Django, Robocop lose semis to eventual World Cup winners USA
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/13/2008 7:21 AM
Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo's hopes to reclaim the World Cup of Pool title was quashed when they lost to the American team, 6-9, in the semifinals held in Rotterdam, Netherlands Sunday.
The Philippines opened the rack with an unlucky break but USA missed, giving the first point to them.
However, as in all their previous matches, the Pinoys suffered from a streak of unlucky breaks, giving the Americans Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening the second rack 1-1.
The third rack was a clean table for Bustamante and Orcollo with the Americans having their share of an unlucky break.
But, the crucial moment came during the fourth rack when Orcollo missed the ninth ball, gifting the rack to Morris and Van Boening at 2-2.
The next rack was also problematic for Orcollo when he made a foul and the Americans grabbed the important point.
In five minutes, the outstanding play of the Americans gave them two consecutive racks at 5-2.
The Philippines seemed to be struggling to rebound, taking the 8th rack at 3-5 but asking for a time-out before the 9th rack.
Orcollo again fouled in the 9th rack, stretching the American lead to half at 6-3.
But the Pinoys, desperate to stay in the match, managed to pull lucky points that narrowed the Americans' lead to 5-7.
Bustamante scratched in the 13th game, giving the crucial 8th point to USA in the race to nine.
The Pinoys continued to hang on to the game, winning the 14th rack at 6-8.
But all prayers were unanswered as the Pinoys suffered from a fatal unlucky break with the Americans wiping the table clean for the final score of 9-6.
The Americans would eventually win the World Cup of Pool after beating England's Daryl Peach and Mark Gray 11-7 in a thrilling final.
Lucky/Unlucky breaks
The Pinoy pool giants admitted that they lost to themselves.
"Wala nga eh, kaso ganoon talaga. Hindi naman talaga magaganda ‘yong tira nila. Kaya lang gumanda ‘yong tira nila dahil marami kaming tinirang mali," Bustamante said.
Of the two, it was Orcollo who blamed himself for the blunders that cost them a shot at the title.
"Sumablay ako sa ninth ball. Wala eh, sa umpisa palang sumablay na eh," Orcollo said.
But their compatriots did not blame anyone and still expressed their support and pride to the two Pinoys who have reached the semi-finals."
Well you know ‘yong billiard talaga eh luck lang sa placement. Minalas lang tayo talaga," Ambassador Romeo Arguelles said.
The breaks didn't go the Filipinos way and in the end the Americans capitalized on that one mistake (Orcollo's)," Finnish player Mika Immonen said.
"That was one costly mistake. It doesn't have to be always costly but this time the Americans won a few racks in a row and they gained the lead and they held on to that lead until the very end. Sayang," Immonen, who has been in the Philippines about twenty times already, said.
Even the Americans conceded that they were just lucky that they gained from the Pinoy's blunders.
"Philippines is always the favorite every time they play. Philippines is the best country for pool so it's always very tough. We are very lucky. They had a scratch at a break and some unlucky shots," Morris said."
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/10/12/08/django-robocop-lose-semis-eventual-world-cup-winners-usa
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bustamante and Orcollo glide to the semi-finals
Bustamante and Orcollo glide to the semi-finals
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/12/2008 3:49 PM
Francisco "Django" Bustamante and Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo continued their winning streak as they glided to victory during the quarter finals of the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The dynamic pair mercilessly dashed all hopes for the Japanese duo of Naoyuki Oi and Satoshi Kawabata for a slot in the semi-finals, winning 9-2 in the race to nine.
Unlike Friday's nerve-wracking match, Saturday was very smooth to the delight of spectators. Bustamante and Orcollo opened the rack but the witty and sometimes funny Japanese pair evened the score to 1-1.
The Pinoys seemed to be in their best form ever and took the lead of 3-1, until Orcollo missed in round five, giving the Japanese team their second but last point.
Saturday night saw Orcollo making a few blunders but which didn't cause any damage as the Japanese pair seemed to have lost control of their cues, missing out on every opportunity to stay in the game.
Bustamante and Orcollo are currently facing the USA team of Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening, whose favorite pool player is Bustamante, in the semi-finals Sunday afternoon.
