FORMER Asian Games gold medalist Antonio Lining and fellow veteran internationalist Ramil Gallego came up with a superb and well-synchronized performance as the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines  (BMPAP) Selection beat the Negros Billiards Stable tandem of Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco, 5-2, at the start of the JBETpoker.net Scotch Doubles All-Star Challenge on Thursday at the Skydome of SM North Edsa in Quezon City.

The event is the undercard of the Villards Challenge of the Legend: The Maestro versus the Volcano, a one-on-one 15-ball rotation match between pool icon Efren “Bata” Reyes and fellow former double-world champion Ronnie Alcano.

Paired for the first time, Lining and Gallego bucked their lack of experience of playing with each other and took advantage of crucial mistakes by their rivals.

“Medyo maganda ’yung naging simula namin at umayon sa amin ’yung bola, kaya sinamantala na namin bawat pagkakataon,” said the Japan-based Lining.

“Masaya kami dahil nakauna kami, pero sisikapin pa naming maingat ’yung laro namin lalo na’t marami pang laban at bawat kalaban ay mabibigat,” added Gallego.

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WARREN QUIAMCO(top left) in action during Thursday’s JBETpoker.net Scotch Doubles All-Star Challenge which Sen. Manny Villar (above) opened at the Skydome of the SM North Edsa in Quezon City. NONOY LACZA

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The BMPAP duo won the next three frames to close out the match in the two-day event, presented by Sen. Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports in cooperation with the BMPAP and sponsored by Camella Communities and JBETpoker.net, and supported by ABS-CBN, the Philippine Star and the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP).

In the second match, former world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo and Asian Games gold medalist Gandy Valle of Bugsy Promotions clobbered the Puyat Sports duo of former world champion Alex Pagulayan and Rodolfo Luat, 5-0.

The four teams play in a single round-robin eliminations with the top two teams advancing to the finals.

Villar, the foremost patron of Philippine billiards, was the guest of honor for the opening ceremony. BMPAP president Vic Rodriguez and BSCP president Arturo “Bong” Ilagan also graced the event.

Friday’s main event will have Reyes and Alcano squaring off in a race-to-nine rotation match, which will be aired live over Studio 23 with real-time streaming on www.jbet.net.

Reyes, winner of many huge events including the World 9-ball and 8-ball championships and the US Open 9-ball aside from wearing the country’s tricolors in various international competitions, is considered the best in the country but said recently that he feels he is the underdog against Alcano, who beat him in their last encounter in a tournament.

It has been quite a while since that meeting, though.

Alcano defeated Reyes in the round-of-16 and went on to lift the title in the 2006 World Pool Championship.

This time, the two meet again, but in a longer duel and a different game.

Seeking wins after being silent in tournament play for quite a while, both players are raring to get it on in the made-for-TV event.

Reyes last won a title in the 2007 Derby City Classic in Kentucky, while Alcano has also struggled after winning the world 8-ball title in the same year.