Hadley Mariano swept his way into the finals and then edged Jonathan Dy in a thrilling title showdown, 7-6, to rule the Class C division of the Makati Pool Players Association (MAPPA) 9-Ball Summit Monday night at the AMF-Puyat Billiards Center in Makati City.
It was an astounding feat for the 15-year-old son of Bugsy Promotions' heads Perry and Verna Mariano as it was his first appearance at MAPPA.
The victory as earned Mariano, a second-year high school student at La Salle Greenhills P3,000 cash prize, a handsome trophy and an overnight stay for two at Oxford Suites in Makati.
“I'm very happy for this win,” said Mariano, who is looking to follow the footsteps of his fellow Bugsy boys world no.1 Dennis Orcollo, former world champion Ronnie Alcano, Roberto Gomez and Gandy Valle.
“I hope I could continue to improve my game, and I'll work hard to do that,” he added.
Organized by MAPPA, led by its president Jesse (Gonzales) Cambosa, in cooperation with The AnitoKid, the tournament also achieved a historic first for being the first amateur billiards club competition to be broadcast on television and aggregated on the internet through www.anitokid.blogspot.com
