Filipinos all agog over pool hero Alcano Manolo Iñigo Inquirer
November 14, 2006
NEWLY CROWNED World Pool champion Ronnie “Calamba” Alcano is the ideal replacement when age and other human factors finally catch up with Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante.
Reyes is now 52 and cannot be on top forever, while Bustamante, 42, is suffering from a chronic pain in his elbow, one reason why he begged off from taking part in this year’s Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
“We must realize this and be prepared,” Aristeo “Putch” Puyat, sports patron and longtime billiards benefactor, once said.
The emergence of hitherto unheralded Alcano in the international pool scene is a good sign that the Philippines is not lacking in new faces in a sport where the Filipinos are second to none. In topping last Sunday’s World Pool Championship, the 34-year-old “toothless tiger” from Calamba, Laguna, became the third Filipino to win the title after his idol, Reyes, who won in 1999 in Cardiff, Wales, and Alex Pagulayan, the 2004 winner in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
“You guys are great,” said a teary-eyed Ralf Souquet, the losing finalist from Germany who won the title in 1996. “He (Alcano) really deserves the title. After all, he beat Reyes, Wu Chia-ching (defending champion and No. 1 seed from Chinese-Taipei) and Kuo Po-cheng (last year’s runner-up, also from Taiwan).”
Why is he so good? The 5-foot-11 Alcano has got what it takes to succeed: uncanny skills with the cue stick, international experience, coolness under pressure, not to mention his youth and limitless patience. And like Reyes, Alcano was also born poor; he grew up sleeping on pool tables and failed to finish high school.
Still, the sport of billiards opened great opportunities for him. Under the guidance of Perry Mariano, Alcano became a millionaire many times over. In this year’s WPC, organized by Yen Macabenta of Raya Sports, Alcano pocketed $100,000. How could one not feel good?
Since five years ago, I have already been writing about Alcano, saying he could very well be the Bata Reyes of the future. Alcano first tantalized the billiards crowd in 2001, when he ruled the San Miguel Beer Rising Stars of 9-Ball Tournament beating Edgar Acaba.
In his United States campaign, Alcano was chosen 2002 Rookie of the Year by Azbilliards.com, the leading billiards website in the States. Back in Manila, Alcano made his presence felt by winning the fourth and final leg of the 2005 SMB Asian 9-Ball Tour, making mincemeat of the fancied Yang Ching-shun of Chinese Taipei, 11-6, at Robinsons Galleria Mall in Mandaluyong City.
In this year’s WPC, Alcano was one of the most underrated players. He barely made the round of 64 after losing two of his three matches in the eliminations. Most fans smirked at his chances of winning, even incurring their ire when he booted out Bata Reyes in the Last 32. But they soon found themselves laughing on the other side of their faces after Alcano whipped reigning champion Wu in the quarterfinals and China’s Li Hewen in the semifinals.
Launched 16 years ago, the other winners of the WPC thus far are: Earl Strickland (US), 1990; Earl Strickland (US), 1991; Johnny Archer (US), 1992; Chao Fong-pang (Chinese Taipei), 1993; Takeshi Okumura (Japan), 1994; Oliver Ortmann (Germany), 1995; Souquet, 1996; Johnny Archer (US), 1997; Kunihiko Takahashi (Japan), 1998; Efren Reyes, 1999; Chao Fong-pang (Chinese Taipei), 2000; Mika Immonen (Finland), 2001; Earl Strickland (US), 2002; Thorsten Hohmann (Germany), 2003; Pagulayan, 2004; and Wu, 2005.
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FULL GALLOP: Ridden brilliantly by jockey JB Guce, the phenomenal Euro Bucks, a daughter of Account of Grace out of Leveret, won last Sunday’s Sampaguita Stakes Race at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite, finishing the lung-busting 2,000-meter distance with a flourish. Owned by sportsman Hermie Esguerra, Euro Bucks will be one of the horses to watch in this Sunday’s 11th running of the Marho Breeders’ Cup at the Santa Ana Park.
