Valle clinches first finals slot

Gandy Valle downed an error-prone Ronnie Alcano, 11-5, last night to clinch the first finals berth in the BSCP National Pool Championship at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Valle, 29, thus assured himself of at least P500,000 for making the finals and a win tonight against the winner between top seed and former world pool champ Alex Pagulayan and giant slayer Jeffrey de Luna would pocket the top purse of P1 million.

Dennis Orcollo, meanwhile, downed Roland Garcia, 9-6, to clinch the fourth and last World Pool Championship slot.

Orcollo, who raked in $80,000 or a cool P4 million after finishing third in the IPT 8-ball Championship in Las Vegas last month, actually finished fifth after losing to the 21-year-old de Luna late Friday, 6-9.

De Luna and fellow semifinalists Valle, Alcano and Pagulayan have already clinched spots in the annual event slated in the country in November.

Pagulayan, however, has already qualified, being a former world pool champion.