Orcollo said that they were in a rush to finish the match as they were already starving. "Gutom na eh, minadali na ng kasama ko," Orcollo said.
The Pinoys, even if highly forecasted to win the title, remained modest and hopeful that they can reclaim the title for the Philippines which was won by Bustamante and Efren Bata Reyes in 2006.
"Pwedeng mangyari, pwedeng hindi, nasa tirahan lang naman yan eh," Bustamante said.
A Dutch spectator who is known in the local pool community being the owner of The Hague Five snooker place thinks that the Philippine team is the best of all teams this year.
"The Philippines are more of a team, even if they didn't take the magician [Reyes], Steven (no surname) said.
He predicts that Bustamante and Orcollo will topple the Americans in the semi-finals.
"If they play tomorrow (Sunday) like they play tonight (Saturday), they're much more of a team than the way the Americans play," Steven said.
Two loyal Pinoy supporters from Hoofdorp, Vic Blanza and Joel Perez, are positive that the Philippines will be in the finals.
They should know, having endured the two-hour drive to the venue to watch Bustamante and Orcollo play since Thursday.
"Kitang kita mo naman sa laro nila ngayon gabi eh," Blanza and Perez said.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/12/08/bustamante-and-orcollo-glide-semi-finals
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/12/2008 3:49 PM
Francisco "Django" Bustamante and Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo continued their winning streak as they glided to victory during the quarter finals of the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The dynamic pair mercilessly dashed all hopes for the Japanese duo of Naoyuki Oi and Satoshi Kawabata for a slot in the semi-finals, winning 9-2 in the race to nine.
Unlike Friday's nerve-wracking match, Saturday was very smooth to the delight of spectators. Bustamante and Orcollo opened the rack but the witty and sometimes funny Japanese pair evened the score to 1-1.
The Pinoys seemed to be in their best form ever and took the lead of 3-1, until Orcollo missed in round five, giving the Japanese team their second but last point.
Saturday night saw Orcollo making a few blunders but which didn't cause any damage as the Japanese pair seemed to have lost control of their cues, missing out on every opportunity to stay in the game.
Bustamante and Orcollo are currently facing the USA team of Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening, whose favorite pool player is Bustamante, in the semi-finals Sunday afternoon.
Orcollo said that they were in a rush to finish the match as they were already starving. "Gutom na eh, minadali na ng kasama ko," Orcollo said.
The Pinoys, even if highly forecasted to win the title, remained modest and hopeful that they can reclaim the title for the Philippines which was won by Bustamante and Efren Bata Reyes in 2006.
"Pwedeng mangyari, pwedeng hindi, nasa tirahan lang naman yan eh," Bustamante said.
A Dutch spectator who is known in the local pool community being the owner of The Hague Five snooker place thinks that the Philippine team is the best of all teams this year.
"The Philippines are more of a team, even if they didn't take the magician [Reyes], Steven (no surname) said.
He predicts that Bustamante and Orcollo will topple the Americans in the semi-finals.
"If they play tomorrow (Sunday) like they play tonight (Saturday), they're much more of a team than the way the Americans play," Steven said.
Two loyal Pinoy supporters from Hoofdorp, Vic Blanza and Joel Perez, are positive that the Philippines will be in the finals.
They should know, having endured the two-hour drive to the venue to watch Bustamante and Orcollo play since Thursday.
"Kitang kita mo naman sa laro nila ngayon gabi eh," Blanza and Perez said.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/12/08/bustamante-and-orcollo-glide-semi-finals
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Django, Robocop advance to World Cup's quarter finals
Django, Robocop advance to World Cup's quarter finals
By Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/11/2008 9:35 AM
Francisco Django Bustamante and Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo embarks on a winning streak as they defeated Russians Ruslan Chinakhov and Konstantin Stepanov in the second round of eight in the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The dynamic duo continued to fascinate their compatriots and captivate the Dutch and European spectators as they worked magic in their bid to reclaim the title.
Unlike Thursday's easy match, their Friday victory was quite nerve-wracking as Bustamante made several placement errors leaving Orcollo to miss some shots.
Bustamante's worst move was during the fifth rack when his placement of the ninth ball left Orcollo to pocket both the nine and the cue ball, thus giving the rack easily to the Russians.
