Finland ousts Efren, Django, in World Cup of Pool

There will be no third World Cup of Pool for the Philippine team of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante this year.

The pairing known as Philippines B, winners in 2006 and 2009, fell in the quarterfinals to Finland's Mika Immonen and Petri Makkonen 9-5 in front of a large but deflated crowd at Robinson's Place Ermita on Saturday.

Finland now play the United States in Sunday's semifinal.

The match featured three former world champions, with only Makkonen not considered an elite player. The 24-year-old showed his nerves by botching the opening 9 Ball badly. The Philippines took rack one then Finland won the next.

Bustamante thrilled the crowd with a spectacular two-rail kick-in of the five ball in the next enroute to a 2-1 Philippine lead.

But after Efren broke illegally in the next, Finland cleared the table, then added three more games on the trot.

In this tournament, like in many 9 Ball events, three balls must either be pocketed or be driven past the head string on the break. This discourages soft breaking which can make running out too easy.

In the sixth rack Makkonen made a wing ball off the break, a surprise since the referees had been racking the 9 Ball on the foot spot to present just that happening.

The Pinoys stopped the Finnish momentum by taking rack 8 after Makkonen scratched. In that rack Makkonen again made the wing ball and the one ball in the side.

Finland took rack 9 to lead 6-3. Then the Philippines made a minor comeback. Makkonen flubbed a two ball and the Philippines gratefully accepted the rack.

The Philippines then fashioned out a break-and-run-out after Django also dropped the wing ball, this time from the opposite side from where Makkonen broke.

But in rack 10 Efren was unable to kick out of a safety on the three ball and Finland cleaned up to lead 7-3. It was the second time Reyes, an all-world kicker, was unable to kick out of a hook.

Numerous players had issues kicking this week. It has become apparent that the Diamond table, while top-quality, simply kicks differently from a Brunswick table and many players can't adjust.

Makkonen once again made the one ball on the break in the next rack Finland ran out for the hill.

In rack fourteen Immonen made a one ball on the break and Finland looked set to run out. Makkonen then played terrible shape on the 7 ball, putting unnecessary English on the ball. It set up a difficult 7-9 combo that Immonen was forced to try, and he nailed it for victory. The Finns celebrated to muted applause from the gallery.

Makkonen was nervous throughout and made five unforced errors, but crucially discovered a productive break that no one else had found all week. Immonen was magnificent, with no unforced errors at all.

"It was definitely slightly intimidating to play in front of that crowd against two icons in their home country" wrote Immonen on Facebook afterwards.

Efren had only two unforced errors but fouled kicking out twice and made two poor safeties. Clearly his touch deserted him.

Finland now meet an American duo that survived a huge comeback by China to win 9-8.

Rodney Morris and Shane Van Boening led 7-1 and 8-2 thanks in part to inconsistent play from Liu Hai Tao.

But Liu's partner, Li He Wen, buckled down and led the team to six straight wins as the Americans were starved of scoring opportunities. A superb table-length bank on the 8 ball in rack 16 propelled the Chinese to the hill.

China won a safety battle in the case game and looked set to complete their stunning turnaround. But on an easy 7 ball Li elected to play low left english and go side-rail-side-rail for shape on the 8 instead of three rails with high right english. The resulting scratch gave the USA ball-in-hand with two balls left and they ran out with victory.

Morris, ever the jokester, pretended to faint and lay down on the ground after hugging his partner.

Morris and Van Boening, who won this event in 2008, are trying to replicate the feats of Reyes-Bustamante and Li He Wen and his old partner, Fu Jian Bo, in lifting the trophy twice.

The other semifinal pits Poland against Chinese Taipei.

The steady pairing of 28-year old Karol Skowerski and 18-year-old Wojciech Szewcyk played solid pool with only five unforced errors in taking out Fabio Petroni and Bruno Muratore 9-6.

England's Chris Melling and Darren Appleton, the current 9 Ball world champ, fell in their quarterfinal to Chinese Taipei's teen wonders, Han En Su and Hsin Ting Chen, 9-8.

Appleton overran a safety attempt in rack 16 leading 8-7, and the young Taiwanese ran out, then broke and ran out the next for victory.

Han and Hsin are fine players but lack some seasoning, with at least two curious pattern-play decisions in the match.

Live coverage begins on Solar Sports today at 1 pm with the race-to-nine semis. The final is a race-to-ten with the winning team getting US$60,000 in prize money.

Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.