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2014 Liando U Valley World Pool Team Championship
Tongzhou Luhe High School
Tongzhou District
Beijing
China
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28 July - 2 August 2014

All photography courtesy of �Jin/my147.com & �Tai Chengzhe/China Foto Press
China 2 captures the 2014 World Pool Team Championship with a spirited 4-2 win over the Philippines

With an eye on making history, and another on wanting to please the legions of their fellow countrymen and women, the China II team won the 2014 WPA World Pool Team Championship today in Beijing, defeating a less than sharp Philippine team, 4-2.

The match remained tight down to the very last 10-ball match, and if not for a few mistakes by the never-say-die Filipinos, could have gone the other way. In reality, however, China played better pool, was more focused, and walked out of the Tongzhou Luhe High School arena a worthy champion.

For China, the win marks a milestone in Chinese billiard history, as it represents its biggest ever world title in American pool.(China twice won the scotch doubles World Cup of Pool.) 40 years ago pool was still considered a decadent bourgeois pastime here. But since China has opened up to the outside world, tens of millions of people from all walks of life have taken to the game. The government, which enthusiastically backs all Olympic sports�of which pool is one--, has promoted and financed the professional game, developed talent and funded some of the biggest tournaments in the world. Today in Beijing that investment paid off handsomely.

The win by the China 2 squad, which featured Liu Haitao, Dang Ching Hu, Wang Can, Fu Xiaofang, and Liu Shasha also meant a bit of revenge for China, as the Philippines had decimated the China 1 squad in the semi-finals on Friday, 4-0.

Because they had played so well in the semis, and indeed all week, the result was a bitter disappointment for the Philippines. The team, comprised of greats Dennis Orcollo, Lee Vann Corteza, Carlo Biado and Rubilen Amit, outlasted defending champions Taiwan in a classic thriller in the quarterfinals. And their semis performance against the China 1 squad was downright breathtaking. But in the final, the Pinoys let too many mistakes creep into their game. And the Chinese, who were remarkably focused and calm despite the pressure of playing at home, punished them each and every time.

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