However, as if luck was on their side, the Russians, especially the 16-year-old wonder kid Chikanov, made a couple of blunders leaving the Pinoys plenty of room to get back into the lead.
It must have been overwhelming for the young Chikanov to come face-to-face with the Pinoy giants as a quick check of his profile at the tournament's official website revealed that his favorite pool player is none other than Bustamante.
Bustamante and Orcollo continue to be the crowd favorites and are expected to win the championship as their wit at the cue and elegance at the table can't seem to be matched by any team in the line-up.
Their two games played in Rotterdam already showed a perfect chemistry between them and even their remarks confirm their admiration for each other.
"Magaling ang kapartner ko," insisted Orcollo.
"Magaling siya. Magaling na siya, magaling pa ako. Magaling talaga kami," replied Bustamante.
Fellow Pinoys continue to attend their matches and even Ambassador Romeo Arguelles graced Friday's game with his presence.
The Philippine team will face Satoshi Kawabata and Naoyuki Oi of Japan in the quarter finals on Saturday evening.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Django, Robocop overcome first hurdle in World Cup
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/10/2008 5:12 PM
Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo and Francisco "Django" Bustamante easily overcame the first hurdle in their bid to reclaim the top spot in the 2008 World Cup of Pool.
Tournament favorites Orcollo and Bustamante breezed through their first ever matches in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as they promised.
The Pinoys showed the Europeans why the Philippines is the leader in game of pool with Orcollo being the World Pool Association (WPA) top-ranked player and Bustamante, a legend himself, joining the hall of famers.
Beating the Danish team of Martin Larsen and Kasper Kristoffersen, 8-2, the Pinoys accelerated their no-mercy moves to immediately finish the round of eight.
It, however, was a slight disappointment to about fifty compatriots and a lot of their European fans who travelled from different parts of Holland to the Outland Nightclub to watch and cheer the two pool geniuses.
The match could have been longer had Bustamante and Orcollo not performed their whiz moves and maneuvers.
Bustamante and Orcollo are now psyching up to their second race-to-eight where they face a tougher battle against Russia's 16-year-old wonderkid Russlan Chinakhov and former European No. 1 and 2007 Mosconi Cup winner Konstantin Stepanov on Friday at 7 pm (1 am Saturday Manila).
The winner of the match will go to the quarter-finals on Saturday.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/10/10/08/django-robocop-overcome-first-hurdle-world-cup
By LOUI GALICIA, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/10/2008 5:12 PM
Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo and Francisco "Django" Bustamante easily overcame the first hurdle in their bid to reclaim the top spot in the 2008 World Cup of Pool.
Tournament favorites Orcollo and Bustamante breezed through their first ever matches in Rotterdam, Netherlands, as they promised.
The Pinoys showed the Europeans why the Philippines is the leader in game of pool with Orcollo being the World Pool Association (WPA) top-ranked player and Bustamante, a legend himself, joining the hall of famers.
Beating the Danish team of Martin Larsen and Kasper Kristoffersen, 8-2, the Pinoys accelerated their no-mercy moves to immediately finish the round of eight.
It, however, was a slight disappointment to about fifty compatriots and a lot of their European fans who travelled from different parts of Holland to the Outland Nightclub to watch and cheer the two pool geniuses.
The match could have been longer had Bustamante and Orcollo not performed their whiz moves and maneuvers.
Bustamante and Orcollo are now psyching up to their second race-to-eight where they face a tougher battle against Russia's 16-year-old wonderkid Russlan Chinakhov and former European No. 1 and 2007 Mosconi Cup winner Konstantin Stepanov on Friday at 7 pm (1 am Saturday Manila).
The winner of the match will go to the quarter-finals on Saturday.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/10/10/08/django-robocop-overcome-first-hurdle-world-cup
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Rice-powered RP duo ready for World Cup of Pool battle
Rice-powered RP duo ready for World Cup of Pool battle
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/08/2008 10:26 PM
Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo are physically and mentally ready for their first match in the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Thursday.
And their secret weapon, as revealed to ABS-CBN, is rice.
“Ginagawa naming preparation? Kumain kami ng kanin at me ulam,” Bustamante told the ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
Even if they are billeted in a three-star hotel in Rotterdam with room service, Bustamante and Orcollo prefer to eat Pinoy food which must include steamed rice all the time.
