NMBF fetes Traders tourney winners

The Top 3 placers in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament received their trophies during the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation Christmas Party at Club V Thursday night.

The Green All-Stars were awarded with the championship trophy and each members of the team also went home with a miniature trophy.

The Green All-Stars were captained by Edwin Montoya. Their members include Lupe Sabino, Roding Domingo, Lea Estinopo, Gerry Balarao, Jojo Savellano, and Debra Fisher.

The team also received a cash prize of $300 from Traders Insurance president Lito Mendoza, who also presented the trophies to the winners.

The Green All-Stars finished the round-robin tournament with a 30-12 record, besting seven other teams in the annual event.

The runner-up trophy and a $200 cash went to the Smash Killers, who finished the tournament with a 28-14 slate. Macoi Aguda was the team's captain. The Smash Killers were composed of Elna Curate, Andrew Galvez, Marlene Pereja, Lucelle Lampera, Robert Reyes, Paul Navarro, and Ariel Mariano.

Taking home the third place plum and $100 cash were the Gray Hawks of team captain Lito Mendoza. The team had Annette Ta, Marvin Pullan, Loida Ito, Janis Parcon, Saul Gargallo, Obet Aguilar, and Lani Bartolome as members.

Members of the five other teams-Bad Masters, Blue Powers, Net Fighters, Dragon Shuttlers, and D'Bombers-each received a certificate of participation.

Jerry Tan handed out the certificates to members of the five teams and also delivered a brief speech after he was awarded a plaque of appreciation for supporting the tournament.

Mendoza was also given a plaque of appreciation after his company-Traders Insurance-supported the past two stagings of the team tournament.

NMBF also gave certificates of participation to players who competed in the junior division of the event, while the top two teams received trophies.

Brothers Manatsu and Kanata Omori took the championship trophy, while Ezekiel Macario and Jenine Savellano went home with the runner-up plum.
(Saipan Tribune)

Omori siblings triumph in youth badminton tourney

Brothers Manatsu and Kanata Omori were crowned champions in the junior division of the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament Saturday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Omori siblings bested three other pairs in the side event of the annual tournament organized by the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation.

The Omoris played for the Orange Team and after a round-robin tournament tied Green's Ezekiel Macario and Jenine Savellano, and Gray's John-John and Jylan Capuyon.

The three teams finished the round-robin with identical 2-2 records. Rodwealth Espana and Kenneth Domingo of the Red Ream were the other participants in the juniors division.

Gray, Orange, and Green all advanced to the playoffs with Green drawing a bye in the first round. Orange and Gray collided for the first match in the playoffs with the former winning to move to the title game.

The Capuyon brothers then dueled Orange's Macario and Savellano in the battle for the last finals slot with the latter pair prevailing to set a championship showdown with the Omor brothers.

The Omori siblings took a short route to the championship beating Macario and Savellano in straight sets, 21-15, 21-19.

Tournament director Macoi Aguda said they decided to have a junior division for this year's Traders event to encourage youth involvement in badminton.

The tournament for adults concluded Sunday with the Green All-Stars beating seven other squads for the championship.

The Smash Killers finished second, while the Gray Hawks ended in third place. Other teams that competed in the Traders tournament were the Bad Masters, the Blue Powers, the Net Fighters, the Red Dragon Shuttlers, and D' Bombers.

The Top 3 placers will be receiving trophies in the NMBF Christmas Party later this month.

The Traders Insurance tournament was supported by Shirley's Coffee Shop, Pacific Quick Print, Coral Ocean Point, PTI, Sun Palace Hotel, Wear-A-Marconi, Tropex, Dollar Days, and Labtech International.
(Saipan Tribune)

All-Stars shine in Traders Tourney

Green All-Stars topped the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament after a dominating performance in the last day of competition Sunday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

After nearly sweeping Dragon Shuttlers, 5-1, in the penultimate day of the round-robin tournament Friday, the All-Stars still had enough juice to squeeze out a 5-1 triumph over D'Bombers to finish the annual event with a 30-12 record.

The All-Stars were two wins ahead of eventual second placer Smash Killers (28-13).

Smash Killers and All-Stars entered the final day of competition with the latter ahead by only a win. But Smash Killers failed to grab the lead and the championship when they won only four games against Gray Hawks, 4-2. Gray Hawks settled for third place with a 23-18 slate.

The Top 3 teams will receive trophies at the Northern Marianas Badminton Federation's Christmas party later this month.

Green All-Stars secured the championship after sweeping their first five matches.

Christy Villaflor teamed up with Ruby Gozon in the women's doubles BC and the duo downed Emily Vargas and Merlie Tolentino, 21-17, 19-21, 21-9.

Gerry Balarao and Jojo Savellano swept Aries Montano and Arnel Bansagale in the men's doubles BB, 21-5, 21-14, to make it 2-0 for the All-Stars.

Debra Fischer gave the All-Stars their third win after thumping Marilyn Montano in the women's singles B, 21-13, 22-20.

In the mixed doubles AB, team captain Edwin Montoya joined forces with Leo Estinopo to beat Eric Pena and Montano, 21-11, 22-20.

Montoya also played in the men's doubles AB and teamed up with Balarao in defeating Pena and Montano, 21-18, 21-16.

Vargas and Pena foiled the All-Stars' bid for a sweep when they outclassed Fischer and Roding Domingo, 21-17, 21-16, 22-20.

Smash Killers remained in second place after winning in the women's singles B, mixed doubles AB and BC, and men's doubles AB.

