Thursday, October 12, 2006
Mariano: Young pool players closing in the 20-year gap rapidly
LOCAL billiards patron Ceferino "Perry" Mariano believes that young cue masters of today are closing in among the veterans Jose `Amang' Parica, 56, Efren "Bata" Reyes, 52, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, 46, and Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat, 49.
"The young guns are catching up very fast. They are closing the 20 years gap of the veterans and the young cue masters in barely one year of international exposure," Mariano said.
He is referring to new pool talents Dennis Orcollo, 27, fresh from winning the World Pool Leaque in Warsaw, Poland, Alex Pagulayan, 27, the 2004 World Pool champion and 2005 US Open winner, Marlon Manalo, 29, the 2005 World Pool semi-finalists, all in their late thirties.
Orcollo, one of his top players from Bugsy's billiard promotion, was denied twice to obtain a US visa but was lucky in his third try and was granted.
Orcollo, a native from Bislig, Surigao del Sur won seven titles in US pool circuit alone, and a third place strong finish in the 2006 North American International Pool Tour (IPT) 8-ball shoot-out last July in Las Vegas, Nevada to bagged worth US$ 85,000.
"It takes only about seven months for Dennis (Orcollo) to prove his worth in US billiards circuit and now he's making his name not only in US but around the world," said the sportsman/businessman Mariano.
Mariano is also the benefactor of former Azbilliards Rookie of the Year Ronato Alcano, 34, Gandy Valle, 32, and Antonio Gabica, 38, who are seeing in action in the RP 9-Ball Invitational this Thursday in Casino Filipino in Paranaque City.
He also cited the likes of Victor Arpilleda, Eduardo Villanueva and Pepito Dacer, Boy Bicol and Rene Bata as fine players.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (October 12, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