Thanks to Bustamante’s friend in The Netherlands, Pinoy businessman Ronald Gavino, the two now have in their hotel room a rice cooker, a 10-kilo bag of Pandan rice, a microwave, canned goods and home-cooked Filipino dishes given by compatriots.
The two Pinoy pool players said that since they are still jetlagged and are still adjusting to the six-hour time difference between Holland and the Philippines, they find themselves waking up in ungodly hours and starving.
Since room service is only until midnight, a stock of Pinoy food in their room certainly becomes invaluable in keeping them in good form.
After all, food certainly helps for better concentration and boosts performance.
With their first match this Thursday, the two Pinoys would only need luck to breeze through the games now that they have already prepared fully for this tournament.
Both say that although they are confident, they remain just hopeful that they will reach the finals.
There’s one emotional glitch, though.
Bustamante told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau about feeling slighted by the organizers.
He complained that he and Orcollo are not in the publicity photos for this tournament. However, Dutch players Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg, which are ranked below them, are always on the posters.
Bustamante and Orcollo are seeded number two in the tournament.
“Alam mo ang hinanakit namin dito eh wala kami sa litrato. Kasi nagchampion na kami ni pareng Efren dito. Parati silang [Dutch players] nasa litrato eh hindi naman sila nananalo,” Bustamante said.
It was pointed out to Bustamante that during last year’s tournament, the posters carried his photo with partner Efren "Bata" Reyes, together with the Dutch players.
“Eh nandun nga kami, pero hindi pa naman sila nananalo eh nandun pa rin sila,” Bustamante said.
Bustamante and Reyes reached the quarter finals last year.
On Tuesday, the strong Dutch contenders lost 3-8 to the Belgian underdogs, Noel Bruynooghe and Serge Das.
Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
as of 10/09/2008 12:32 AM
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/10/08/08/rice-powered-rp-duo-ready-world-cup-pool-battle
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau 10/08/2008 10:26 PM
Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo are physically and mentally ready for their first match in the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Thursday.
And their secret weapon, as revealed to ABS-CBN, is rice.
“Ginagawa naming preparation? Kumain kami ng kanin at me ulam,” Bustamante told the ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
Even if they are billeted in a three-star hotel in Rotterdam with room service, Bustamante and Orcollo prefer to eat Pinoy food which must include steamed rice all the time.
Thanks to Bustamante’s friend in The Netherlands, Pinoy businessman Ronald Gavino, the two now have in their hotel room a rice cooker, a 10-kilo bag of Pandan rice, a microwave, canned goods and home-cooked Filipino dishes given by compatriots.
The two Pinoy pool players said that since they are still jetlagged and are still adjusting to the six-hour time difference between Holland and the Philippines, they find themselves waking up in ungodly hours and starving.
Since room service is only until midnight, a stock of Pinoy food in their room certainly becomes invaluable in keeping them in good form.
After all, food certainly helps for better concentration and boosts performance.
With their first match this Thursday, the two Pinoys would only need luck to breeze through the games now that they have already prepared fully for this tournament.
Both say that although they are confident, they remain just hopeful that they will reach the finals.
There’s one emotional glitch, though.
Bustamante told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau about feeling slighted by the organizers.
He complained that he and Orcollo are not in the publicity photos for this tournament. However, Dutch players Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg, which are ranked below them, are always on the posters.
Bustamante and Orcollo are seeded number two in the tournament.
“Alam mo ang hinanakit namin dito eh wala kami sa litrato. Kasi nagchampion na kami ni pareng Efren dito. Parati silang [Dutch players] nasa litrato eh hindi naman sila nananalo,” Bustamante said.
It was pointed out to Bustamante that during last year’s tournament, the posters carried his photo with partner Efren "Bata" Reyes, together with the Dutch players.
“Eh nandun nga kami, pero hindi pa naman sila nananalo eh nandun pa rin sila,” Bustamante said.
Bustamante and Reyes reached the quarter finals last year.
On Tuesday, the strong Dutch contenders lost 3-8 to the Belgian underdogs, Noel Bruynooghe and Serge Das.
Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
as of 10/09/2008 12:32 AM
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/10/08/08/rice-powered-rp-duo-ready-world-cup-pool-battle
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