Ronnie Alcano loses first match in Qualifier

[rackmsuckr]

This is taken from the IPT site and is Colin's commentary.

" First up was Ronnie Alcano, the Filipino legend who won the Manilla leg of the Asian 9-ball tour last year, up against Liu Wei, who recently placed 2nd in the China National 8-ball competition. Ronnie won the lag, only to dry break and watch as Liu Wei ran out. With the pressure on straight away, Ronnie faultered twice in the next two games as Liu Wei went to a 3-0 lead. Ronnie surged back taking the next 6 frames which included 3 break and runs. But Liu Wei fought back tying at 8-8 and then getting to the hill first.

Edit - This is how he got to the hill first:

He almost broke and ran the next but snookered himself on the 8-ball, sending the CB off the table for an instant loss on his attempt to hit the 8-ball.

At hill-hill Ronnie broke dry and Liu Wei held his nerves to take the match for a surprising victory against the tournament favorite, receiving tremendous applause for his effort."

Colin Colenso, IPT Pro

That is pretty exciting and being on the B side, even as a favorite, is an uphill climb. Just look what happened to Santos in Seattle after forfeiting his first match.

How much pressure do you think there is on a guy named Mike Massie in the Shanghai tournament? LOL

 

[Colin Colenso]

This is taken from the IPT site and is Colin's commentary.

" First up was Ronnie Alcano, the Filipino legend who won the Manilla leg of the Asian 9-ball tour last year, up against Liu Wei, who recently placed 2nd in the China National 8-ball competition. Ronnie won the lag, only to dry break and watch as Liu Wei ran out. With the pressure on straight away, Ronnie faultered twice in the next two games as Liu Wei went to a 3-0 lead. Ronnie surged back taking the next 6 frames which included 3 break and runs. But Liu Wei fought back tying at 8-8 and then getting to the hill first.

Edit - This is how he got to the hill first:

He almost broke and ran the next but snookered himself on the 8-ball, sending the CB off the table for an instant loss on his attempt to hit the 8-ball.

At hill-hill Ronnie broke dry and Liu Wei held his nerves to take the match for a surprising victory against the tournament favorite, receiving tremendous applause for his effort."

Colin Colenso, IPT Pro

That is pretty exciting and being on the B side, even as a favorite, is an uphill climb. Just look what happened to Santos in Seattle after forfeiting his first match.

How much pressure do you think there is on a guy named Mike Massie in the Shanghai tournament? LOL

Ronnie started with a couple of poor shots but played almost perfect in the middle with 6 straight wins. He didn't get on the table much after that. It looked like he would walk right over the inexperienced chinese player Liu Wei, but Liu fought on strong and took just about every opportunity to take the match.

Ronnie will actually get two byes on the loser's side and be up next against the loser of the match between Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen, who I think are at about the same skill level as Ronnie. So his next match will likely be a very tough one.

He is a very friendly guy and took the loss in good spirits, happy that he still can get through with 4 straight wins. Last I saw him he was heading off for some match up action with another top local Chinese player Guang Min who didn't compete, but who had been giving Germany's Kevin Becker a good run on the practice tables.

btw: Kevin Becker's got one of the smoothest power strokes you'll ever see.

 

[jsp]

Ronnie will actually get two byes on the loser's side and be up next against the loser of the match between Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen, who I think are at about the same skill level as Ronnie...

If what you say is true, then Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen must be damn good pool players.

Keep us up to date...especially your challenge matches!

You da man Calc.

 

[Colin Colenso]

If what you say is true, then Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen must be damn good pool players.

Keep us up to date...especially your challenge matches!

You da man Calc.

About to head off to the venue for day 2.

Yes, Fu Jian Bo and Li He Wen are players to look out for on the world scene.

Last year Fu Jian Bo missed a pretty easy 9-ball to lose 8-9 against Efren in the 2nd round of the Hong Kong leg of the Asian 9-Ball Tour.

Li He Wen has the best record on the Asian Tour this year with a 2nd and a 3rd in the first two tour events.

They have very little experience travelling to international events, but their skills are up there with the highest echelon of players.

Colin

 

[Colin Colenso]

btw: Ronnie told me he beat Efren in an 8-ball match up they had recently. (No other details so don't ask )

 

[Colin Colenso]

Nice pic Linda

...and now the pool info....
A bit of a shock, but Ronnie went out in his second game as I suggested was a possibility.

He played Li He Wen, who recently finished 2nd and 3rd on the Asian Tour. Ronnie looked home at 6-2 up and in fine stroke, but Li He Wen fought on determinedly winning the next 6 and eventually running out a convincing 10-7 winner.

Now lucky me gets to play Ronnie and UAE rep Mike Massie on Sunday both at the same time. And after that I'll play talented local Chinese player Wan Yunbo.

