Pool patron Perry Mariano who heads Bugsy Promotions where Orcollo is the star said his pool superstar defeated veteran Francisco “Django” Bustamante 11-5 in the finals after earlier ousting 2004 World 9-Ball champion Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan 9-8 in the semi finals after which Bustamante also beat Pagulayan to force a finals showdown with Orcollo.

The former fisherman earned the top prize of $15,000 while Bustamante settled for $8,500.

Orcollo, whose game was in full flow in the finals was coming off another big win in the star-studded 3rd Annual Hard Times 10-Ball Open title routing American Shane Van Boening, considered the USA’s top pool player 11-3 in the finals last May 6.

AZBilliards reported that Orcullo won seven matches on the loss-side and dominatedShane Van Boening in the finals to become the third Filipino champion of this annual tournament. Lee Van Corteza (2010) and Alex Pagalayun (2011) were the previous champions

The Philippine Sportswriters Association’s Co-Athlete of the Year with four-division world boxing champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire is expected to lead the Philippine charge in the forthcoming World Cup of Pool in Manila.

Mariano said he doesn’t know who Orcollo’s partner will be but expressed a preference for Lee Van Corteza who is a top-notch pool player with lots of international experience.

However, franchise holders Matchroom Sport and local TV hosts Solar Sports are likely to decide on who should partner Orcollo.

The other tandem will be the veteran two-time winners Efren “Bata” Reyes and “Django” Bustamante.

Orcollo, gold medalist at the last Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia said “”I want to show through my actions that athletic excellence can be achieved with dedication, hard-work and support.”

He also said he would wish to “dedicate my victory to my countrymen and as well as my boss Perry and Verna (Mariano) who has been helping me compete abroad.”

           

by Ed Liddawi

On Sunday, March 11th 2012, Sandcastle Billiards and Dragon Promotions will be hosting a very special event, The Poison Challenge Match Series featuring Shanelle Loraine versus Borana Andoni. Billed as “The Battle of the Beauties.”

A New York player from the Bronx, Borana was born in Albania. She plays on the JPNEWT tour and Tony Robles’ 9 Ball Tour. She frequents Amsterdam Billiards room in New York City and recently went to the Philippines to compete in the World Mixed
Doubles Classic with Mika Immonen as his partner. Borana currently plays a role in the web series, “Sharks” and also in the upcoming film, “9 Ball The Movie”.

“My dedication and commitment to the billiards industry is to provide the proper
environment and platform for veteran as well as novice players to enjoy and introduce them to all the beautiful facets of the sport. Pool rooms that are actually dedicated to the players are very limited in the area. I hope to expend efforts to help erase the negative stigma the pool world has been branded with for the past several generations and replace it with a cleaned up positive image to help revitalize the industry.” says Ed Liddawi, owner of Sandcastle Billiards.

The recent affiliation with Accu-Stats video creator and Hall of Famer, Pat Fleming is sure to only compliment and accent the beautiful atmosphere and proper playing conditions you’ll find at Sandcastle Billiards. The Simonis Arena is now housed at Sandcastle and will be the playing grounds for this event.

96 PLAYERS VIE FOR WORLD 8-BALL TITLE IN FUJAIRAH, UAE

By Ted Lerner

(Fujairhah, United Arab Emirates)–The race to 8-Ball glory got underway early Monday morning here in the coastal emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, with 96 players from over 40 countries vying for the 2012 WPA World 8-ball Championship.

Defending champion, current World #1 and 2011 WPA Player of the Year, Dennis Orcullo of the Philippines is back to try for a very possible repeat. Orcullo won his first world title last year in Fujairah when he beat Niels Feijen in the final 10-3. Orcullo used that amazing victory as a springboard for a sensational all around year in 2011 and has come to the Middle East brimming with confidence.

