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Auberon Waugh
| Most recent season or competition: 2025 SBA season | |
 | |
| Sport | Nine-ball |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 6, 2024 |
| First season | 2024 |
| Commissioner | Hadley Mariano |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Headquarters | Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City |
| Most recent champion(s) | Taguig Stallions (1st title) |
| Most titles | Taguig Stallions (1 title) |
| Broadcaster(s) | PTV |
The Sharks Billiards Association (SBA) is a professional nine-ball league in the Philippines consisting of four teams.
The league's games are played at Sharks Arena, an indoor venue located at Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City.
History
As the Sharks Billiard League
The Sharks Billiards Association was originally established in Quezon City as the Sharks Billiards League (SBL) by Hadley Mariano in partnership with the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP). It was founded in November 2022 by billiards promoter Perry Mariano and sports patrons Putch Puyat, Isaac Belmonte and Jonathan Sy of BMPAP, and new officials Mon Aguirre, Larry Lim, Hadley Mariano, Jojo Sanchez, and Eric Salud.[1]
With United Kingdom-based Matchroom, the SBL organized the 2023 Sharks International Open at the Great White Arena in Quezon City. It was won by Taiwanese player Ko Ping-chung.[2][3]
Foundation of a professional league
On May 6, 2024, the league was renamed the Sharks Billiards Association (SBA). It also now accredited by the Games and Amusements Board. Sports columnist Chino Trinidad was the league's inaugural commissioner until his death on July 13, 2024.[4][5][6][7]
On August 18, 2024, the league had its inaugural draft at Gateway Mall in Quezon City. Jericho Bañares was selected by the Quezon City Dragons with the first pick.[8] The inaugural champions are the Taguig Stallions who won three of their five games against Manila MSW Mavericks in the finals series.[9]
In April 2025, the SBA secured a partnership with People's Television Network as they launch the 2025 Philippine Open.[10][11]
Teams
| Team | Locality |
|---|---|
| Manila MSW Mavericks | Manila |
| Negros Occidental Pillars | Negros Occidental |
| Quezon City Dragons | Quezon City |
| Taguig Stallions | Taguig |
Format
Game structure
Each game consists of five nine-ball matches spread across a five-day period, each with a different format.[8]
- King of the Hill (5v5) – Each team will nominate one player to begin the match. Once a rack is completed, the losing team will send another player for the next rack. Once all five players have played, referred to as a "cycle", all players can be nominated to play again. The first team to score 15 racks wins and earns five points.
- Doubles (2v2) – Each team will nominate two players to begin the match. Once a rack is completed, the losing team will send another two players for the next rack. The first team to score 13 racks wins and earns five points.
- Singles (1v1) – Each team will nominate a player that will play the entire match. The first player to score 13 racks wins and earns three points for his team. Each team is required to send one player to a singles match once during the season before nominating them again.
Sharking
During the games, players may trash talk their opponents, known as "sharking", before the shooter gets in a shooting stance.[8]
Championships
| Season | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | Taguig Stallions | 3–2 | Manila MSW Mavericks | [9] |
| Season | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | Anton Raga | 13–6 | Jerico Bañares | [12] |
Commissioners
- Chino Trinidad (May 7, 2024–July 13, 2024)
- Hadley Mariano
References
- ^ Ulanday, John Bryan (December 29, 2022). "Sharks out to reignite Philippine billiards". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "How the Sharks International Open is trying to jump start Philippine pool". ESPN.com. July 24, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Payo, Jasmine (August 12, 2023). "Sharks 9-ball looks to revive local pool scene". Rappler. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "Sharks Billiards Association to 'revive' pool action in PHL". BusinessWorld. May 7, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "Sharks Announces New Commissioner And Game Format". Journal Online. May 7, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "Sharks Billiards Association is 1st-ever pro pool league in Philippines". The Philippine Star. May 14, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Agcaoili, Lance (July 14, 2024). "Chino Trinidad, veteran sports journalist, dies at 56". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ a b c Guerrero, Bob (August 25, 2024). "Can Sharks Billiards Make Team Pool Work?". The Game. One Mega Group Inc.
- ^ a b "Taguig Stallions are inaugural Sharks Billiards champs". ABS-CBN News. December 21, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ "SBA Philippine Billiards Open launched". The Manila Times. April 15, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Villar, Joey (April 14, 2025). "Billiards body wants to be NBA of cue sports". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Malanum, Jean (April 28, 2025). "Cebu pride Raga rules SBA PH Open". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved April 28, 2025.