Francisco Bustamante has finally put the demons from the past to rest and has won a world championship. He defeated Kuo Po-cheng of Taiwan today 13-7 at the World Pool Championships in Doha, Qatar to finally be known no longer as the finest player not to have won a World Title.

To truly appreciate the significance of this feat you must go back to 2002 when Bustmante also played in the finals of the WPC against Earl Strickland. The evening prior to the final match word came from Manila that Bustamante’s daughter had taken ill and died. Bustamante, crushed, was told that he need not play the final, that all would understand. He considered this, but his wife somehow reached him and convinced him that their child would have wanted him to continue the fight.

And he did. In one of the bravest moments that our game has ever witnessed Bustamante took the stage while the crowd around him wept. Word had spread through the morning and the sight of this man continuing the battle after the hand that fate had dealt him was simply stunning.

Bustamante has finally put the demons from the past to rest and has won a world championship.

He lost to Strickland that day, but won the hearts of every pool fan in the world. And since that moment we have been waiting, with him, for this. Today he defeated Antonio Lining 11-5 to re-enter the Final Arena and then put away Kuo Po-cheng, the man who has been in the quarter, semi, or final match of a WPC more times than any other player without a win.

View the World 9-Ball Single Elimination tournament brackets

Antonio Lining and Johnny Archer share the third place honors.

Morris and Archer Aim for US Win No.2

With the Partypoker.net World Cup of Pool taking place in Manila from Tuesday to Sunday 7th to 12th September, Matchroom Sport can announce that the USA will be represented by the Nos. 1 & 2 players on the BCA Men’s Point List, Johnny Archer and Rodney Morris.

Morris has played in all four runnings of the World Cup to date including winning the tournament with Shane Van Boening in 2008 and finishing runner-up in the company of Earl Strickland to the Philippines in the event’s inaugural year, 2006.

The tournament features 32 two-player teams from around the world taking aim for a $250,000 prize fund, with the winning pair bagging $60,000 between them.

For Johnny Archer, 41, it will be his World Cup debut, and he is relishing the opportunity of playing in the event.

‘It is a great honor to represent the USA in the World Cup of Pool and I can’t wait to get over to the Philippines to carry the American flag.’

‘Like any pool player, I love playing in front of the Philippine crowd. I know that they will be very supportive to Efren and Bustamante but Rodney and I will feed off of that and use it as fuel.’

‘I know in order for us to win, we will most likely have to go through the Filipino team, but I think our chances of winning are great. You have to remember that 9-ball started in the United States so we are the best players and we will show that this year.’

Having won this tournament and also lost out in the final, Rodney Morris is well aware of what is required to carry off the World Cup of Pool.

‘Playing alongside Johnny Archer and having him as a partner will bring a sense of calm as I know that I have a veteran following my every shot. He’s a great player and we’re good friends too, so it makes it easy.’

‘We’ve played as partners in the Mosconi Cup and that helps because we know a little bit of what we’re thinking already. There’s no more thrill than playing for your country; it’s a different feeling than just playing to win a tournament.’

Like Archer, Morris can’t get enough of that unique buzz that pool generates in Manila, ‘Playing in the Philippines is awesome because there are so many people and the atmosphere is electric.’

With the Partypoker.net World Cup of Pool taking place in Manila from Tuesday to Sunday 7th to 12th September, Matchroom Sport can announce that the USA will be represented by the Nos. 1 & 2 players on the BCA Men’s Point List, Archer and Morris.

The whole tournament will be broadcast by Solar Sports live across the Philippines with the live feed of the tournament available internationally. In addition Matchroom Sport will be producing a 31 x one hour highlights package of the event.

With 64 players in attendance, some of the biggest names in world pool will be competing including Reyes, Bustamante, Orcollo, Gomez, Souquet, Ortmann, Peach, Boyes, Immonen, Ouschan, Drago, Feijen, Van den Berg and many more.

For Archer, though, the only player he will be thinking of is Morris; ‘Rodney and my games are a perfect complement to each other. He has a real fast paced game and I really take my time.’

‘We both have easy going attitudes that will help each other when the pressure really gets on. We will draw off of past experiences from other team events and we are both over 40 so we will have experience on our side.’

‘We’re both very excited about this and I know that we are on top form right now so we will compete very well if we get a few shots after the break.’