But while Orcullo certainly comes into this year’s championship as one of the heavy favorites, the famously wide open game of 8-ball means that there’s probably 20 or more players who can be considered serious contenders for the Filpino great’s crown. Among those are World 9-ball champion and world number 2 Yukio Akagariyama of Japan, current and back to back US Open Champion Darren Appleton(world #3) of the UK, World 10-ball Champion Huidji See(World # 5) of the Netherlands, back to back runner up Feijen, the Philippine great and World # 6 Lee Van Corteza, Chinese Taipei’s Chang Jung Lin(# 7), China Open winner Chris Melling(# of the UK, German greats Souquet(#11) and Thorsten Hohmann(13), Finnish star Mika Immonen(19), former World 9-ball champion Daryl Peach of England. And current European number 2 Mark Gray, who has won three tournaments in the last few months.

The tournament is being held inside the beautiful Fujairah Tennis and Country Club where seven tough Knight Shot tables have been set up inside the cozy confines of the sports hall.  A total of $156,000 in prize money is on offer, with $20,000 going to the winner on Friday night.

This is only the eighth time that the World 8-Ball championship has been contested and all of them have been held in Fujairah. The conditions this year have already gotten the nod of approval  from players as each match throughout the event will be played with the alternate break format, ensuring fewer one sided blowouts than in previous years.

The higher caliber players were also happy with the extremely tight pockets which have been set at just 4 inches in diameter.

Most of the top players in the field will begin to see action in the evening session of Day 1 and morning sessions on Day 2.  The players have been divided into 16 groups of 6 each, playing a double elimination format.  The top 32 players have been seeded and have received byes for their first matches. This means that each of the top 32 players only has to win one match to move into the knockout stage of 64, which begins on Wednesday.

In early action on Monday Radislaw Babica, Thomasz Kaplan and Karol Skowerski made it 3-0 for Poland with easy wins. The Philippines Demosthenes Pulpul, who for the last year has lived and worked as a house pro in the UAE, and won entry to this year’s championship via a local qualifier, easily defeated Belgium’s Bahram Lofty, 7-2. Pulpul’s countryman Elvis Calasang stayed on the winners side with a win. Germany’s young rising star Dominic Jentsch easily won his first match. As did Austria’s Serge Das and Russia’s Konstantin Stepanov.

The WPA will be providing up to the minute coverage  of all the happenings on its website, www.wpa-pool.com, including live scoring of all matches, in depth articles on the goings on posted several times a day, as well as blow by blow coverage of big matches via the WPA’s Twitter page, @poolwpa.

For updated brackets, CLICK HERE

For live scoring, CLICK HERE

*The World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) is the world governing body of the sport of pool. The WPA is also the member organization for pool of the World Confederation of Billiard Sports (WCBS), the international umbrella organization encompassing all the major cue sports.

Early results from Day 1

Group A

Masser Al Mujaibel(KUW)  7 – 3 Kenny Kwok (HKG)
Karol Skowerski(POL) 7-0 Mohammed El Assal(EGY)

Group B

Tomasz Kaplan(POL) 7 – 2 Salah Al Awadi(UAE)
Salah Al-Rimawi(UAE)  7 – 4 Mohammed Alhosani(UAE)

Group C

Vilmos Foldes(HUN) 7 –6 Stuart Lawler(AUS)
Imran Majid(GBR) 7 – 1 Ali Saeed(UAE)

Group D

Mohammed Ali(IRI)  7 – 3 Elmer Haya(PHI)
Yousfi Chaouki (MAR ) 7 – 3 Ahmad Jallad(JOR)

Group E

Dominic Jentsch(GER) 7 – 3 Abdulla Juma(UAE)
Konstantin Stepanov 7(RUS) – 0 Pil Hyun Cho(KOR)

Group F

Hanni Al-Howri(UAE) 7 – 3 Sayeem Hossaien(BAN)
Elvis Calasang 7(PHI) – 5 Jason Shaw(GBR)

Group G

Majid Sultan 7(UAE) – 4 Lian Han Toh(SIN)
Serge Das 7(AUT) – 2 Omer Al Serkal(UAE)