Gotta feel for Ronnie....such a friendly guy and he took his loss with great character and smiles. He jokingly begged me to let him win tomorrow...lol

So if I lose, I'll have sympathy as an excuse

btw: Ronnie cleaned up in the money matches Friday night playing 9-ball I'm told. But the Chinese currency they played for didn't amount to much.

(He told me he hasn't worked 8-ball out yet...9-ball and rotation are his games, though he beat Efren a couple of weeks ago 10-5 in 8-ball).

 

[JAM]

Nice pic Linda

...and now the pool info....
A bit of a shock, but Ronnie went out in his second game as I suggested was a possibility.

He played Li He Wen, who recently finished 2nd and 3rd on the Asian Tour. Ronnie looked home at 6-2 up and in fine stroke, but Li He Wen fought on determinedly winning the next 6 and eventually running out a convincing 10-7 winner.

Now lucky me gets to play Ronnie and UAE rep Mike Massie on Sunday both at the same time. And after that I'll play talented local Chinese player Wan Yunbo.

Gotta feel for Ronnie....such a friendly guy and he took his loss with great character and smiles. He jokingly begged me to let him win tomorrow...lol

So if I lose, I'll have sympathy as an excuse

btw: Ronnie cleaned up in the money matches Friday night playing 9-ball I'm told. But the Chinese currency they played for didn't amount to much.

(He told me he hasn't worked 8-ball out yet...9-ball and rotation are his games, though he beat Efren a couple of weeks ago 10-5 in 8-ball).

Thanks for the update, Colin. 'Bout time you showed up for the inquiring minds!

Ronnie Alcano is a very pleasant fellow. Too bad he got knocked out. Hopefully, he can get on the IPT tournament trail the next qualifier. He's definitely one of the good guys from our brethren of Filipino players.

Still pulling for you, Colin, to win at the challenge table. Good luck, and thanks for the updates when time allows. I know you're wearing a couple of hats right now as the TD and IPT member on the challenge table.

JAM

 

[Colin Colenso]

Thanks for the update, Colin. 'Bout time you showed up for the inquiring minds!

Ronnie Alcano is a very pleasant fellow. Too bad he got knocked out. Hopefully, he can get on the IPT tournament trail the next qualifier. He's definitely one of the good guys from our brethren of Filipino players.

Still pulling for you, Colin, to win at the challenge table. Good luck, and thanks for the updates when time allows. I know you're wearing a couple of hats right now as the TD and IPT member on the challenge table.

JAM

Hi JAM,
I just sent in a bunch of great photos from the event so hopefully the IPT will have them up soon.

I sent in an update during the day, but it didn't get through for some reason. Was using a wireless GSM connection at the club.

We have over 500 professional photos from the event and several of the matches have been videotaped and probably will be viewable on a Chinese website in a week or two.

After resizing and naming the photos it's time for a good sleep, and hopefully tomorrow I'll still remember how to play

Note: Throw in hats for organizer, public relations, sponsorship implementer, government liaison and forum poster *wipes brow*

Colin

 

[Colin Colenso]

Some photos from the event:

Fu Jian Bo

Kevin Becker

Ronnie Alcano

Liu Wei

Liu Wei

 

[Colin Colenso]

And a bunch more photos here that I just found uploaded on our media partner's website:

http://www.my147.com/8ballphotoShow?zhi=47

...includes the one below.

 

[JAM]

Wow, Colin! Those are GREAT pics! Very nice, indeed!

You sure have been wearing multiple hats this weekend. Get some rest. Sleep will be a blessing, I'm sure, in your busy schedule. Good luck to you on the challenge table tomorrow!

JAM

 

[sniper]

Thanks for the pics Colin.

I was quite surprised to see Ronnie go two and out, it sounds like there are some very strong players competing in the event.

 

[bandido]

Thank you Linda for initiating the thread and Colin for the on-site and pics. The Chinese are straaaaaiiiight shooters and only needs a little more high level match experience in the international arena and they'll be world beaters in no time. The little guy in glasses and blue shirt is someone towatch out for. He traded magical shots against Efren in the Asian tour. You done good Colin.

 

[Colin Colenso]

Just to follow up....

I played my match against Ronnie today, while playing Scottish Mike Massie on the adjoining table.

Ronnie beat me in the lag by about 1mm after measuring with a couple of balls. He broke dry and I ran out (good start ) Then I broke and made a nice run to get to a pretty decent shot on the black and muffed it. (Back to reality, for some reason I was thinking about this forum when I was lining up that black and was trying to block that out ...lol).

I had Ronnie sweating so much that he cleaned up and then broke and ran 4 racks to lead 5-1. He came up dry on the next and I ran out and then broke and ran and eventually pulled back to 5-6 down.

I was on an out to go 6 all but got lazy when I tried to pinch the center pocket to keep a better angle on the next to last ball. I missed. Ronnie ran out and broke and ran for an 8-5 win. Took about 50 minutes.

