Aces cue up for 9-Ball tourney

Five of Viet Nam's top players will be competing in the Beijing Open 9-ball event which starts tomorrow, April 28, at the Beijing Yuetan Stadium in China.

They include Nguyen Phuc Long, Luong Chi Dung, Nguyen Thanh Nam, Do The Kien and Do Hoang Quan. Long was Viet Nam's sole invitee to the recent Philippines Open Pool Championships and he also made it through to the knockout stages of the World 8-ball Championship in the United Arab Emirates.

The four-day event will attract the world's leading players including Roberto Gomez, Carlo Biado and Dennis Orcullo.

The men's champion will receive a cash prize of US$40,000 while $26,000 will go to the women's champion.

Both the Philippines and Beijing events are World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) ranking tournaments.

After the competition, most participants are expected to return to the Philippines to take part in the WPA Gap tournament and the WPA World 10-ball Championship.

Ha Noi Trang An 2 held to draw

Ha Noi Trang An 2 played out a goalless draw with bottom placed Thai Nguyen in their fifth match in the first leg of the National Women's Football Championships in the northern province of Ha Nam on Monday.

Thai Nguyen are the only team not to have won a match so far in the tournament, and the draw was not enough to lift them off the bottom of the table. Ha Noi Trang An 2 are one place ahead of them in fifth with three points.

Ha Noi Trang An 1 are top with 10 points.

The first leg of the tournament will conclude today and the second will run from July 2 to 20.

Women gear up for Thai Open

HCM City will be participating in the Thailand Open women's beach handball tournament 2011 at the end of May.

The team won a silver medal at last year's event.

The competition will give the team a chance to hone their skills and gain experience in preparation for the Asian Beach Games which Viet Nam will host in 2016 in the central coastal city of Nha Trang.

Quynh wins senior champs

Golfer Thieu Kim Quynh won the Viet Nam Senior Championships at the Twin Doves course in the southern province of Binh Duong at the weekend.

Quynh, 50, representing Luong Son, triumphed with rounds of 79 and 82. It was his first crack at the event, that attracted around 100 golfers from clubs nationwide.

Nguyen Van Nien of Tam Dao and Mai Duc Thuan of Song Be were the runners-up.

Last year, Duong Thanh won the title at Dong Mo District's King's Island course.

U-17 footballers eye Cup qualifiers

The qualifying round for the National U-17 Football Tournament, Thai Son Nam Cup, will take place from May 26 to June 25.

Thirty-three teams have been divided into six groups who will compete in a round robin format, with the winners from each group joining defending champions SHB Da Nang and hosts Khataco Khanh Hoa in the final round.

The final round is scheduled to be held in the central coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province on July 21-30. Eight teams, who will be divided into two groups, will also compete in a round robin format with the top two qualifying for the semi-finals.

This year's champions will receive a cash prize of VND100million (US$4,500), while the second and third placed teams will receive VND60million ($2,700) and VND40million ($1,800), respectively.

The organisers will also award bonuses for best player, top scorer and best goalkeeper.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News