Reyes Busts Bustamante in Exhibition Match

Reyes Busts Bustamante in Exhibition MatchBy Larry KendallPJ’s Billiards, in Linden, NJ, hosted an exhibition match on Monday night that was reminiscent of exhibition matches held in pool rooms everywhere during the golden age of pool . The players—none other than Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante. The prize—no less than $9,000. Among the 100+ fans were WPBA pros Karen Corr, Julie Kelly, and Helena Thornfelt. Along with Reyes and Bustamante, all were mixing with fans for conversation, autographs, and photos both before and after the featured match. Owners Ampy Valero and Rio Vergara, with manager Mimi Gordon, had commemorative posters and tee-shirts, photos of the two players, and cue balls available to fans for collecting autographs. They laid out a generous buffet following the match in true family style befitting PJ’s family atmosphere.
In a race to 15 games, with an alternating break, Bustamante pulled out of the gate like a prize racehorse to a 4-0 lead before Reyes could get on the scoreboard in the fifth rack. Reyes, having started off cold, nailed four of the next six racks to take a 6-5 lead. A 20 minute intermission was called at this point, and Reyes came back to the table relaxed and ready to play some serious 9 ball. He won nine games of the next twelve racks following that intermission, hitting the hill with the score in his favor at 14-9.Bustamante had a short rally of three consecutive games before Reyes finished the match at 15-12.Successful three-rail kicks out of what seemed like hopeless safeties were common from both players, and more than once the crowd erupted in cheers and applause at the shot-making abilities and cue ball control of these two masters of the game. This was the second exhibition match held at PJ’s Billiards. The first featured Karen Corr versus Santos Sambajon Jr. in May 2004. Let’s hope pool fans get to see more of these. Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

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