THERE were comfortable wins for Germany, Canada and Switzerland at the 2014 Betway World Cup of Pool as the opening session of day three unwound at the Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth. There is just one more round one game remaining as India and England B slug it out in the opening game of Thursday evening.
In the opening game, 2011 champions Germany – Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet – had too much for Malaysia, represented by Alan Tan and Ibrahim Amir, as they coasted to a 7-1 victory.
“We’re obviously very happy with the result and the performance,” said a delighted Hohmann.
“I missed a bank shot in the first rack but after that we didn’t make too many mistakes. We got a little fortunate getting balls after the break, that is very important and we were able to string a few racks together so that helped our confidence.
“We are still trying to figure out the speed of the table but I think this match will set us up positively for the rest of the tournament,” he added.
His partner Souquet said, “The break is huge. We were a little fortunate after the breaks to get a shot on the lowest ball, and twice it was tight but we were able to get out and string three or four racks together and that was key.”
The Germans will be playing Canada in the second round after Alex Pagulayan and John Morra looked in good shape as they took care of late subs Malta by 7-1. Tony Drago and Alex Borg have had little luck over the years in the Betway World Cup and that continued as they crashed out of the event. The Maltese pair had come in for Vietnam who had travel difficulties and could not make it to Portsmouth.
Commented John Morra: “We haven’t had a lot of chance to play together in the build up to this tournament but we have played together in this tournament before so we know where we are at.
“Against Germany we will have to stick to our game plan. We both played them both in individual tournaments and we all have wins over each other. If we repeat what we did today then we should be ok.”
In the final match of the session, Switzerland completed a trio of one-sided wins as they overcame another substitute team, Belgium, who were replacing Thailand. The duo of Ronni Regli and Dimitri Jungo have recorded some decent wins in previous editions of the event, and they looked solid enough today, although Serge Das and Olivier Mortier gifted some chances. They can now look forward to a round two match against Holland tomorrow afternoon.
“We are looking forward to playing Holland, the reason we are in the tournament is to play against the best players,” said Regli.
Jungo added, “Holland are one of the favourites but in the last two years we have won against some of the best teams in this tournament.”
Now in its ninth year, the Betway World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams from around the world battling it out for a $250,000 prize fund. The defending champions are the Philippines who will be among the favourites to claim a record-breaking fourth World Cup.
All tickets are priced at £5 (afternoons) and £10 evenings and are available from the venue or www.seetickets.com
WITH THE ANNUAL World Cup of Pool set to get underway on the 23rd September, the full line-up of players can now be confirmed and it is arguably the strongest set of players ever assembled in the nine year history of the event.
There are 12 World Champions competing as well as six US Open Champions and countless European and Asian Champions. In addition the field also contains seven former World Cup winners and nine World Pool Masters champions, making it a must-see tournament for UK pool fans.
Taking place at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth from Tuesday 23rd to Sunday 28th September, there are 16 first round matches over the first three days.
Now in its ninth year, the World Cup of Pool features 32 two-player teams from around the world battling it out for a $250,000 prize fund. The defending champions are the Philippines who will be among the favourites to claim a record-breaking fourth World Cup.
The event starts on Tuesday 23rd September and there are two sessions daily at 12 noon and 6.00pm during weekdays and then 1.00pm and 6.00pm at the weekend. Team USA get their campaign underway on Wednesday 24th September.
All tickets are priced at £5 (afternoons) and £10 evenings and are available from the venue or www.seetickets.com
Diamond Billiards are the Official Table of the 2014 World Cup of Pool; the Official Cloth is supplied by Iwan Simonis and the Official Balls are Super Aramith. Predator is the Official Cue of the event.
WITH THE eighth running of the annual World Cup of Pool now a month away, the full line-up of players competing in the $250,000 event can be revealed. 32 pairs of players representing 31 countries will be coming to London from the 17th – 22nd September as the fabled pool and boxing venue of the York Hall plays host to one of the biggest events on the pool calendar.
15 of the world’s top 20 ranked players will be in attendance in what arguably is the event’s strongest line up yet. Among favourites for the title will be two-time World Cup winners China – represented by Li Hewen and Liu Haitao – and the highly dangerous Filipino pairing ofDennis Orcollo and Lee Vann Corteza.
Other notable duos from the Far East include the Chinese Taipei representatives, Ko Pin-yi and Chang Jung-lin, and Japan’s Naoyuki Oi and Lo Li-wen.
Mosconi Cup legend Johnny Archer will be partnered by Shane Van Boeing as the USA look to repeat the feat of Shane and Rodney Morris in Rotterdam in 2008 by winning the trophy for the second time.
Finally, can the Finnish pair of Mika Immonen and Petri Makkonenstage a repeat of their brilliant run to the title in Manila last year?
Matchroom Sport chairman Barry Hearn said, “Looking at the teams for this year’s event, I reckon that at least half of them are in with a shout if the balls roll their way.
“However, you’d have to look at the track record of China, the sheer class of the Filipinos, the pedigree of the United States and of course the two high-quality English teams.
“As we’ve seen in the past though, there are always unfancied sides that emerge from the pack and make serious challenges for the title. Either way, the World Cup of Pool will be a feast for cue sports fans and with the York Hall playing host, this one should be the best yet!”
The 2013 World Cup of Pool Masters is delighted to work with our valued suppliers – Official Cloth: Iwan Simonis; Official Balls: Super Aramith; Official Cue: Predator.
