Pro9 - Europe's No.1 Pool Player Resource

2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool
Outland
Prins Alexanderlaan 37
3068 PN
Rotterdam
Netherlands
www.worldcupofpool.com
www.matchroomsport.com
www.outland.nl

Tuesday-Sunday 7-12 October 2008

The champions, Team USA - Rodney Morris and Shane van Boening.
USA Claim World Cup Title - Van Boening and Morris Too Much for England

USA 11 � 7 England

USA'S victorious World Cup of Pool pairing have revealed their pride at becoming the first Americans to win the prestigious team trophy.

Rodney Morris and Shane van Boening defeated England's Daryl Peach and Mark Gray 11-7 in a thrilling final at the Outland nightclub in Rotterdam, Holland.

"This is a major tournament, a world event, a world title, so to win this is just awesome," said Morris.

"We didn't perform at our best in the beginning of the tournament but that's why we were seeded and we felt good and gelled nicely. Shane is a good partner because he never misses.

"I think we peaked at the right time and got a nice rhythm. Shane got me playing a little smarter and tighter and got me concentrating.

"It's more special for me to see Shane win and I was trying hard not to let him down.

�I'm just happy we made it and it's a relief. I didn't want to let my team down and that keeps me tight."

Shane van Boening was representing USA for the first time in this tournament and he believed him and Morris had made a bit of history.

"Winning this means we are the first American team to win it and that really means something," said van Boening.

"Read More..." for the details.

Team USA - Rodney Morris and Shane van Boening.
"We didn't know each other very well but we got along well and had a good time. We're looking forward to coming back here next year as well and defending our title.

�I played good and we broke well and ran a couple of racks. We got the break figured out and played at our best."

This was the third staging of the World Cup of Pool, which this year was sponsored by PartyPoker.net, and this victory wipes out the painful memory of 2006 where USA lost in the final.

Morris was part of the American side, along with Earl Strickland, that lost 13-5 against Philippines and 2006, and admitted he had been more determined to win as a result.

The champions, Team USA - Rodney Morris and Shane van Boening.
"It's a big relief but it feels really good," said Morris. "I didn't want to get to the final again and lose.

"We felt we were big favourites in our own mind and the semi-final victory over the Philippines was like winning the final for us.

"Obviously it wasn't but beating the Philippines gave us that extra confidence.

"The final was difficult because I gave away some games and I kept them close. We were poised to roll them out but after a couple of mistakes it ebbed and flowed.

Runners up, Team England - Daryl Peach and Mark gray.
Daryl Peach was disappointed that he could not add the World Cup of Pool title to go with the World Pool Championship that he claimed last November.

"I'm absolutely gutted but at the same time there has to be a winner and loser. We said we would win as a team and lose as team - there's no in between.

"It's been a pleasure to team up with Mark. We did England proud and I hope everyone else thought so. We hope to come back here stronger next year.

"The best players in the world are in this tournament and there's hardly no weak links, maybe a couple of teams in the first round but no one from the last 16 onwards.

"We've had a tough match from the first round and we're also the first team to beat (2007 Champions) China and we can go home with our heads held high."

Mark Gray, the European No.1, was competing in the biggest match of his career after only taking up the game seriously four years ago.

He believes himself and Peach have earned the right to represent England in next year's World Cup.

"I'm disappointed but in the match we didn't get the rolls when we needed to and we didn't break too well apart from once," said Gray.

"We made a couple of errors early doors but in general looking at the big picture to come runners-up in the World Cup is a pretty big achievement.

Team England, Daryl Peach and Mark Gray, in jovial mood.
It�s England v USA for World Cup Glory - China and Philippines Beaten in Semis

England 9 � 5 China

ENGLAND, who had never advanced past the last 16 in two previous World Cup of Pool competitions, played their way into the final. They produced a near faultless performance in a 9-5 victory over Chinese duo of Li He-wen and Fu Jianbo, the defending champions.

Reigning World Pool Champion Peach said: "When we first came here we said that no matter what happened, if we missed silly balls, won or lost, then we won as a team and lost as team.

"No one would get blamed and it has worked for us, it was a little motto I learnt from the Mosconi Cup.

"China have already proved themselves by going eight matches without losing and they work well together as me and Mark do.

"It's a good achievement to win but I would be lying if I said we didn�t expect to win."

Former snooker professional Gray has been playing pool for four years and now faces the biggest match of his career against the USA in the final.

"That was by far our best performance in the tournament and probably the best performance from anyone as no one missed a ball," said Gray. "We both set high standards as Daryl is the World Champion and I�m No.1 in Europe.

"We had watched a bit of China and they are very attacking players and go for their shots but had not been under any pressure. We knew if we put them under pressure we would win.

"Winning the competition would mean the world to me. I�m in my first world final and I�ve come from a snooker background where I had limited success.

