Orcollo leads hunt in Villar Cup Bacolod leg

The chase for billiards honors resumes tomorrow with world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo leading the hunt in the Bacolod leg of the first Senate President Manny Villar Cup at the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex in Bacolod City.

The 29-year-old Orcollo, playing out of the Bugsy Promotions stable, has already won four major tournaments this year, but is coming off a pair of heartbreaks in the international arena. He and Francisco “Django” Bustamante settled for joint third in the recent World Cup of Pool while reaching the semifinals in the Guinness 9-ball grand finals last month.

“I hope to regain my winning ways and I want to do it here in Villar Cup,” said Orcollo, who ruled the Quezon City 9-ball Championship, the All-Japan Open, the Qatar International 9-ball Open and the Guinness Tour Guangzhou leg.

But out to foil Orcollo in the fifth edition of the island-hopping series presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports, are the other top local players, led by Bustamante and Efren “Bata” Reyes, plus a crack roster of foreign challengers headed by former World Cup of Pool winner Fu Jianbo of China.

“It will be tough but I’m confident of my chances here,” said Orcollo, runner-up to Gandy Valle in the Cebu leg of the series.

Others vying for top honors are former world champions Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, Lee Van Corteza, and the other Villar Cup leg winners Kiamco (Alabang), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan) and Roberto Gomez (Davao).

Orcollo hopes to reaffirm No. 1 status in Villar Cup

Dennis Orcollo shoots to maintain his status as the world’s no. 1 pool player as he tries to win the Bacolod leg of the Senate President Manny Villar Cup, which kicks off Wednesday at the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex in Bacolod City.

Although Orcollo won four major tournaments this year, he fell short of winning a title in his last two outings.

“I hope I could resume my winning ways, and I want to do it here in Villar Cup,” said Orcollo in a report posted on BilliardPhilippines.com.

Orcollo’s partnership with Francisco “Django” Bustamante saw the Philippines reaching third place in the World Cup of Pool. He also reached the semifinal round of the Guinness 9-Ball Grand Finals last month.

He had successful stints in the Quezon City 9-Ball Championship, the All-Japan Open, the Qatar International 9-Ball Open and the Guinness Tour Guangzhou leg, becoming one of the most successful pool players in 2008.

“Actually, hindi naman nagbago yung tira ko, medyo hindi lang ako nabigyan ng magandang break in my past two tournaments. So I’m still confident that I can continue winning more tournaments,” he said.

Manalo, Gabica compete in All-Japan 9-Ball

Meanwhile, national champion Marlon Manalo and Doha Asian Games 9-ball gold medallist Antonio Gabica are set to compete in the All-Japan Championship 2008.

"Sana malampasan ko ang third place finish ko dito two years ago," Gabica told BilliardPhilippines’ Marlon Bernandino.

The All-Japan Championship offers the lion share of JPY2,000,000 to the top winner. The runner-up gets JPY1,000,000 while losing-semifinalists will bring home JPY500,000 each.

The competition is slated at the Hotel New Archaic Hall in Hyogo, Japan from November 19 to 24.

Orcollo Seeks to Reinforce His No. 1 World Standing

Dennis Orcollo will try to reinforce his standing as the No. 1 player in the world when he competes in the Bacolod leg of the 1st Senate President Manny Villar Cup which begins Wednesday at the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex.

The 29-year-old Orcollo has already won four major tournaments this year, but fell short of winning a title in his last two events. Partnering veteran pool legend Francisco “Django” Bustamante in the World Cup of Pool, the Filipinos were beaten in the semi finals by the US pair of “The South Dakota Kid” Shane Van Boening and Rodney “The Rocket” Morris who went on to win the crown.

Orcollo also faltered in the semi finals of  the Guinness 9-Ball Grand Finals last month in Jakarta .

Orcollo said he was hoping he  “could resume my winning ways.  I want to do it here in the Villar Cup.” Orcollo, who ruled the Quezon City 9-Ball Championship, the All-Japan Open, the Qatar International 9-Ball Open and the Guinness Tour Guangzhou has emerged as one of the most successful pool players in 2008. He is a superstar in the star-studded  Bugsy Promotions roster of passionate pool supporter Perry Mariano.

Orcollo remarked “Actually, nothing changed in my shot making but I did get a good break in my past two tournaments.

So I’m still confident that I can continue winning more tournaments.”

It certainly will not be easy for the World No.1 as he is expected  to face stiff competition in the fifth edition of the island-hopping series presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

Unlike the four previous stagings, Orcollo  will not only take on his already tough countrymen, but also have to contend with top-class foreign contenders  led by former World Cup of Pool winner Fu Jianbo of China .

Orcollo who was runner-up to Gandy Valle in the Cebu leg said “its much harder now but I am very confident and I really want to be champion in the Villar Cup because this is the most prestigious tournament now..”

Besides the foreign players Orcollo will have to contend with a formidable roster of his countrymen including former world champions Efren “Bata” Reyes, Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano,  Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Lee Van Corteza, and previous Villar Cup leg winners Kiamco (Alabang), Gandy Valle ( Cebu ), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan) and Roberto Gomez ( Davao ).

There is also a group of rising stars led by Carlo Biado, Ricky Zerna, Mike Takayama and Michael Feliciano that Orcollo will have to contend with since they  out to make a name for themselves and win the $15,000 top purse at stake in this four day meet organized by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) in cooperation with the city government of Bacolod led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and the Negros Billiards Stable (NBS) of businessman Jonathan Sy, and sponsored by Camella Communities.

The rest of the 32-man main draw is still being disputed by dozens of aspiring players through a series of qualifying tournaments being held at the Celebrity Billiards and Bar in Bacolod City.

Besides the international invitational division, there will also be the Executive Class and Amateur divisions for both men and women, where almost half-a-million pesos cash prize is at stake.

Moreover, the event will also have a series of side activities like street parties, concerts and exhibits as the event is also dubbed as “the Bacolod International VILLARDS Festival.”

‘Biggies’ in Villar Cup

Expect an even more exciting and more competitive pool action as the First Senate President Manny Villar Cup goes international for its fifth leg slated from November 13 to 16 at the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex in Bacolod City.

After four highly successful stops, where the cream of the country’s billiards’ crop battled for supremacy, the island-hopping series, presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports, has opened its door for some of the world’s top cue artists.

“We want to make this tournament even more competitive, more challenging to our top players, while giving our young players the experience of playing in the international level,” said Senate President Manny Villar during the press launch Wednesday at the Bacolod Goldenfields’ Garden Royal.

“This is part of my commitment of helping sports, especially those where we Filipinos can excel in and dominate, like billiards,” added Villar, now considered as the biggest benefactor of Philippine billiards.

Former World Cup of Pool titlist Fu Jianbo of China leads the visiting forces, who will mix it up with 24 local bets for the coveted title and the $15,000 top prize at stake in this four-day event, organized by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines in cooperation with the city government of Bacolod, led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, and the Negros Billiards Stable of businessman Jonathan Sy and sponsored by Camella Communities.

Besides Fu, the other foreign entries in this tournament, also dubbed as “the Bacolod International VILLARDS Festival,” are former Asian Games gold medalist Satoshi Kawabata of Japan and Christian Johannessen of Norway, among others.

“Mas mabigat nga ang laban ngayon, pero tingin ko kami-kami pa rin ang magkikita sa finals,” said pool icon Efren “Bata” Reyes, reprising one of his famous lines.

Reyes will once again lead the local charge, along with fellow former world champions Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, reigning world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Lee Van Corteza and previous Villar Cup leg winners Kiamco (Alabang), Gandy Valle (Cebu), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan) and Roberto Gomez (Davao).

Also in the 32-man field are Carlo Biado and Ricky Zerna. The rest of the slot will be filled through wild-card entries and a series of qualifying tournaments slated from November 8 to 11 at the Celebrity Billiards and Bar in Bacolod City.

Besides the international invitational division, there will also be the Executive Class and Amateur divisions for both men and women, where almost half-a-million pesos cash prize is at stake.

RP’s best pool players team up in battle vs. Best of the World

Philippines best cue masters will join forces to keep the nation’s status as the best billiards playing country.

Former world champions Alex Pagulayan, Efren “Bata” Reyes and Ronnie Alcano, current world No.1 Dennis Orcollo, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, 2007 World Pool runnerup Roberto “Superman” Gomez, and Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Warren Kiamco and Lee Van Corteza are drawn together to form Team Quezon City-Philippines.

They will be cueing up against the collection of the best players who will be suiting up for the World Team; composed of newly-crowned US Open champion Mika Immonen of Finland, Thorsten Hohmann of Germany, Wu Chia Ching of Chinese-Taipei and Shane Van Boening of the United States.

Other members of Team World are World Cup of Pool winner Rodney Morris and Charlie Williams of the US and Jianbo Fu of China, and newly-crowned Guinness 9-Ball Tour Grand Finals champion Ching Shun Yang of Chinese Taipei.

The two teams will play for the $40,000 top prize of the Q.C. Invasion: Quezon City-Philippines vs. the World Grand Billiards Showdown on Dec. 2 to 4 at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.

The two teams will play singles, doubles and team events patterned after the famous Mosconi Cup, an annual contest between the best pool players of the US and Europe.

RP is making waves in world billiards

Filipino cue artists once again proved that you win in billiards not only through inborn grace and intelligence, but most of all through experience.

Former double world champion Ronnie Alcano, lead player of Bugsy Promotions, and battle-scarred Warren Kiamco made the Final Four against former world champions Mika Immonen of Finland and Johnny Archer of the United States, respectively, in the star-studded 33rd US Open 9-Ball Championship in Chesapeake, Virginia. (This piece was submitted before the event’s final two stages—Ed)

Whether or not they win the US Open title and the champion’s paycheck of $40,000, the Filipino pair will make history. The mere fact that they stormed into the magic four shows that Filipinos can hold their own even against the world’s best and toughest pros.

