THE Trade Hall of SM City Cebu was swarming with onlookers and billiard fanatics as the top two cue masters of the 1st Senate President Manny Villar Cup – Sun.Star Superbalita 9-Ball Challenge clashed in a grueling race to 11- championship battle last Sunday.
And after the grueling finally, former Asian Games gold medalist Gandy Valle didn’t disappoint after beating 2003 and 2006 Sun.Star Superbalita 9-Ball Challenge champion Dennis Orcullo, 11-5, to win his first title after five tries in the event.
This was by far Valle’s best finish in this annual tournament and he is looking forward to compete in the 2009 tournament.
“I will definitely come back and defend my title next year. I like playing here in Cebu. I love the crowd,” said Valle, who earned the top prize of P400,000.
Orcullo was simply unlucky at the start of the finals after two fouls on his break allowed Valle a 4-2 advantage.
The runnerup then produced some bit of magic after Valle came up dry in his next break with the one, seven and nine clustered near the corner pocket.
Orcullo dropped the three-ball combo to narrow the lead to 4-3, but another series of mishaps, scratches and bad break allowed Valle to surge ahead.
The last best thing that Orcullo performed was a 4-9 combination in the 11th frame cutting Valle’s lead to 6-5.
That was the closest Orcullo ever got to Valle as the latter showed supreme billiard skills winning the next five racks for the 9-5 rack victory. He finished his last game with style as he dropped the 9 ball in the top corner after tipping in the two at the side.
Odds
“I didn’t expect to win because at the start of the competition I felt that the odds were against me,” said Valle.
Valle had a bad start in the tournament and went to the losers bracket after being routed by Manolo Tanasas, 9-3, in his first game.
He bounced back from the losers’ bracket by beating former world juniors campaigner Rene Mar David, 9-5, and another rising star Jharome Pena, 9-5, hometown bet Achilles Navarra, 9-1, before scoring tough wins against Mike Takayama 9-7 win, and Carlo Biado, 9-4, to set up a meeting with Pagulayan in the semifinals.
“That win against Alex also made this tournament very special for me. He was kidding before the start of our match that he will send me into retirement, but when I beat him, I must win it all so as not to put my victory against him into waste,” said Valle. (EKA)
