Outland
Prins Alexanderlaan 37
3068 PN
Rotterdam
Holland
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www.outland.nl
Tuesday-Sunday 25-30 September 2007
Daryl Peach celebrates a winning shot.
England Overturn Poles in Thriller
TEAM ENGLAND produced a marvellous fight back to make their way into the last 16 of the 2007 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool.
Poland had led 3-0, 5-2 and 6-3 but the English duo of Imran Majid and Daryl Peach then won five consecutive racks to clinch an 8-6 win at the Outland Nightclub in Rotterdam .
They will now meet the Finnish side of former World Champion Mika Immonen and his team-mate Markus Juva in the next round, in a match that will take place on Friday evening.
"Read More..." for the details.
In an earlier first round match, the Swiss team of Marco Tschudi and Dimitri Jungo got the better of the Hungarians in a lackluster affair.
England had been hotly tipped to progress past the first round stage and were expected to be too strong for the Polish pairing of Mateusz Sniegocki and Radoslaw Babica.
The English just edged the lag but the Poles took the opener when Majid left the 1 ball out in the open following a positional error
With no clear shot at the start of the second, Poland opted to push out and, after a lengthy safety battle, Sniegocki left Majid a table-length attempt at the 1-ball into the bottom right pocket, which he gratefully took.
However, Peach missed a straight forward 8-ball as it rattled around in the jaws of the bottom left pocket but would not drop before Poland made it 2-0.
The Poles then ran out from the break in the third for 3-0 to give England an uphill task. There was controversy in the fourth as, during a high-class safety exchange, referee Michaela Tabb had to speak to Sniegocki as Majid thought he was being sharked when he was down at a shot and facing two Polish players were sitting.
But England had the last laugh in the rack as they finally put one on the scoreboard, although they still trailed 1-3. They reduced the deficit further by taken the next as well for two in a row after losing the first three.
The fight back came to an abrupt halt though as England ran out of position in the sixth and Babica downed the 9-ball to restore the two-rack advantage for the Polish outfit.
Things got worse for the English as the Poles, who were striking the cue ball with authority, produced a flawless effort and were never in any trouble in the seventh to claim the rack and stretch their lead to three at 5-2.
Just when things were looking desperate for Majid and Peach, they were thrown a tournament lifeline as Sniegocki scratched off the break and the two British players did the rest to bring it back to 3-5.
The game changed again in the next as Peach was trying to play safe but made an unforced error when he clipped the 9-ball instead of the 1-ball, which was just behind. This proved costly as, with ball-in-hand, Sniegocki made a 1-9 combination and England , at 3-6 down, were in trouble.
But Majid then produced a 1-9 combination of his own to quickly pull one back for 4-6. England ran out the next from the break and were showing a good fighting spirit as the scoreboard now showed 5-6.
A high-risk move from Babica went spectacularly wrong to help England win their third rack in a row. Babica needed to hit the 2-ball and tried to jump over both the red 3 and brown 7 but crashed into the latter.
England soon clinched their fourth in a row to move to the hill as Majid, who had earlier been unsuccessful with a 2-9 carom, made an 8-9 combination with Poland praying for another chance.
They did not get it as the English pair made it five in a row to complete a fabulous turnaround and book a meeting against Finland in the last 16.
FINLAND advanced into the last 16 of the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool but it was tougher than expected against a brave Qatar side.
Trailing 4-0, a whitewash looked on the cards as Finland stamped their authority on the encounter but Qatar then won five of the next six.
But Finland did enough to set up a tie with either England or Poland in the next round on Friday evening.
Qatar were one of the rank outsiders but buoyed by the fact there had been a number of shocks so far in the 2007 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool.
Their side of Bashar Hussain and Fahad Mohammadi would have needed to be at their best to defeat the Finnish outfit of former World Champion Mika Immonen and Markus Juva.