Over in Jakarta, world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo, also of Bugsy Promotions, and 2004 World Pool 9-Ball champion Alex Pagulayan of Puyat Sports, likewise landed in the elite four in this year’s Guinness Tour Grand Finals, the culmination of the Asian Tour.

All four players—Alcano, Kiamco, Orcollo and Pagulayan—are mainstays of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines, a group of professionals whose main objective is to promote the game of pool nationwide and to look after the well-being of its members.

In my view, local billiards is already the real winner here. The mere fact that the country’s present crop of veteran cue artists is now a force to reckon with in the international pool scene speaks well of the people running the sport.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the Americans were the most dominant billiards players in the world. Among their top pool pros were Nick Varner, Mike Lebron, Jimmy Rempe, Jay Helfert, Kim Davenport, Buddy Hall and, much later in the 1990s and 2000s, Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer, Corey Deuel, Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening.

In the 1980s, Filipino players entered the picture. Ageless Jose “Amang” Parica, now United States-based, led the Philippine invasion of the American circuit in mid-1984.

Humble and simple Efren “Bata” Reyes, playing under the name of Cesar Morales, started to build a reputation that would make him the most dangerous and finest player on the planet.

In 1985, Reyes, then 29, won his first US title—the Red’s 9-Ball Open in Houston, Texas. He earned the moniker “The Magician” because of his smooth motion and subtle touch.

In 1994, Reyes captured the US Open to become the first non-American to win the crown. A native of Pampanga, Reyes capped his achievements by winning the World Pool Championship in Cardiff, Wales, in 1999 at age 45. Reyes, who is now 54, skipped the 2008 US Open due to health reasons.

Many-time world champion Strickland, the flamboyant American cue artist who is also Reyes’ bitterest rival, said: “In my book, Reyes is the greatest player in the world. What else can you say? He plays you and he beats you.”

Pagulayan, Orcollo enter semis

JAKARTA, Indonesia - The Philippines’ Alex Pagulayan and Dennis Orcollo booked semifinal seats after finishing as the top two Group A players in the preliminary round of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 Grand Final on Saturday at the Mal Taman Anggrek.

The two wound up with identical 3–1 win-loss records, but Pagulayan, the 2004 World 9-Ball champion, earned the top spot since he lost fewer racks.

Pagulayan, who won the Singapore leg, will face Wu Chia-ching of Chinese Taipei in the first sem-final match today at 12 noon (Manila time) while Orcollo, who topped the Guangzhou leg, will tangle with longtime rival Yang Ching-shun of Chinese Taipei in the other encounter at 1:30 p.m.

The semifinal winners will meet in the finals later Sunday.

Antonio Gabica also had a chance to join compatriots Pagulayan and Orcollo in the Final Four but ran out of steam and lost his last two matches in Group B.

The former Asian Games gold medalist started strong as he won his first three assignments, beating fellow Filipino Joven Bustamante, 9–5, Malaysia’s Ibrahim Bin Amir, 9–5, and Wu, 9-7.

But the player known as “Gaga” faltered down the stretch, losing to hometown bet Ricky Yang, 8–9, and Yang, 6–9.

Gabica, who played four straight matches in nearly seven hours Saturday, ended up tied in second place with Wu, but got the boot in the tiebreak.

Bustamante was also eliminated after coming up with only two victories in five matches over in Group B.

Pagulayan actually dropped his opening match to Orcollo, 7-9, but bounced back to win his next three assignments. He beat last year’s Grand Final winner Chang Jung Lin of Chinese Taipei, 9–5, late Friday evening then downed Chinese Taipei’s Wang Hung Hsiang, 9–8, and routed Korea’s Ryu Seung Woo, 9–2, on Saturday.

Orcollo, who is the current WPA world No. 1, swept all three of his assignments on Friday. He started his campaign with the victory over Pagulayan then followed it up with triumphs over Wang, 9–8, and Ryu, 9–5.

The player known as “Robocop” dropped a no-bearing match to Chang, 7–9, on Saturday.

Chang, who won the Grand Final in Bali last year, was eliminated after winning only two matches and suffering two defeats in Group A.

The champion will earn the top prize of $36,000.

Pagulayan, Orcollo in Asian 9-Ball Tour 'group of death'

MANILA, Philippines - Alex Pagulayan and Dennis Orcollo will have to beat one another - if one of them wants to reach the final round.

The Filipino pool heavyweights were bracketed in one group after the players' draw for the Guinness 9-Ball Tour Grand Final was held Thursday in Jakarta, Indonesia.

But that was half of the RP duo's ill luck; they would have to contend with Chang Jung-lin of Chinese-Taipei, the defending Grand Final champion and winner of the first three Tour legs.

The Taiwanese were undefeated in the Tour until Pagulayan won in Singapore and Orcollo took the title in Guangzhou.

"You can't do anything about the draw," Pagulayan, a former world 9-ball champion, said. "Dennis and I were bound to meet anyway. It just so happened that we were going to meet a bit earlier than expected."

Ryu Seung Woo of Korea completes Group A.

In Group B, Joven Bustamante and Asian Games champion Antonio Gabica will be bunched with hometown bet Ricky Yang, Ibrahim bin-Amir of Malaysia, Yang Ching-shun and Wu Chia-ching of Chinese-Taipei.

The tournament, which offers a champion's purse worth $36,000 (P1.72 million), begins Friday.

Orcollo Vows To Bounce Back From Failed World Cup Bid

After failing in his mission to bring the World Cup of Pool back to the Philippines and taking much of the blame for it, world no.1 Dennis Orcollo vowed to bounce back and resume his winning ways to reap more honors for the country.

His next target: the 2008 Guinness 9-Ball Tour Grand Finals on October 24 to 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“I’m very disappointed that we weren’t able to fulfill our mission of winning the World Cup, and I blame myself for it,” said Orcollo, who made a couple of unforced errors that doomed his and teammate Francisco “Django” Bustamante’s bid as they succumbed to a 9-6 defeat against the eventual champion American pair of Shane Van Boening and Rodney Morris in the semifinals of the event held in Rotterdam, Holland.

“With that, I promise to improve my game even more and I’ll do my best to win more titles for our country,” added the 29-year-old stalwart of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano.

Orcollo has so far won four major titles this year – the 2008 Quezon City 9-Ball Championship, the All-Japan Open, the Qatar International 9-Ball Open and the Guinness Tour leg in Guangzhou, China – to more than validate his tag as the world’s best cue artist today.

After the Guinness finale, he will join forces with seven other top Filipinos pool masters in going up against a group of topnotch international players in the Q.C. Invasion: Quezon City-Philippines vs the World Grand Billiards Showdown slated on December 2 to 4 at the Trinoma Mall.

There, he and Bustamante will have a chance to exact revenge against their World Cup tormentor, in particular, Morris who is part of the Team World in the event organized by Quezon City Council Majority Leader Ariel Inton and supported by the Quezon City government led by Mayor Sonny Belmonte and Senate President Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

Besides Orcollo and Bustamante, the other members of the Team Quezon-City Philippines are former world champions Efren “Bata” Reyes, Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, as well as 2007 World Pool runner-up Roberto Gomez, and former Southeast Asian Games multi-gold medalists Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco.

Also bannering the international selection are former world champions Mika Immonen of Finland and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany.

The Q.C. Invasion is also supported by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP), the Quezon City Tourism Council, Puyat Sports, Bugsy Promotions and the Negros Billiards Stable.

Orcollo-Bustamante nails WC semis slot

Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo overwhelmed dark horse Japan, 9-2, Saturday to advance to the semifinals of the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool at the Outland Nightclub in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The veteran Filipino pair, teaming up for the first time, proved just too powerful for the Japanese pair of Doha Asian Games gold medalist Satoshi Kawabata and Naoyuki Oi.

They now need two more wins to rule the $250,000 event.

The second-seeded RP team was slated to face the sixth-ranked United States pair of former world 10-ball titlist Shane van Boening and Rodney Morris Sunday night for a final slot.

The Americans advanced after nipping Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan and Martin Kempter, 9-7, in their quarterfinal encounter.

The other Final Four match pits defending champion China against No. 5 England.

The Chinese pair of Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen demolished No. 9 Italy (Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore), 9-2, while the English tandem of reigning world 9-ball champion Darryl Peach and Mark Gray upended the fourth-seeded German pair of Ralf Souquet and Thomas Engert, 9-7.

The semifinal winners will advance to the race-to-11 title duel, also slated Sunday (Monday, 1 a.m. Manila time). The winning team will receive $60,000.

Just as in their previous wins over Denmark (8-2) in the opening round and Russia (8-3) in the Last 16, Bustamante and Orcollo needed just a couple of racks to get into the groove.

The Filipinos surrendered the lag and the first rack to the Japanese but won the next three to seize the lead.

After the Japanese won the fifth frame, Bustamante of Puyat Sports and Orcollo of Bugsy Promotions swept the next six racks to clinch the win and surpass the country’s quarterfinal finish here last year.

It’s the first time the Philippines will meet the US in this event since 2006, when Bustamante and Efren “Bata” Reyes trounced Morris and former two-time world 9-ball king Earl Strickland, 13-5, in the finals of the event’s inaugural edition in Newport Centre, Wales.

Bustamante, Orcollo test Danish duo

Team Villards-Philippines’ Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo hope to duck the upset storm that already claimed a couple of high-seeded teams right in the opening day as they take on an unheralded pair from Denmark on Thursday to open their bid in the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool in Rotterdam, Holland.

The Filipino duo, seeded second in the field of 32, collides with the tandem of No. 31 seeds Martin Larsen and Kasper Kristoffersen in the last scheduled match of the opening round of this $250,000 tournament.

“The field is very tough, and that any team can beat the others,” assessed Bustamante. “That’s why we need to come up with our best right from the start of the match to avoid the upset, just like what happened to those two teams.”

Bustamante was referring to the fate suffered by one of the host country’s squad and last year’s runner-up Finland, which succumbed to their lower-ranked opponents.

The No. 3 seed Holland A of world No. 2 Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg lost to No. 30 Belgium of little-known Noel Bruynooghe and Serge Das, 8-3.

