RONATO “VOLCANO” ALCANO HAS ERUPTED IN WORLD TEAM POOL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP IN GERMANY; PHILIPPINES VERSUS GREAT BRITAIN IN FINALS

Sunday, February 7, 2010, 6:12
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Semi-final results:Philippines versus Russia

Philippines (the pair of Ronato Alcano and Marlon Manalo) lost to Russia, 6-3, in 1st 8-ball Scotch doubles event
Philippines (the tandem of Dennis Orcullo and Warren Kiamco) beat Russia, 6-4, in 2nd 8-ball Scotch doubles event
Lee Vann Corteza beat Roman Pruchai, 6-4, in 1st 9-ball individual event
Antonio Lining beat Roman Pruchai, 6-4, in 2nd 9-ball individual event
Ronato Alcano beat Ruslan Chinahov, 7-1, in 1st 10-ball individual event
Dennis Orcullo racing a 2-0 lead over Konstatin Stepanov, in 2nd 10-ball individual event was halted after Alcano securing a win to make Team Philippines 4-1

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—RONATO Alcano, known in the pool world as the “Volcano,” has erupted.

And everybody at the Hall 13 Hannover Exhibition Grounds is watching the crucial battle of Alcano and Russian hopeful Ruslan Chinahov.

The Lanky cue artists from Calamba, Laguna, one of the top player of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions didn’t gave any chances of his Russian foe after securing a 7-1 demolition win to send Team Philippines into the finals of the World Team Pool Cup Championship in Hannover, Germany.

Alcano, the former World 9-ball and 8-ball champion helped the Nationals score a 4-1 victory over Russia by defeating Chinahov, 7-1, in the semifinals of the 1st 10-ball game late Saturday.

With the win, the Nationals will square off against Great Britain in the final round on Sunday (Manila time).

photo caption:from left to right: Lee Vann Corteza, Antonio Lining, Dennis Orcullo, Edgar Acaba (non-playing/ team manager), Marlon Manalo, Ronato Alcano and Warren Kiamco

Bannered by reigning world 9-ball champion Darly Peach and former world 10-ball champion Darren Appleton, Great Britain eliminated Greece, 4-2, in another semi-final duel.

Alcano, unshaken by a loss in his previous outing teaming up with ex-snooker champion Marlon “Marvelous” Manalo in the 1st 8-ball Scotch doubles event by score 6-3.

“Parang panggising ‘yung talo namin ni Marlon sa 8-ball Scotch Doubles,” said Alcano in a long distance call to his long-time benefactor Bugsy Promotions president Ceferino “Perry” Mariano. “Hindi ka talaga p’wedeng maging over-confident sa ganito kalaking event. Kahit sino p’wede kang talunin.” added Alcano, a former US Open 9-ball finalist.

Perry Mariano, founder of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) added “Bagama’t nakauna ang Russia sa atin ay tiwala akong makakabawi tayo at eventually ay matatalo din natin sila sa mga susunod na event. Gaya ng naunang nasabi ni Yen (Makabenta, BSCP Chairman), malalim ang bench natin at puro malalakas ang kalibre ng mga player natin,” added Mariano, who watching the game live thru internet.

Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) chairman Florentino “Yen” Makabenta said, ” We expect a tought battle against the Great Britain, but kumpiyansa ako na magbibigay ng magandang laban ang mga player natin,”

Negros Billiards Stable (NBS) president and co-founder of BMPAP Jonathan “Bacolod” Sy said, ” Lalu nating dagdagan ang panalangin natin. Malaking karangalan sa bayan ang hatid nilang tagumpay,” added Sy, long-time benefactor of Corteza and Kiamco.

After the Filipinos, which is backed up by the BSCP, Raya Sports, Bugsy Promotions and Negros Billiards Stable, loss in the 1st 8-ball Scotch doubles event, the pair of Southeast Asian Games gold medallist Warren “Warrior” Kiamco and former world no.1 Dennis “Robocop” Orcollo, rebounded won its match by score 6-4 to level the count of 1-all in this race-to-4 affair.

Then two-time BSCP National Pool Championships ruler Lee Vann “The Slayer” Corteza and Japan based Antonio “Nickoy” Lining, made it to 3-1 for the Philippines with a similar 8-4 victories over Roman Pruchai and Egor Plishkin, respectively in the 9-ball game, before Alcano stepped up beating Chinahov for 4-1 total output.

Actually, Orcullo is leading 2-0 against Konstantin Stepanov in the second 10-ball game but was halted after Alcano triumph in the 1st 10-ball game.

On the road to the finals, the undefeated Filipinos nipped England II (4-0), Czech Republic (4-1), Norway (4-2), Poland (4-2) and Russia (4-1) to arrange a titular showdown with Great Britain, who brought downed Norway (5-1) lost to Sweden (4-2) the blanked Israel (4-0) and Germany (4-0) then edged China (4-3) and Greece (4-2), respectively.

The 48-nation tournament, the first of its kind and sanctioned by the World Pool Billiard Association (WPA), stakes a total purse of $400,000 (roughly P19.2 million) and uses a point-system scoring patterned after the famous Davis Cup in international tennis where the champion team gets the lion’s share of $100,000 (roughly P4.7 million) in the race-to-4 affair.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO