FILIPINO Dennis Orcollo has become the 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League Champion after defeating Holland's Niels Feijen in a close, entertaining final.

Orcollo (pictured right with the trophy) won the match 8-5 to conclude an exciting three days of top class pool at the event which was produced by Matchroom Sport and held at the N.O.T. Building in Warsaw, Poland.

“This victory is very, very big for me,” said a delighted Orcollo, who is the third player from the Philippines to lift the trophy in the tournament's nine-year history.

“I’d like to thank the Filipino community in Warsaw for coming out and supporting me and I’d like to dedicate this win to the people of the Philippines," added Orcollo.

Feijen admitted the better player won on the day. He said: “I was playing well all week but Dennis had too much for me tonight, although it was a great game.”

Orcollo, 27, had remained unbeaten throughout the three-day, six-man tournament and was a deserving winner of the US$20,000 top prize, with Feijen in second place while the German pairing of Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet both lost in the semi-finals.

The Filipino champion, who is known as Robocop, now joins the likes of Jim Rempe, Efren Reyes, Thorsten Hohmann, Rodney Morris and Francisco Bustamante as winners of this coveted invitational trophy and this success will be a big confidence boost ahead of the 2006 Philippines World Pool Championship, which begins next month.

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Friday afternoon   Friday evening   Saturday afternoon   Saturday evening
Sunday afternoon

Click on a match title to see full reports and statistics from session 6
F Orcollo v Feijen  SF Orcollo v Souquet  SF Feijen v Hohmann  Statistics

The Final
Dennis Orcollo (Philippines) 8-5 Niels Feijen (Holland)
BOTH players strode into the packed arena with an air of determination. With the format now being winner breaks, Feijen claimed the lag and nicely cleared the table to take an early lead but Orcollo squared it as he stole the break and set up a run out from an excellent long cut on the 2-ball.

Orcollo took the lead in the next and looked confident as he moved the cue ball around the table. The fourth rack followed a similar vein as the Filipino ran out from the break to increase his lead to 3-1.

Feijen regained the table in the fifth when Orcollo pushed out and left enough of the 1-ball visible for the Dutchman to pot it. Feijen took it on and set up a run out to reduce Orcollo’s lead to a single rack.

Despite a good break from the Dutchman in the next, there was with no pot on the 1-ball as he had to play a snooker. Orcollo managed to connect with the 1 but failed to hit a rail to give ballin hand to Feijen and he made no mistakes as he cleared up to level the match at 3-3.

Feijen potted a ball off the break in the seventh but his safety on the 1-ball was weak and it allowed Orcollo to tuck the cue ball behind the red 3.

The Dutchman made a mistake as the escape left the 1 conveniently positioned as Orcollo potted it to set up a run out chance. However, he could not capitalise on this opportunity as he missed the green 6 down the rail and Feijen grabbed the chance to sink the final three balls to regain the lead.

There was no joy for Feijen off his next break and he was forced to push out with the brown 7 obscuring the 1 ball. But his push down table was badly weighted and the cue ball rolled into the pocket to give Orcollo a gift of ball in hand and this opportunity was gladly accepted by the Filipino as the match was again level.

In the ninth there was another ball in hand opportunity in the ninth as Feijen potted the 1-ball but scratched into the middle pocket. The Filipino speedily dispatched the table to take the lead at 5-4 and there was more of the same from Orcollo in the tenth game as he broke and ran to put a two-rack margin between himself and Feijen.

Orcollo pushed out in the next frame and Feijen got the better of the safety battle before clearing the table to take a desperately needed rack to reduce the deficit to 6-5.

The Dutchman pushed out in the next with the yellow 1 obscured and Orcollo clearly liked the situation as he banked the 1-ball into the middle pocket to set up a run out to reach the hill at 7-5.

Orcollo had to push out in the next as the 1-ball was blocked out by the 8 and Feijen eventually had a tough long pot on the 1-ball. But the Dutchman missed it and the Filipino deftly caromed the 1 in off the 9.

Just when luck was needed, Orcollo enjoyed probably the biggest slice all week as the 9-ball rolled over the middle pocket leaving the 2 in an easy position for the combo.

He stepped up to sink the match-winning 2/9 combination to claim the 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League title and leapt with delight at his victory, whooping and dancing around the table (pictured above) as the capacity crowd rose to their feet.