The No. 8 Finland pair, made up of former world champion Mika Immonen and Markus Juva dropped an 8-4 decision to the Korean duo of Jeong Young-hwa and Kim Woong-dae.

“A race-to-eight match is very short, so you need to have a strong start,” said world No. 1 Orcollo. “ Hangga’t maari nga ‘wag mo nang patirahin yung kalaban, dahil baka pag binigay mo ‘yung mesa hindi ka na makabalik (If it’s possible, you should not let your opponents get to the table because you might not have the chance to get it back).”

The campaign of Orcollo and Bustamante is supported by Senate President Manny Villar and the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP).

Other opening round matches saw defending champion and top seed China hold off No. 32 India, 8-6; No. 5 England, led by reigning world 9-ball titlist Darryl Peach, beat Malta, 8-4; No. 9 Italy blast Peru, 8-4; and No. 16 Switzerland prevail over Hong Kong, 8-5.

A team needs to win five straight matches to become the third holder of the World Cup of Pool crown.

Bustamante and Efren “Bata” Reyes topped the inaugural edition in Newport Centre, Wales two years ago over USA’s Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris, 13-5. They lost to China in last year’s quarterfinals, 6-9.

China’s Li He-wen and Fu Jian-bo nipped Finland’s Mika Immonen and Markus Juva, 11-10, for the title last year, also in Holland.

Orcollo nips Wang, nails 9-ball plum

World No.1 Dennis Orcollo manhandled arch rival Yang Ching-shun, 9-1, in the semifinals and then subdued another Taiwanese, Wang Hung-hsiang, 11-9, in the title duel to rule the penultimate leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour 2008 Sunday at the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, China.

The feat earned Orcollo the $15,000 (P705,000) top purse, and a slot to the Grand Finals on Oct. 24 to 26 in Jakarta, where the champion will win $36,000.

“Wang was really a tough opponent, but I was confident and ready throughout the tournament,” said the 29-year old Orcollo. “I’m happy for beating players like Yang and Wang, who are among the best cue artists in the world.”

Wang settled for the runner-up prize worth $6,000. He made it to the finals by edging out former world champion and previous-leg winner Alex Pagulayan, 9-8, in the semifinals.

Only the top 10 players in the Tour’s Order of Merit will qualify for the Grand Finals and a qualifying spot in the WPA World Pool Championship.

On the hill at 10-7, Orcollo blew a chance to close out the match as he failed to pocket the 3 ball on a seemingly easy try, allowing Wang to win the rack.

The Surigao ace then fouled in the 19th rack and Wang converted on a 1-9 combination to narrow the gap, 10-9.

But the Taiwanese failed to knot the match in the next rack, bungling an attempt on the 2 ball and allowing Orcollo to clean up and win.

Pagulayan fell short of a second consecutive leg victory.

With the match deadlocked at 8-all, Pagulayan, who already made the Grand Finals by winning in Singapore, had a golden opportunity to win as he had the break in the final rack.

His break, however, set up a bad lay-out on the 2 ball and forced him to yield possession following a push shot. Wang then made a nifty bank shot that pocketed the 2 ball in the right corner pocket.

Luck was simply on the side of the Taiwanese as he converted on an almost similar bank shot, this time on the 5 ball, before cleaning out the rack and clinching the first spot in the championship match of the six-city tour organized by ESPN STAR Sports.

“I did my best, but sometimes the breaks don’t go your way,” said Pagulayan, who was penalized in the sixth rack for going over the 40-second shot clock. “I honestly did not hear the referee say that there were 10 seconds left, so I took my time.

“If I wasn’t penalized I would have probably been up 5-2 in the next rack instead of 4-3.”

Pagulayan settled for $3,500.

Orcollo bags Guinness 9-Ball crown in Guangzhou

The Philippines' Dennis Orcollo improved on his runner-up finish in the Singapore leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Championships by winning the Guangzhou, China stop by beating Chinese-Taipei’s Wang Hung Hsiang in the finals, 11-7.

Orcollo whipped the “Son of Pool” Yang Ching Shun in the semis after compatriot Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan. Incidentally, Pagulayan defeated Orcollo in Singapore.

Pagulayan, meanwhile, blew a great chance for an all-Filipino final when he lost a 9-8 heartbreaker to Wang that was a mixture of some spectacular shots and forgettable errors. On Pagulayan's part, his gambles backfired during safety battles.

In the final battle, Wang took a 2-1 lead. Orcollo then ran off six of the next seven racks to lead 7-3 after a breathtaking safety battle marked by an incredible safety by the Filipino who is ranked No. 1 in the world.

A lucky bank shot on the 1-ball enabled Wang to come to within 5-7 before he broke to get one more rack back to come to within one at 6-7. But Orcollo quickly eased the pressure somewhat to open up a two-rack lead at 8-6 .

After Orcollo, who was leading 7-3, squandered his chances with a poor miss on the number 2 ball, Wang who won four of the last five racks closed to within one, 8-7, before the Filipino played a fantastic jump shot to go ahead, 9-7. He then cut the cue ball between the 4 and 6 balls to get to the hill9-7.

Both players felt the pressure and committed a series of errors but when Wang missed a fairly straightforward shot on the 2 ball which would have given him a chance to join Orcollo on the hill at 10-10.

Orcollo seized the opportunity to clean up and pocket the top prize of $15,000.

Orcollo Takes Guangzhou Guinness Title

After Taiwan's cueists dominated the Guinness 9-Ball Tour for a year and a half, the balance of power appears to have swung back towards the Philippines. Alex Pagulayan won July's Singapore leg of the Asian professional tour, and Dennis Orcollo snapped off last weekend's stop in Guangzhou, China.

Before Pagulayan's win, Taiwan had captured all six titles of 2007 and the first three of this season. Chang Jung Lin has collected six titles in that time.

But the all-Filipino final between Orcollo and Pagulayan at the Singapore stop has changed the momentum on tour.

At this past weekend's event in Guangzhou, Orcollo breezed into the final. He won his two group matches, then posted 9-1 victories in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches.

Taiwan's Wang Hung Hsiang, meanwhile, was shaking up the other side of the bracket. He sent Chang home with a 9-4 in in the quarterfinal round, then edged Pagulayan in a hill-hill semifinal.

On the hill in the final, 10-7, Orcollo failed to pocket the 3 on a seemingly easy attempt, allowing Wang to win the rack.

The Filipino ace then committed another foul in the 19th rack and his Taiwanese foe converted on a 1-9 combination to narrow the gap to 10–9.

Wang was tripped up in the next rack, missing the 2 ball, leaving Orcollo to clean the table for his first win on the Guinness Tour.

Robocop earns a leg

2-time Sun.Star Superbalita champion Dennis “Robocop” Orcullo overcame a bout of dizziness and costly errors to rule the Guangzhou leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour in China yesterday.

Orcullo, the 2003 and 2006 winner of the Superbalita tournament, has now made it two-for-two for Filipinos after defeating Wang Hung Hsiaing of Chinese Taipei, 11-9, in the final.

Alex Pagulayan, who lost in the semifinal in the event, was the first non-Chinese Taipei player to win a leg when he ruled the Singapore stop last month.

The victory also earned Orcullo the top prize of $15,000 and more importantly assured him a spot in the Grand Final in Jakarta, Indonesia next month.

Only the top 10 players in the Tour’s Order of Merit list will qualify for the lucrative Grand Final and a qualifying spot in the WPA World Pool Championship. Orcollo was clinging on to 10th place prior the Guangzhou leg

On the hill at 10-7, the Orcullo blew a chance to close out the match as he failed to pocket the three on a seemingly easy attempt, allowing Wang to win the rack.

The Filipino ace then committed another foul in the 19th rack and his Taiwanese foe converted a 1–9 combination to narrow the gap to 10–9.

Wang nevertheless failed to knot the match in the very next rack as he bungled an attempt on the two, leaving Orcollo to clean the rack and triumph for the first time in the six-city tour.

Dizzy

“I was actually feeling dizzy when I was up 7–5 so I had to ask Japanese journalist Takayama Takao if he could buy me something to eat during the break. Thankfully, he bought me a chocolate bar and it gave me some energy,” said Orcollo.

“Wang was really a tough opponent, but I was confident and ready throughout this tournament,” said Orcollo, who added he is dedicating this victory to his son Ralph Dency who will be turning 6 on Oct. 2.

Orcollo earlier demolished Yang Ching Shun of Chinese Taipei, 9–1, in the semifinals.

Wang made the championship match by nipping Singapore leg winner Alex Pagulayan, 9– 8. Wang settled for $6,000 while Pagulayan earned $3,500 for reaching the final four.

The Philippines has now won the last two legs of the only ranking Tour in Asia. Chang Jung Lin of Chinese Taipei claimed the first three legs in Taiwan, Penang and Genting Highlands.

Chocolate factor? Orcollo relishes ‘sweet’ 9-ball win

Current world no.1 Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines defeated Wang Hung Hsiang of Chinese-Taipei to win the Guangzhou leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour Sunday.

Orcollo earned $15,000 (P705,000) and a spot in the Grand Finals to be held next month in Jakarta.

Only the top 10 players in the Guinness Tour Order of Merit (OoM) are qualified to join the Indonesia tournament.

"I was actually feeling dizzy when I was up 7–5 so I had to ask if somebody could buy me something to eat during the break. Thankfully, he bought me a chocolate bar and it gave me some energy," Orcollo, who was holding on to the 10th spot in the OoM prior to the Guangzhou event, said.

Orcollo reached the title round via 9-1 win over Yang Ching Shun of Chinese-Taipei.

Wang, on the other hand, reached the final round after nipping former world champion Alex Pagulayan 9-8.

Wang went home $6,000 richer, while Pagulayan and Yang bagged $3,500 (P164,500) each for reaching the final four.

"Wang was really a tough opponent, but I was confident and ready throughout this tournament," added Orcollo who also dedicated the victory to his son Ralph Dency who will celebrate his birthday on October 2.