‘We need all the support we can get so if everybody gets behind us and helps push us over the finish line then we WILL bring the trophy back to the United States,’ added a confident Archer.

by Lea Andrews

Jose “Amang” Parica showed the crowd at Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood, CA, that he was the man to beat as he shot his way into the hot seat of the 14th Annual Jay Swanson Memorial 9-Ball Tournament, and when he met up with Sal Butera in the extended-race finals, he showed them that no man was up to the task. Parica topped the 192-entrant field that gathered February 13-14 for the $4,000-added event, which featured an impressive $15,520 prize purse.

Parica’s victims on his run to the hot seat didn’t include Butera, who’d been edged out by Wayne Pullen 8-7 in one of the later rounds. Pullen went on to do the same to Butch Carba before trouncing Marcus Rodriguez 8-1 to face Parica in the hot seat match. Parica, who was coming off wins over Louis Ulrich 8-4, Greg Harada 8-4, and Marshall Jung 8-7, took care of Pullen easily 8-1.

Pullen moved over to his spot in the semis, where he was awaiting the winner the quarterfinal match-up of Butera—who’d ousted Brian Parks 7-2, last year’s runner-up Oscar Dominguez 7-4, and Jung 7-5—and Rodriguez, who’d just edged out Harada 7-6. Since both Butera and Rodriguez were victims of Pullen, both were vying for the chance at the rematch—and, of course, a crack at Parica in the finals—but Butera was the one who earned it, moving on to the ultimate revenge over Pullen: a shutout.

But toppling the undefeated Parica was quite a different story. Though Butera started off ahead in the single race to 13, getting up 3-1, Parica fought back, pushing his way to get ahead 4-3 and 8-5. Butera wasn’t giving up, though, and he kept at it, finally managing to regain the lead 11-10 and 12-11. While Parica pushed it to hill-hill, it looked to be Butera’s tournament in the final rack until a bobbled 6 ball gave the Filipino another chance. But with no real way to get on the 7 ball, he had to rely on his safety game, which served him well. Butera managed to hit the 7, but he left Parica a shot, which “Amang” took willingly to run out for game, set, match, and tournament.

Parica showed the crowd at Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood, CA, that he was the man to beat as he shot his way into the hot seat of the 14th Annual Jay Swanson Memorial 9-Ball Tournament, and when he met up with Sal Butera in the extended-race finals, he showed them that no man was up to the task.

The Banks event saw some heavy matches as the Sunday action sent dozens more of the top professional bank pool aficionados packing.

The highlight of the day saw two legendary past champions square off on the Accu-Stats live streaming table. As Efren Reyes and Shannon Daulton entered the arena, the crowd gathered to watch the what they knew would be a match to talk about afterward. The match saw Reyes jump out to a 1-0 lead but in what seemed to e only minutes, Daulton fought back and surged ahead of Reyes to a 2-1 lead.

Reyes got a second chance in his match with Daulton after Daulton scratched on the match ball.

That might have been just bad news, the the real salt and lemon for the wound came as Daulton scratched again during his next shot. This gave Reyes the shot that he needed to come to life, play perfectly and win the next two games to deliver Daulton his first loss.

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by Anne Craig

The WPBA Tour Championship finals were set as two fierce competitors entered the arena, ready to do battle for the title. Jasmin Ouschan came into this final poised to win her third WPBA title of the season, and Xiaoting Pan was looking for her first win since the 2008 BCA Generationpool.com event. The crowd was amped up and ready for a great match as the competitors stepped into the arena for the lag, which Jasmin won. She broke and pocketed two balls; the table layout was wide open with one exception—the 2 ball which was tied up with an unmakeable combo, so Ouscha elected to play safe. Pan kicked at the 2 ball, hitting it but leaving Ouschan an open shot for the side pocket. Ouschan ran out to take the first game of the match.

Pan broke and was forced to play a safety, and after a short exchange, Ouschan gained the advantage by making a tough cut on the 1 ball. She earned decent position on the 2 but missed it, perhaps thinking too much about getting to the 3 ball. Pan took advantage of the error, running out to the 7, but she snookered herself behind the 9. She jumped and made the 7 in the side but the Cue ball came right back around behind the 9 again. She chose to kick at it two rails and missed the ball entirely, giving Ouschan ball in hand for the easy 1-2 punch to go up 2-0.

