Mariano son cops MAPPA 9-ball title

MANILA, Philippines - Hadley Mariano swept his way into the finals and then edged Jonathan Dy in the 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 debut for the 15-year-old son of Bugsy Promotions’ heads Perry and Verna Mariano. The victory has 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 in 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.