Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes still ‘phenomenal’ at 71, says rival Earl Strickland

MANILA, Philippines – Even at 71 years old, Efren “Bata” Reyes still plays at a high level.

Earl Strickland can attest to that as the two pool icons rekindled their rivalry in the WNT Legends, where the American scored a decisive 11-6 win over the Filipino at the Gateway Mall in Quezon City on Thursday, January 22.

Strickland, who holds the record for most world nine-ball titles with three (1990, 1991, and 2002), praised Reyes’ unrelenting drive for the sport despite the physical restrictions that come with players their age.

“You’ve got to remember, Efren’s seven years older than me. Let’s not forget that, okay? He’s still playing remarkable pool for his age, you understand? But you can see that his age shows up on certain shots. He decelerates,” said 64-year-old Strickland. 

“And I do the same thing. But I’m not quite as bad as him yet, you know what I mean? But I’ll be there. But anyway, I still think Efren plays phenomenal. He can still put the fear in a guy, you know what I mean? That’s what I like about him.” 

The match brought back memories of their classic Color of Money showdown that took place three decades ago in 1996 in Hong Kong, where Reyes beat Strickland in a three-day, race-to-120 duel for a $100,000 purse.

Down by as many as 17 racks, Reyes staged one of the biggest comebacks in pool lore to hack out a 120-117 win. 

This time, though, Strickland protected the upper hand as he raced to an early 3-0 lead and kept Reyes at bay to secure his spot in the final of the exhibition event that brought together four of the greatest pool players in history, including Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Ralf Souquet. 

But “The Pearl” admitted that the victory, even on Reyes’ own turf, offers less satisfaction now that their way past the peak of their powers. 

“You know, it’s not as gratifying because, you know, Efren’s got a lot of age on him, you know? And I’m not going to celebrate, jump up and down, and blow whistles,” Strickland said. “I’m going to show him respect because he’s still in the game, you know, even though he lost.” 

“Neither one of us are the player we used to be. Our nerves play a big part of it. Even on the safeties, he was missing his safeties today, you know what I mean? That’s rare for him. But I wasn’t and I think that was the difference in the match.” 

Strickland sure knows what he is talking about, having taken pages out of Reyes’ book to refine his own game. 

“I didn’t play safe good until I learned them from Efren. I learned all my safeties from Efren. You can tell that, you know? I can plant that ball pretty good, you know, in some tough spots. But, you know, the things I learned from Efren are amazing. He didn’t teach me how to pocket balls, but he taught me a lot of other stuff,” said Strickland. 

While they’re not as agile, sharp, and consistent as they used to be, Strickland said players like him and Reyes will stick around the sport for the rest of their days.

“Efren and I are going to keep playing until we die. We’re lifers, you know? It’s a prison term. You’re a lifer, you know? We’re lifers in full. You understand? We’re going to die on the table. Simple as that,” Strickland said. 

“I love pool more than life itself, you understand? I’ll die on a pool table. Pool is the greatest game, one of the greatest games on earth. I think it’s the hardest game on earth.” – Rappler.com