CORTEZA STRIKES AGAIN BEATS YANG IN PBB FACE OFF SERIES

FILIPINO Lee Vann Corteza weathered Taiwan's Yang Ching-shun's fiery comeback to escape with a 9-6 win in the Philippine Bigtime Billiards (PBB) Face-Off series Saturday night at the Airport Pagcor Casino in Paranaque City.

The top player of Negros Billiards Stable (NBS) Corteza took home the top prize worth $5,000. Yang, on the other hand, received $2,500.

After forcing a tie at 4, Yang, known in Chinese-Taipei as the “Son of Pool" made a scratch enabling Corteza to win the 9th rack. The Davao City native Corteza saw his big lead, 7-4, by winning another two straight rack and never looked back in the race-to-9, winner's break match jointly organized by the Mega Sports World and BRKHRD Corp and was aired live over Solar Sports, Sky Channel 70 and Destiny Channel 34 and also aired worldwide through the Internet, live streaming at www.starbilliards.com.ph,www.megasportsworld.com  and www.philippinebigtimebilliards.com.

The PBB Face-Off is a joint undertaking of Mega Sports World and BRKHRD Corp., and organized in cooperation with Airport Casino Filipino, Crown Sound System Sakura Amplifiers and Home Theater Systems, Malungai Life Oil, Diamond Billiard table, Hermes Sports Bar, I-Bar, Golden Leaf Restaurant, Bugsy Promotions, Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) with The Philippine Star as official media partner.

“Luck played a part in my victory. Yang is a very tough opponent and I really had a hard time beating him,” said the two-time National Open champion Corteza, playing under the banner of Jonathan Sy's Negros Billiards Stable.

“I hope to play with him again as it’s really exciting going up against one of the world’s best cue artists.” added the former World Ten-Ball Finalist Corteza, whose stint in local and international competitions is supported by Kopiko and Energen.

Negros Billiards Stable head coach Christopher Palses commented after the match "Buti nag scratch si Yang sa 9th rack, yun ang turning point ni Van-Van (Lee Vann) sa pagkapanalo niya sa mahigpitan nilang laro ng Taiwanese cue master."

It shall be recalled that Corteza topped the 3rd  Golden Break 9-Ball Invitational Championship 2011 last August at the Golden Break Snooker & Pool Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He also won 2011 San Miguel Beer Oktoberfest 9-ball Open in the Masters category at the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City last October.

Meanwhile, the PBB Face Off series resumes with a match pitting Yang against Dennis Orcollo on Dec. 10. After that, Chang Jung Lin of Chinese-Taipei battles Roberto Gomez on Dec.17, Chang takes on Alcano on Dec.23 and Wu Chai Ching of China battles Efren "Bata" Reyes on Dec.30.      By: MARLON BERNARDINO

CORTEZA WINS SMB OKTOBERFEST 9-BALL OPEN: POCKETS P350,000

FORMER National Open champion Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza ruled the 2011 San Miguel Beer Oktoberfest Festival 9-ball Open Masters category at the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City, late Sunday.

The top player of Negros Billiards Stable and JSY Sports, Corteza defeated world no.1 and world 8-ball champion Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, 11-8, in the finals to bag the top prize of P350,000 plus SMB mug trophy. The former two-time SMB 9-ball open champion Orcollo settled P100,000.

Corteza, whose stint here backed up by Energen and Kopiko made the finals by beating ex-world pool champion Francisco "Django" Bustamante, 9-4,  in the semifinals while Orcollo advanced by edging hall of famer Efren "Bata" Reyes, 9-8.

“I would like to thank Sir Jonathan Sy and coach Christopher Palses for always helping me in my local and international tournaments alongside Kopiko and Energen,” said the Davao City native Corteza, whose next tournament is the Japan Open on November 16 in Osaka. 

Earlier, Corteza, playing under the banner of sportsman/businessman Jonathan "Bacolod" Sy, nipped former WPA 9-ball and 8-ball champion Ronato "Volcano" Alcano, 9-5, in the round-of-16, and 2006 SydneyWorld Junior quarter-finalists Renemar "Revo" David, 9-7, in the round-of-8, while Orcollo ousted Ramil "Bebeng" Gallego, 9-1, and Jundel "Jano" Mazon, 9-6, respectively.

In the race-to-11, alternate break finals, the former fisherman from Bislig, Surigao del Sur Orcollo jumped to a big 3-1 lead before Corteza tied the score at 3-all in the 6th racks after winning two straight racks. The two Filipino hottest player today tied the match at 4-all count after exchanging racks. Corteza won two consecutive racks for a 6-4 lead. Actually, Orcollo had a chance to tied the match at 5-all count in the 10th racks but failed to sank no.8 ball. From there, Corteza never looked back. He won five of the next nine racks for the runaway victory.

"Turning point ko yung pagsablay ni Dennis sa medyo delikadong shot sa 8-ball sa 10th racks kaya nakalamang ako ng dalawang racks." said Corteza, a many-time Southeast Asian Games gold medallist.

NBS president Jonathan Sy lauded Corteza’s latest feat. " I’m really happy for him. Hope next year mag world champion na si Lee Vann" he added.