Group H

Radislaw Babica(POL) 7 –2 Saleh Mohamed(KUW)
Meshaal Turki Al Ali(QAT) 7 – 6 Saleh Ibrahim Ali(UAE)

Group I

Lee Chen Man((HKG) 7 – 3 Abdulatef Fawal(QAT)
Noor Al Jarrah(JOR) 7 – 0 Mohammad Khaled Soufi(SYR)

Group J

Mario He(AUT) 7 – 0 Albin Ouschan(AUT)
Demosthenes Pulpul(PHI) 7 – 2 Bahram Lofty(BEL)

Group K

Jalal Yousef(VEN) 7 – 3 Shaker Wahdan(JOR)

Francisco “Django” Bustamante, the World 9-Ball Champion who was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame has added the 2012 Derby City Classic Fatboy 10-Ball Challenge held at the Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in Elizabeth, Indiana, to his list of triumphs.

Bustamante, who together with bosom buddy Efren Reyes forms the one-two punch of pool patron Aristeo “Putch” Puyat of Puat Sports easily defeated Steve Moore of the US winning by a lopsided 15-5 margin. a, USA,” he said.

Bustamante raced to an early  2-0 lead but a scratch omn the ten-ball in the third rack enabled Moore to claw back and tie the count at 2-2.

From a 4-3 lead Bustamante played near flawless pool to rattle of nine straight racks for a unassailable 13-3 lead and with the score at 14-5 Moore scratched on the break giving Bustamante ball-in-hand and with the table laid out perfectly Moore decided to concede and threw in the towel. the 20th rack.

Bustamante overcame 2012 Derby City Classic Bank Division champion John Morra of Canada, 15-5, in the semi-final round to arrange the finals showdown with Moore who battled his way into the finals by defeating another Filipino, former world and US Open champion  Alex Pagulayan  15-12.

For his win Bustamante pocketed  the top prize of US$ 12,000 while Moore won the runner-up prize of US$ 7,000. Pagulayan and Morra earned $ 3,500 each for reaching the final four.

Feijen brings it home for Europe

Europe 11– 7 USA

EUROPE has successfully defended the PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup following a convincing 11-7 victory over the USA at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was Holland’s Niels Feijen, in his seventh Mosconi Cup, who downed the winning 9 ball which sparked mayhem as his team mates flooded the arena.

It also delivered Feijen the Most Valuable Player award, achieved for two singles and two doubles wins: “It got a bit shaky but they went in,” he said of his 6-3 victory over Rodney Morris to seal the Mosconi Cup.

“I just want to thank the crowd, the British and Europeans and you need them to make it. There were some immense moments and thanks to the coach for doing a super job. He gave us speeches every morning and kept us sharp.”

The Americans, who had trailed 10-5 at the start of the day, won the opening two games to leave the Europeans looking a little edgy.

“Even this morning, there was pressure on us and we knew they would come out strongly. There was some heat to get over the finish line but these guys are just so good,” continued Feijen.

“Being the Most Valuable Player is something I’ve been dreaming about this for seven years, every year I’ve played in it.”

Johnny Archer, playing in his 15^th Mosconi Cup was stoical in defeat; “We lost a couple of matches we should’ve won and they blitzed us in a few matches. We all gave it our best and will do it again next time. Hats off to their team, they hung in there when things didn’t look good.”

The opening match of the day saw Shane Van Boening put in an excellent performance to keep US hopes alive as he comfortably beat Nick Van den Berg 6-2. The South Dakota Kid kept his team in the competition on Saturday night when he beat the same opponent in a close match but this time he pulled away from 2-2 to take the victory.

Still fighting, a dogged display from veteran Johnny Archer kept USA fires alight as he put paid to Darren Appleton’s hopes of a repeat MVP trophy.

The Scorpion took the opening two racks before he missed a 4 ball in the third to give Appleton a great opportunity which he accepted to take his first rack of the night. However, a loose safety gave Archer the opportunity in the next which he converted to move into a 3-1 lead. That soon became 4-1 as the 4 ball kicked the 9 ball into the centre pocket for the second golden break of the tournament.