Ouschan broke in game 3, pocketing two balls with a touchy little cut on the 1 ball to start the rack. Nailing the shot beautifully, she sent the Cue ball back and forth three times between the two side rails with position for the 2 ball uptable. From there it was just a matter of intense focus as Ouschan ran out to take a three-game lead, 3-0. Pan made the 1 ball on her break and, after a tricky little cut on the 2 ball, continued on with the 3. She had left herself a long cut shot into the opposite corner pocket with only 4 inches separating the 3 and the Cue ball, and she undercut it slightly. She got another opportunity, though, when Ouschan missed the ball. Pan made the 3 with great position on the 5 ball and ran out to take her first game of the match, down 1-3.

Ouschan came into this final poised to win her third WPBA title of the season, and Pan was looking for her first win since the 2008 BCA Generationpool.com event.

Ouschan had the break advantage in game five, making the 1 and 3 balls with position for the 2 and put together her third break and run of the match to go up 4-1. Pan broke in game six, pocketed a ball with position for the 2, and showed her stuff as she ran out and the score was 4-2.

WPBA Tour Championship Tournament Brackets

Ouschan broke and although she made a ball, she was forced to play safe. Pan’s return safe came up dry as she left Ouschan a long shot on the 2. Pocketing the ball, Ouschan continued on and ran out the rest of the rack to go up 5-2. Pan’s break came up dry and the two became embroiled in a safety battle on the 3 ball. Pan blinked first, allowing Ouschan yet another run-out opportunity that she took full advantage of to take the hill 6-2.

Ouschan broke and pocketed a ball but missed the 1 ball, which set off a safety battle between them. Pan ended up leaving Ouschan snookered behind the 7 and partially the 6 ball for the 2, all lined up across the short side of the table. The crowd cheered as Ouschan jumped the 7 ball, missing the 6 and hitting the 2 dead center of the side pocket for position on the next ball and she ran out for a final score of 7-2 and winning the title of the 2009 WPBA Tour Champion and her third title of the season.

As always, the WPBA would like to give many thanks to their hosts, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and staff, especially Tribal Chairman Mr. David Cypress, and all the folks at Seminole Media Productions: Elrod Bowers, Dennis Pellarin, Bobby Frank, Erica and Lakisha. Special thanks to all our shot clock volunteers, especially Janis Holliman who earns the diehard fan of the tournament award. Thanks to Gene Weaver, APA League Operator here in the Ft. Lauderdale area. And of course their sponsors: The American Pooplayers Association, Aramith, Brunswick Billiards, Cuetec Cues, Mueller Recreational Products, Pooldawg.com and Simonis, Inc. for another great season and their support of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association.

Click here to view the embedded video.

by Anne Craig

Kelly Fisher, the 2008 Player of the Year, and Xiaoting Pan, the number-two-ranked player on the WPBA Tour for 2009, were both looking for their first win of this season. With the cameras rolling and the crowd rooting on their favorite player, the second semifinals began with the lag for the break. Fisher won the lag and pocketed a ball to get things rolling. She missed the 2 ball but left a tough cut for Pan, who chose to play a safety. Fisher’s poor return safety resulted in a potential 2-9 combination, although it wasn’t an easy one for Pan, who lined up the shot carefully. Without batting an eye, she made it dead center and took the first game of the match.

Pan broke in game two but was forced to push out, leaving Fisher a long cut on the 1. She made it perfectly, but the shape she was forced to take on the 2 was less than ideal, so she played a safe, starting a safety battle between the two competitors. Fisher found herself with a tough long shot but snookered herself on the 3 ball and missed the one rail kick shot, giving Pan ball in hand. Pan ran out to take the 2-0 lead.

Fisher broke in game three but was forced to play a safe. Pan kicked the 1 ball in, banked the 2 ball, and ran out to the 7 ball but rattled the ball, allowing Fisher to finish the rack and the score was now 2-1 with Pan breaking. The 95-pound competitor “stuck the landing” on the Cue ball and made two balls on the break. She pocketed the 1 but missed the 2 ball, but she left Fisher snookered behind the 4. Fisher was forced to kick at the 2 two rails—hitting the bottom rail then the side rail just above the side pocket, the Cue ball struck the 2 just right and went into the corner pocket as the crowd cheered, but those cheers turned to groans as the Cue ball headed right for the other corner pocket and scratched. Fisher just shook her head as she sat down, and Pan took ball in hand to run out and retake the two-game lead up 3-1.

