2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League Final Day

2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League Final Day The final round robin billiards matches completed at the 2006 PartyCasino.com World Pool League in Warsaw and it was Dennis Orcollo, Niels Feijen, Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet who fill out the semi-final spots on Sunday evening. The drama went right down to the wire as Chang Pei-wei of Taiwan made a last gasp effort to clinch a spot but he missed out by a single rack. In the first match of the afternoon, rising Filipino star Dennis Orcollo, facing Holland’s Niels Feijen, recorded his fourth draw from five starts at the World Pool League to ensure a spot in Sunday night’s play-offs.
With six draws from 13 matches so far, the tie has been the most popular result and the 5-all was enough to see Feijen advance too, courtesy of his superior +4 rack difference. Orcollo made a dreadful error on the 1 ball in the opener, as he badly missed a long pot and then followed the cue ball into the pocket to give Feijen ball in hand. The Dutchman ran out to take first blood. He then took the second and stole the third when Orcollo missed a pressure 9 ball. Orcollo got his name on the scoreboard in the next as he set up a run out with a superb long pot on the 1 ball, steering it rail side of the 5 with absolutely no margin for error. The Filipino made the first error of the fifth rack as he failed to draw back sufficiently going from 1 to 2 and left himself blocked out by the 9 ball. His safety left the 2 ball on for Feijen but he missed it when the pot seemed easier. Orcollo then hooked him and although Feijen escaped, he left a makeable 2/9 carom which Orcollo took to reduce the deficit. Feijen missed a tough table length cut on the 1 ball and left it on for Dennis and the Filipino composed himself to run out and level the sore. Orcollo then scratched from the break in the next and Feijen took the opportunity to increase his lead. The Dutchman nearly scratched himself in the eighth and left himself a tough layout. A great pot on the 1 ball followed but Feijen left himself hooked and failed to make contact, leaving Orcollo with ball in hand. The young Filipino completed a great clearance to get back to level terms and then took the ninth rack to guarantee himself a spot in Sunday evening’s semi-finals. Feijen though was not done and he completed a careful break and run in the final rack to claim a share of the points and cement his position in the play-offs. Thorsten Hohmann 6 – 4 Ralf Souquet In a must-win match for Thorsten Hohmann, the 2003 World Champion delivered the goods as he overcame countryman Ralf Souquet to secure a spot in the final stages of the PartyPoker.com World Pool League. Although Souquet and Hohmann finished tied on all aspects, Thorsten assumes the higher position over Ralf by virtue of this win. Souquet, meanwhile must wait on the outcome of the final match between Babica and Chang to see if he will progress. There was never going to be much in it and the players shared the opening two racks before Hohmann completed a nice run out to take a 2-1 lead. He also took the next after Souquet missed an elementary 5 ball. There was more joy for Hohmann, needing a big win to give himself a chance, as he took the fifth rack to lead 4-1. Souquet, with five points from his first four matches, could not afford to go down to a heavy defeat and he took the sixth rack to get back to 4-2 down. It looked like going to 4-3 but Souquet missed a long 9 ball off the spot. Faced with an almost identical shot, Hohmann also missed but this time the two balls ran into a kinder position and Souquet made no mistakes to trail by a single rack. Hohmann though took control of the ninth rack as he ran out to get to five and gain at least a point. With two racks to go, Hohmann had to win at least one to progress to the play-offs. Hohmann missed a difficult chance on the blue 2 in the next though and Souquet completed a difficult clearance to get the score to 5-4. However it was Hohmann who composed himself in the last to deliver a perfect break and run out to secure the two points and leapfrog over Souquet in the table. Chang Pei-wei 7 – 3 Radoslaw Babica The final match of the PartyCasino.com World Pool League between Poland’s Radoslaw Babica and Chang Pei-wei of Taiwan had only two possible meaningful outcomes – a huge win for the Taiwanese would see him advance and any kind of win for the Pole would be good enough for him. With a large home crowd willing him on, Babica got off to a bad start as Chang took the opening two racks to leave the Pole under sever pressure. He calmed his nerves in the third though with en excellent jump shot, pocketing the 2 ball and setting up the run out. Chang took the next and there was disaster for the Pole in the fifth as he as he scratched into the centre pocket trying to knock the 2 ball safe and with ball in hand, Chang left him a mountain to climb as he took the score to 4-1. The Taiwanese potter then took the sixth rack to go into a 5-1 lead and put paid to Polish hopes for another year. Chang then took the next to lead 6-1 and the intriguing possibility of the Taiwanese qualifying by virtue of an 8-2 or 9-1 win was emerging. Chang took the next to go to 7-1 before Babica stopped the rot by taking the ninth to get the score to 7-2 and it was all down to the final rack. It was a nervy affair and Babica tried to break the deadlock with a chancy 3/9 combo before Chang messed up a jump shot to give his opponent ball in hand. Babica hung on to take the rack and deny his opponent a place in the semi-finals. Tonight’s Semi-Final Line Up (19.30 CET) Dennis Orcollo (Phi) v Ralf Souquet (Ger) Niels Feijen (Ned) v Thorsten Hohmann (Ger) Complete Table After 15 Matches PlydWonDrwnLostForAwayPts+/-1D Orcollo514026246+22N Feijen521227235+43T Hohmann52122525504R Souquet51312525505PW Chang521224265-16R Babica512223274-4 Ralf Souquet 5 – 5 Radoslaw BabicaNiels Feijen 6 – 4 Thorsten HohmannDennis Orcollo 6 – 4 Chang Pei-weiRadoslaw Babica 6-4 Niels FiejenThorsten Hohmann 5 – 5 Dennis OrcolloRalf Souquet 5 - 5 Chang Pei-weiChang Pei-wei 6-4 Thorsten Hohmann Dennis Orcollo 5 – 5 Radoslaw Babica Ralf Souquet 6 – 4 Niels Fiejen Thorsten Hohmann 6 – 4 Radoslaw BabicaRalf Souquet 5 – 5 Dennis OrcolloNiels Feijen 8 - 2 Chang Pei-weiNiels Feijen 5 – 5 Dennis OrcolloThorsten Hohmann 6 – 4 Ralf SouquetChang Pei-wei 7 – 3 Radoslaw Babica

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