However, despite going down 8-5, the boys from the Middle East showed they may well become a force to be reckoned with in the future.
IN THE FIRST match of the afternoon session, Switzerland moved into round two after they recorded a hard-fought triumph against Hungary .
The quality of pool was not the best but the Swiss pairing of Dimitri Jungo and Marco Tschudi did enought to grind out an 8-5 win over the Hungarian duo of Miko Balazs and Vilmos Foldes.
But with a potential match up against America in the second round, Switzerland will have to seriously raise their game if they are to make any further progress.
The two sides made early mistakes with Foldes and Tschudi, both highly-rated players on the Euro Tour, making surprising gaffes.
The match hung in the balance at 5-5 but Switzerland finally stamped their authority on the match by taking the next two, including a 2-9 combination from Tschudi in the 12th.
Switzerland completed the job in the next as Jungo showed his talent by banking the 1-ball and later downing the 9-ball for an 8-5 win.
Results
Switzerland 8 - 5 Hungary
Finland 8 - 5 Qatar
England 8 - 6 Poland
Naoyuki Oi from Team Japan enjoys a famous win.
Super Japan Edge Holland
THE JAPANESE pair of Satoshi Kawabata and Naoyuki Oi put on a smashing show as they reached the quarter finals of the PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool following a thrilling hill-hill encounter with Holland A consisting of Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg.
The game ebbed and flowed from start to finish but there was plenty of drama, skills and mistakes to keep a capacity crowd at the Outland, Rotterdam on the edge of their seats.
In the end though it was the Japanese who broke and ran the ultimate rack of the match under severe pressure to take a great victory.
Earlier in the evening, defending champions, The Philippines pasted Croatia 8-0 in quick time to make it through to the quarter-finals themselves. The Croatian pair of Putnik and Stojanovic never settled as the Filipino pair of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante turned the screws from start to finish.
The first match of the evening was the last round one game of the tournament as Team USA survived a scare as they crept past the unfancied Maltese pairing of Tony Drago and Alex Borg.
Malta had held the lead at 5-2 and 7-4 before the US pair of Corey Deuel and Rodney Morris stepped up a gear as they ran through the final four racks to clinch the win.
Alex Borg and Tony Drago were again the Malta side and they won the lag. Tony Drago, who this week was announced as part of the European side that will play in the Mosconi Cup against America in December, is renewed as one of the fastest players in world pool.
He justified this as he and partner Alex Borg raced through the opening rack in only 90 seconds for a 1-0 lead.
In the second, USA were soon back at the table but Corey Deuel missed the blue 2 into the bottom left pocket, before Drago failed to sink an attempted red 3 into the left centre as America took advantage to level it at 1-1.
This was proving to be the most thrilling start to any of the matches of the tournament as Malta profited from another USA error to move into a shock 2-1 lead.
Malta then sprinted through the fourth rack with the 9-ball being deposited only 64 seconds after the break shot to thrill the packed crowd.
It was a similar story in the fifth with the only worrying moment for Malta coming when Drago slightly under hit the positional shot going from the 8-ball to the 9-ball. The shot was harder for Alex Borg than he would have liked but it made no difference as the score became 4-1 to leave the second seeds shell-shocked.
Both sides made errors in the sixth as Drago and Borg both failed with attempts on the red 3, before Morris did the same with the brown 7.
However, this time Malta could not take advantage as Borg missed with his shot on the 8-ball and that gifted America a chance to regain their composure and claim their second rack.
But Malta soon regained their three-rack advantage after Morris rolled the 4-ball unsuccessfully towards the bottom left pocket and that brought Malta back to the table for a 5-2 lead with a shock looking on the cards.
The Europeans moved through the balls but a potential turning-point came when Borg sunk the 6-ball and then had to watch in horror as the cue ball rolled up the table and into the top right pocket. USA did the rest to pull it back to 3-5.