A poor break shot from Appleton gave Archer every chance in the sixth game but he missed a bank shot on the 5 ball and Appleton made it 2-4.

He took the seventh but Appleton missed a cut on the 2 ball in the next though and Archer held his nerve to reach the hill. He completed a break and run to seal the victory and reduce the deficit to three.

It was left to Niels Feijen to bring home the bacon for Team Europe as he faced off against Rodney Morris. The Hawaiian had not been at his best this week but had showed flashes of his best form at times.

A poor safety from Morris gave Feijen an opportunity in the opener but he scratched, drawing the ball down table and into the centre pocket and Morris, with ball in hand, ran out. Feijen took the next with a tidy run out and went into a 2-1 lead when Morris scratched on the break and handed him an open table.

Another excellent run out, this time from Morris, levelled the scores at 2-2, before Feijen took the lead, thumping a tricky 9 ball into to the top corner pocket. He increased that lead as he was given ball in hand after a Morris foul and Europe were two racks away from glory.

That became one rack as Feijen took the next before a dry break from the Dutchman gave Morris a chance in what was a high quality match, and the Hawaiian ran through the table to reduce arrears to 5-3.

Morris broke in the next and with the table open, he missed a horrible pot on the 2 ball. Feijen though, with nerves creeping in, missed it himself. Finally a shocking safety from Morris on the 5 ball was to prove to be the Americans last contribution to the event as Feijen ran out for a glorious victory.

Report by Luke Riches, Matchroom Sport

Notes: Matchroom Sport are one of the world’s leading producers of televised sport and are responsible for over 1,100 hours of original programming across a range of sports. Based in the UK and chaired by charismatic founder Barry Hearn, the Mosconi Cup is one of a stable of pool events that include the World Cup of Pool and the World Pool Masters.

Europe 4 – 1 USA

AFTER the first day’s play at the 2011 PartyPoker.net Mosconi Cup, Team Europe holds a commanding 4-1 lead as they cashed in on some tentative play from the Americans at the MGM Grand.

Aside from Archer and Putnam’s solid show in the first doubles match of the tournament, none of the Americans were firing on all cylinders and captain Charlie Williams will have a job to do for tomorrow.

Europe by contrast looked like thoroughbreds with big names like Souquet and Feijen looking the part and rookie Chris Melling pulling off a stunning win in the last game of the day.

Watched by his father, who was celebrating his 60^th birthday, the 32 year-old Melling looked superb as he came from 3-0 down to steal the final match of the day from Shane Van Boening with a hill-hill win.

It was a bitter pill for the Americans to swallow as the difference between 3-2 and 4-1 is immense, and they will need to dig deep tomorrow if they are to reverse their fortunes.

Earlier, the Europeans drew first blood as they took the opening team match which featured all ten players. The format differed from previous years, in that each rack was contested by just two players rather than the alternate shot method involving all five.

It was Chris Melling who took the deciding rack against Mike Dechaine for the point but the Americans looked a little nervous throughout.

2010 MVP Darren Appleton was delighted with the win; “I’m really happy with the start. The format had changed a bit and it adds more pressure. You’re a bit cold and have no help from your friends. I played the first rack and was shaking really badly.

“Chris didn’t get a shot in the first game but he managed to win the rack that won us the point and I think he will go on and play very well.

“We don’t have to gel as we just come together and are a lot more relaxed than ever before. We’re playing really good, feel calm in ourselves and pretty sure we’re going to win.”

The American pair of Johnny Archer and Shawn Putnam – close friends off the table – dug their heels in to overturn a 3-1 deficit and beat the Euro duo of Chris Melling and Nick Van den Berg.

It was a big point for the Americans as Archer and Putnam grew in confidence as the match went on and they came with the critical shots in the closing stages. The communication between the pair was excellent as they kicked on for victory.