Orcollo And Pagulayan Reach Guangzhou Semis

2004 World Pool champion Alex Pagulayan and current WPA World No. 1 Dennis Orcollo remain on track for another possible finals encounter as the two Filipinos breezed through to the semifinals after a scoring easy victories over their respective opponents in the quarterfinals of the penultimate leg of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 yesterday here at the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, China.

Pagulayan overwhelmed Satoshi Kawabata of Japan, 9 – 3, while Orcollo manhandled Toh Lian Han of Singapore, 9 – 1.
The two met in the finals of the Singapore leg, where Pagulayan claimed the crown over Orcollo.  The two are already assured of at least $3,500 (P164,500) for reaching the semifinals and have a shot at winning the top prize of $15,000 (P705,000) in the event organized by ESPN STAR Sports.

Clinging on to a 4 – 3 advantage, Pagulayan turned his match into a rout as he won five consecutive racks after capitalizing on several easy misses by Kawabata.

The Japanese missed a shot on the one-ball in the eighth rack and an attempt at the eight-ball in the 10th rack and his Filipino foe easily cleaned up those racks.

With Pagulayan on the hill at 8 – 3, Kawabata failed to put pressure on his opponent as the Japanese’s shot on the two-ball rimmed out of the right corner pocket. The player known as the “Lion” then went for the jugular as he formalized his entry to the semifinals for the second consecutive leg.

“I kind of feel sorry for him (Kawabata) since he’s my friend and he made a lot of mistakes, but when you’re playing against each other you forget about friendships and I just went for the kill,” said Pagulayan.

Pagulayan will meet Hung Hsiang Wang of Chinese Taipei in the semifinals today at 12 noon. The match will be aired live on STAR Sports,

Wang became the first man to earn a ticket to the final four after he upset compatriot and defending Grand Final champion Jung Lin Chang, 9 – 4.

Meanwhile, there was little drama in Orcollo’s match as he claimed the first eight racks and had a golden opportunity to score a whitewash in the ninth rack.

However, the Filipino native flubbed a shot on the four-ball in the ninth rack, allowing the Singaporean to win the rack and avoid being shut out in the match.

Breaking in the 10th rack, Toh had a chance to claim another rack, but the 35 – year old committed a foul on the one-ball and Orcollo closed out the match with a 5 – 9 combination.

“I was very confident and well-conditioned heading into this match. My break was very good this time around and my shots were very precise,” said Orcollo, who needed only 50 minutes to eliminate Toh in the fifth leg of this six-city tour organized by ESPN STAR Sports.    

Orcollo was simply unforgiving as he ran out the table in the first, third and seventh racks and capitalized on Toh’s scratches in the second, fourth and eighth racks and misses in the fifth and sixth racks.

Orcollo will meet Ching Shun Yang of Chinese Taipei in the other semifinals today at 1:30 p.m.
Yang defeated Ryu Seung Woo of Korea, 9 – 5.

Pagulayan and Orcollo’s quarterfinal victories guaranteed them spots in the Grand Final in Jakarta, Indonesia next month. Pagulayan was ranked 6th while Orcollo was 10th in the Tour’s Order of Merit heading into the Guangzhou leg.
Only the top ten players in the Tour’s Order of Merit list will qualify for the lucrative Grand Final and a qualifying spot in the WPA World Pool Championship.

Orcollo, Pagulayan battle Taiwan bets in Guinness Tour semis

World no.1 Dennis Orcollo and former world champion Alex Pagulayan will try to arrange another finals showdown when they face separate opponents in the final leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour in Guangzhou, China.

The semifinal matches will be played Sunday with Orcollo and Pagulayan facing Chinese-Taipei’s Yang Chin Shun and Wang Hung Hsiang.

Orcollo coasted to a 9-1 win over Singapore’s Toh Lian Han in Saturday’s quarterfinal at the Garden Hotel while Pagulayan, the Singapore leg champion, scored a 9-3 triumph against Satoshi Kawabata of Japan in the other quarterfinal match.

“I was very confident and well-conditioned heading into this match. My break was very good this time around and my shots were very precise," said Orcollo after the 50-minute match.

There is now possible rematch between the Filipinos, who competed for the Singapore leg title won by Pagulayan.

“I kind of feel sorry for him (Kawabata) since he’s my friend and he made a lot of mistakes, but when you’re playing against each other you forget about friendships and I just went for the kill," said Pagulayan after clinching his spot into the next round.

Wang pulled off an upset against compatriot and defending Grand Final champion Chang Jung Lin, 9-4, to earn the first quarterfinal match. Yang earned his right to face Orcollo by downing Ryu Seung Woo of Korea, 9-5.

The entry of Pagulayan and Orcollo into the semifinals earned them guaranteed seats to the Grand Final next month in Jakarta, Indonesia. Pagulayan and Orcollo occupies sixth and 10th places in the Order of Merit going into the Guangzhou leg.

Only the Top 10 players in the Order of Merit are heading to Indonesia.

Three other Filipinos – Joven Bustamante, Jeffrey De Luna and Elvis Calasang – were all eliminated in the group stages on Friday.

Merry Mix in Guangzhou Quarterfinals

It won't be a battle between just two countries anymore as five different nations will be represented when the quarterfinals of the penultimate leg of the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008 take place tomorrow at the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, China.

Three Taiwanese, two Filipinos, a Singaporean, a Korean and a Japanese make up the quarterfinal cast following today's group stages.

Defending Grand Final champion Jung Lin Chang of Chinese Taipei made his way back to the quarterfinals. Chang, who was unceremoniously booted out by Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines in the group stages of the Singapore leg, topped Group A after victories over China's Dang Jin Hu and Indonesia's Nurdin Abuba.

In a rematch of the Penang leg final, Chang will face countryman Hung Hsiang Wang in the next round at 12 noon tomorrow. Wang ruled Group B after beating local bet Mei Yi Fei and Hong Kong's Han Hao Xiang.

Toh Lian Han gave Singapore fans a lot to cheer about as he barged into the quarterfinals after sweeping his matches in today's group stages  The 35-year old gave Singapore a much - needed breakthrough victory as none of its players reached the quarterfinals in the previous four legs this year.

Up next for Toh's in the quarterfinals is current WPA World No. 1 Orcollo who overcame Chinese-Taipei's Chia-Ching Wu in a nail-biting match. Orcollo rallied down 2 – 5 to prevail over the 2005 WPA world champion 9 – 6 as he capitalized on a number of errors committed by Wu to top Group E. Wu suffered a dry break on the ninth rack, a scratch on the 14th rack and a uncharacteristic miss on the 9 ball in the 15th rack.

Orcollo's fellow Filipino, Alex Pagulayan, also made it past the group stages as he won Group C. Pagulayan, who claimed the Singapore leg, will square off against Satoshi Kawabata of Japan at 4:30 p.m. Kawabata was the winner in Group D.

The final quarterfinal encounter will pit Korea's Ryu Seung Woo against Chinese Taipei's Ching Shun Yang. Ryu ruled Group G while Yang won Group H.

The hometown representatives were not fortunate as the quartet of Mei, Dang, He Wen Li and Jian Bo Fu all failed to advance to the round of eight.

Only the top ten players in the Tour's Order of Merit list will qualify for the lucrative Grand Final in Jakarta next month and a qualifying spot in the WPA World Pool Championship.

ACKDO Supports QC Vs The World Grand Billiards Showdown

The QC-Philippines vs the World Grand Billiards Showdown received another boost with the Association of Clubs, Karaoke and Disco Operators (ACKDO) throwing its all-out support to the much-anticipated event slated December 2 to 4 at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City .

With promoting Quezon City as the country’s sports tourism capital, ACKDO did not think twice in backing the project when approached by its chief proponent, City Council Majority Floor Leader Ariel Inton.

“We are very happy to be part of this big event. Entertainment is one of the premier tourist attractions here in Quezon City, so we in the industry are giving our all-out support to this project, which in more than one way will also benefit us,” said ACKDO secretary-general Amil Yap.

ACKDO has been supporting a number of sports events, including the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP)'s Search for the New Billiards Idol series.

Also known as the “City of Stars ”, Quezon City boasts of having the biggest and liveliest entertainment spots in the country.

Already home to major television broadcasting networks, including giants ABS-CBN and GMA-7, Quezon City also houses dozens of restaurants, bars, night clubs, massage parlors, KTVs and the likes.

Pool icon Efren “Bata” Reyes banners the eight-man Team Q.C.-Philippines, which will pit prowess against a selection of topnotch cue artists from other countries in this three-day competition supported by the Quezon City Government led by Mayor Sonny Belmonte, QC Tourism Council headed by chairman Raffy Chico, and BMPAP with Solar Sports, RPN and the Philippine Star as media partners.

Besides Reyes, the other members of the Team QC Philippines are fellow former world champions Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, reigning world no.1 Dennis Orcollo, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, 2007 World Pool runner-up Roberto Gomez, Lee Van Corteza and Warren Kiamco.

They will go up against a foreign team also led by three former world titlists in Chia-Ching Wu of Chinese-Taipei, Mika Immonen of Finland and Thorsten Hohmann of Germany. The other players of Team World are 2006 Asian Games gold medalist Satoshi Kawabata of Japan , Ching-Shun Yang of Chinese-Taipei, and Charlie William and Rodney Morris of the United States and another top European player.

Lion, Robocop lead Pinoys in Guinness 9-Ball in Guangzhou

Singapore leg winner and former World Pool champion Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan and reigning world number one Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo are set to lead a five-man Filipino contingent at the penultimate of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour in Guangzhou, China.

A report on BilliardPhilippines.com said that aside from Pagulayan and Orcollo, other Filipino cue masters joining the tournament are Joven Bustamante, Jeffrey de Luna and newcomer Elvis Calasang.

The tour’s second to the last tournament will take place at Guangzhou’s Garden Hotel from September 19 to 21.

The top 10 players in the overall Order of Merit following the Guangzhou leg will earn a trip to Jakarta, Indonesia where the tournament grand finals is slated to take place.

