The first Asia Expat Pool Challenge is now history, and Team BANGKOK will be bringing back the trophy, which will remain in Bangkok until Jakarta or some other Asian city can make it to Bangkok and take it away from us.  The score was 20-20 after the first round, and 41-39 in our favor after round 2.  Team BANGKOK made it's move in round 3, taking a 54-46 lead, and never looked back.

A few people had to cancel out of the trip at the last minute because of the floods, but the 48 that made it proved to be enough to win the day.  Team JAKARTA was a great side, and even greater hosts.  They went overboard in making everyone on Team BANGKOK feel welcome.  They laid out the red carpet for us, wined us, dined us, and exceeded all the expectations we had.  They are a wonderful group, and I salute them.

Team BANGKOK came not only with their game, but a great attitude that made the event much more than a pool tournament. They partied hard, played hard, and came together as a team when it was needed.  The win, and the overall success of the event belonged equally to every one of those that came, and I salute them as well.  They did the league, the sport, and the City of Bangkok proud.

I think all those involved on both sides would agree that it was a truly magical event that they all were proud to have been a part of.  The work done by people in both Jakarta and Bangkok to organize and stage the event was well worth it.  The end result was more than I envisioned, and that was due mostly to the great attitude that both teams brought to the event.

A special thanks to Brian Piggott and STEEL BLUE for having the vision to see what this event would mean to those taking part in it.

Lots of pictures of the event in the gallery, so take a look.  A special thanks to Andrew for taking some great shots, capturing the overall mood of the event.