Fisher went into game five with the break, looking to the pool gods to cut her some slack. She pocketed a ball, and the only real trouble on the table was shape from the 1 to the 2 ball. The 6 ball had rolled up ahead of the 2 and blocked open shape to the corner pocket. She had no problem navigating the issue and ran out to get back within one game, down 3-2.

WPBA Tour Championship Tournament Brackets

Pan, the number-two-ranked player on the WPBA Tour for 2009, is looking for their first win of this season.

Pan had the break in game six and after pocketing a ball ran out for a 2-9 combination to take a two-game lead, up 4-2. Fisher failed to pocket a ball on her break in game seven, but Pan was forced to start a safety exchange on the 2 ball. After Fisher was forced to jump, she left Pan a long straight in shot, which she made and continued through the rack. With her characteristic no-nonsense style, Pan ran out and took a three-game lead, up 5-2. Pan also had the break advantage but failed to make anything, and the crowd clapped, encouraging Fisher to stay in this match and run out. Fisher actually slowed down her game play, playing to the 6-9 combination, which she pocketed to add another game to the score. She did have the break in game nine and made the 7 into the side pocket. She had no shape for an open shot on the 1 and played safe, but she left the barest of windows for Pan to not only see the 1 but to make it. She continued through the layout and ran out to reach the hill up 6-3. Pan broke in game 10 but failed to make a ball, and again the crowd called out, “Come on, Kelly!” Fisher ran out to the 3 and made the ball but missed shape badly on the 4 and missed the two-rail kick, giving Pan ball in hand to reach her first finals of the 2009 season. Xiaoting ran out and won 7-3. Fisher finished tied for third with Jeanette Lee.

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by Lea Andrews

On the penultimate day of the 34th Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships, the final four on the winners’ side have come through, and on the one-loss side, Steve Moore came from behind two matches in a row to reach the final twelve. The remaining elite players are part of the original field of 216 who gathered October 18-24 at the Chesapeake Conference Center in Chesapeake, VA.

After falling to Ralf Souquet 11-4 on the winners’ side final eight, Moore faced Keith Bennett, who’d just edged out Kenichi Uchigaki 11-10. Bennett got to a 9-3 lead over Moore, who rallied to tie it up at 9, and the two traded off to make it hill-hill. In the final rack, Moore found himself sharked on the 5 ball by the red light on a spectator’s camera. “I got up and I got back down, and she did it again,” recalled Moore after the match. “I got up and I told her about it, but when I got back down, I was still thinking about it.” He missed. But he was back at the table after Bennett miscued on the 6, though he was looking at a kick. After Moore’s hit, Bennett was left with a shot, but his position was off on the 7 ball, and the cue ball found the side pocket. Moore was out, and his next match against Yukio Akagarivama was called nearly instantly.

View the U.S. Open 9-Ball Double Elimination Tournament Brackets 1 (updated continuously)

View the U.S. Open 9-Ball Double Elimination Tournament Brackets 2 (updated continuously)

View the 2009 U.S. Open image gallery

View the LIVE STREAM from ACCU-STATS

Once again Moore was down several games, then tied at 9 and at 10. After some safety play in the final rack, it was Akagarivama who had control, and he moved carefully through the rack. His shot on the 7 down the rail grazed the cushion, though, leaving the 7 hanging in the pocket and the crowd all gasping at once. Moore tapped it in for position on the 8 in the side, which he considered carefully before getting down on the shot. “There were so many options on the eight,” he explained afterwards. “And then I was like, ‘You know what? Just spin the ball in, three-rail it.’ It’s a pretty routine shot—I was just looking at all my options, and I hit it real well. I knew as soon as I hit it.” After getting perfect position on the 9, Moore dropped it in for the win and the right to face Imran Majid, who fell 11-7 to Lee Van Corteza on the winners’ side. About the rest of the tournament, Moore doesn’t care how the matches go—not exactly. “I don’t care if I’m behind and win or ahead and win—I just want to win. Whatever it takes.”

