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Jess Farinas wins Bamboo Bar 8-ball tourney
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Posted on Aug 10 2021
Jess Fariñas, third from left, won the Battle of Champions held last July 31 at the New Bamboo Bar in Saipan Las Vegas Resort along Middle Road. (Contributed photo)
Jess Fariñas went unscathed en route to winning the Battle of Champions held last July 31 at the New Bamboo Bar in Saipan Las Vegas Resort along Middle Road.
The 29-year-old, playing with the solid balls, needed only to beat Jerry Soriano in the first game to win the $500 first place purse in the July edition of the 8-ball monthly tournament, while Soriano settled for the $250 runner-up cash prize. Fariñas came into the championship match with the twice-to-beat advantage, but apparently didn’t need two games to dispose of his rival.
He attributed his win against the veteran Soriano to Lady Luck. “I had confidence as the game went on as I was able to take an early lead against Jerry. In fairness, Jerry also had some shots not go in so I just capitalized and won,” he said in Filipino.
This was the third time Fariñas advanced to the finals. The first time was last February when the Zambales, Philippines native finished runner-up to Ray Matsunaga and the second was last April when he went all the way and won the title, incidentally also against Soriano.
The July champion got out of the first round by outplaying Albert Pangilinan. He then got the better of Nolan Cultura in the next round before moving on to the finals after subduing Rowell “Cobra” Marianas in the semifinals.
Soriano, meanwhile, started his campaign with a victory over Lito Pangilinan before hurdling June Battle of Champions winner Rey Hermogenes in the second round. In the semis, Soriano drubbed Cesar Sangalang to book the finals meeting with eventual champion Fariñas. Sangalang, who defeated Hermogenes in the loser’s bracket finals, settled for third place and the $100 second runner-up prize. Hermogenes came in fourth and went home with $50.
A total of 16 pool masters took part in the July 8-ball tournament at the New Bamboo Bar. The tournament, sponsored by New Bamboo Bar, Saipan Vegas, and Budweiser, gathers the champions of the past weekly competitions and is held every month. For more information, call Soriano at 588-1971.