Deuel scratched off the break as the cue-ball was kicked in by the 5-ball but it did not prove decisive as a foul from Borg gave the Americans ball-in-hand d and the gap was now only one.
With the red 3 hidden behind both the 4 and 6-balls, Deuel attempted a kick shot off the top rail but the cue ball bounced off the three and then into the pocket. Malta had ball-in-hand and Drago finished off the rack and threw his arms in the air as his side moved a step closer to a memorable victory.
America were stuck in their chairs hoping to get another shot. It did not happen in the next as Malta broke and ran through the rack for a 7-4 lead as they moved to the hill.
In the 12th, Borg attempted a one-rail escape to connect with the 1-ball but only managed to double kiss the ball and that left a great chance for USA, which they accepted but still trailed 5-7.
With the winner-break format, USA could still run out the next three racks but had very little margin of error. They did the first part by keeping Malta in their seats for the 13th and the scoreboard now showed 6-7.
It became the first hill-hill match of the competition as a stunning reverse bank shot on the 1-ball from Deuel as the cue ball only narrowly avoided the pocket. That helped America make it 7-7 and with a perfect break in the next were in prime position to complete the win.
Corey Deuel sunk the final 9-ball to put the Americans in the last 16 and finally end the brave resistance of the Malta side.
THE PHILIPPINES produced a stunning exhibition of pool to thrash Croatia 8-0 and become the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals in the 2007 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool.
Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante, the reigning World Cup holders, have shown they will be a very difficult team to beat and will now face either France or China in Saturday's quarter-final.
There was controversy during the lag as Bustamante's effort was closer to the bottom cushion but referee Michaela Tabb adjudged his effort to be a foul as the ball had crept into the other half of the table.
But it did not matter as Philippines made it 1-0. Bustamante scratched in the second but the error was not punished as Stojanovic failed to sink the 4-ball with a jump shot attempt as the Asian side doubled their lead.
It soon became 3-0 after both Stojanovic and Putnik had missed with attempts on the brown 7, a ball that has cursed a number of players throughout this tournament.
Every slight error from the Croatians was being ruthlessly punished by the Filipino pair, who once again were showing why they are regarded as two of the best players in the world.
Reyes and Bustamante had to work hard in the opening round to defeat Scotland 8-6 but this match was looking to be a much easier task.
The duo had the speed on the break and moved 4-0 ahead, halfway to their total of eight. There had not been a whitewash in the tournament yet but this looked an increasingly likely outcome, especially as they ran out from the break in the fifth rack for a stunning 5-0 ahead.
At the start of the next Philippines made a rare error as Reyes overhit his break shot and lost position of the cue ball, which slumped into the left side pocket.
However, once again Croatia could not capitalise as Putnik left the pink 4 hanging over the bottom left pocket and yet again it proved to be costly. Bustamante downed the 9-ball with the match as good as over.
The scoreline at this point was 6-0 but Croatia had a rare opportunity in the seventh. Reyes had left an opportunity on the 4-ball but as Putnik missed the following shot it was as if the Croatians knew they were already a beaten side.
It was time for the Philippines to show some party shots and Bustamante produced the biggest cheer of the week when he produced a stunning kick shot to pocket the 7-ball into the right side pocket after Reyes had left him out of position.
That moved them to the hill, but only minutes later it was all over as Philippines again broke and ran through the rack for the first 8-0 whitewash of the tournament.
HOLLAND A were once again backed by a capacity crowd at the Outland Nightclub in Rotterdam , Holland as they faced off against Japan in their second round match.
Satoshi Kawabata won the lag for Japan and his partner Naoyuki Oi downed three balls off the break. From there, they completed a comfortable run out to draw first blood.
Another quality break created an easy lay out for the Japanese and they took full advantage to increase their lead to 2-0.
In the third game, Kawabata ran out of position going from the 2 to the 4 and snookered his partner. The consequent escape saw the Japanese scratch to give Holland their first crack at the table.
