MANILA, PHILIPPINES---FORMER 2002 AZ BILLIARDS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Ronato "Ronnie Calamba" Alcano left the country Tuesday to compete again in several US billiards tournaments.
"I hope to perform well in US pool circuit again." said Alcano.
Alcano, 33-year-old hotshot from Calamba town, Laguna, earned a piece of billiards history when he was named top rookie by Azbilliards.com, the leading billiards website in the United States, sharing the winner's podium with 1999 World Pool Cardiff champion Filipino legendary Efren 'Bata' Reyes, protege of Puyat Sports president Ariseto 'Putch' Puyat, who has been bankrolling Reyes and former world no. 1 player Francisco 'Django' Bustamante in international arena, together with elder brother former Assemblyman Jose "Popit" Puyat, who was inducted into the prestigious Billiards Congress of America (BCA) Hall of Fame.
Alcano, the 2005 SEA Games gold medalist, aims to follow the foot step of fellow stable mate RP money game king Dennis 'Surigao' Orcollo and 1998 Bangkok Asian games gold medalist Gandy 'Sapsal' Valle who recently dominating some of US pool circuit event.
Alcano, Orcollo and Valle is playing under the stable of businessman Perry Mariano of Busy's Lair billiards hall, who also handle the billiards career of Antonio 'Ga-Ga' Gabica, Roberto Gomez, Elmer 'Buddy' Kalaquian and come backing cue artists Jeffrey 'Jeff Bata' De Luna.
It shall be recalled, Alcano failed to win the qualifying round of International Pool Tour (ITP) last June 16-18, 2006 at the Broadway Pool Club / New Buckingham Pool Club in Shanghai, China where host bet Wei Lu and Jianbo Fu grabs the two slots at stakes.
Alcano suffered a heartbreaking 9-10 lost to Wei in the winner's side and ousted in the said event after losing to Masafumi Mochizuki (10-7) of Japan in the loser's brackets.
However, Alcano disposed Aussie star and currently China-based IPT pro Colin Colenso (8-5) in the Challengers matches to win a free entry fee worth US$ 1,000 for the qualifying round of the riches US$ 8 Million IPT event.
Veteran and well-respected Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Manalo R. Inigo, in his report before entitled Another Bata Reyes in the making " In his American campaign thus far, Alcano has earned 33,000 dollars by winning five of nine championship appearances in the tough Joss NE Tour. He landed in the top seven in the Peninsula 9-Ball Open, US Open and Viking Tour National Championship and won third place in the Ten-Ball Challenge at Trump Marine in Atlantic City, finishing ahead of Reyes, Earl Strickland and Bustamante.
File photo courtesy of Diana Hoppe - Pool Pics by Hoppe