Semi-final 1
Dennis Orcollo (Philippines) 8–5 Ralf Souquet (Germany)
DENNIS Orcollo reached the final of the 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League as he got the better of Ralf Souquet in a tight encounter at the N.O.T Building.

With the winner-breaks format now in operation, the lag was critically important and Orcollo was successful. He broke and ran the first to settle his early nerves but was forced to push out in the second, after nearly scratching on the break.

Souquet took the table and tied his opponent up in a tight snooker. With no realistic chance of escape, Orcollo (pictured right) played a strategic deliberate foul, tying up the 8 ball with the 5.

With ball in hand, Souquet put Orcollo in more trouble but the Filipino escaped before the German again left him in a difficult position as Souquet squared the match. A methodical clearance in the next saw The Kaiser take the lead and he looked even more determined in the fourth game as he completed another break and run for a 3-1 lead.

There was more of the same in the next as the German racked up a 4-1 lead, and with the winner breaking, it was beginning to look a tough proposition for Orcollo. Souquet looked to have come unstuck off the break in the next but a superb cut on the 1-ball allowed him to continue. However, he was hooked on the 2-ball though and although his jump shot made contact, he left it on for Orcollo.

Perhaps a little cold after sitting in his chair for a few racks, Orcollo badly missed the 2-ball and left it over the pocket but Souquet ran out of position going from 2 to 3 and his weak safety gave his opponent the chance to run out and reduce the arrears.

Orcollo ran out a tricky seventh game and added the eight to win his third successive rack to square the match up at four-all. Both players had visits in the next before Orcollo played a brilliant table-length kick shot on the 2 ball and cleared up from there.

The Filipino took the next and at 5-4 ahead all the momentum was with him. He won the tenth to open up another two-rack lead but was forced to play safe in the 11th.

Orcollo left Souquet a chance to lay a snooker but the German was not precise enough and found himself snookered himself. He then missed the 1-ball and with ball in hand Orcollo put him in trouble again but the German was equal to it, kicking out and potting the 1 ball.

Although Orcollo got to the table it was of no significance and Souquet cleared to reduce the arrears to 6-5. The Filipino stole the next rack to get to the hill and a terrific break looked to have set up a match-winning run out and he held his nerve to take the rack and the match.

Semi-final 2
Niels Feijen (Holland) 8–2 Thorsten Hohmann (Germany)
IN the second semi-final, Niels Feijen had an easier time of it as he racked up an 8-2 win over defending champion Thorsten Hohmann.

Hohmann (pictured far left) won the lag but made a bad miss on the 3-ball and Feijen (pictured left) looked clinical as he cleared the first. The Dutchman won the second before Hohmann made his first positive contribution as he ran the third following a miss from Feijen to get to 2-1.

Hohmann was looking in good shape in the fourth but snookered himself with just three balls left on the table. He made contact but left the table open and from there Feijen dished to go to 3-1.

Feijen was forced to play safe in the next but was far too loose and left the 1-ball on. However, he got back to the table when Hohmann missed the 3-ball having to play tough position and from there Feijen took his lead to 4-1.

A fantastic shot by Feijen hooked Hohmann in deep trouble but he escaped and after a safety exchange, the German took his chance to win the game and get back to 4-2.

The next rack saw visits by both players as they exchanged fluked snookers and Hohmann eventually made the decisive foul as he went off three rails and failed to hit the 2-ball before Feijen, with ball in hand, ran out to make it 5-2.

He also took the next and then gained ball in hand in the ninth as Hohmann clipped the black 8 before the 1-ball when the yellow 1 was clearly visible up table. This proved to be Hohmann’s last shot in the competition as Feijen ran out to get to the hill and then made no mistakes when he broke and ran the tenth rack to take the match and seal a spot in the final.

Statistics
Payouts (all amounts in US Dollars)
Winner - Dennis Orcollo (Philippines) ($20,000)
Runner-up - Niels Feijen (Holland) ($10,000)
Third - Thorsten Hohmann (Germany) ($7,000)
Third - Ralf Souquet (Germany) ($7,000)
Fifth - Chang Pei-wei (Chinese Taipei) ($3,000)
Sixth - Radoslaw Babica (Poland) ($3,000)

Table at the end of the round-robin stage

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