By Elliott West
Introduction
Canada has produced so many professional snooker players over the years, some going on to the heady heights of winning tournaments but others being forgotten and falling by the wayside. One lesser-known player who deserves recognition for reaching the main stage in the first place, is the former professional snooker player, Gino Rigitano. A professional from 1983-1993, Gino never won an event on the tour but did climb as high as 77 in the rankings.
Career
Born in 1957, Rigitano turned professional in 1983 and in the 1983-84 season, Gino defeated Marcel Gavreau 9-6 in the first round of the 1983 Canadian Professional Championship, played at the Canadian National Exhibition Stadium in Toronto in August of that year and where Kirk Stevens became champion, beating Frank Jonik 9-8. Rigitano was beaten in the next round, losing 4-9 to Bernie Mikkelsen.
In his four-player pre-qualifying group for the 1984 International Masters at the Assembly Rooms in Derby, he fared slightly better, recording 2-0 wins over Dennis Hughes and Paul Medati and a 2-1 win against Bill Oliver. In the next group round, he played Jimmy White and Frank Jonik, with White winning the group and qualifying for the main event. Steve Davis went in to win the tournament.
World Championship Hopes
Gino first appeared at the World Championship in 1984 and lost 7-10 in the first round to Scotland’s Matt Gibson. However, his best performance came the following year at the 1985 World Championship, where he progressed to the last 48 stages. Rigitano defeated Dessie Sheehan 10-9, Bob Harris 10-4, and Mick Fisher 10-2 before losing to Neal Foulds 8-10. This was not only the Canadian’s best World Championship performance but professional career performance as well. The player struggled until 1993 when he one of 76 players to either resign or fail to pay the £100 fee required to stay on the main tour. Now 63, Gino Rigitano lives in Toronto, Canada. A player who was on the edge of success but just couldn’t quite cut into silverware territory.
