Team Holland
Semi Finals
Holland 9-4 Finland
Philippines 9-7 Chinese Taipei
THE FINAL of the 2013 888.com World Cup of Pool will be between Holland and the Philippines after both enjoyed semi-final victories at the York Hall in front of an enthralled crowd. The Philippines came through a real thriller over Chinese Taipei in a match that saw both teams enjoy extended periods of dominance while Holland endured a sticky first half before running away with it against the Finns.
In the second match, both Philippines and Chinese Taiwan made mistakes in the opening racks before Corteza made an excellent combo on the 9 ball to make it 2-1 and then Ko made a bad miss in the next and they ran out in the next to make it 3-1.
An illegal break in the next got the Taiwanese back to the table and negotiated a tricky layout to reduce arrears at 2-3 but the Filipinos won the next to get the Filipino flags in the crowd fluttering.
Those flags got more of an airing as Orcollo and Corteza started to coast as they came with some great shots to make it 6-2 and when Ko missed the 5 ball down the rail it rather summed it up. They got to seven before Corteza scratched and the Taiwanese finally had a run at it to get their first rack in some time as the score went to 7-3.
That proved a turning point and a great shot by Chang, a 1/3 combination, set them up in the next and they ran out to give the Filipinos something to think about. They were on a roll with authoritative breaking coupled with precision potting they got back on level terms at 7-7 as they became favourites for the match.
Ko though disastrously scratched on the break as the white was kicked into the corner pocket by the 8 ball. At the table at last, Orcollo tucked the cue ball up behind the 7 and when Chang failed to connect with the 3 ball, it was ball in hand time and the Philippines made no mistakes to reach the hill.
A great shot on the 1 ball from Lee Vann kept it going and they made no mistakes as they cleared the table to win the match 9-7.
Earlier, the Dutch pair of Nick Van Den Berg and Niels Feijen became the first team to reach the final after they overcame an even first half of the match with Finland to win five racks in a row and take a 9-4 victory.
With an enthusiastic crowd at the York Hall including a few Dutch fans, Holland got off to the best possible start as they won the lag and ran out the first rack, but a dry break saw Finland make their first visit to the table. They looked as comfortable as the Dutch as they ran out but a scratch on the break wasn’t what they were looking for and Holland ran the table to take a 2-1 lead.
That soon became 4-1 as the Dutch pair, playing in their first ever World Cup semi-final, looked in control. The Finns got back to the table after a period of spectating and the score moved to 4-4. It was a match that looked like it was going the distance but the Finns had an unfortunate roll in the next as the cue ball was kicked in off the break to give the Dutch the table.
There was never any doubt as they cleared up to regain the lead at 5-4 and a stunning full-power table length jump shot by Feijen in the next gave the Dutch the initiative. They never let go to establish a two rack lead and when Feijen’s break in the next left a shot on the 1 ball, the lead soon became three.
The next saw the Finns get back to the table but there was nothing on and the rampaging Dutch soon reached the hill at 8-4. The last was a formality as they cleared up for a superb win.
“Finland was hard to beat but from 4-4 we were cruising, executing very well. They are defending champions and played very well,” said Feijen.
“We executed some very good shots and we played really well from halfway through. Relaxation wise this was the easiest match we have had. We made it easy for each other and we have been a little better with every match so we want to keep it going like that.”
Van den Berg concluded, “We have improved with every match, let’s hope the final gets even better.”
The 2013 888.com World Cup of Pool runs from Tuesday September 17 to Sunday, September 22 at the famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, East London. The field features 32 teams from 31 countries in a single elimination format. The total prize fund is US$250,000 with $60,000 going to the eventual champions.
For live streaming of the 888.com World Cup of Pool go to http://www.pool.livesport.tv/home
The 2013 World Cup of Pool runs from 17 – 22 September and takes place at the York Hall, London. For those wanting to watch the action in person, all tickets are available from www.seetickets.com (Search ‘World Cup of Pool’)
