Great Britain frustrated the Philippines’ bid to win the first World Team Championship, posting a relatively easy 4-1 triumph in their championship showdown Sunday in Hannover, Germany (early Monday in Manila). The Filipinos, among the foremost pool players in the world, actually got the head-start against the British as the pair of Dennis Orcollo and Warren Kiamco trampled Karl Boyles and 2007 world pool champ Darryl Peach in the opening 8-ball doubles, 6-1.
However, the British bets quickly equalized via Darren Appleton and Mark Gray’s 6-1 triumph over Ronnie Alcano and Marlon Manalo in the second 8-ball doubles then completely turned the tables around with a sweep of the next three sets. Gray took only 45 minutes in disposing of Antonio Lining, 8-2, in the 9-ball singles before Boyes outclassed Lee Van Corteza in a closely-fought 9-ball singles duel, fighting back from a 6-7 deficit to eke out an 8-7 win. Appleton, the 2009 World Pool Masters titlist, secured the title for Britain with a dominating 7-1 conquest of former world no. 1 Orcollo in the 10-ball competitions. It was a sorry loss for the Filipinos, who looked quite invincible after winning all their previous assignments prior to the finale. The RP pool aces defeated Great Britain II, 4-0, and the Czech Republic, 4-1, in the first and second round then waylaid Norway (4-2 in the Last 16), Poland (4-2 in the quarterfinals) and Russia (4-1) to book a spot in the finals. In contrast, the British had to go through the loser’s bracket after dropping a 2-4 loss to Sweden in the second round. Team Great Britain, though, drubbed Korea, 4-2, and Israel II, 4-0, in the loser’s side to advance into the knockout Last 16 stage and posted wins over Germany (4-0, Last 16), China (4-3, quarterfinals), and Greece (4-2, semis) for a finals slot. -
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