"I�ve always been financed by my parents so I dedicate this to my mum and dad, Vicky and Tony."

England won the lag but an illegal break gave China back the table. England got the better of a safety exchange and then ran out the rack from the 2-ball for an early lead.

That soon doubled as a good break from Mark Gray proved the catalyst for a run out and England had made the perfect start.

But Daryl Peach scratched in the third rack and China, with ball-in-hand, did the rest to get their first rack on the board. It became level soon after as Peach overhit an attempted safety shot and left the 1-ball on and every mistake was being punished in a high-class opening.

That continued in the next two racks as all errors were being made to pay. Gray overcooked a safety and China made it 3-2 but a Chinese mistake in the sixth led to England making it 3-3.

England restored their two rack advantage by claiming the next two for 3-5. Fu was unsuccessful with a jump shot on the 1-ball in the seventh before Fu failed to escape from a tight snooker laid by Gray in the eighth.

The match was swinging from one side to the other and China then claimed the next two for 5-5.

England seemed to have a game plan by putting pressure on to the Chinese by deliberately leaving a series of long but difficult pots on. The strategy was working as both Chinese players were then missing the pots with England now sitting in a good position.

The Europeans made it 6-5 before they out-fought the Chinese in the 12th. A deliberate foul from Gray was immediately followed by a careless mistake from Fu as no ball hit the rail as the Chinese seemed to be feeling the pressure.

In fact, both Chinese players were now struggling and a routine pot on the 1-ball in the next from Li went wrong and China sat down for the rest of the rack as England moved to the hill at 8-5. A 9/4 combination from Peach sealed the victory.

USA 9 � 6 Philippines

Team USA delivered their best performance of the week as they beat a strong Philippines side consisting of Francisco Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo to book their second PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool final in three years.

The American side of Rodney Morris and Shane van Boening took the match 9-6 and Morris, who was in the losing side along with Earl Strickland in 2006 was delighted.

"That was the most solid performance we have made so far and we're due for another great match," said Morris.

"We're getting in stroke and this is the final match so someone has to dethrone (reigning World Pool Champion) Daryl.

"It will be a great match as England have played solidly and are in good form. We're loose, they're loose so it will just be a case of making the better decisions and the better shots.

"Against the Philippines was the most difficult match we've had as historically Francisco has been a thorn in my side. He used to beat me up on the table and he remembers when I couldn't play.

"Me and Shane are working well together. I would normally shoot more but my game has adapted to his and it's good that I can adjust.

"On this format winning this would be right up there in my career, probably just under winning the Mosconi Cup. But it's a world cup, a world title and no tournament that I've ever won had 'world' in it.

The Philippines steadied their nerves as they took the opener but the USA got back to the table in the second game. Van Boening and Morris completed a decent run out to level the score.

Van Boening crushed his break shot but nothing dropped and it left the 1 ball on for the Filipinos. They raced through the rack to regain the lead.

Orcollo made an illegal break whereby less than three balls were either potted or passed the headstring, so the US got back to the table but some flashy shot making from the Pinoy duo looked to taking them into a 3-1 lead. Orcollo though, missed a fairly easy 9 ball to gift the rack to the USA and tie the score at 2-2. It was to prove a critical point in the match

Morris missed the 2 ball in the next but it rolled safe. Orcollo came with his jump stick but could not get safe and the USA cleared to go into a 3-2 lead.

Morris played a delicate 1/2 combination but was forced to lay a snooker on the 3 ball in the next but Bustamante could see it. The shot was difficult and did not come off leaving an open table for the USA and they ran out to open up a two rack lead.

A great break from Morris set up a nice run out with the only the 4 and 7 balls stuck together but the Rocket broke them up nicely to record their fourth consecutive rack and give them an ominous 5-2 lead.

The Philippines tucked the US up in a snooker and although they escaped it left the table open and Bustamante and Orcollo got a confidence booster as they ran out to reduce the deficit.

Orcollo played a nervous positional shot, leaving a tough 6 ball for his partner. He missed it and a safety battled ensued which the USA always had the upper hand and Morris ended the deadlock with a great long pot on the 6 ball as the USA went into a 6-3 lead.

The Americans ran the next from the break to go to 7-3, just two racks away from a spot in the final. A dry break from Van Boening got the Philippines back to the table and they ran it out to get to 4-7.

A muffed safety from Van Boening in the next gave the Philippines a great chance and they cleared to close down the American lead. A disastrous scratch off the break by Bustamante gave ball in hand to the USA and they completed the run out to get to get to the hill at 8-5.

The Philippines took the next but an excellent run out from Van Boening and Morris sealed an excellent 9-6 victory and the American�s best performance of the week.

