Orcollo claims title, slot in Guinness final

World No.1 Dennis Orcollo outclassed archrival Yang Ching-shun, 9-1, in the semis, then subdued another Taiwanese, Wang Hng-shiang, 11-9, in the finals to rule the penultimate leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour 2008 yesterday at the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, China.

The feat earned Orcollo, a stalwart of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano, the $15,000 (P705,000) top purse, and a slot to the Grand Finals on Oct. 24-26 in Jakarta.

“I’m very happy with this win, especially by beating players like Yang and Wang, who are among the best cue artists in the world,” said the 29-year old Orcollo, whose campaign was also supported by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP), Jebet Poker.com and Senate President Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

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 their Final Four match.

Pagulayan fell short of winning his second consecutive leg but he also booked a slot in the Jakarta Grand Finals.

With the match deadlocked at 8-all, Pagulayan, who won the previous leg in Singapore, had a golden opportunity to win as he had the break in the final rack.

However, his break set up a poor position on the two-ball and caused him to yield possession following a push shot. Wang then made a miraculous bank shot that pocketed the two-ball in the right corner pocket. The Taiwanese then converted on an almost similar bank shot, this time on the five 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 a visibly upset Pagulayan, who was penalized in the sixth rack for going over the 40-second shot clock. “I 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,” he said.

Pagulayan settled for $3,500 (P164,500) for reaching the semifinals.