Meanwhile, Jomel "Porkchop" Sultan defeated fellow NBS stalwart Ruben Cuna, 9-8, in the grand finals of winner take all Open regional category to enroute P50,000 plus SMB mug trophy.

The San Miguel Beer Oktoberfest Festival 9-ball Open Masters category also participated by country's women top player Rubilen "Bingkay" Amit, Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat, Ricky" Bai" Zerna, Warren "Warrior" Kiamco, Gandy Valle among others in the Puyat Sports organized event backed up by San Miguel Beer, Negros Billiards Stable, Bugsy Promotions and Resorts World Manila.The matches aired live streaming onwww.sanmiguelbeer.com.ph.  Tournament director is Ish Caparras of Puyat Sports.-MARLON BERNARDINO-

FILIPINO MAZON FINISHES 2ND IN CHINA 9-BALL MEET; POCKETS $8,000

FILIPINO Jundel "Janno" Mazon made some of his trademark shots but settled only for a runner-up finish behind former World Pool Champion Chao Fong Pao at the conclusion of the 2011 China 9-Ball Invitational Championships at the Best Bet Maccaline Plaza in Hefei City, Anhui Province in Eastern China, over the weekend.

Mazon whose stint here is backed up by Energen and Kopiko found Chao too hot to handle as the hometown bet came through with tough shots of his own after winning the lag on the way to posting a 11-8 win that earned him the $16,000 winner’s prize.

"Ang hirap ng naghahabol kasi naka una agad siya (Chao Fong Pao)," said Mazon, one of the top player of Jonathan Sy's Negros Billiards Stable to his coach Christopher "Toper" Palses.

"Bawi na lamang next time," added Mazon, who settled runner-up prize of $8,000.

According to NBS head coach Christopher "Toper" Palses, Chao immediately took a 4-1, 9-4 to 10-8 lead against Mazon."Naka dikit pa sa 10-8 si Janno (Jundel Mazon) kaso naubos ni Chao (Fong Pao) ang lahat ng bola sa pagsargo sa 19th racks," said Palses.

However, Mazon, a former Guinness World Series of Pool Champion bounced back winning four of the five racks to cut the lead at 10-8 count before Chao finished the game in the 19th racks.

Despite the loss, Mazon remained the best Filipino finisher in the said event. Among his victim were Chan Du Long of China, 9-3, in the Last 32, Gou Hua of China, 9-5, in the Last 16, Yang Chin-shun of Chinese-Taipei, 11-9, in the Last 8 and countryman Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza, 11-10, in the Last 4.

Aside from Mazon and Corteza, other Filipino cue masters seeing in action were hall of famer Efren "Bata" Reyes, Warren "Warrior" Kiamco, Antonio "Nickoy" Lining and Panfilo "Lintok" Damuag.MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO MAZON ENTERS FINALS OF CHINA 9-BALL INVITATIONAL; 'BATA' FALTERS

FORMER Guinness World Series of Pool Champion Jundel "Janno" Mazon of the Philippines gained a spot in the finals Saturday of the 2011 China 9-Ball Invitational Championships with a heart-stopping 11-10 victory over compatriot Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza.

The Davao City bet Corteza was so confident at the start of the match that he immediately took a 6-4 lead against fellow Negros Billiards Stable (NBS) bet Mazon
in the match being held at the Best Bet Maccaline Plaza in Hefei City, Anhui Province in Eastern China.

But the table turned against Corteza as Mazon won 11th and 12th racks for posted a 2-0 rally to tied the match at 6-all count. Corteza, however, made a comeback winning two of the three racks to seized a 8-7 lead in the race-to-eleven, alternate break format.Mazon won the 16th racks to level 8-all count.

After trading racks, Corteza and Mazon, both stint here are backed up by Energen and Kopiko, tied the match again at 10-all count in the 20th racks.

In the 21st racks, Corteza, a former World Ten Ball finalist and BSCP National Pool Champion played safety in the blue 2 ball but Mazon managed to sink the blue 2 ball and clean up the table to escaped a narrow 11-10 victory over his NBS team mate.

"It was just all luck. I hope that this luck will still follow me in my finals match against Chao Fong Pao." said Mazon to his manager, sportsman/businessman Jonathan "Bacolod" Sy of the star-studded Negros Billiards Stable (NBS).

"We  hope that Janno (Jundel Mazon) can maintain his momentum against Chao Fong Pao in the finals," said sportsman/businessman Jonathan "Bacolod" Sy of the star-studded Negros Billiards Stable (NBS).

Mazon will face Chao Fong Pao, a former World 9-ball champion from Chinese-Taipei but migrated in China for the championship crown and the top prize of $16,000. Chao prevent a possible an all-Filiipino finals when he outclassed his nemesis Filipino pool legend Efren "Bata" Reyes, 11-16, in another semi-final match-up.