“Representing your country is the most pressure you will feel,” said Putnam.

“Everyone is used to playing for yourselves but when you play for your country the nerves are about ten times more and your friends on the team are looking for you to come through.

Archer added “It’s early but any match can turn anything around. We were 3-1 down and the momentum was in their favour but a bad break gave us a bit of a lifeline and we started creeping back.”

Rodney Morris, for so long a stalwart of the US Mosconi Cup side, looked a forlorn figure as he slumped to a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Niels Feijen. The Dutchman looked clinical throughout as he capitalised on Morris’s lacklustre display.

“That match was great,” said a delighted Feijen.

“In the first team match it was the most nerve-racking match I’ve played in so it was nice to settle down in the singles match.

“I played really well and it was a lot of fun. It’s a big confidence boost, especially against someone like Rodney Morris who has a super record in the Mosconi Cup.”

Matchroom Sport executive Luke Riches reported “The USA suffered a huge kick in the teeth in the fourth match of the day as Mike Dechaine and Shane Van Boening relinquished a 4-0 lead to lose 6-4 to Darren Appleton and Ralf Souquet.

The critical moment came in the seventh rack when Dechaine needed a tricky 9 ball cueing off the rail to take the US to the hill at 5-2, but his head came up far too early and the chance went begging.”

What should have been 5-2 became 4-3 and Appleton and Souquet had shifted the momentum in their favour. From there, they never looked back as they took Europe into a 3-1 lead and it was left to Melling to complete the route.

Efren “Bata” Reyes and inaugural World Women’s 10-ball champion Rubilen Amit teamed up to win their second World Mixed Doubles Championship at the Liberation Shopping Center in Hangzhou, China Friday night.

Reyes who is 54 still had some magic still left in him and together with Amit  who has played steady pool all throughout the tournament, repeated their 2009 victory in the inaugural championships organized by Dragon Promotions and staged in SM North Edsa beating the formidable American tandem of Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer and “The Black Widow” Jeannette Lee 10-6.

Aristeo “Putch” Puyat of Puyat Sports, one of the longtime patrons of Philippine pool told us that  Reyes and Amit edged ahead at 6-5 and conceded only one of the last five racks to win the coveted title and a handsome trophy.

The Philippine pair edged China’s Li Hi Wen and Chen Si Ming in a gripping the semi final showdown 9-8 who later said they were hoping the Filipinos win the championship.

The Chinese duo lost the battle for third to the English pair of Allison Fisher  and Craig Osborne.

THE PHILIPPINES DENNIS ORCULLO IS THE 2011 WPA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

TV host, pool commentator and boxing writer Ted Lerner reports that Dennis Orcullo, who once upon a time was an itinerant fisherman in a remote and poor part of the Philippines, has now reached the pinnacle of the pool world by being named the World Pool and Billiard Association(WPA) 2011 Player of the Year.

The 32 year old Orcullo racked up a total of 2570 points in 8 WPA ranking events over the course of the year to grab the top spot in the world rankings. Japan’s Yukio Akagariyama, who won the World 9-ball Championship in Qatar in June, came in second with 2382 points.  England’s Darren Appleton, who won his second straight US Open title in October, finished in third with 2256 points. The Philippines Ronnie Alcano landed in fourth with 2063 points.

“That’s very good news,” Orcullo said when informed he’d been named the 2011 WPA Player of the Year. “I’m very happy and it’s a big honor for the Philippines. Hopefully I can continue to play my best in 2012.”

The WPA Player of the Year honors are based on the total number of ranking points each player accumulates throughout the calendar year. In 2011, the men competed in 8 different WPA ranking events.  Players receive points based on their order of finish in each event.  The amount of ranking points available in each event varies, depending on the size of the field and prize fund.

It was a year of firsts for the hardworking Orcullo. After years of knocking on the door, he won his first world championship in 2011 when he won the World 8-Ball title in February in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.  That win garnered Orcullo 900 ranking points and put him squarely on the path to the top honor. He then finished 7^th in the Philippine Open, 5^th in the World 10 Ball Championship and 3^rd in the World 9-ball Championship.