My other table was still at 2-2 and the games kept getting tied up and strategical. I was playing pretty solid but the occassional errors were slipping in. At about 5-4 up I started my 3rd match against Yunbo Wan, a local Chinese. I raced to a 3-0 lead in that match with 3 smooth clearances.

Anyway, I must have started to see the finish line as I made a couple of errors and the layouts started to look tricky. Yunbo Wan caught up to 4-4 with a few nice runs including 2 break and runs I think.

After struggling through a couple more strategical games I managed to win my match against Mike, who, though admittedly wasn't playing at his best, appeared to me to be more relaxed and focussed than he had been in the early rounds of the event.

After this I thought I'd be able to focus on my last game and pull it off. I had Yunbo snookered badly. Even if he hit his ball I was out next shot 90%. But he went up and down and pocketed his ball that was a foot from the pocket...ouch. And in the next I thought I had him and he broke his difficult ball out and made an excellent clearance.

I got another game back, but I was tiring. Almost made a very good out but scratched getting on my last ball. He cleaned up and broke and ran, so I lost the last 5-8 also.

Anyway, I would have liked to have taken all my chances, but generally I was satisfied with how I played considering my main focus has been on running the tourney for most of the last week.

I was about 10% below what I could have been today. But would probably need to add another 10% to that again to be able to play on par with players like Ronnie.

Still, that's the goal and I believe I can do it with more hard work. Hopefully as the season progresses I'll continue to improve and be able to take my fair share of matches off the top players.

Thanks to those who supported me. I was a little afraid I'd dissapoint and feel the pressure, but I played relaxed and played enough good pool during the matches to know that I can still step up when the pressure is on. At least step up to close to my current capabilities...which are a couple of steps from where I want to be.

Colin

 

[JAM]

Thanks very much, Colin, for not only running the IPT qualifier, but also for thinking enough of the inquiring minds on this forum to keep us updated. The pictures are really cool!

Glad to see you made a score too. That will come in quite handy for the expenses we all will incur for the 9-day-long N.A. 8-Ball Championship. I can't believe it's right around the corner, next month!

See you in Vegas, Colin! You're an asset to the IPT tour, first class all the way!

JAM

 

[Colin Colenso]

Thanks very much, Colin, for not only running the IPT qualifier, but also for thinking enough of the inquiring minds on this forum to keep us updated. The pictures are really cool!

Glad to see you made a score too. That will come in quite handy for the expenses we all will incur for the 9-day-long N.A. 8-Ball Championship. I can't believe it's right around the corner, next month!

See you in Vegas, Colin! You're an asset to the IPT tour, first class all the way!

JAM

Thanks for the kind words JAM,

Can't wait for Vegas! And looking forward to chatting with you and Keith again

A couple of pics of me congratulating the event winners Liu Wei and Fu Jian Bo. A couple of names to look out for in Las Vegas.

 

[rackmsuckr]

Note: Throw in hats for organizer, public relations, sponsorship implementer, government liaison and forum poster *wipes brow*

Colin

You can throw photographer in there too! Nice work, Colin, on your challenge matches. Sounds like you are pretty near ready for the Venetian. I second JAM's opinion that you are a great asset to the IPT.

BTW, who paid for your awesome banner?

 

[Colin Colenso]

You can throw photographer in there too! Nice work, Colin, on your challenge matches. Sounds like you are pretty near ready for the Venetian. I second JAM's opinion that you are a great asset to the IPT.

BTW, who paid for your awesome banner?

Hi Linda,
I got the company who sponsors my pool league, "Shanghai Beer" to sponsor our event. They provided the costs for designs, posters, signboards, press conference, seating stand, pitched in toward venue costs to buy the cloth etc and also sponsored two of our league players to enter the event.

So thanks to Shanghai Beer, a brand owned by Foster's, for making this event possible in China.

Colin

 

[kidrock]

It's nice to hear Alcano will try the US circuit again (click link below). Hopefully, he'll try to qualify in one of the 5 remaining IPT qualifiers.

http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storyb.cfm?storynum=3608

 

[GADawg]

I attended most of the three days of the Shanghai IPT qualifier, as Colin can attest.

I enjoyed every minute of it and was treated to seeing some great pool, both on the tournament tables and in some side matches.

Colin did a fantastic job of acting as organizer, TD, challenge table player and most everything else. When he was trying to play two simultaneous matches on the challenge tables, I felt for him.

It was a shame to see Ronnie get knocked out so early, but the Chinese players played good. Ronnie was a real friend and inspiration to everybody there. I had seen Fu JianBo and Li HeWen play before and knew how good they are, but was really surprised at the character, composure and play of Liu Wei. He told me right before his final match against Fu JianBo that he was nervous, but it sure didn't show.

Good job Colin and I look forward to the next one in August.