Morris admitted that he had a rather fortuitus set against Davenport.

On the other side of the bracket, 1996 U.S. Open champion “Rocket” Rodney Morris blew by Kim Davenport 11-2 on the TV table to reach the undefeated final four. Morris, who won his first match on the TV table 11-9 against Corey Deuel despite feeling nervous about the way it played, was prepared this time around. “My touch was better than his on the table, and it’s so lightning fast that it’s all touch,” he explained. “It’s easy to lose the cue ball on safeties, but mine were coming out perfect.” Morris faces Donnie Mills, who eased past Karl Boyes 11-3, while Souquet and Corteza round out the final four.

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by Edward Asistin

Everybody who wanted to know who was in and who was out had to wait until the very last match of the group stage of the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship was complete. The very last match was played between Yu Ram Cha (Korea) and Lyndall Hulley (Australia). Hulley needed to win her final match to advance into the single-elimination phase of the tournament and compete for a top prize of $20,000 USD.

11-year-old Gillian Go thrilled the crowd with her play to make it into the single elimination phase of the tournament.

Just minutes before the conclusion of the aforementioned match, 11-year-old Gillian Go (Philippines) won a hill-hill battle against Tina Meraglio (US) under the pressure of playing on the TV table to give Go a 3-2 record in her group. If Yu Ram Cha would have lost against Hulley, all three of them would have had a 3-2 record, and Go would have lost the tiebreaker to the other two by just one point. But in the end Yu Ram Cha defeated Hulley by a score of 5-3, making Go the big story of the tournament thus far.

There were several other matches played on day three that had significant meaning.

View the Women’s World 10-Ball Championship image gallery

THE HEARTBREAK
Qualifier Mary Ann Bassas (Philippines) just happen to be drawn into what evidently became the toughest group in the tournament. She had a 3-2 record in group play but just lost out in the tiebreaker by one point. She was the only player with a 3-2 record in the group stage not to advance into the single elimination bracket. Earlier in the day she had lost to reigning Amway World 9-Ball champion Chieh-Yu Chou by a score of 5-0. If she could have won a couple of games in that match instead of getting blanked, the Philippine crowd would have one more of their own to cheer for.

Though Loraine didn't make it to the single elimination round, she had a say in who did earn the top spot and receive the bye in round 1.

THE LUCK
Jeanette Lee (US) should be thanking Shanelle Loraine of Guam to the tune of at least $500 USD. Just after “The Black Widow” lost a hill-hill thriller to Veronika Hubrtova (CZE), Lorraine played Hubrtova and defeated her by a score of 5-3. Hubrtova was in the driver’s seat to claim the number-one seed in her group and earn a first-round bye in the single-elimination phase. All she had to do was win four games in the final match against Lorraine, but she failed to do so and surrendered the top seed in the group to Lee. They both had a 4-1 record, but before the head-to-head criteria was used as a tiebreaker, the number of games won was used first. Total games won was Lee at 24 and Hubrtova at 23, giving the first-round bye to “The Black Widow.”

View the round robin brackets

View the single elimnation brackets

Karen Corr (IRE), Kelly Fisher (ENG), Allison Fisher (ENG), Hsiang-Lin Tan (TPE), and Miyuki Fuke (JAP) all went undefeated in group play and earned the top five seeds and a first-round bye in the order listed previous. Jeanette Lee, Shin-Mei Liu (TPE), and Akimi Kajitani (JAP) rounded out the top eight seeds, each with a 4-1 record but tops in their group and also receiving a bye into the second round of eliminations.

The other players that have advanced into the single-elimination bracket are: Yun Mi Lim (KOR), Akio Ohtani (JAP), Yuan-Chun Lin (TPE), Chihiro Kawahara (JAP), Veronika Hubrtova (CZE), Tamara Rademakers (NED), Rubilen Amit (PHI), Julie Kelly (IRE), Yu Ram Cha (KOR), Gillian Go (PHI), Jasmin Ouschan (AUT), Angeline Ticoalu (IND), Ga Young Kim (KOR), Charlene Chai (SIN), Chieh-Yu Chou (TPE), and Apsra Punhoo (RSA).

