Traders Insurance/PTI Cup winners feted

Winners of the Inaugural Traders Insurance/PTI Cup Badminton Tournament pose with their trophies during the awards banquet of the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation-organized event Saturday at the Seaside Hall of the Saipan Grand Hotel.

Northern Marianas Badminton Federation concluded another successful competition for the fledgling sports association with Saturday night's Inaugural Traders Insurance/PTI Cup Badminton Tournament awards banquet.

Sumptuous food and a bevy of in-kind and cash raffle prizes overflowed at the Seaside Hall of Saipan Grand Hotel as over 60 NMBF members attended the banquet.

NMBF president Jonathan Perez congratulated all winners of the tournament as well as thanked all its participants. He also gave kudos to the competition's main sponsors-Traders Insurance and Pacific Telecoms Inc.

During the announcement of raffle winners and awarding of trophies, which were especially ordered from the Philippines, event hosts Macoi Aguda and Hapi Gabriel left the crowd in stitches with their stand-up comedy act.

Helping Perez hand out the trophies were NMBF vice president Edwin Montoya and Traders Insurance owner Lito Mendoza.

The Traders Insurance/PTI Cup was held in late April in early May. Raj Jayalal was the tournament's biggest winner as he took home two first-place trophies. The Sri Lankan won the Men's Doubles A crown with Aguda and also reigned supreme in the Mixed Doubles A/B with Ingrid Sanchez.

Mendoza and Achas came in second in the Men's Doubles A with Gabriel and Raymond Togonon finishing third.

Winning the Women's Doubles A/B was the pair of Christy Villaflor and Loyda Ito with the tandems of Diane Dar Juan and Shirley Kim and Jinky De Belen and Janis Parcon coming in second and third, respectively.

The championship in the Men's Doubles B went to Alvin Alvarez and Eric Peña with Emil De Belen and Robert Reyes and Saul Gargallo and Hector Benitez taking home the first runner-up and second runner-up plums.

Ariel Mariano and Narlou Achas, meanwhile, were without peer in the Men's Doubles C division. Jason Junio and Aries Cordero finished second with Chris Hilario and Efren Cacdac coming in third.

The pairs of Deborah Fisher and Camille Samonte, Rose Lazaro and Lea Estinopo, and Lupe Sabino and Malou Mendoza finished first, second, and third in the Women's Doubles C.

Ryan Achas and Elma Labuson came in second to Jayalal and Sanchez in the Mixed Doubles A/B with Peña and Marlene Peraja coming in third.

Fisher won her second championship of the tournament after pairing with Milo Valdez to top the Mixed Doubles C division, while Sabino and Cacdac settled for second. The pairing of Cordero and Samonte finished third.

Aside from Traders Insurance and PTI, Admaran International Inc., Pure H2O, Treasure Island, Fiesta Resort and Spa, Saipan Grand Hotel, Pacific Islands Club, and Sun Palace Hotel also sponsored the tournament.

For more information about Inaugural Traders Insurance/PTI Cup Badminton Tournament, contact NMBF president Jon Perez at 235-1533, NMBF PRO Mark Rabago at 235-0515, or email at NMBF@yahoogroups.com. (PR)

NMBF thanks supporters

The Northern Marianas Badminton Federation thanked all of its supporters that helped them in the Traders Insurance/PTI Cup Badminton Tournament.

The tournament started on April 16 and matches progressed through May 12 to accommodate the number of pairs that competed in the Mixed Doubles division.

Games were played Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday in the first week of competitions, and Saturday and Sunday only as the tournament goes on.

NMBF officials, led by NMBF president Jon Perez, thanked Traders Insurance and PTI for sponsoring the league and are looking forward for their continued support for the fledgling group.

Other sponsors that helped the NMBF are Admaran International Inc., Fiesta Resort & Spa, Pacific Islands Club, Pure H2O, and Treasure Island.

NMBF officials are already organizing the awards banquet as soon as the trophies arrive from the Philippines this week. The banquet is tentatively scheduled on June 16 with the venue and time to be announced at a later date.

The champions in each division will receive their trophies while all participants in the tournament will receive certificates.

The list of champions are Raj Jayalal and Macoi Aguda (Men's A); Alvin Alvarez and Erik Peña (Men's B); Narlou Achas and Ariel Mariano (Men's C); Loida Ito and Cristy Villaflor (Women's A/B combined); Debbie Fisher and Camille Samonte (Women's C).

Jayalal joined Ingrid Sanchez to win the combined A/B Mixed Doubles division, while Fisher teamed up with Milo Valdez in the C class.

In other news, the Division of Sports and Recreation allowed the NMBF to hold night practices every Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm to 9pm at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (PR)