Bustamante is currently ranked fourth while Pagulayan leaped to sixth place following his win in Singapore. Antonio Gabica is ranked seventh, while Orcollo is hanging on to the 10th spot in the Tour's Order of Merit.

Pagulayan earlier emerged victorious in Singapore after beating compatriot Orcollo, 11-6, in the finals of the six-city event. His win in the Lion City marked the first time a Filipino won in the Asian 9-Ball circuit since Efren "Bata" Reyes triumphed in 2006.

The Filipino cue masters are expected to meet tough challenges in China as Chinese Taipei will parade defending Tour champion Chang Jung Lin, 2005 WPA champion Wu Chia Ching, Yang Ching Shun, and Wang Hung Hsiang.

Chang, who topped the year's first three legs, is already assured of the number one spot while Yang and Wu are currently in second and third, respectively. Wang presently ranks fifth.

The rest of the top ten is composed of Korea's Ryu Seung Woo and Malaysia's Ibrahim Bin Amir, who are ranked eighth and ninth, respectively.

Tough task ahead for RP cue artists in Guinness 9Ball Tour

Manila, Philippines - The road to the Guinness 9-Ball Billiards Tour grand finals gets tougher for five Filipino campaigners when the tournament resumes in the final leg in Guangzhou, China from September 19 to 21 at the Garden Hotel.

The Guangzhou leg will be the toughest of the six-city Tour for the Filipinos since perennial contenders Chinese-Taipei will be fielding players composed of defending champion Chang Jung Lin, 2005 World Pool-Billiards Association titlist Wu Chia Ching, 2007 three-leg winner Yang Ching Shun and the dangerous Wang Hung Hsiang.

Chang, who topped the year’s first three legs, is already assured of the number one spot in the Tour’s Order of Merit while Yang and Wu are currently in second and third, respectively. Wang presently ranks fifth.

The Top 10 players in the overall Order of Merit after the Guangzhou leg will earn spots in the finals set in Jakarta, Indonesia from October 24 to 26.

Joven Bustamante is ranked highest among the five Filipinos at fourth in the Order of Merit while Alex Pagulayan jumped to sixth after winning the Singapore leg in July. While 2006 Doha Asian Games silver medalist Antonio Gabica placed seventh with WPA world no.1 Dennis Orcollo clinging on at 10th place.

Korea’s Ryu Seung Woo and Ibrahim Bin Amir of Malaysia rounded up the Top 10 after placing eighth and ninth respectively.

Hometown bets Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen will make a final push for the Top 10 in the Guangzhou leg. The two are considered top contenders for a spot in the finals after occupying 11th and 12th places after four stages.

Helping Fu and Li make their final push are the hometown Chinese fans that came out in droves to support their athletes in last months Beijing Olympics.

Other players aiming for a spot in the finals are Indonesia’s Ricky Yang, Han Hao Xiang of Hong Kong, Thailand's Nitiwat Kajanasri and Sumit Talwar of India.

Players from Japan, Singapore and Vietnam are also expected to give their all in order to shore up their respective bids of earning valuable ranking points for the finals.

Filipino cue artists eye Guinness 9-Ball Tour spots

Four Filipino cue artists will be aiming for a spot in the finals of the 2008 Guinness 9-Ball Asian Tour when they see action in the final leg in Guangzhou, China next week.

Dennis Orcollo, Joven Bustamante, Jeffrey de Luna and Tour rookie Elvis Calasang will be aiming for another Filipino win—and possibly a spot in the Grand Finals next month in the three-day China stop that begins September 19.

The four will be using Alex Pagulayan’s victory in the Singapore leg of the Guinness Tour as inspiration when they clash with Asia’s finest pool players.

Pagulayan’s victory in the Lion City ended Chinese-Taipei’s domination in the Tour. Before Pagulayan’s win, the last time a Filipino won a leg in the Asian 9-Ball circuit was in 2006 when Efren “Bata" Reyes won in Jakarta.

Guangzhou will be the Tour’s last stop before the Grand Finals in Jakarta next month. The top 10 players in the overall Order of Merit after the Guangzhou leg will meet in the Indonesian capital.

Bustamante currently ranks fourth in the Tour’s Order of Merit, while Pagulayan leaped into sixth place following his Singapore victory over Orcollo in the title match.

Another Filipino Antonio Gabica is at seventh while Orcollo is hanging on to the 10th spot.

Dennis Orcollo takes on Ching Shun Yang

Dennis Orcollo succumbs to Ching-Shun Yang 60-42. Congratulations to Ching-Shun. The turning point here, Yang’s break. Dennis couldn’t seem to find his break ever since day 2, although he led 20-19 at the end of day 1. I can’t help but marvel on the non-Filipino this time. Yang’s knowledge of the game is really solid, plus he made shots from out-of-this-world with ease.

To be held at the Trade Hall of Gateway Mall in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City. Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo takes on Ching-Shun “The Son of Pool” Yang, to prove who the real Money Game King is. As we all know, Dennis is the current Money Game King here in the Philippines, and Ching-Shun holds the same credit in Chinese Taipei. The match, dubbed as “The Richest Game in Asia,” is a race to 60 (9-ball) in a span of 3 days. Winner takes $10,000.00. The match starts 4 p.m. live, tickets priced @ Php 500.00, and telecast is delayed at 7 p.m. over Solar Sports.

Kind of like Efren and Earl Strickland’s “The Color of Money,” only that was a race to 120. Pretty exciting and unique match I have to say; although determining the real Money Game King in an organized tournament does not really prove much in the world of Money Games. Also, they have not faced each other in any kind of game - quite surprising. Both are 28 yrs. old, and posses pure raw talent. I think Dennis has the mental advantage though, dubbed as “Robocop,” he is notorious for showing no mercy on his opponents. Ching-Shun’s game however is also solid. Funny though how in this match, Chin-Shun has the more “loose” stroke - something Filipinos are known for.

Orcollo takes 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League

Dennis Orcollo (Phi) 8 - 5 Niels Feijen (Ned)

Dennis Orcollo, the 27 year-old from Surigao City, Philippines is the 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League Champion as he overcame Holland’s Niels Feijen in an entertaining final at the NOT Building in central Warsaw on Sunday evening.

The diminutive Orcollo, had played well throughout the three day, six-man tournament and was a deserved winner of the US$20,000 top prize. He joins the likes of Jim Rempe, Efren Reyes, Thorsten Hohmann, Rodney Morris and Francisco Bustamante as winners of this coveted invitational trophy.

Both players strode into the full arena with an air of determination and with the format now winner breaks it was Feijen who won the lag and nicely cleared the table to take the early lead.

Orcollo squared it though and stole the break as he set up a run out from an excellent long cut on the 2 ball. Orcollo took the lead in the next and he looked very confident moving the cue ball around the table. There was more of the same in the fourth rack as Orcollo ran out from the break to increase his lead to 3-1.

Feijen regained the table when Orcollo pushed out and left enough of the 1 ball visible for the Dutchman to pot it. He took it on and set up a run out to reduce the lead to a single rack.

A good break from Feijen left him with no pot on the 1 ball though, and he played a snooker. Orcollo managed to connect with the 1 but failed to hit a rail, giving ball in hand. Feijen made no mistakes as he cleared up to level the match at 3-3.

Feijen potted a ball off the break but his safety on the 1 ball was weak and it allowed Orcollo to tuck the cue ball behind the 3 ball. Niels’ escape left the 1 conveniently positioned for Orcollo who potted it to set up a run out. Disastrously though, he missed the green 6 down the rail and Feijen grabbed the chance to dish up the final three balls to regain the lead.

There was no joy for Feijen off his next break and he was forced to push out with the brown 7 obscuring the 1 ball. His push down table was badly weighted and the cue ball seemed to roll off into the pocket to give Orcollo a gift of ball in hand. He didn’t hesitate to run the table to square the match.

There was another ball in hand opportunity in the ninth as Feijen potted the 1 ball but scratched into the middle pocket. The Filipino speedily dispatched the table to take the lead at 5-4.

There was more of the same from Orcollo in the tenth game as he broke and run to put a two rack margin between himself and Feijen. Orcollo pushed out in the next frame and Feijen got the better of the safety battle. Desperately needing it, Feijen cleared the table to reduce the deficit to 6-5.

The Dutchman pushed out in the next, potting the 2 ball with the yellow 1 obscured. Orcollo clearly liked the situation as he banked the 1 ball into the middle pocket to set up a run out to reach the hill at 7-5.

There was no joy for Orcollo in the next as the 1 ball was blocked out by the 8, forcing him to push out. With a kick shot on the 1 ball the only option, Feijen put him back in and Orcollo left a very tough long pot on the 1 ball for the Dutchman. Feijen missed it and the Filipino deftly caromed the 1 in off the 9.

Just when luck was needed, Orcollo enjoyed probably the biggest slice all week as the 9 ball rolled over the middle pocket leaving the 2 in easy position for the combo. The 26 year-old stepped up to the plate to sink the match winning 2/9 combination to claim the 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League title.

Orcollo leapt with delight at his victory, whooping and dancing around the table as the capacity crowd rose to their feet. An emotional Orcollo said, ‘I’d like to thank the Philippines community in Warsaw for coming out and supporting me.

“This victory is very, very big for me, I can hardly speak. I’d like to dedicate this win to the people of the Philippines,” he added. Feijen commented, “I was playing good all week but Dennis had too much for me tonight. It was a great game though.”

Pool Players Welcome NBL

The soon-to-be-launched National Billiards League (NBL) has received an overwhelming support from the local pool community, particularly the players who are all excited to begin what they call “the new era of Philippine billiards.”

“We’re all very happy with this development as we know that having this professional league will really lift (Philippine) billiards to new heights, and this will be the start of a new era of Philippine billiards,” said former world champion Alex Pagulayan.

After finding a television partner – Solar Sports – that would broadcast the games for the league’s inaugural season, NBL’s main proponents Philippine billiards godfather Aristeo “Putch” Puyat and fellow managers Perry Mariano and Jonathan Sy are now negotiating with several companies for sponsorship to the teams to be formed.