By Sally Lee

In an amazing comeback performance, Yu Ram Cha overcame a 8-4 deficit to defeat former World 10-Ball and US Open Champion Shane Van Boening. Cha was one of the three remaining women left in the event with the monumental task of qualifying for the final stage of the event. Ozone Billiards presented the 112 top players from around the globe along with top sponsor JBETpoker.net on the Dragon Promotions production at the Riviera Hotel & Casino May 11-16,2009 during the BCAPL’s National 8-Ball Championships. The 9th Annual Predator International 10-Ball Championship features live scoring of the entire event on www.Predator10ball.com .

The match started out shaky for Cha and routine for Van Boening. Shane took an early 4-1 lead, which Cha later narrowed to 5-4. Shane then took the next 3 games to lead a comfortable 8-4. The valiant Cha never gave up and fought her way to close the gap at 8-6. After a smashing break, which she switched from the middle to the side rail, she made a tricky off angle combo on the 10-Ball to get within 8-7. The next game was cat and mouse with Van Boening with him leaving Yu Ram a half table length jump cut shot. Cha jumped a ball and sliced the 4ball down the rail in an amazing shot and proceeded to run the rack out to tie 8-8. The crowd was going wild.
In game 19, Cha broke and ran out. On the hill leading 9-8 now, Cha broke and made another ball on the break and faced a jacked up shot as the cueball lay over a ball and she had to shoot length of the table off angle shot on the 1ball. She nailed it perfectly.

“That was a helluva shot”, murmured Johnny Archer watching the match from a distance.

Cha was set up for an open table run, and she executed the run perfectly down to the final 10-Ball. Looking at the shot, getting down, and then up ne more time the nerves were showing. The steely eyed Cha then regrouped and stroked an off angle shot on the 10-Ball for the win. A big smile formed on her face and she was overcome with emotion as she had to sit down. She got up to embrace her mentor and coach Charlie Williams as he paused his own match to come over and congratulate her victory.

In an amazing comeback performance, Yu Ram Cha overcame a 8-4 deficit to defeat former World 10-Ball and US Open Champion Shane "The South Dakota Kid" Van Boening.

“I can’t believe it!” said Cha after the match.

“We trained and prepared so much for the match with Shane last Friday. I told her she could really beat him, that it’s possible. She lost that day but got a second crack at him tonight. And this time the work paid off”, said Charlie Williams.

“That girl is going to be a force to be reckoned with”, said Nesli O’hare, former top WPBA womens pro.

“Boy that girl is going to be strong. She has a stroke power that is so deceiving because of her looks and size”, commented Jay Helfert, one of the Co-tournament directors.

Allison Fisher was considered to be the favorite in her match with Dan Heidrich. Thought the match was close till 6-6, Fisher turned up a notch and showed Dan the exit at 10-6. Fisher will join the rest of the men field in the final 32 tomorrow. Fisher will face Shawn Putnam in the final bracket.

Jasmin Oushcan won a convincing 10-6 over Spain’s Carlos Cabello who earlier in the event handed Ralf Souquet one loss. This marks the first time in the 9 year history of the event a woman would have finished in the prize money and in the top quarter of the field.

All total 3 women out of the 32 seeded players have made it through.

JBETpoker.net is offering bonus money to the top woman’s finisher of $1000 and $500 for the second highest in addition to the regular prize money.

Players or fans wanting info please email world10ballchampionships@gmail.com or call 1-407-782-4978 www.dragonpromotions.com

MATCHROOM SPORT can announce that Canadian veteran Alain Martel has withdrawn from the 16 player starting line-up of the 2009 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters, following difficulties in obtaining the necessary visa.

He will be replaced by fellow Canadian 29 year-old Tyler Edey who will be playing in his second World Pool Masters.

Edey is the current No.2 ranked player in Canada and with a string of promising results behind him, he will be looking to make the breakthrough to the highest level.

After visa troubles kept Canadian Alain Martel from competing, fellow Canadian Tyler Edey will fill the open spot in the upcoming World Pool Masters scheduled to start on Friday at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

“I’m delighted to get this opportunity and I’m really looking forward to the event and seeing everyone again,” he said.

Edey will face the daunting task of Dennis Orcollo in his first round match on Saturday evening in front of a packed crowd.

“They’re all tough players in this event so it doesn’t really matter who I play. This is an unexpected chance and I plan to make the most of it,” he added.