2006 World Cup of Pool facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2006 partypoker.com World Cup of Pool

Script error: The function "getPreferredValue" does not exist. Script error: The function "getImageLegend" does not exist.
Tournament information
Dates	22–27 August 2006
Venue	Newport Centre
City	Newport
Country	Wales
Organisation(s)	Matchroom Sport
Format	Single Elimination
Total prize fund	$250,000
Winner's share	$30,000 per player
Final
Champion	Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante
Runner-up	Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris
Score	13–5
← N/A 2007 →

The 2006 World Cup of Pool was a big pool competition. It was the very first World Cup of Pool ever! In this event, 32 teams from different countries competed in a game called nine-ball pool. Each team had two players who worked together.

The competition happened in Newport, Wales, from August 22 to 27, 2006. It was a "knockout" style tournament, meaning if a team lost one match, they were out. The total prize money was $250,000, and the winning team took home $60,000. This exciting event was put together by Matchroom Sport and shown on Sky TV.

The team from the Philippines, made up of Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante, won the tournament. They beat the American team, Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris, with a score of 13–5 in the final match. Many famous pool players were there, and even some snooker champions like Steve Davis and Ronnie O'Sullivan joined in! A big surprise was the team from Vietnam, Nguyen Thanh Nam and Lương Chí Dũng, who were not expected to do well but made it to the semi-finals. They won $8,000 each, which was a huge amount for them.

How the Tournament Worked

The 2006 World Cup of Pool was a special tournament for pairs of players. It took place at the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales.

Playing the Game

The tournament used a "scotch doubles" format. This means that two players on a team take turns hitting the ball. So, if one player hits the ball, their teammate takes the next shot.

Matches were played as a "race" to a certain number of "racks" (games). Most matches were a race to nine racks. This means the first team to win nine games won the match. The final match was longer, a race to thirteen racks.

The tournament was a "single-elimination" event. If a team lost a match, they were out of the competition. There were 32 teams in total. Unlike some other pool games, the teams took turns breaking (starting the game) instead of the winner of a rack always breaking.

Matchroom Sport created this first-ever World Cup of Pool, and Partypoker sponsored it. The event was filmed and shown on Sky TV.

Prize Money for Winners

A total of $250,000 was available for the teams who did well. The team that won the whole tournament received $60,000. This money was then shared between the two players on the team. Here is a breakdown of how the prize money was given out:

Teams That Competed

There were 32 teams from different countries in the tournament. England had two teams competing. Some teams were "seeded," which means they were ranked higher and expected to do well. The numbers in brackets next to some teams show their seeding.

Tournament Highlights

Let's look at some of the exciting moments from the 2006 World Cup of Pool.

First and Second Rounds

Famous snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan (pictured in 2011) played in the event. His team lost to Spain in a very close match.

The first round of games happened from August 22 to 24. The top-seeded team from the Philippines, Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante, had a strong start, winning their match against Malta 9–0.

The England B team, with Steve Davis and Daryl Peach, won their match against Korea 9–6. Steve Davis said it was a tough game, but they kept trying and won. However, the other England team, with Raj Hundal and Ronnie O'Sullivan, lost a very close match to Spain. They were behind 0–4 at first but fought back to tie it at 7–7. In the end, Spain won 9–8.

A Canadian player, Luc Salvas, lost his cue stick before the event. So, he and his partner Tyler Edey had to share one cue, but they still managed to win their match 9–5 against Thailand.

Hong Kong had a thrilling match against Sweden. Hong Kong was behind but came back to win 9–8 in the very last game. The German team also started strong, leading 6–0 against Wales and winning 9–2. The Japanese team got a free win because the Indonesian team couldn't get their travel papers in time.

The Vietnamese team, Nguyen Thanh Nam and Lương Chí Dũng, who were not expected to win, beat Croatia 9–8 in a match with many mistakes. The Dutch team also won their match 9–5.

The second round was played on August 24 and 25. The England B team was knocked out by the USA team, Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris, who won 9–3. Taiwan, a seeded team, beat Japan 9–4. Hong Kong won another close 9–8 match, this time against Russia. The Canadian team almost won against the Czech team, leading 8–7, but the Czechs won the last two games to move on. The Filipino team continued their winning streak, beating Malaysia 9–5.

Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and Final

Efren Reyes (pictured in 2012, top) and Francisco Bustamante (bottom) were the champions of the event.

The quarter-finals took place on August 26. The Vietnamese team continued their amazing run, winning their third 9–8 match, this time against Italy. The German team beat Taiwan 9–4. The top-seeded Philippine team beat the Czech Republic 9–6, even though they were behind for a while. Their player, Bustamante, said the match was "scary" because they played "badly" at times. The Hong Kong team, who were big underdogs, lost to the American team 3–9.

The semi-finals were held on August 27. In the first semi-final, the Philippines played Germany. The Filipino team won 9–7 in a close match. In the second semi-final, the USA team played the surprising Vietnamese team. The Vietnamese team had already beaten three seeded teams. They fought hard, but the USA team won 9–7. Even though they lost, the Vietnamese players each won $8,000, which was a huge amount of money for them.

The final match was played later that same day. It was a race to 13 racks between the Philippines (Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante) and the USA (Earl Strickland and Rodney Morris). About 900 people watched, many of them supporting the Philippines. The score was tied 4–4, but then the Philippine team won seven games in a row, taking a big 11–4 lead. They eventually won the final 13–5!

Rodney Morris from the USA team said it was disappointing, but the Philippines played great. Francisco Bustamante from the winning team gave credit to his partner, Efren Reyes, saying, "Efren played lots of unbelievable shots; some of them I've never seen in my life! That's why we won."

Tournament Results

Here are the results from the tournament. Teams in bold won their matches. The numbers on the left show the team's seeding (their rank before the tournament).

	Round 1 Race to 9					Round 2 Race to 9					Quarter-finals Race to 9					Semi-finals Race to 9					Final Race to 13
	1	Philippines	9
		Malta	0
						1	Philippines	9
						16	Malaysia	5
	16	Malaysia	9
		Qatar	3
											1	Philippines	9
												Czech Republic	6
	9	Poland	6
		Czech Republic	9
							Czech Republic	9
						8	Canada	8
	8	Canada	9
		Thailand	5
																1	Philippines	9
																4	Germany	7
	5	Chinese Taipei	9
		India	6
						5	Chinese Taipei	9
						12	Japan	4
	12	Japan	9
		Indonesia	0
											5	Chinese Taipei	4
											4	Germany	9
	13	England 1	8
		Spain	9
							Spain	5
						4	Germany	9
	4	Germany	9
		Wales	2
																					1	Philippines	13
																					3	United States	5
	3	United States	9
		Singapore	6
						3	United States	9
							England 2	3
	14	South Korea	6
		England 2	9
											3	United States	9
												Hong Kong	3
	11	Russia	9
		Hungary	3
						11	Russia	8
							Hong Kong	9
	6	Sweden	8
		Hong Kong	9
																3	United States	9
																	Vietnam	7
	7	Finland	9
		Ireland	5
						7	Finland	2
						10	Italy	9
	10	Italy	9
		South Africa	2
											10	Italy	8
												Vietnam	9
	15	Croatia	8
		Vietnam	9
							Vietnam	9
						2	Netherlands	8
	2	Netherlands	9
		Scotland	5