But it wasn’t just in WPA ranking events that Orcullo performed well. In January he won the Derby City 9-ball division in Louisville. In September he was runner up to Ralf Souquet in the World Pool Masters.  He then captured the brutally tough Philippine National 9-ball championship.  Orcullo then went on to win his first big international tournament in the Philippines when he won the Predator International 10-Ball.  All around Orcullo had a stellar year in 2011.

The WPA Player of the Year honors mark another remarkable milestone in Orcullo’s pool playing life. Orginally from Bislig, Surigao del Sur, Mindanao in the southern Philippines, Orcullo spent his childhood helping his father fish to try and feed the family.   When his father tragically disappeared in a fishing accident, Orcullo, just 9 years old at the time, was forced to take over the arduous fishing duties to keep the family fed.

Orcullo used to play pool in his down time from fishing and fell in love with the sport. In his mid-teens he decided to follow his dream of becoming a world champion on the blue pitch and traveled to Manila. Years of hard work and perseverance began to pay off and have finally brought  the man Filipino fans call “Robocop” to the top of the pool playing world.

For winning the WPA Player of the Year award, Orcullo will receive a trophy and a beautiful Tag Heuer watch.

—

 

 

 

Van den Berg: “They’re weaker than last year; we’re stronger”

 

HOLLAND’S NICK van den Berg believes the European Mosconi Cup team is stronger than ever, while the American side is getting weaker. That was the

Dutchman’s candid assessment of the respective sides, and he is confident of victory at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from December 8 to 11.

 

Van den Berg was part of the winning European five last year and will be back to help defend the title after coming out in the top five of the gruelling year-long qualification system.

 

He will be joined by countryman Niels Feijen, Germany’s Ralf Souquet and English duo Darren Appleton and Chris Melling as they face off against an American team comprised of Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boening, Rodney Morris, Shawn Putnam and debutant Mike Dechaine.

 

However, van den Berg believes the additions of Dechaine and Putnam, who is returning to the team for the first time since 2005, have strengthened Europe’s chances.

 

“Europe is very big and there are lots of top players to choose from but in the US you only have a handful of players you could pick for the Mosconi Cup,” said van den Berg.

 

“They can only have the best at that moment so now players that should be there like Corey Deuel and Dennis Hatch aren’t playing. Dennis always plays good in the Mosconi Cup and last year we saw him as the weak link but at the tournament he was their best player.

 

“I think they’re weaker than last year and we’ve only got stronger.

 

“In the last seven years we’ve had the advantage as in my eyes we have a stronger team than the Americans.

 

“On the Euro Tour we have so many good players and you have to play even better than before and you need to run out every time.

 

“European players have started to dominate in world events. We already have the Mosconi Cup and it will stay here.

 

“That said, I think there will be a lot of hill-hill matches but I’m 95 per cent sure we will win, the other five per cent is the luck factor involved.”

 

Van den Berg has played in the Mosconi Cup on four previous occasions and believes he will produce his to form in America.

 

Although he will be making his fifth appearance in the prestigious competition, being picked for the team has still been the highlight of his pool year.

 

“It means a lot to me and I’ve been working all year for it,” added Van den Berg. “I set some goals for the future at the beginning of my year and my goal was to get into the Mosconi Cup team.

 

“Only five players can get into it and the ranking system made it more nerve-wracking. Every Euro Tour match was effectively three more points and I was getting excited at the end as there were only a few points between me, Darren and Ralf.

 

“It’s the only tournament of its kind with that audience, that atmosphere where everyone wants you to win – during the Mosconi Cup it overwhelms you.

 

“I’m pretty good under pressure but it hasn’t brought the best out of me yet and hopefully this year it will and I will show my best game.”

 

“The coach (Johan Ruijsink) is Dutch and Niels is Dutch so this is the first year three Dutch are in it – I can’t wait.”