Mazon and Chao, both assured at least $8,000 for reaching the finals. Losing Semi-Finalists Corteza and Reyes, on the other hand didn't go empty-handed, as both will be receiving $4,000 each. MARLON BERNARDINO

ORCOLLO BEATS CUARTERO; GAIN SEMIS BERTHS IN BSCP NATIONAL OPEN 9-BALL

CURRENT World no.1 and World 8-ball champion Dennis Orcollo got the better of Allan Cuartero  to storm into the semifinals with a 9-5 victory on Friday in the 9-ball competition of the BSCP National Pool Championship at the Star Billiards Center in Grace Village, Quezon City.

The win gave the man known as “The Robocop” one of the two outright seats in the Final Four of the event,  that serves as a qualifying event for the AKTV World Pool Summit in November.


“Slowly but surely, I’m beginning to get my game going,” said Orcollo, top player of sportsman/businessman Ceferino "Perry" Mariano of Bugsy Promotions.

"Sana mahawakan ni Dennis y'ung momentum. Ito na lamang kasi ang kulang kay Dennis na manalo ng National Open," said Bugsy Promotions honcho Ceferino "Perry" Mariano.


Orcollo started to break the game wide open beginning the 10th rack when he won three consecutive racks en route to posting an 8-4 lead.


Although Cuartero managed to salvage a game in the 13th, there was no denying the hottest player in the international circuit as he went back to the table in the 14th and disposed off the remaining balls one by one to complete the win – and hand Cuartero his first loss in nine matches  stretching back to the 8-Ball event that started Monday.


Cuartero, who is already assured of a finals berth in the 8-Ball event, fell into the loser’s bracket and will await the winner of the Leonardo "Dodong" Andam-Carlo "Cool" Biado match.


While Orcollo was beginning to make his presence felt in the 9-Ball event, Jerico Banares was sizzling on all fronts, winning his first five games capped by a near perfect performance against Roberto "Pinoy Superman" Gomez.


Banares, the former Philippine  junior champion, nearly swept Gomez, the former world pool runner-up, 9-1.


The youthful cue artists from Antipolo City also had a near flawless performance on Thursday night when he subdued Jeff de Luna, 9-1.  In beating Gomez, Banares joined Orcollo as the only players to advance to the Final Four so far.


Renemar "Revo" David, another rising pool star, and Rodrigo "Edgie" Geronimo pulled off contrasting victories in the loser’s bracket  to keep their flickering hopes alive for the other two semis berths.


David whipped veteran  Rene Cruz, 9-6, while Geronimo edged Arvi Tanega in a hill-hill encounter, 9-8.  MARLON BERNARDINO

Toughest Pool Nationals Set in October 2011

THE Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP), the governing body of pool sports in the country, will unwrap the toughest national pool championship ever staged in the country with the 2011 BSCP National Championships scheduled on October 3-11 at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City.

To highlight this year’s championship, the BSCP will adopt a three-game format for the tournament.

In the battle for the men’s championship, the players will compete in three disciplines – eight ball, nine-ball and ten-ball -- each a tournament in its own right.

The 2011 men’s national champion will be determined based on total points garnered by each player from all three tournaments. Points will be assigned to players based on their order of finish in each event.

In the women’s championship, women players will only compete in one 10-ball event.

 A total prize fund of P800,000 await the winners of the three tournaments and the grand national championship.

Because of the grueling format adopted in the men’s championship, “whoever emerges as the winner will be the truest national champion ever,” says BSCP spokesman Butch Argonza.

He explained that the BSCP adopted the format with a view to accelerating the development of cue sports in the country and defending the country’s image as the leading pool-playing nation in the world. “As the rest of the world have gotten better at pool, it is important that Filipino players excel in all pool games. We have to maintain our edge,” he said.

BSCP, AKTV, Star Billiards and Raya Sports have joined together in mounting this year’s championships.

AKTV on IBC 13 will broadcast the event .

Raya Sports will organize and promote the tournament.

Star Billiards, under BSCP president Sebastian Chua, will host the 9-day pool extravaganza.

Top-ranking Filipino players, as well as young fast-rising players are expected to join the competition.  “We are expecting a minimum number of 64 players to join each of the three tournaments,” says tournament coordinator Sol Gueco.               

The full schedule of the 2011 National championships is as follows:

Men’s 8-Ball tournament (Oct. 3-4), Men’s 9-Ball tournament (Oct. 5-6-), Men’s 10-Ball tournament (Oct. 7-8).  Women’s championship (10-ball only, Oct 6-8).

The finals of all tournaments will be held on three successive days: Oct. 9, Oct 10, and Oct. 11.

Registration in the tournament is now ongoing. To register, call Sol Gueco at (0910)887-5216; or Edgar Acaba, BSCP secretary-general (0916)573-1458. 


-- By: Marlon Bernardino

DENNIS ORCOLLO BEATS MIKA IMMONEN, WINS PREDATOR 10-BALL; POCKETS $10,000; ENDS MANILA JINX

WORLD no.1 Dennis Orcollo of the Philippines put together a big comeback, winning the final three racks to beat Mika Immonen of Finland, 10-8, to capture the 11th Predator International 10-Ball Championship Sunday night at the Robinsons Galleria in Ortigas.