Last Saturday, they met with the players from the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) to formally inform them of the development and invite them to join the league. They also introduced the newly-appointed NBL commissioner in businessman Martin Misa.

“We’re formally inviting you to join the NBL, a dream that we all share for a long time, which is now coming into reality,” said Puyat during the gathering attended by the country top cue artists, led by Efren “Bata” Reyes, as well as the sport’s up-and-coming stars.

“NBL will be exclusive for you BMPAP members, who have been with us in our crusade to put out sport in the right direction,” added Puyat.

The NBL is slated to start late this year with eight teams of six players each in the fold.

Meanwhile, the players present in the meeting reiterated their stand of not joining any event “that has anything to do with Mr. Yen Makabenta” and his Raya Sports, including the planned World 10-Ball Championship, until all the issues that caused them to break away from the groups affiliated with him are resolved.

“The main reason why BMPAP bolted away from the groups affiliated with Mr. Makabenta is because of his dual role as chairman of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) and President of Raya Sports, which clearly constitutes conflict of interest,” the players said in a statement.

Besides Reyes and Pagulayan, also in the meeting were former double world champion Ronnie Alcano, 2007 World Pool runner-up Roberto Gomez, Warren Kiamco, Rodolfo Luat and Joven Bustamante, among others. Reigning world no.1 Dennis Orcollo and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, who are campaigning in the United States, sent their representatives.

They said that having nothing against BSCP and they are willing to reestablish their ties with the association “if all the issues are resolved.

B3 is practice venue for top cue masters including Dennis Orcollo

NCCC Mall B3 (Billiards, Bowling & Bar) Center will be the practice venue for Efren "Bata" Reyes, Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan, Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, Ronato "Volcano" Alcano and other seeded players seeing action in the First Senator Manny Villar Cup 9-Ball Open Davao Leg.

Reyes and company will have their practice from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on August 20 at B3 before they wow the Davao fans with spectacular shots during the tournament proper set August 21 to 23 at the Gaisano Mall of Davao Atrium.

Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) secretary-general Gandy Valle bared this to Sun.Star Davao Monday evening.

"The players would like to practice the night before the tournament opens. NCCC Mall B3 Center is the best and the most qualified venue for the practices. It is air-conditioned and it has standard tables. It also accessible to Dabawenyos who want to see their idols on practice," Valle said.

B3 is also hosting the Villar Cup Sipag at Tiyaga Inter-Barangay category for Davao City residents on August 17 and the qualifying tournament on August 18 and 19 where the top two qualifiers will earn slots to the main draw of the P800,000 open cuefest.

The inter-barangay event offers P10,000 to the champion while the qualifying champion bags the P20,000 top purse. The runner-up pockets P9,000, while the third and fourth placers will each receive P3,000 each.
In the main competition, the champion might take home P300,000 cash or more.

Valle, the Villar Cup Cebu Leg champion, and fellow Davao City player Lee Vann Corteza are also seeded in the main draw along with the champions in the Alabang and Bulacan legs and reigning World Pool Championship runner-up Roberto Gomez, among other must-see cue artists.

Orcollo loses out on $50,000-champs' challenge

Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, now regarded as the world's No. 1 pool player, lost the chance to bring home the top prize in the finals of the $50,000 winner-take-all “International Challenge of Champions” held August 11-12 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Orcollo was beaten by China’s Fu Jiann-bu. Perry Mariano, Orcollo's manager, said he talked to his ward after the match. Orcollo told Mariano said it was his break that let him down.

Orcollo’s manager Perry Mariano said that he had spoken to Orcollo after the match and he said it was his break that let him down. Fu and partner Li e-wen are the reigning World Cup of Pool champions.

Mariano, meanwhile, said Orcollo will team up with veteran Francisco “Django” Bustamante in this year’s staging of the World Cup of Pool. He said the duo would be a formidable team.

Bustamante and his bosom buddy Efren “Bata” Reyes won the inaugural staging of the World Cup in 2006 when they beat the US tandem of Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris in the finals, 13-5.

Orcollo on 18th Annual International Challenge of Champions

As most of the world’s attention is riveted to the ultimate international athletic competition going in Beijing, eight of the world’s top competitors in the sport of pocket billiards convened at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT, for the 18th running of the International Challenge of Champions, held August 13-14. Like their “amateur” counterparts half a world away, they are here to compete and represent their countries, but as professionals, they all have their eyes on the $50,000 winner-takes-all first-place prize.

In this made-for-TV pressure cooker of an event, the format is a best of three, race-to-five set 9-ball challenge—a virtual coin-toss by pool match standards—with a single sudden-death game deciding who goes on and who goes home.

The first match of this two-day tournament pitted 2007 world champion Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines against long-time Japanese national champion Satoshi Kawabata. Orcollo cruised to a quick 3-1 lead in the first set before Kawabata found his pace and was able to turn the tables and knot the match at 3 apiece and then move forward to reach the hill. Orcollo took advantage of the alternate-break format and with a smooth run-out gave himself a chance. Tied 4-4, Kawabata looked to take the first set when an inexplicable miss on an easy 6 ball gave Orcollo the set and the advantage. In the second set, both players traded games as they both climbed the hill, but a quick 2-9 combo gave Kawabata the tying set. Orcollo earned the break by winning the deciding lag in the sudden-death tie-breaker and negotiated a tricky table to win the match and be the first to move on.

In the second round of play, American favorite and InsidePOOL Magazine’s 2007 Player of the Year Shane Van Boening faced off against Chinese pro and top ranker Jian-Bo Fu. Van Boening had all of the momentum in the first set, as smooth play and some fortunate breaks allowed him to steamroll to a 5-1 victory. Fu, however, proved he was not to be intimidated by breaking and running the opening game of the second set. Van Boening’s soft break failed him repeatedly, and Fu took the second set and the sudden-death game with solid play.

The 7 o’clock match saw England-born reigning world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach tee off against Jung-Lin Chang (pictured above) of Chinese Taipei, recently the hottest player in all of East Asia. Chang quickly found himself down 3-1, plagued by iffy position and dry breaks. Peach faltered from there, and as he was unable to capitalize on Chang’s mistakes, the match turned and Chang took a 4-3 lead. A scratch on the break by Chang gave Peach life, but after evening the score at 4 he returned the favor … and it cost him the set. In the second set, Peach saw a 3-0 lead slip away and stepped to the table at 3-3 with his break yielding him a roadmap out. Poised to reach the hill and perhaps force a tie-breaker, Peach was literally “running” out but came to an abrupt halt after butchering a straight-in 6, instead giving the edge to Chang, who took the final game and won in two straight sets.

The final match of the day was returning ICOC champion Neils Feijen against Korean ace Seung-Woo Ryu. The nerves were obvious from the get-go for the 22-year-old Korean, and some early missed opportunities allowed “The Terminator” a lead that he refused to relinquish, taking the first set 5-2 and coming from behind to win in consecutive fashion.

Thursday’s semifinal pairings to be filmed on ESPN will be Dennis Orcollo vs. Jung-Lin Chang, while Jian-Bo Fu will match up against Neils Fiejen, with the championship to be decided later in the evening.

‘The Robocop’ promises to rebound

After failing to capture the championship trophy in the inaugural Million Dollar 9-ball shoot-out over the weekend at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, world No. 1 billiards player Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo vowed to bounce back when he competes in the 18th Annual International Challenge of Champions.

The tournament gets underway on August 13 to 14 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut, USA.

Joining Orcollo (the only Filipino player invited) in the $50,000 winner-take-all Challenge of Champions, widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards, are defending champion Niels “The Terminator” Feijen of the Netherlands, reigning World 9-ball Champion Daryl Peach of England, 2007 World Cup of Pool Champion Fu Jian Bo of China, 2007 Guinness Grand Finale over-all champion Chang Jung-lin of Taiwan, 2007 All Japan winner Satoshi Kawabata of Japan, 2008 Grand Prix Champion Ryu Seung Woo of Korea, and 2007 US Open 9-Ball ruler Shane “The South Dakota Kid” Van Boening of the host country.

The matches are two sets, race-to-five games each set, with a 1-game sudden death tie-breaker in the event of tied sets.

The 9-ball does not count on the break, and to win a game, the 9-ball is call shot. The caliber of competition is so intense that a single mistake invariably eliminates a player from any chance at the winner-take-all purse of $50,000.

Dennis Orcollo will represents the Philippines on International Challenge of Champions

Pocket billiards champions from around the world will go head-to-head in the Eighteenth Annual International Challenge of Champions. The winner-takes-all, $50,000 event will be held August 13-14 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.

The Challenge of Champions is widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards. Once each year eight international champions are brought together in a sudden-death shootout with a pressure-cooker format of winner-take-all for $50,000. The purse is one of the highest paydays in the world, and the winner claims one of the most coveted titles in pool: Champion of Champions.

The 2008 field includes top stars in the sport. Niels Feijen, 2007 winner of the International Challenge of Champions, will defend his crown. Daryl Peach, 2008 WPA World 9-Ball champion, will represent England. Shane Van Boening, 2007 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championc will represent America. Jain Bo Fu, the 2007 World Cup of Pool champion, will represent China.

Dennis Orcollo, winner of the 2007 Enjoy Pool.com Championship, will represent the Philippines. Jung Lin Chang, the 2008 Asia Tour champion, will represent Chinese Taipei. Satoshi Kawabata, 2007 All Japan Open champion, will represent Japan. Seung Woo Ryu, 2008 Grand Prix champion, will represent Korea.

Mohegan Sun Casino, the host site, will make the 2008 event admission free to pool fans from around the USA and the world. The event drew such large crowds last year at Mohegan Sun that it was standing-room-only attendance. There will be four playing sessions in the two-day international tournament. On Wednesday, August 13, the quarterfinal rounds will be played at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., with two matches in each session. On Thursday, August 14, the two semifinals will be played at 3 p.m., and the final championship match will be played at 6 p.m. The semifinals and the final match will be taped for airing on ESPN in September.

