By Christan Salvaña (Intern)
Fueled by an opening day loss to Django, The Pearl shone the brightest when it mattered most.
Earl “The Pearl” Strickland made sure to get one back as he took down hometown bet Francisco “Django” Bustamante, 11-6, to claim the WNT Legends title on Friday, Jan. 23, at the Gateway Mall.
It was a repeat of yesterday’s victory over long-time rival Efren “Bata” Reyes, as Strickland came out hot, racing to a commanding 4-0 lead over Bustamante.
The Filipino legend, however, fought back to tie the match at 5-all, sending the jam-packed mall into cheers for their local hero.
But the momentum was short-lived.
An unlucky scratch on the break by Bustamante in the twelfth rack allowed The Pearl to run the table and extend his lead to 7-5.
Bustamante then lost the battle of safeties in the penultimate frame, and a crucial eight-ball miss in the final outing proved to be the decider.
Meanwhile, in the battle for third, German legend Ralf Souquet edged Reyes, 11-9, after “The Magician” was penalized for a time foul.