Orcollo, top player of Perry Mariano's Bugsy Promotions claimed the champion’s purse of $10,000 prize plus Predator elegant trophy. More important, the reigning World 8-ball champion won his first international tournament here in Manila.

"It's a great tournament, really hard," said Orcollo. "First day I lost to (Yukio) Akagariyama. I went to the loser's bracket. But I didn't worry."

"I am so happy to win this tournament.This is my first international tournament title here in Manila," added Orcollo, who also won the 9th Predator International 10-Ball Championship two years ago in Las Vegas, Nevada at the expense of Ralf Souquet of Germany, 8-3.

“I’m happy for Dennis (Orcollo). He’s long been looking to win this tournament,” said Ceferino "Perry" Mariano, Orcollo’s chief benefactor at Bugsy’s Promotions.

Immonen settled for the runner-up prize of $5,000.

"I was really close to ending this drought that I've had for the past four or five months," he said. "I thought I'd end it with this event. I was up by two racks, but I made a couple of unforced errors. Maybe I got ahead of myself a little bit." added Immonen.

Earlier, Orcollo defeated Wu Jia Qing (formerly Wu Chia-ching) of China,10-5, in the final four to arranged a titular showdown with Immonen, who brought downed Liu Haitao of China, 10-9, in another semi-final affair.

Losing semi-finalists Wu and Liu received $3,250 for their efforts.

 Immonen seize a 5-2 lead winning four racks in a row before allowing Orcollo to finally get his chance at the table by missing a tough shot on the 7 in the eighth rack, which the Filipino parlayed into a two-rack run that cut the lead to 5-4. A poor safety shot by Orcollo in the 10th, however, prevented him from knotting up the score, and Immonen seized the rack to go up 6-4.

Another error by Immonen, this time a miss on the 1, gave Orcollo another opening, and he took full advantage by winning the rack as well as the next to knot it up at 6-6. But Immonen inched ahead again at 7-6 after Orcollo came up dry with his break in the 13th rack. Then things started going south for the Finn.

The Iceman has been in a slump of late, failing to win any title of sort for the last five months or so. Now he was three racks away from victory and breaking to go ahead 8-6. He had a good break in the 14th rack and seemed to have a clear path to the 10 ball and a decisive two-rack advantage in the homestretch. But he shunned the use of a bridge in an attempt to hit a difficultly placed 4 ball, choosing instead to stretch across the table. He missed badly, and Orcollo made him pay by tying it up at 7-7.

Immonen came back to win the 15th rack after Orcollo missed a bank on the 4, but Orcollo tied it up again in the next rack. The 17th rack was messy, with both players committing errors. Immonen nearly stole the rack with a kick-in on the 7 that just rattled out, but Orcollo left the door slightly ajar when he didn't completely cover up the 8. Immonen had a chance at a safety, but he virtually handed over the rack to the world no. 1 when he scratched.

Orcollo sank the 3 on his break in the 18th rack, but he had to sink a couple of tricky shots before he could complete a run-out and clinch the title, his second with Predator after winning this same event in 2009.

For Orcollo, this latest tournament win, which came off a runner-up finish in the World Pool Masters, firmly established him as the top player in the world, even though the Predator event carries no World Pool Association (WPA) ranking points. Orcollo also made it to the semifinals of the World 9 Ball Championships in Doha in June and the quarterfinals of the World 10 Ball Championships in Pasay City in May.

Orcollo became the third Filipino in eight years to rule the World 8-Ball Championship, clobbering the Netherlands’ Neils Feijen, 10-3, for the 2011 crown at the Fujairah Exhibition Center in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates last February.  BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

GERMANY WINS WORLD CUP OF POOL

GERMANY, represented by Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann, won their first PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool crown as they dismantled Kobkit Palajin and Nitiwat Kanjanasri of Thailand by a score of 10-4. The tournament was held at the The Block Atrium of SM North EDSA in Quezon City on Sunday. "It’s still hard to believe and it hasn’t sunk in yet. We really worked hard for the title and held ourselves together,” said a jubilant Souquet, who als won the World Pool Masters crown. “We had a really hard semi-final that could’ve gone wrong and I played awful against Korea but Thorsten carried me to the final. “I always said you can only lose as a team and we certainly won as a team. Playing here in Manila in the Philippines is the best thing that has happened to pool.” For the Thai side of Palajin and Kanjanasri , it was an anticlimax after their heroic 9-3 defeat of Taiwan spearheaded by Ko Pin-yi and Ko Phung-chung, 9-3, in the semis and maybe they were mentally drained by their efforts. The German duo, meantime ousted the Koreans pair of Hwang Jong and Lee Gun Jae, 9-7, to arranged a titular showdown with the unseeded Thai duo. Efren "Bata" Reyes and Francisco "Django" Bustamante of PHL-B and the pair of Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo and Ronato "Volcano" Alcano for PHL-A lost their quarter-final round matches last Saturday. The German duo of Souquet and Hohmann defeated the tandem of Reyes and Bustamante, 9-1, while the Ko Pin-yi and Ko Pung-cheng of Chinese-Taipei edged the pair of Orcollo and Alcano, 9-8. It was a sweet revenge for the German cue masters who lost to the Filipino dynamic duo of Reyes and Bustamante in the finals two years ago. In fact the German duo raced a 9-7 commanding lead in the race-to-11 affair before the host nation bounced back winning four consecutive racks for an 11-9 victory. With 32 teams representing 31 countries – home nation Philippines has two teams in the competition – the World Cup of Pool sees the gathering of some of the most decorated stars of pool. With a total purse of $250,000, the winning pair split $60,000 between them while first round losers are guaranteed $1,500 each. All the action will be carried live on Solar Sports in The Philippines and other broadcasters across the region.MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO ALCANO SETTLES FOR SECOND IN WPA WORLD 9-BALL IN DOHA, QATAR; JAPANESE AKAKARIYAMA POCKETS $36,000

