OTHER than to gain more experience and meet new friends, Leslie Gaite had no other expectations when she joined the 6-leg Amit Cup, the country’s first all-women billiards tournament.
A student of the Philippine College of Criminology, Gaite ended up with more as she ruled the event with a close 9-8 victory over Carmille Lumawag of Bacolod City in the finals recently at the Marboys Billiards Cafe in BF Paranaque.
“Mabibigat na halos lahat ng kasali dito, magagaling na mga tira, ang hirap makalusot ng panalo bawat set, “ said the pretty Gaite, who has been playing for the last 10 years.
Gaite and Lumawag posted similar 7-2 victories over their respective semifinals opponents, Cheeya Navarro and Phoy Andal.
Three-time world champion and multi-titled Rubilen Amit, who initiated the series as part of her advocacy to discover new female players, was happy about the turnout.
“In our final leg, there were 58 entrees, some of them repeaters as they wanted to qualify but most of them were new faces in the sport,” Amit said.
The top 16 players who earned the most points after the first five legs qualified for the one-day finals of the series sponsored by Scarab, with Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Bong Coo also providing assistance.
Up next is the second season of the series in June.
