One Pocket Pool

One Pocket Pool – MANILA, Philippines Filipino pool legend Jose Amang Parica turned back American Brown Sy to rule the 60-year-old above Seniors One-Pocket Mini Event of the 12th Annual Derby City Classic. Parica, who is based in West Covina, California, prevailed at the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Indiana, United States on Tuesday. It was a double victory for the 61-year-old Parica, acknowledged as the leader of the Filipino invasion to the US in the mid-’80s, as he was also inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame. Other 2010 inductees include the late Rudolf Fats Wanderone in the Lifetime Pool in Action category and Glenn Piggy Banks Rogers in the Bank Pool division. [It's] long overdue, commented Paricas close friend Ramon Maestro Monching Mistica. Amang (Jose Parica) brought the game of 9-ball to a higher level. He became the World Player of the Year in 1997, recalled another friend, Marlon Marvelous Manalo. He was the first player to shoot a perfect game of 1,000 points, which was a World Record in 9-Ball race to 11 format. Amang was the only Filipino to win all major final titles against his Filipino counterpart, added the former snooker champion. Top player Paricas rise to fame began when he won the World Open 9-Ball Child Cypress title in Lexington in the early 70s. One of the most feared 9-ball artists during his prime, Parica learned to play the game when he was 7 years old, competing against older guys in his father’s billiards hall in Blumentritt, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Parica became the national three-cushion, rotation and snooker champion in 1979. He also established the Philippine Pocket Billiards Association and became its first president. He dominated the Japanese circuit in 1988, winning 8 of the 9 tournaments he competed in. That same year, he won the World Pro Tournament, the biggest and richest tournament at that time, by beating compatriot Efren Bata Reyes in the finals, 9-3. The tournament was played in Tokyo where he beat around 900 players to win 5 million yen. Parica, a former Derby City One Pocket titlist, achieved one of the most revered records in pool, and was the only player to win a perfect run out match of 9-ball under race-to-11 format without misses or fouls. The Manila-raised Parica, who hails from Nueva Ecija, has been a top player for more than 3 decades. He is an ambassador for pool all over the world. by Marlon Bernardino