Guinness 9Ball Tour - Jakarta Grand Final

ASIA’S BEST TO COMPETE IN GUINNESS 9 BALL TOUR 2008 GRAND FINAL IN JAKARTA

Region’s Top Cue Players in Fight to the Finish for Ultimate Pool Greatness

After five grueling legs to determine the region's finest pool masters, eleven of Asia’s finest pool players will battle it out for ultimate pool greatness and the US$36,000 top prize when the Grand Final of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 unfolds at the Mal Taman Anggrek in Jakarta, Indonesia from October 24 to 26, 2008. ESPN STAR Sports, Asia's number one sports broadcaster, will carry the "Live and Exclusive" telecast of this thrilling finale on STAR Sports.

The hugely anticipated finale of Asia's premier pool competition will feature the Top Ten of the Tour’s Order of Merit, all of whom have automatically qualified for the Grand Final. An additional wild card spot has also been awarded to Indonesia’s Ricky Yang, the host country’s top ranked player.

Amongst the Top Ten are two World Pool Champions - 2005 WPA 8-Ball & 9-Ball World Champion Wu Chia-Ching of Chinese-Taipei and 2004 WPA World Champion Alex Pagulayan of the Philippines - as well as current WPA World No.1 Dennis Orcollo and defending Grand Final champion Chang Jung-Lin.

Here are the top-ten players who have qualified for the showdown: Click Here

Up for grabs in the Grand Final is total prize money of US$72,000. The eleven players will be divided into two groups of six and five and the players in each group will play in a single round robin format. The top two players from each group will advance to the semifinals and the final two will meet in the final match.

In addition, the top ten players in the Grand Final have also qualified for next year’s WPA World 9 Ball Championship as the Guinness 9 Ball Tour is the only ranking tour in Asia for players to qualify for the WPA World 9 Ball Championship. The six-city Tour previously had stops in Chinese-Taipei, Penang, Genting Highlands, Singapore, and Guangzhou.

The telecast of Asia's premier pool competition will be aired LIVE on STAR Sports with 15 hours of exhilarating competition from October 24 to 26. This year, STAR Sports will complement its live broadcast with a 30-minute preview programme before each leg. Broadcast times are as follows:

Organised by ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management Group (EMG), the Guinness 9 Ball Tour is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU). Guinness is the title sponsor for the Tour. The local sanctioning body is the All Indonesian Billiards Association. Mansion 88 is the gold sponsor. Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls, respectively. Brunswick provides the official pool table (Gold Crown V Tournament Edition) while Predator is the official cue. BCLN is the official apparel. The Official Hotel is Menara Peninsula Hotel. The Official Venue is the Mal Taman Anggrek. STAR Sports is the official broadcaster.

Further information can be obtained at www.g9bt.com

Cheryl Long - ESPN STAR Sports

Singapore - Monday 06 October 2008