FORMER WPA World 9-ball and 8-ball champion champion Filipino Ronato "Volcano" Alcano rediscovered his fine form but Japanese Yukio Akakariyama scuttled his bid to win another world title.

Akakariyama outsteadied Alcano in a thrilling duel, 13-11, by display of pressure packed 9-ball before a partisan crowd of close to 1500, most of them Filipinos, to add the 2011 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-Ball Championship to his growing list of titles late Saturday at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

For beating the Calamba hotshot Alcano, Akakariyama join the list of the Japanese World 9-ball champions in the company of Takeshi Okumura (1994, Chicago, USA) and Kunihiko Takahashi (1998, Taipei, Taiwan).

His triumph also collected $36,000 top purse in this $250,000 total pot prize week-long WPA sanctioned tournament. Last May, Akakariyama failed to win his first-ever World Ten Ball crown losing to eventual champion Huidjie See of the Netherlands, 9-6, in the semi-finals was held in Manila.

Ranked No. 2 in the world, Alcano earned his way in the finals by edging countryman Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, 11-9, in an all Filipino-semi final encounter to arranged a titular showdown with Akakariyama, an 11-10 winner over England's Mark Gray.

Alcano, who won the 2007 WPA World 8-ball crown in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, received the runner-up prize of $18,000 while semi-finalists Orcollo and Gray, both went home $10,000 each.

Alcano, who beat German ace Ralf "Kaiser" Souquet for the 2006 WPA World 9-ball crown in Manila, meantime failed to duplicate the feats of Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer of the USA (1992, Taipei, Taiwan), (1997, Chicao, USA) and Chao Fong-pang of Chinese-Taipei (Konigswinter, Germany, 1993), (Alicante, Spain, 2000), both won twice in WPA World 9-ball competition.

Earl The Pearl" Strickland of the USA (1990 Bergheim, Germany), (1991 Las Vegas, USA) and (2002 Cardiff, Wales, UK) hold the distinction of the most winningest player for the WPA World 9-ball tiara by winning thrice.

Other Filipino WPA World 9-ball champions were Efren "Bata" Reyes (1999, Cardiff, Wales, UK), Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan (2004, Taipei, Taiwan), and Francisco "Django" Bustamante (2010, Doha, Qatar).MARLON BERNARDINO
DOHA, QATAR; JAPANESE AKAKARIYAMA POCKETS $36,000
BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FORMER WPA World 9-ball and 8-ball champion champion Filipino Ronato "Volcano" Alcano rediscovered his fine form but Japanese Yukio Akakariyama scuttled his bid to win another world title.

Akakariyama outsteadied Alcano in a thrilling duel, 13-11, by display of pressure packed 9-ball before a partisan crowd of close to 1500, most of them Filipinos, to add the 2011 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-Ball Championship to his growing list of titles late Saturday at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.

For beating the Calamba hotshot Alcano, Akakariyama join the list of the Japanese World 9-ball champions in the company of Takeshi Okumura (1994, Chicago, USA) and Kunihiko Takahashi (1998, Taipei, Taiwan).

His triumph also collected $36,000 top purse in this $250,000 total pot prize week-long WPA sanctioned tournament. Last May, Akakariyama failed to win his first-ever World Ten Ball crown losing to eventual champion Huidjie See of the Netherlands, 9-6, in the semi-finals was held in Manila.

Ranked No. 2 in the world, Alcano earned his way in the finals by edging countryman Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, 11-9, in an all Filipino-semi final encounter to arranged a titular showdown with Akakariyama, an 11-10 winner over England's Mark Gray.

Alcano, who won the 2007 WPA World 8-ball crown in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, received the runner-up prize of $18,000 while semi-finalists Orcollo and Gray, both went home $10,000 each.

Alcano, who beat German ace Ralf "Kaiser" Souquet for the 2006 WPA World 9-ball crown in Manila, meantime failed to duplicate the feats of Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer of the USA (1992, Taipei, Taiwan), (1997, Chicao, USA) and Chao Fong-pang of Chinese-Taipei (Konigswinter, Germany, 1993), (Alicante, Spain, 2000), both won twice in WPA World 9-ball competition.

