|
ALREADY
branded prestigious, the ongoing World Pool Championship
(WPC) took a scent of royalty with the arrival of the
heir to the Sultan of Brunei, Prince Haji al-Muhtadee
Billah.
Security
at the Araneta Coliseum was at its tightest with a
handful of Presidential Security Group personnel on hand
to guard the event’s most important participant. The
safety measures were so tight that nobody except the
member of his entourage was allowed to talk to him.
“We just
shook hands and exchanged greetings,” said Billiards and
Snooker Congress of the Philippines chairman and WPC
coorganizer Raya Sports president Yen Makabenta, who led
the group that welcomed the eldest son of Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah.
PRINCE Haji al-Muhtadee
Billah of Brunei assumes a low profile in a
preliminary-round match Monday. -- NONOY
LACZA
The
33-year-old Oxford graduate who is in line to become the
30th ruler of the oil-rich nation was ushered into the
Big Dome’s VIP room where he was provided his own
practice table.
“I lent
it for free,” said Sebastian Chua, the owner of the Star
Paper Corp. that exclusively distributes the world-class
Brunswick table in the country. “The [Brunei] ambassador
wants to pay me, but I refused. I said I will lend it
for free as a sign of respect and Filipino hospitality.”
But with
all the royal treatment he received, along with the
moral support given by the crowd that includes his wife
Pengiran Anak Sarah, Prince Haji did not get what he
came here for: a win. He lost to German ace Thomas
Engert, the 2007 World Pool Masters champion, 9-2, in
his first match.
That put
the Prince in a precarious situation as he needs to win
two straight matches to prolong his second WPC stint. He
was playing Roman Hybler of Czech Republic as of press
time last night.
A
devoted pool and snooker enthusiast, Prince Haji was
given a wild-card slot by Matchroom Sport, the
tournament’s chief organizer, to represent Brunei. He
was given the same privilege last year, when he beat
Filipino Jharome Peńa and finished in a three-way tie in
his group for the second and last slot reserved for the
next round. The Brunei royalty lost the slot in a
tiebreak.
Besides
the WPC, the Prince is also in the country for an
official state visit. He is scheduled to meet President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the coming days. |