The International Challenge of Champions is regarded as the supreme test of skill in professional billiards. The eight players are so evenly matched that any one player could beat the other seven on a given day. In addition, the tournament format is the most demanding test of 9-ball skill in the sport. The matches are two sets, race to five games each set, with a one-game sudden-death tie-breaker in the event of tied sets. The 9-ball does not count on the break, and to win a game, the 9-ball is call shot. The caliber of competition is so intense that a single mistake invariably eliminates a player from any chance at the winner-takes-all purse of $50,000.

On the final night, one of the players will claim the Champion of Champions crown and a check for $50,000. The trophy and the check will be presented by Mohegan Sun. The tournament is also sponsored by PoolDawg.com, Aramith Pro Billiards Balls, Simonis Cloth, L.E.A.N.I. Slate, AcCue Shot Training Device, Executive Billiards.com, and Silver Cup Chalk.

Orcollo, Bustamante fall in Pennsylvania 9-ball semis

Filipino cue artists Dennis Orcollo and Francisco “Django" Bustamante lost in their respective semifinal assignments and settled for joint third place in The Million Dollar 9-Ball Shootout set Sunday at the Valle Forge Convention Center in Pennsylvania.

World no.1 Orcollo lost in his bid to win a fourth title this year when he dropped a 13-8 decision to Shane Van Boening, while Bustamante fell to Corey Deuel 13-6.

The two Filipinos took home $10,000 (P445,000) each.

Orcollo’s next stop in his fortnight-long US sojourn will be the International Challenge of Champions, a $50,000 (P2.22-million) winner-take-all event featuring eight of the world’s best players.

The tournament is slated August 14 and 15 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

In the Challenge of Champions, Orcollo will pit skills with a roster that includes world no.2 and defending champion Niels Feijen of the Netherlands and reigning world 9-ball king Darryl Peach of England.

Orcollo, Django advance to semis in Pennsylvania 9-bal tiff

World no.1 Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines won all but one of his first-round matches to advance to the knockout stage of the Million Dollar 9-Ball Shootout held in the weekend at the Valle Forge Convention Center in Pennsylvania.

Orcollo’s 93 won-game total put the Surigao-raised cue artist on top of the 12-man field vying for the $20,000 (P886,000) top prize.

Orcollo opened his campaign by demolishing Evan Broxmeyer 22-3 then followed it up with a 15-10 trouncing of Stevie Moore.

He lost a close 13-12 decision to former world champion Johnny Archer in the third session, but immediately rebounded by beating former US Open titlist Corey Deuel 15-10, countryman Francisco “Django" Bustamante 13-12 and Dennis Hatch 16-9 in that order.

Behind Orcollo were Deuel and Bustamante who finished with 86 wins (out of 150 games) each, while former world 10-ball champion Shane Van Boening rounded up the final four with 83 points.

The semifinal matches pit Orcollo and Van Boening, and Bustamante and Deuel in a race-to-13 affair with the winners moving up to the title showdown.

Orcollo has been on a roll recently, winning the Qatar 9-Ball Open and finishing runner-up in the Guinness 9-Ball Tour Singapore leg

Marlon Manalo of the Philippines narrowly missed the semifinals with 81 won games.

Bustamante lost his first two matches (against Van Boening 15-10 and Manalo 14-11) But the former world no.1 bounced back by annihilating Daryl Peach 18-7 and Archer 16-8 before he bowed to Orcollo.

He closed out the preliminaries with a 19-6 whipping of Tony Chohan.

In Progress: Dennis Orcollo on Challenge of Champions

The first round at the 2008 International Challenge of Champions is complete, with two semifinals and final match scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 14.

The event — featuring a winner-take-all prize of $50,000 — is a single-elimination eight-player bracket. Matches are two races-to-5, with a one-game tie-breaker if the players split the sets.

WPA No. 1-ranked Dennis Orcollo faced Satoshi Kawabata of Japan in the first match. Orcollo took the first set, 5-4, but then dropped the next by the same score. The Filipino star was able to regroup, sending Satoshi out of the tournament in sudden-death.

Shane Van Boening, the lone American in the field, then took on Fu Jian-Bo of China. Van Boening looked in complete control, blanking his opponent in the first set, 5-0. But the tide turned against the American, and Fu took the second set and tie-breaker to advance into the semifinals.

Taiwan's Chang Jung-Lin, who has recently dominated the Asian-based Guinness 9-Ball Tour, faced reigning World 9-Ball Champion Daryl Peach in the third quarterfinal. Chang was the first to avoid a sudden-death rack, winning both sets, 5-4 and 5-3.

The final match on Wednesday night featured last year's Challenge champion Niels Feijen matching up with Seung-Woo Ryu of Korea. Feijen was never never in fear of an early exit, as he won both sets, 5-2, to advance.
Thursday's semifinals will feature Orcollo against Chang and Feijen versus Fu.

Orcollo, Bustamante Falter In Million Dollar 9 Ball; Deuel Wins

Filipino hopeful Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo and Francisco "Django" Bustamante missed their chances to earn another championship trophy in the $60,000 total pot  12 player Million Dollar 9-Ball Shootout.

This after the duo (Orcollo and Bustamante) bowed to their respective foes in their final four matches (knockout stage) in the just concluded event held at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA, yesterday.

The diminutive cuemaster Orcollo, who is looking his fourth major title this year yielded to Shane "The South Dakota Kid" Van Boening, 13-8, in the first semi-finals matches while Bustamante, the pride of Tarlac City succumbed to eventual champion Corey "The Prince" Deuel, 13-6, in the second semi-final matches to moved an all American Finals.
Deuel took the title plus the top purse of $20,000 including Championship Diamond and Gold Bracelet after an empathetic 13-7 win over Van Boening. Van Boening, meanwhile settled for the runner-up prize of $12,000. Losing Semi-Finalists Orcollo and Bustamante received $10,000 each.

Rounding up to the top 12 finishers who received $1,000 each were No.5 Marlon "Marvelous" Manalo, No.6 reigning World 9-Ball Champion Daryl Peach of England, No.7 Dennis "The Hatchet Man" Hatch, No.8 Stevie Moore, No.9 Tony "T-Rex" Chohan, No.10 Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer, No.11 Matt Krah and No.12 Evan "The Running Man" Broxmeyer.

Orcollo, Van Boening Lead Million Dollar Billiards Event

Dennis Orcollo continues his reign of terror at the Million Dollar 9-Ball Tournament, put on by Allen Hopkins and hosted by the Valley Forge Convention Center. This inaugural event boasts a $20,000 first-place prize and 12 of the world’s finest players vying for top honors in this unusual and innovative event.

Orcollo was leading the pack after the first night’s matches by a margin of 6 games at 37, his closest competitor being Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer with 31—after a total of 50 games played. Now Orcollo leads by 64 games (out of 100 played), with Francisco Bustamante his nearest competition with 56 wins under his belt.

Right behind them are Corey Deuel and Shane Van Boening, both tied at 54 games apiece; however, Van Boening has the advantage, for he has notched a stunning 26 break and run-outs, which will come into play in case of a tie-breaker. As of yet, Van Boening holds the record for the most break and run-outs. Deuel, though, is right behind him with 25, and Dennis Hatch has scored 23 break and run-outs.

Following Deuel and Van Boening in games is Archer with 53, Hatch and Tony Chohan with 52, “Marvelous” Marlon Manalo with 51, Steve Moore with 50, and reigning world champion Daryl Peach with 49. Matt Krah and Evan Broxmeyer are trailing with 40 and 26, respectively.

After Saturday’s two rounds, the field will be reduced to only four players, who will return Sunday to make their play for the $20,000 grand prize. The four highest-scoring players will come back Sunday, and the player with the highest score will play the contestant with the lowest score, while the two remaining will play each other.

Dennis Orcollo Takes Charge In Million Dollar 9-Ball Shoot-Out

Filipino Dennis Orcollo is backing up his world's number 1 ranking after taking the lead in the on-going inaugural Million Dollar 9-ball shoot-out at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Dubbed as Robocop in the world of pool, the diminutive cue artist from Bislig, Surigao del Sur native tallyed 64 wins with 21 Break and Runs after four rounds of play. "I hope to perform well in this event (Million Dollar 9-ball shoot out)," Orcollo told this writer in a recent interview before he left the country.

Orcollo, who is seeking his fourth major title this year in this Million Dollar 9-ball shoot out, also the 2008 Japan 9-Ball Open Champion, the 1st QC Open 9-Ball Winner and the first Qatar World 9-Ball Open Champion. Orcollo settled for 3rd place in the 2008 World 8-Ball Open in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Orcollo, who is fresh from a runner-up finish in the Guinness 9-ball tour Singapore leg will square off against reigning US Open 9-Ball Champion Shane "The South Dakota Kid" Van Boening of the United States in round 5 in the 12 player's field event.

Van Boening, sponsored by The BCA Pool League, climbed into a solo second place position with 54 wins and 26 Break and Runs, followed by third placer Corey "The Prince" Deuel, also from the host country with 54 wins with 25 Break and Runs.

Former World No.1 and 2002 World 9-Ball Championships runner-up Francisco "Django" Bustamante is in fourth place with 54 wins plus 20 Break and Run followed by fifth placer Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer of the United States with 53 wins with 21 Break and Runs.

Another Filipino entry Marlon "Marvelous" Manalo landed at Number 8 with 51 wins and 16 Break and Runs while reigning World 9-ball champion Daryl Peach of England is at No.10 with 49 wins with 13 Break and Runs.

Other renowned players seeing in action in the event organized by American Allen Hopkins were Number 6 Dennis "The Hatchet Man" Hatch (52 wins with 23 Break and Runs), Number 7 Tony "T-Rex" Chohan (52 wins with 13 Break and Runs), Number 9 Stevie Moore (50 wins with 10 Break and Runs), Number 11 Matt Krah (40 wins with 7 Break and Runs), and Number 12 Evan "The Running Man" Broxmeyer (28 wins with 2 Break and Runs).

At stakes is a total of $60,000 in prize money based on 12 players, with the champion getting the lions share of $20,000. the runner-up will be receiving $12,000 while the 3rd and 4th place finishers get $10,000 each. Fifth to 12th placers won't go home empty-handed with a guaranteed prize of $1,000 each.