Earl The Pearl" Strickland of the USA (1990 Bergheim, Germany), (1991 Las Vegas, USA) and (2002 Cardiff, Wales, UK) hold the distinction of the most winningest player for the WPA World 9-ball tiara by winning thrice.

Other Filipino WPA World 9-ball champions were Efren "Bata" Reyes (1999, Cardiff, Wales, UK), Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan (2004, Taipei, Taiwan), and Francisco "Django" Bustamante (2010, Doha, Qatar).MARLON BERNARDINO
United Arab Emirates, received the runner-up prize of $18,000 while semi-finalists Orcollo and Gray, both went home $10,000 each.

Alcano, who beat German ace Ralf "Kaiser" Souquet for the 2006 WPA World 9-ball crown in Manila, meantime failed to duplicate the feats of Johnny "The Scorpion" Archer of the USA (1992, Taipei, Taiwan), (1997, Chicao, USA) and Chao Fong-pang of Chinese-Taipei (Konigswinter, Germany, 1993), (Alicante, Spain, 2000), both won twice in WPA World 9-ball competition.

Earl The Pearl" Strickland of the USA (1990 Bergheim, Germany), (1991 Las Vegas, USA) and (2002 Cardiff, Wales, UK) hold the distinction of the most winningest player for the WPA World 9-ball tiara by winning thrice.

Other Filipino WPA World 9-ball champions were Efren "Bata" Reyes (1999, Cardiff, Wales, UK), Alex "The Lion" Pagulayan (2004, Taipei, Taiwan), and Francisco "Django" Bustamante (2010, Doha, Qatar).

By: MARLON BERNARDINO

WORLD 9-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP IN DOHA: 16 PHL POOL BETS ADVANCE TO LAST 64

REIGNING National Open Champion Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza defeated
Marcus Chamat of Sweden, 9-6, in Group L in their do-or-die match to
lead 15 others Filipino cue artists through to the Last 64 of the
2011 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-Ball Championship
at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar , Tuesday night.


With the win, the top player of Negros Billiards Stable (NBS) Corteza,
whose stint here is supported by JSY Sports, Kopiko and Energen will
face countryman Oliver Medenilla into the round-of-64, single
knock-out format, in this $250,000 week-long tournament that offers a
$ 36,000 top purse. Medenilla, on the other hand beat Nguyen Phuong
Thao of Vietnam, 9-6, in Group G to finish undefeated two wins in
group play.

"Sana magtuloy-tuloy ang panalo ni Vanvan (Lee Vann Corteza), eto na
lamang ang kulang sa kanya na mag world champion sa WPA event."said
businessman-sportsman Jonathan Sy, co-founder of the Billiards
Managers and Players Association of the Philippines(BMPAP) and
chairman of the National Collegiate Billiards League (NCBL).

Beside the former World Ten Ball Finalist Corteza who hails from Davao
City, the other Filipinos who made it to the Last 64 through the
loser's brackets were Antonio "Ga-Ga" Gabica, Caneda Villamor, Roberto
"Pinoy Superman" Gomez, Vicenancio Tanio, Joven Alba, Israel Rota,
Raymond Faraon and former WPA 9-ball and 8-ball champion Ronato
Alcano.


Gabica advanced by beating Fu Jian Bo of China, 9-8, in Group B, while
Villamor won over Lee Gun Kae of Korea, 9-7, in Group D, Gomez routed
Christian Tuvi of Uruguay, 9-4, in Group E, Tanio toppled Lee Chen Man
of Hongkong, 9-4, in Group I, Alba downed Sundeep Gulat of India, 9-4,
in Group J, Rota edged Bader Al Awadi of Kuwait, 9-8, in Group K,
Faron demolished Mohammad Al Hazmi of Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, 9-3,
in Group M and Alcano smashed Nguyen Phuo Long of Vietnam, 9-1, in
Group M. Not as lucky was Francisco Felicilda, who suffered a
heart-breaking lost to Soheil Vahedi of Iran, 9-8, in Group I.

Defending champion Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Efren "Bata" Reyes,
Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, Carlo "Cool' Biado, Jeffrey "The Bull" de
Luna, Allan Cuartero and Antonio "Nikoy" Lining, earlier made it to
the Last 64 after posting two wins in their group stage play.

Bustamante nipped Alazmi Majed of Kuwait, 9-4, in Group D, Reyes beat
Konstantin Stepanov of Russia, 9-3, in Group A, Orcollo dismantled
Jalal Yousef of Venezuela, 9-3, In Group A, Biado hammered Lee Gun Jae
of Korea, 9-2, in Group D, de Luna outplayed Riyan Setiawan of
Indonesia, 9-4, in Group H, Cuartero waylaid Mohamad Al Sofi of Syria,
9-5 in Group L, and Lining crushedCheng Chieh Liu of Chinese-Taipei,
9-4, in Group P. MARLON BERNARDINO


Pairing Last 64, Single Knock-Out Format:

