Billiards
Orcullo gets back at Biado, bags 9-Ball title
Dennis Orcullo showed up-and-coming star Carlo Biado exactly why he was ranked the No. 1 player in the world.
The veteran cue artist had a chance to live up to his ranking as he exacted revenge over the man who defeated him twice in their two previous meetings.
The reigning World 8-Ball champion came back from 6-3 down before completing a come-from-behind 11-8 victory over Biado in Monday’s finals of the BSCP National Pool Championship 9-Ball event at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City.
Orcullo’s victory came a day after Biado captured his first-ever national pool title, winning the 8-Ball division.
In winning the 9-Ball division, the man known in the international billiard circuit as “The Robocop” made the race for the grand championship a two-way battle between him and the rising star from Pangasinan.
Orcullo and Biado are also in the semifinals of the 10-Ball event joining former national junior champion Jerico Banares and Overseas Filipino Worker Alan Cuartero.
Both champions already won the top prize of P50,000 for topping their respective events, and one of them could bring home the P200,000 prize at stake for the grand championship.
Nevertheless, the two players competing under the stable of businessman/sportsman Perry Mariano’s Bugsy’s Promotions are already assured of spots in the World Pool Summit.
The World Pool Summit is the final World Pool-Billiard Association ranking event to be held in Manila next month.
“Advantage sa akin si Carlo kasi mas gamay na niya yung mesa dahil una siyang lumaro ng finals sa akin,” said Orcullo. “Naghintay lang ako ng tamang pagkakataon kaya nu’ng nagkaroon ako ng tsansa, kinuha ko na agad.”
“Malaki ang improvement ni Carlo ngayong taon, kasi nasanay na rin siyang kalaban yung malalakas. Unti-unti na siyang nakakatuntong sa kinalalagyan namin,” added Orcullo.
A former caddie, Biado has defeated Orcullo twice over the past five months. The young player eliminated his more experienced rival in the quarterfinals of the World Ten Ball Championship last May, then duplicated the victory with a win in the semifinals of the 8-Ball event of the National Pool Championship.
Until the ninth rack, Biado was again ready to deliver the knockout blow against Orcullo, until a dry break in the 10th changed the complexion of the match.
Orcullo won seven of the next eight racks before Biado stopped the bleeding with a run-out in the 18th rack to inch closer, 8-10.
But the world’s best player wasn’t to be denied this time as he completed his comeback and added the 9-Ball crown of this event to his growing collection of pool titles.
