RP seals win vs Chinese Taipei

Team Philippines pulled off a pair of lopsided victories in the doubles yesterday for an insurmountable 25-17 lead with two matches left in the RP-Taiwan 9-Ball Challenge yesterday at the Ocatagon Hall of the Robinson’s Galleria.

Marlon Manalo and Dennis Orcullo trounced Fong Pang Chao and Pei Wei Chang, 9-3, before Antonio "Nickoy" Lining and Antonio Gabica smashed Che Wei Fu and Ching Shung Yang, 9-1, to seal the win and render the last two matches non-bearing.

The pair of victories in doubles gave the local fans who trooped the venue despite the poor weather brought about by Typhoon Marce a lot to cheer about.

The Filipinos clinched the top purse worth $40,000 and the bragging rights as the best pool team in Asia. The Taiwanese will not go home home with $20,000.

The results would have been different had Ching Shun Yang finished off Manalo Wednesday in this three-day meet sponsored by The Philippine STAR, Motolite, PCSO, Elasto Seal, No Fear, Emperador Brandy, Air21, FedEx, Fortune Tobacco and Tanduay.

After scoring only a victory in five matches in Tuesday’s opener, Chinese Taipei was a tougher bunch in the second day with a pair of victories by Fong Pang Chao and Po Cheng Kuo. Fong, the World Pool champion in 1993 and 2000, clobbered Lining, 9-2, while Po edged Gandy Valle, 9-7.

Before Valle’s loss, Orcullo downed Che Wei Fu, 9-5, while Gabica bested Pei Wei Chang, 9-6, to give RP a 15-12 lead, leaving Manalo the chance to go for the clincher with a win over Ching.

But Ching silenced the Filipinos by racing to an 8-1 start to position himself for a win that would have cut Taiwan’s deficit to two points, 14-16.

Instead, Ching crumbled as Manalo displayed superb shotmaking to seize the last eight racks that gave RP a 17-13 cushion.

Manalo’s come-from-behind win was inspiring enough for himself and Orcullo as they roared to a 6-0 start, a streak Fong snapped by powering the Taiwanese to a pair of points thanks to Orcollo’s pair of miscues.

Orcullo, however, made up for it by scoring the final point for the Filipinos, who took three of the last four frames to seal the win. Lining and Gabica got the hint and easily disposed of Che and Ching for the clincher.