With ball in hand, the Dutch duo of Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg looked composed as they ran through the table to open their account.
The brown 7 went down off Feijen's break shot and van den Berg played a classy bank shot to drop the 1 ball. The 2 ball was straight in, followed a 2/5 combo into the corner bag. The remaining balls were all out in the open and the Dutch cleared to level it at 2-2.
A cut break from van den Berg saw three balls drop. The two was available down table but Feijen played a shot to nothing, hooking the Japanese and leaving a one rail escape.
They failed to make contact to give the Dutch ball in hand. They made no mistakes as they ran out to take the lead for the first time.
With no pot on the lowest ball, van den Berg played safe, forcing Oi to take out his jump cue. He hit the green 6 first to give another ball in hand to Holland . Looking like a relaxed practice session, the dynamic Dutch duo cleared up to increase their lead to two racks.
The travel from the 1 ball to the 2 was tough so Feijen gave his partner the chance to hook their opponents. Kawabata escaped but left the 2 out in the open. The Dutch looked good for another rack but Feijen inexplicably twitched on a straight 9 ball, cueing off the rail.
The Japanese grabbed the opportunity to reduce the deficit.
There was yet another ball in hand for Holland as Oi lost the cueball and Kawabata scratched trying to play safe on the 1 ball.
Things once again went awry for Feijen as he lost concentration on a simple 6 ball. The balls fell perfectly for Japan and they downed the 6 and then the 9 ball to take the rack and level the match.
A big break from Oi saw three balls go down but the cue ball went uptable and Kawabata was forced to play safe on the blue 2. Amazingly he scratched once again. Van den Berg had no shot on the 2 ball apart from a long shot 2/9 combo which he missed.
Oi took on the two ball and made it but the position was lost. Oi revived the situation with a good pit on the 6 ball, gaining good shape on the 7.
The rest of the rack was a formality as Japan regained the lead at 5-4.
Oi, who looks a real quality player, laid a dastardly snooker for Feijen but the Dutchman was equal to it as he jumped a line of balls to pocket the 1 ball.
Van den Berg played an equally good shot to pocket the 2 ball. The out wasn't easy but a succession of good pots sealed the rack for Team Holland and level it.
Things looked good for another Dutch rack but van den Berg missed a relatively easy 5 ball into the top corner pocket.
Team Japan , sensing their chances, completed the three ball run out to take the lead at 6-5.
Kawabata could only laugh as he hugely over ran the cue ball and put it behind the 9 ball. Oi could just about see it and had a go but missed badly.
Feijen took the time out and then made a great long pot to deposit the 2 ball. Nerves were now creeping but Feijen and van den Berg hung onto theirs to clear up and level the score at 6-6.
Dutch hopes were raised in the next as they got back to the table and Feijen stole the rack with a carom off the 6 ball onto the 9 to get to the hill at 7-6.
A push out was called in the next as two balls stood between the white and the 2 ball. Feijen pushed the cue ball down table and the Japanese refused it.
Van den Berg played a good safety as Kawabata took out his jump stick. He missed the pot on the blue 2 but completely snookered the Dutch as the cue ball ended up behind a pack of balls.
Feijen made contact and the consequences were none too damaging for the Dutch. More safety followed and it was Holland who cracked first as van den Berg's jump shot hit the wrong ball first.
The 5 to the 6 was the big shot for Kawabata and he played it well to set up the rack for Team Japan and take the match to hill-hill.
A great break under pressure from Oi spread the balls out and left their fate in their own hands. An awkward shot on the 6 ball cueing off the rail was a real nerve tester for Oi but the happy-go-lucky Japanese pulled it off and set up a straight forward run out to take a magnificent match 8-7.