2008 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool
Schedule
(Seeded teams in brackets)

Sunday, October 12
Semi-finals
Race to 9
Afternoon session at 1pm

Final
Race to 11
Evening session at 6pm

2008 PARTY POKER.NET
WORLD CUP OF POOL
THE LAST 32
(1) China	8 : 6	India
(16)Switzerland	8 : 5	Hong Kong
(9) Italy	8 : 4	Peru
Korea	8 : 4	Finland (8 )
(5) England	8 : 4	Malta
(12) Canada	8 : 5	France
(13) Poland	8 : 3	Thailand
(4) Germany	8 : 3	Qatar
Belgium	8 : 3	Holland A (3)
Austria	8 : 1	Vietnam (14)
Croatia	8 : 7	Spain (11)
(6) USA	8 : 4	Iceland
Holland B	8 : 5	Taiwan (7)
(10) Japan	8 : 5	Australia
(15) Russia	8 : 4	Malaysia
(2) Philippines	8 : 2	Denmark

2008 PARTY POKER.NET
WORLD CUP OF POOL
THE LAST 16
(1) China	8 : 7	Switzerland (16)
(9) Italy	8 : 0	Korea
(5) England	8 : 4	Canada (12)
(4) Germany	8 : 6	Poland (13)
Austria	8 : 6	Belgium
(6) USA	8 : 5	Croatia
(10) Japan	8 : 5	Holland B
(2) Philippines	8 : 3	Russia (15)

2008 PARTY POKER.NET
WORLD CUP OF POOL
THE QUARTER FINALS
(1) China	9 : 2	Italy (9)
(5) England	9 : 7	Germany (4)
(6) USA	9 : 7	Austria
(2) Philippines	9 : 2	Japan (10)

2008 PARTY POKER.NET
WORLD CUP OF POOL
THE SEMI FINALS
(5) England	9 : 5	China (1)
(6) USA	9 : 6	Philippines (2)

2008 PARTY POKER.NET
WORLD CUP OF POOL
THE FINAL
(6) USA	11 : 7	England (5)

2008 PARTY POKER.NET
WORLD CUP OF POOL
THE PRIZE FUND
Winners:	US$60,000 x 1
Runners Up:	US$30,000 x 1
Semi-Finalists:	US$16,000 x 2
Quarter-Finalists:	US$10,000 x 4
Last 16:	US$5,000 x 8
Last 32:	US$3,000 x 16
Total US$250,000 * All prize money is split between the two players.

2008 PARTY POKER.NET
WORLD CUP OF POOL
ASIA
1.	China	Li He-wen & Fu Jianbo
2.	Hong Kong	Lee Chenman & Kenny Kwok
3.	India	Sumit Talwar & Alok Kumar
4.	Japan	Naoyuki Oi & Satoshi Kawabata
5.	Korea	Jeong Young-Hwa & Kim Woong-Dae
6.	Malaysia	Ibrahim Bin Amir & Lee Poh Soon
7.	Philippines	Francisco Bustamante & Dennis Orcollo
8.	Taiwan	Wu Chia-ching & Wang Hung-hsiang
9.	Thailand	Nitiwat Kanjanasri & Dechawat Poomjang
10.	Vietnam	Nguyen Thanh Nam & Luong Chi Dung
NORTH AMERICA
12.	Canada	Tyler Edey & Edwin Montal
13.	USA	Shane Van Boening & Rodney Morris
OTHERS
13.	Australia	Stuart Lawler & John Wims
14.	Qatar	Fahad Mohammadi & Bashar Hussain
15.	Peru	Jhon Lopez & Juan Vega
EUROPE
16.	Austria	Martin Kempter & Jasmin Ouschan
17.	Belgium	Serge Das & Noel Bruynooghe
18.	Croatia	Ivica Putnik & Philipp Stojanovic
19.	Denmark	Martin Larsen & Kasper Kristoffersen
20.	England	Daryl Peach & Mark Gray
21.	Finland	Markus Juva & Mika Immonen
22.	France	Vincent Facquet & Stephan Cohen
23.	Germany	Ralf Souquet & Thomas Engert
24.	Holland A	Niels Feijen & Nick van den Berg
25.	Holland B	Gijs van Helmond & Roy Gerard
26.	Iceland	Bjorgvin Hallgrimsson & Kristjan Helgason
27.	Italy	Bruno Muratore & Fabio Petroni
28.	Malta	Tony Drago & Alex Borg
29.	Poland	Radoslaw Babica & Mateusz Sniegocki
30.	Russia	Konstantin Stepanov & Ruslan Chinahov
31.	Spain	David Alcaide & Carlos Cabello
32.	Switzerland	Marco Tschudi & Dimitri Jungo

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THE World Cup of Pool will be produced by Matchroom Sport into 31 1-hour highlights programmes which will be seen on stations throughout the world.

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