Singapore Billiard Team Ensures Asian Finalist

Singapore Billiard Team Ensures Asian Finalist
The Singapore billiard team ensured there would be an Asian team in the final of the 2007 PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool. They beat Austria 8-2 as only Asian countries – Philippines, China, Japan and Singapore – are left in the top half of the draw.
The Singapore duo of Chan Keng Kwang and Toh Lian Han won the lag and ran through the balls until they were forced to play safe on the orange 5. Albin Ouschan, partnered by Martin Kempter, came to the table but couldn’t get clear and from there Singapore looked good for the rack until Chan put his partner in trouble, leaving him a pressure 9 ball which he missed.
Kempter tried to play a tough safe with just two balls on the table but it didn’t come off and Chan knocked the final ball in to take an early lead.
A clinical run out from the break saw Team Singapore increase their lead to 2-0. There was more of the same from the composed looking Singapore side in the third game as they cleared from the break to increase their lead to 3-0. Once again the Singaporeans cooly ran out from the break to go 4-0 as the Austrians sat rooted to their seats.
The fifth game was deja vu as Singapore once again delivered a good break and cleared the table to go to 5-0. At last, the Austrians got back to the table and Ouschan made a great pot on the 2 ball to give his side a chance.
They took it well as they ran through the balls to open their account. Ouschan played a clever safe after Kempter’s break, breaking up the 5 and 8 but Chan put the Austrians in trouble with a good snooker. The Austrians were equal to it.
A crafty safety battle ensued before Ouschan jumped out of trouble but left the 1 ball on. In stroke, the Singaporeans made no mistakes as they ran out to take the score to 6-1.
There was more safety in the next before Ouschan opened up the rack by potting a long blue and from there, they cleared up to get to 6-2. Kempter was the villain of the piece in the next as he missed an easy 7 ball and left it perfectly for Team Singapore who made no mistakes to get to the hill at 7-2.
Chan threw Austria a lifeline in the next as he scratched on the break as he lost control of the cueball to gift ball in hand to his opponents. Oushan though showed it wasn’t be the Austrians day as he missed the orange 5. That was it as Singapore cleared the table to secure their spot in the last eight.