RESULTS
First Round
USA 8 - 7 Malta
Second Round
Philippines 8 – 0 Croatia
Japan 8 – 7 Holland A
2007 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 |
2007 PARTY POKER.NET | |
WORLD CUP OF POOL | |
THE TEAMS | |
| Australia | Stuart Lawler and Shaun Budd |
| Austria | Martin Kempter and Albin Ouschan |
| Belgium | Noel Bruynooghe and Serge Das |
| Canada | Edwin Montal and Alain Martel |
| China | Li He-wen and Fu Jian-bo |
| Croatia | Philipp Stojanovic and Ivica Putnik |
| Denmark | Bahram Lotfy and Kasper Kristoffersen |
| England | Daryl Peach and Imran Majid |
| Finland | Mika Immonen and Markus Juva |
| France | Stephan Cohen and Vincent Facquet |
| Holland A | Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg |
| Holland B | IAlex Lely and Rico Diks |
| Germany | Oliver Ortmann and Christian Reimering |
| Hungary | Vilmos Foldes and Balazs Miko |
| India | Dharminder Singh Lilly and Manan Chandra |
| Indonesia | Ricky Yang and Muhammed Zulfikri |
| Italy | Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore |
| Malta | Tony Drago and Alex Borg |
| Japan | Naoyuki Oi and Satoshi Kawabata |
| Korea | Ryu Seung-woo and Kim Woong-dae |
| Malta | Tony Drago and Alex Borg |
| Philippines | Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante |
| Poland | Radoslaw Babica and Mateusz Sniegocki |
| Qatar | Bashar Hussain and Fahad Mohammadi |
| Scotland | Pat Holtz and Michael Valentine |
| Singapore | Chan Keng Kwang and Toh Lian Han |
| South Africa | Juan de Beer and Clinton Rossouw |
| Spain | David Alcaide and Antonio Fazanes |
| Switzerland | Dimitri Jungo and Marco Tschudi |
| Taiwan | Wu Chia-ching and Yang Ching-shun |
| USA | Rodney Morris and Corey Deuel |
| Vietnam | Thanh Nam Nguyen and Luong Chi Dung |
2007 PARTY POKER.NET | ||
WORLD CUP OF POOL | ||
THE LAST 32 | ||
Philippines (1) | 8 : 6 | Scotland |
Croatia | 8 : 5 | (16) Russia |
France | 8 : 2 | (9) Italy |
China (8 ) | 8 : 1 | South Africa |
Holland A (5) | 8 : 5 | Indonesia |
Japan | 8 : 2 | (12) Spain |
Austria (13) | 8 : 6 | Australia |
Singapore | 8 : 4 | (4) Germany |
Taiwan (3) | 8 : 3 | Denmark |
Belgium | 8 : 2 | (14) Holland B |
Canada (11) | 8 : 3 | India |
Korea | 8 : 5 | (6) Vietnam |
England (7) | 8 : 6 | Poland |
Finland (10) | 8 : 5 | Qatar |
Switzerland (15) | 8 : 5 | Hungary |
USA (2) | 8 : 7 | Malta |
2007 PARTY POKER.NET | ||
WORLD CUP OF POOL | ||
THE LAST 16 | ||
Philippines | 8 : 0 | Croatia |
France | 0 : 0 | China |
Japan | 8 : 7 | Holland A |
Austria | 0 : 0 | Singapore |
Taiwan | 0 : 0 | Belgium |
Canada | 0 : 0 | Korea |
England | 0 : 0 | Finland |
Switzerland | 0 : 0 | USA |
2007 PARTY POKER.NET | ||
WORLD CUP OF POOL | ||
THE QUARTER-FINALS | ||
Philippines | 0 : 0 | --- |
Japan | 0 : 0 | --- |
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2007 PARTY POKER.NET | ||
WORLD CUP OF POOL | ||
THE SEMI-FINALS | ||
--- | 0 : 0 | --- |
--- | 0 : 0 | --- |
2007 PARTY POKER.NET | ||
WORLD CUP OF POOL | ||
THE FINAL | ||
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