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.”