INQUIRER Sports

DENNIS ?Robocop? Orcullo put on another awesome performance late Thursday to power the country?s thrilling, 4-2 victory over Norway as Team Philippines cruised to the quarterfinal round of the inaugural World Team Pool Cup Championship in Hanover, Germany.

Orcullo, the reigning International Predator 10-ball champion, toppled Norway?s Tommy Wolf (7-1) in the third and last featured 10-ball competition to prevent a possible play off game and underline his status as the country?s top 10-ball player.

?Buti na lamang nanalo si Dennis kay Tommy. Kung hindi magtabla pa sana ang match at mapuwersa pa sa isang tie breaker,? said Bugsy Promotions president Ceferino ?Perry? Mariano.

The Nationals swept the 8-ball Scotch Doubles competitions as the pair of WPA 9-ball and WPA 8-ball king Ronato Alcano and former snooker champion Marlon Manalo as well two-time BSCP National Pool Championships ruler Lee Vann Corteza and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Warren Kiamco won their respective matches, 6-5 and 6-3.

Then Alcano scored an, 8-2 demolition of Vegar Kristiansen in the 9-ball to hike RP?s lead to 3-0 in the race-to-4 affair.

However, the Norwegians put their team in contention after Malvin Bjelland edged Japan-based Antonio ?Nickoy? Lining (8-7) in 9-ball while teammate Mats Schjetne prevailed over Corteza (7-4) in 10-ball to inch to within one, 3-2. Orcullo then routed Wolf, 7-1 for the Nationals? 4-2 triumph.

Meanwhile, Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) Chairman Florentino ?Yen? Makabenta is very confident that the Nationals will reach the final round.

?Malaki ang pag-asa na makapasok ang National team natin sa finals. Malalim kasi ang bench natin. Puro de kalibre at mga world class ang mga players natin,? he said.

DANGEROUS POLAND UP NEXT

the six-man Philippine Team is scheduled to meet Poland late Friday (Manila Time) for a spot in the semifinals. Poland, which is led by Radoslaw Babica blasted Finland, 4-0 with reigning World Ten Ball champion Mika Immonen at the helm.

The 48-nation tournament, the first of its kind and sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association (WPA), stakes a total purse of $400,000 (roughly P19.2 million) and uses a point-system scoring patterned after the Davis Cup of tennis.

The champion team gets $100,000 or roughly P4.7M.

Also making the Last 8 were Russia, Germany II, Great Britain, China, Switzerland and Greece.

Russia led by Ruslan Chinahov and Konstantin Stepanov downed Denmark (4-2); Germany II with former world pool champion Oliver Ortmann defeated Sweden 4-3; Great Britain led by world 9-ball champion Daryl Peach and ex-world 10-ball champion Darren Appleton blanked Germany 4-0; China of Li He-wen and Fu Jian Bo thwarted Serbia 4-1; Switzerland of Dimitri Jungo outclassed Japan 4-1 and Greece shocked tournament favorite United States 4-3.

The US is composed of former world champion Johnny Archer, and former US champions Corey Deuel and Shane Van Boening.