Lee Vann Corteza versus Oliver Medenilla

Vicenancio Tanio versus Nick van den Berg of the Netherlands

Carlo Biado versus Takhti Zarekani of Iran

Antonio Gabica versus Mika Immonen of Finland

Allan Cuartero versus Ahmad Taufiq Murni of Brunei

Joven Alba versus Chang Jun-lin of Chinese-Taipei

Ronato Alcano versus Chris Orme of the USA

Israel Rota versus Chang Yu-lun of Chinese-Taipei

Antonio Lining versus Oliver Ortmann of Germany

Dennis Orcollo versus Muhammad Zulfikri of India

Efren "Bata" Reyes versus Carlos Cabello of Spain

Francisco "Django" Bustamante versus Sascha-Andrej Tege of Germany

Jeffrey de Luna versus Fu Che wei of Chinese-Taipei

Roberto Gomez versus Daryl Peach of Great Britain

Raymund Faraon versus Stephan Cohen of France

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

"BATA" REYES WILL TRY TO BECOME THE FIRST FILIPINO TO WIN A TRIPLE CROWN IN BILLIARDS

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO pool wizards Efren "Bata" Reyes will try to become the first
Filipino to win a triple crown in billiards when he competes in the
2011 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) World 9-Ball Championship
at the Al Sadd Sports Club in Doha, Qatar on Friday.

Reyes, acknowledged one of the greatest player of all time and plays
for the Puyat Sports of sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat
battles Mark Gray of Great Britain in Group 1.

He has won the World 9-Ball Championship and World 8-Ball title in
1999 and 2004, respectively. Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo, the reigning
World 8-Ball titlist will square off with Andrew Kong of Hongkong also
in Group 1.

Francisco "Django" Bustamante, also from Puyat Sports opened his title
retention bid against countryman Caneda Villamor in Group 4.

Bustamante, who was elected to the Billiards Congress of America Hall
of Fame after a convincing 13-7 triumph over Chinese-Taipei’s Kuo Po
Cheng in the
last year' edition.

2011 World Ten Ball semi-finalists Carlo "Cool" Biado from Perry
Mariano's Bugsy Promotions will meet Petri Makkonen of Finland in
Group 4.

Antonio "Ga-Ga" Gabica, the 2006 Doha Asian Games 9-ball gold medal
winner and 8-ball silver medallist, on the other hand will meet 2011
China Open Champion Chris Melling of Great Britain in Group 2.

A total of 128 players coming from 44 countries participate in the
$250,000 total pot prize tournament offering a $36,000 top purse. The
format divided into 16 group, each group compose of eight players with
four players advancing to the knock-out stage.

In other marquee Filipino match-ups, Roberto Gomez versus Manuel Gama
in Group 5, Oliver Medenilla versus Mohammad Al Harthi of Kingdom of
Saudia Arabia in Group 7, Jeffrey de Luna versus Hussain Jamil
Abdulwahed of Qatar in Group 8, Venancio Tanio versus Chang Jung lin
of Chinese-Taipei in Group 9, Francisco Olita versus Karl Boyes of
Great Britain in Group 9, Joven Alba versus Shane Van Boeing of the
United States in Group 10, Israel Rota versus Chang Yu lun of
Chinese-Taipei in Group 11, Allan Cuartero versus Mohamad Al Sofi of
Syria in Group 12, Lee Vann Corteza versus Rajn Hundal of Great
Britain in Group 12, Ronnie Alcano versus Hamzah Al Saeed of UAE in
Group 13, Raymond Faraon versus Radoslaw Babica of Poland in Group 13,
and Antonio Lining versus Liu Cheng Cheih of Chinese-Taipei in Group
16.

See whips Fu, tops World 10-Ball

MANILA---Huidji See of The Netherlands joined the WPA World 10-Ball Championship Tuesday with little expectations.

By the end of the tournament five days later, he walked away with the championship trophy and the biggest purse of his career.

Flashing nerves of steel, the 29-year-old naturalized Dutchman of Chinese origins overcame Fu Jianbo of China, 11-8, yesterday in a finals match devoid of the usual hometown cheering at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Fu earlier halted Filipino Carlo Biado’s remarkable run with a 9-5 victory to set up the finals duel with See, who eliminated Yukio Akakariyama of Japan, 9-6, in the other semifinal duel.

See, who won $60,000 (about P2.7 million) duplicated the feat of fellow Europeans Darren Appleton of England, who ruled the inaugural edition in 2008, and Mika Immonen of Finland, who topped the event two years ago.

“This is like a dream (winning a world championship),” said the soft-spoken See, the winner of the US Open 10-Ball title four years ago.

“I knew that I could play well but to really execute it is just great. Hopefully this will turn my career around,” added See, who grew up in Arnhem.

See quietly climbed out of the losers’ bracket, eliminating German Ralf Soquet, 9-4, to reach the knockout phase.

“Beating Ralf gave me the confidence that I could beat everyone else,” said See.

After bundling out top Filipino bets like World No. 1 Antonio Lining, world champion Dennis Orcollo and Ronnie Alcano in the earlier rounds, Biado looked poised to go all the way.

But admittedly pressured by the enormity of the occasion, the La Union ace made two early errors in the semifinals, allowing Fu to zoom to an 8-1 lead.

