almost everyone, including Pagulayan, was left in awe.
He admitted it was a bittersweet loss for him as it relegated him to fifth spot but was glad to personally experience the wonders of a legend in Reyes.
“It was such an honor to play the man deep in such a prestigious event. Efren has beaten a lot of very tough players in this event to get to this point. 68 years old and the man still has it folks. Thank you for yet another great match and memory,” wrote Pagulayan in one of his social media posts.
