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