“I felt the pressure since I was the only Filipino left,” said Biado, who eliminated Orcollo, 9-4, Saturday night. “I really wanted to win for the country.”

Fu advanced against Biado by ousting Lee Van Corteza, 9-8.

Biado hardly slept on the eve of the semifinal and needed time to settle down.

Written by Cedelf P. Tupas and lifted without permission from the Phil. Daily Inquirer

Immonen Falls, Orcollo, Alcano Sustains Form

MANILA---Filipino top guns Dennis Orcollo and Ronnie Alcano continued their stirring runs with lopsided victories yesterday in a WPA World Ten-Ball Championship that was thrown wide open with the ouster of defending champion Mika Immonen at the World Trade Center.


Orcollo, the reigning World 8-ball titlist, overwhelmed Mario Morra of Canada, 9-4, to reach the last 32, while Alcano, the former double world champion, flashed his old ruthless form to turn back compatriot Demothenes Pulpul, 9-2.

“I feel good about my game, especially my breaks,” said Alcano, whose performance dipped after winning the world titles in 9-ball and 8-ball in the space of less than six months four years ago.

The two Filipinos were joined in the final 32 by upstart Carlo Biado, who toppled countryman Roberto Gomez, 9-6, and former World 10-ball losing finalist Lee Van Corteza, who ousted Lu Hui Chan of Chinese-Taipei, 9-5.

Immonen got the ax from Tomoo Takano of Japan, a survivor of the five-day qualifying event which produced 10 final
slots to the tournament.

Takano prevailed, 9-7, after Immonen missed an easy shot on the orange-five.

Biado, who enjoyed a solid run in the Philippine Open 10-Ball Championship last month, refused to wilt despite falling into an early 0-3 hole, winning the fourth to eighth rack to seize control.

A former caddie, the 27-year-old Biado was rewarded with a last 32 date with Alcano, who raced to a 7-0 lead against Pulpul.

Antonio Gabica, the former Asian Games gold medalist, absorbed a heart-breaking 8-9 loss to unheralded Manuel Pereira of Portugal.

Gabica’s loss stung the most.

Already on the hill in the 15th rack, Gabica lost a safety battle before Pereira broke and ran out the last two frames.

Written by Cedelf P. Tupas and lifted without permission from Philippine Daily Inquirer

Orcollo 2 Other Filipino Cue Masters Reach Sweet 16 of World 10 Ball

SEVERAL minutes later after Carlo Biado and Lee Vann Corteza triumphed, reigning WPA World 8-ball champion Dennis Orcollo also made it to the Sweet 16 of the WPA World Ten Ball Championships at the World Trade Center in Roxas, Boulevard, Pasay City on Saturday.

Orcollo, top player of sportsman/businessman Ceferino "Perry" Mariano ng Bugsy Promotions beat Karl Boyes of Great Britain, 9-7. Biado earlier beat Ronnie Alcano, the former WPA World 9-ball and 8-ball champion in the round-of-32 yesterday, as Corteza hammered Hao Xiang Han of China, 9-4.

Other players who made it into the round-of-16 are Chris Melling and Daryl Peach of Great Britain, Yukio Akakayarima and Tomoo Takano of Japan, Chang Yu-lun of Chinese-Taipei, Jason Klatt of Canada, Fu Jian Bo and Wu Jiaqing of China and Tony Drago of Malta.

Melling routed Manuel Pereira of Portugal, 9-4, Peach dealt Shane Van Boening of the USA, 9-6, Akakayarima walloped Sascha-Andrej Tege of Germany,9-7, Takano upset former WTBC champ Darren Appleton of Great Britain, 9-5, Chang toppled Johnny Archer of the USA, 9-7, Klatt routed Alok Kumar of India, 9-7, Fu crushed Liu Cheng-chieh of Chinese-Taipei, 9-3,Wu beat Liwen Lo of Japan, 9-8, and Drago defeated Oliver Ortmann of Germany, 9-6. MARLON BERNARDINO

World Ten Ball: Orcollo, Alcano, Biado Advance

FILIPINO pool masters Dennis Orcullo, Ronato Alcano and Carlo Biado scored contrasting victories at the start of the Knockout Stage to advance into the Last 32 of the 2011 World Ten Ball Championships yesterday at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

Orcullo routed Mario Morra of Canada, 9-4, while Alcano and Biado won convincingly against fellow Filipino pool players.

Alcano thrashed Demosthenes Pulpul, 9-2, while Biado defeated Roberto Gomez, 9-6.

Aside from Pulpul and Gomez, the other Pinoy cue artists who failed to advance in the Last 32 were Jeffrey de Luna, Jonas Magpantay, Antonio Gabica and Venancio Tanio.

De Luna bowed to Ricky Yang of Indonesia, 3-9; Magpantay lost Lo Li Wen of China, 6-9; Gabica was edged by Manuel Pereira of Portugal, 8-9; and Tanio was defeated by Shane Van Boening of the United States, 7-9.

Currently playing as of press time yesterday were Lee Vann Corteza, Marvin Tapia, Jericho Banares and Jundel Mazon. — Marlon Bernardino