The format calls for 12 players playing a unique format. Beginning in Session 1 (Round 1), the players will pair up and play each other 25 games. Not a race to 13, not a race to 25, they will just play 25 games, rotate break. Then, they will re-convene and be paired up based on the Session 1 scores. The top 2 scorers will play each other, 3rd will play 4th, and so on... Then, they will meet and do this again, and again. They will do this Saturday as well. By the end of play Saturday night, all players will have played 150 games each. At this point, the bottom 8 players will be eliminated and the top 4 players will return Sunday to battle it out for the title... Sunday's play will be Single Elimination races to 13.

Orcollo Leads Million Dollar Billiards Tournament

Allen Hopkins’ Million Dollar 9-Ball Tournament kicked off August 7 with a dozen of the world’s greatest players, and after two grueling rounds of play, Dennis Orcollo leads the pack. This four-day event is being held at the Valley Forge Convention Center and boasts a first-place prize of $20,000.

The tournament consists of six rounds of 25-game matches, with a cumulative tally kept. After each round, the draw is refigured so that the players with the two highest scores play each, down to the two lowest scores. After Saturday night, only four players will return for Sunday’s final matches.

In the first round on Thursday, Orcollo led the pack with an enormous lead of 22 games over his opponent, Evan Broxmeyer, who scored 3 games. Close on his heels was Atlanta’s Steve Moore with 19 games to opponent Matt Krah’s 6. Following those two were Johnny Archer and Shane Van Boening, both with 15 games compared to their opponents, Marlon Manalo and Francisco Bustamante, respectively. Corey Deuel ended up a one-game winner over Tony Chohan, as reigning world champion Daryl Peach did the same over Dennis Hatch.

The evening rounds saw Orcollo maintain his lead, heading the pack with 37 total wins after his 15-10 win over Moore. Archer follows close behind with 31, having come out the 15-10 victor over Van Boening. Deuel and Moore are tied at 29 games, and Hatch has 28 to his credit.

Break and run-outs are also being recorded in case a tie-breaker is needed. Deuel is in first place with 14 break and run-outs in the alternate-break format. Bustamante has 11, and Orcollo, Archer, and Hatch each have 10 break and run-outs.

Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo on P800T up for grabs in Villar Cup

A Guaranteed total cash prize of P800,000 will be up for grabs in the star-studded First Senate President Manny Villar Cup 9-Ball Open Davao leg set August 21 to 23 at the Gaisano Mall of Davao Atrium.

Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) secretary-general Gandy Valle made the announcement during the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the Tower Inn.

Valle, who guested with Davao Billiards Association (DBA) president Menlee Migellano, said the office of Senator Villar has yet to send a breakdown of the prizes, although he revealed that the champion will take home not less than P300,000. The runner-up and the next top players will also receive huge prizes.

Valle said they will also hold an inter-barangay competition on August 17 for all-Davao players and a qualifying tournament on August 18 and 19 at the NCCC Mall B3 Center. The qualifying tournament is open for those who want to earn a slot to the main event to be held at the Gaisano Mall.

Migellano said the inter-barangay champion will pocket P10,000 while the qualifying champion will bag P20,000 and book a slot in the Villar Cup Open along with the runner-up who will get P9,000. The qualifying third and fourth placers, meanwhile, will go home with P3,000 each.

Valle, a former Bangkok Asian Games doubles gold medallist, confirmed the participation of pool sharks Efren "Bata" Reyes, current World No. 1 Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan, reigning World Pool runner-up Roberto Gomez, Davao City's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games back-to-back medallist and New York champion Lee Vann Corteza and former two-time world pool champion Ronato Alcano, among other big names.

"Only Francisco 'Django' Bustamante can't make it to the Davao leg because he has a campaign abroad on the same schedule as our tournament here. The leg champions in Alabang, Cebu and Bulacan will also come and put up a stiff challenge," said Valle, who won the Cebu leg of the prestigious cuefest.

Valle downplayed his chances to winning the Davao leg title citing the huge cast of veterans entered in the knockout, race-to-nine, alternate-break format meet. "I'll just focus on my game," he said.

Villar is the guest speaker in the opening rites on August 21 and he will also be on hand to award the prizes on August 23.

International Challenge Of Champions - Winner-Take-All For $50,000

Niels Feijen will attempt to defend his crown International Challenge Of Champions - Winner-Take-All For $50,000 August 13-14, 2008

Billiards champions from around the world will go head-to-head in the Eighteenth Annual INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS. The winner-take-all $50,000 event will be held August 13-14 at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT.
The Challenge of Champions is widely considered the toughest tournament to win in professional billiards. Once each year eight international champions are brought together in a sudden-death shootout with a pressure-cooker format of winner-take-all for $50,000. The purse is one of the highest paydays in the world, and the winner claims one of the most coveted titles in pool – Champion of Champions.

The 2008 field includes top stars in the sport.  Niels Feijen, 2007 winner of the INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS, will defend his crown. Daryl Peach 2008 WPA World 9-Ball Champion, will represent England. Shane Van Boening, 2007 U.S. Open 9-Ball Champion, will represent America. Jain Bo Fu, the 2007 World Cup of Pool Champion, will represent China.

Dennis Orcollo, winner of the 2007 EnjoyPool.com Championship, will represent the Philippines. Jung Lin Chang, the 2008 Asia Tour Champion, will represent Chinese Taipei. Satoshi Kawabata, 2007 All Japan Open Champion, will represent Japan. Seung Woo Ryu, 2008 Grand Prix Champion, will represent Korea.

Mohegan Sun Casino, the host site, will make the 2008 event ADMISSION FREE to pool fans from around the USA and the world. The event drew such large crowds last year at Mohegan Sun that it was standing-room-only attendance. There will be four playing sessions in the two-day international tournament. On Wednesday, August 13, the quarterfinal rounds will be played at 3 PM and 6 PM, with two matches in each session. On Thursday, August 14, the two semifinals will be played at 3 PM and the final Championship match will be played at 6 PM. The semifinals and the final match will be taped for airing on ESPN in September.

The INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS is regarded as the supreme test of skill in professional billiards. The eight players are so evenly matched that any one player could beat the other seven on a given day. In addition, the tournament format is the most demanding test of 9-Ball skill in the sport. The matches are two sets, race to five games each set, with a 1-game sudden death tie-breaker in the event of tied sets. The 9-ball does not count on the break, and to win a game, the 9-ball is call shot. The caliber of competition is so intense that a single mistake invariably eliminates a player from any chance at the winner-take-all purse of $50,000.

On the final night, one of the players will claim the Champion of Champions crown and a check for $50,000. The trophy and the check will be presented by  Mohegan Sun. The tournament is also sponsored by PoolDawg.com, Aramith Pro Billiards Balls, Simonis Cloth, L.E.A.N.I. Slate, AcCue Shot Training Device, Executive Billiards.com, and Silver Cup Chalk.

The 2008 tournament will be the Eighteenth Annual event, and has been produced by Billiards International, Ltd. for ESPN in each of the last eighteen years. Those attending should arrive early for each tournament session and must be 21 years of age or more. Make plans today to attend the 2008 INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE OF CHAMPIONS. For information call the Mohegan Sun toll free at 1-888-226-7711, Ext. 7163.

Orcollo hopes to keep streak in US

Dennis “The Robocop” Orcollo seeks to continue his winning streak as the reigning world No. 1 mixes it up with the world's best billiards masters at the Million Dollar 9 Ball Shootout which unfurls Wednesday until August 10 at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Orcollo, a native of Bislig, Surigao del Sur, is coming into the competition after his runner-up finish in the Singapore leg of the Guinness 9-ball tour last week and grand prize win in the inaugural World 9 Ball Open in Qatar last month.

He will be playing under the banner of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP). He will be joined in the cash-rich tournament by compatriots Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo according to a report from the tournament’s official website yesterday.

Other noted players competing in the Million Dollar 9-Ball Shootout are reigning World 9-Ball champion Daryl Peach of England, event promoter Allen Hopkins, Corey Deuel, Shane Van Boening, Johnny Acher, Dennis Hatch, Evan Broxmeyer, Tony Chohan and Steve Moore of the United States.

Top seed Orcollo reaches Guinness Tour semifinal

World no. 1 Dennis Orcollo joined compatriot Alex Pagulayan in the Final Four phase of the Singapore leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour 2008 at the Velocity@Novena Square.

Orcollo reached the semifinals by beating Fu Jian Bo of China, 9-6, to become the second Filipino to earn a Final Four berth. Pagulayan earlier qualified in the semis after a 9-4 win over Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Tuan.

For entering the Final Four round, the Orcollo and Pagulayan are already assured of $3,500 (P157,500).

Orcollo, who eliminated top favorite Chang Jung-Lin of Chinese Taipei in the group stage on Friday, capitalized on Fu’s miscues late in the match as he broke away from a 6-all tie to win three straight racks.

Fu had a scratch on the 13th rack and a foul in the 14th after Orcollo suffered a dry break in the same rack. Fu topped Group B following wins over Ryu Sheung Woo of Korea and Naoyuki Oi of Japan.

Orcollo will meet the winner of the quarterfinal match between Antonio Gabica and Yang Ching Shun, who are still playing as of posting time.

“I knew that it was going to be a tough match since I already faced Fu in several international competitions in the past. I wanted to finish the match as soon I had a chance since I consumed all my allotted extensions," Orcollo said.

In an earlier Group A match, Orcollo showed why he is the top ranked cue artist when he eliminated defending Grand Finals champion Chang Jung-Lin of Chinese Taipei, 9-7.

“I wasn’t nervous at all. It was unfortunate that he (Chang) had a lot of dry breaks, but that’s how the game goes. They kind of placed the racks a bit higher so I adjusted my breaks. This is a big win for me."

A fourth Filipino, Antonio Gabica, also reached the quarterfinals and is set to meet Yang Ching Shun of Chinese Taipei.