By MARK REY MONTEJO
A few days ago, fans wondered why teen sensation AJ Manas was fielded for Team Asia ahead of its title defense against Team Rest of the World (ROW) in the Efreren “Bata” Reyes Cup.
“Hayaan ko na lang sila, basta ako gagawin ko na lang ‘yong best para ma-prove na karapatdapat ako rito,” the 19-year-old Manas told Manila Bulletin/Tempo moments after Wednesday’s press conference regarding to his critics.
On Sunday night, Oct. 19, Manas turned those doubters into his own believers with a dazzling display of strokes plus powerful breaks to lead Team Asia to a smashing 11-3 win over Team ROW in a win that extended their reign to another year.
Manas closed out his splendid maiden appearance in Match Fourteen where he and veteran Carlo Biado notched a 5-2 win against world No. 1 American Fedor Gorst and German Moritz Neuhausen.
The Filipino duo started with a 2-0 lead, but Gorst and Neuhausen crawled back to cut the deficit to just one, 2-3. However, Team Asia didn’t let its foreign rivals recover as they took the next two racks with the 41-year-old Biado burying the title-clinching ball.
Team ROW managed to heave a sigh of relief when they won Matches 12 and 13 just after Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp’s 5-1 beating of Scottish Jayson Shaw
In those matches, Shaw and Skyler Woodward outclassed Yapp and Vietnamese Dương Quốc Hoàng, 5-2, while Spaniard Francisco Sanchez Ruiz outlasted Filipino ace Johann Chua, 5-3.
Then came Manas and Biado who finally put the dagger into the hearts of their rivals to hoist the prestigious trophy once again.
With his spectacular debut, Manas, who shone throughout the four-day meet, especially on the second day, was named as this year’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) – a feat that Yapp copped at the inaugural edition.
For Manas, it was his own way of repaying the thrust and confidence placed on him by non-playing captain Francisco “Django” Bustamante.
“Being crowned MVP feels unreal, it’s honestly a dream come true. I’m so proud to have helped Team Asia defend the Reyes Cup,” said Manas,
“None of this would’ve been possible without my teammates and Captain Django believing in me. I just wanted to prove I belong here and that I can compete with the best. This week, I did that,” he added.
Fittingly, his brilliance was witnessed by Reyes himself.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this team. Every player gave their heart, and AJ proved he was the right choice,” said Bustamante.
“The kid is something special. We showed the world that Asia can’t be stopped. Carrying on Efren’s legacy with another win here in Manila means everything to me and the team,” he added.