In other results on the final day, Bad Masters prevailed over the Red Dragon Shuttlers, 4-2.

The Bad Masters finished fourth overall with their 21-21 record, while Shuttlers placed sixth tying the Net Fighters with identical 18-24 slates.

Blue Powers claimed the No. 5 spot with their 20-22 record after outlasting Net Fighters, 4-2, on the last day of the tournament.

D'Bombers finished last with their 10-32 mark.
(saipan tribune)

All-Stars tie Smash Killers for lead

The Green All-Stars notched a big win in the penultimate round of the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament to gain a share of the lead in the eight-team field.

The All-Stars nearly swept the Red Dragon Shuttlers, 4-1, on Day 6 of the tournament Friday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

With the win, the All-Stars improved to a 24-11 record tying the Smash Killers for the No. 1 spot.

The Smash Killers also won on Day 6, but got only three points against the Net Fighters making the battle for the championship an exciting race between the former and the All-Stars.

Delivering the needed victories for the All-Stars were the pairs of Edwin Montoya and Gerry Balarao, Christy Villaflor/Ruby Gozon, Villaflor/Lea Estinopo, and Balarao/Jojo Savellano.

Hapi Gabriel and Gigi Zapanta gave the Shuttlers their lone win in the match topping Montoya and Estinopo in straight sets in the mixed doubles AB, 21-15, 21-15.

Montoya later teamed up with Balarao in the men's doubles AB and downed Gabriel and Noli Santos, 21-9, 21-11.

Villaflor joined forces with Gozon in the women's doubles BC to thwart Merlie Savellano, 21-10, 21-18. In the women's doubles BB, Villaflor and Estinopa defeated Malou Mendoza and Zapanta, 21-13, 21-16.

Balarao and Jojo Savellano gave the All-Stars their fourth win after outlasting Santos and Jun Pineda, 21-18, 21-14.

In other results, the Bad Masters outclassed the Blue Powers, 3-2, to share the No. 3 spot with the Red Dragon Shuttlers.

The Gray Hawks prevailed over D'Bombers, 4-1, to improve to a 20-15 record and claim solo second place.

The Blue Powers and the Net Fighters are tied with identical 15-20 slates, while D'Bombers are at the bottom of the team standings with a 9-26 mark.

Smash Killers sweep D' Bombers

Smash Killers posted the first sweep in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament after shutting out D'Bombers, 6-0, Sunday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Games scheduled on Day 5 of the tournament were all doubles matches with Smash Killers winning in the men's doubles AB and BB, women's doubles BB, and the mixed doubles CC, AB, and BC.

Elna Curate and Andrew Galvez nailed the most impressive victory in Smash Killers' sweep of D'Bombers, as the duo defeated Puy Macario and Merlie Tolentino in straight sets, 21-8, 21-13, in the mixed doubles CC.

Robert Reyes and Paul Navarro also prevailed in straight sets in the men's doubles BB against the tandem of Aries Montano and Arnel Bansagale, 21-14, 21-19.

The four remaining doubles matches went the distance with the duos of Macoi Aguda-Lucelle Lampera, Marlene Peraja-Galvez, Peraja-Lampera, and Aguda-Ariel Mariano surviving their foes.

With the win, Smash Killers are now at the solo No. 1 spot with their 21-9 record.

Green All-Stars nearly swept Bad Masters, 5-1, to place second in the team standings with the former's 20-10 slate.

Bad Masters (13-17) are in a three-way deadlock for fifth place tying Net Fighters and Blue Powers.

Gray Hawks are in solo third spot with their 16-14 record after a 3-3 draw with Net Fighters on Day 5.

Dragon Shuttlers are in fourth place despite a 2-4 loss to Blue Powers.

The second edition of the Traders badminton team tournament will conclude this weekend with the eight participating teams having three games left each.

The Top 3 teams after the single-round robin tournament will receive trophies.

The Traders Insurance tournament is also supported by Shirley's Coffee Shop, Pacific Quick Print, Coral Ocean Point, PTI, Sun Palace Hotel, Wear-A-Marconi, Tropex, Dollar Days, and Labtech International.
(Saipan Tribune)

Blue Powers defuse D' Bombers

After bowing to their foes in the first three days of the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament, Blue Powers finally showed their might overpowering D'Bombers, 4-2, Saturday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The win improved Blue Powers' record to 10-4 moving them out of the bottom of team standings. D'Bombers are now the tournament's cellar dwellers with their 8-16 record.

Blue Powers prevailed in the men's singles B, men's doubles B, mixed doubles CC, and women's doubles BB to end their slump.

Mario Diola topped Arnel Bansagale in the men's singles B, 21-11, 21-11. Diola then joined forces with Roger Vales to thwart Eric Pena and Puy Macario in the men's doubles BB, 21-19, 21-10.

Alfred Acosta and Riza Cano also nailed a straight set win over Macario and Merlie Tolentino, 21-18, 24-22, in the mixed doubles CC. Ingrid Sanchez and Elma Labuson gave Blue Powers their fourth win after the duo downed Marilyn Montano and Emily Vargas, 21-8, 21-13.

Recording wins for D'Bombers were the tandems of Pena and Vargas and Montano and Tolentino.

In other results, Smash Killers and Green All-Stars posted similar wins to remain on top of the field.

Smash Killers defeated the Bad Masters, 4-2, to improve to a 15-9 record.

Smash Killers prevailed in the men's doubles BB, mixed doubles AB and CC, and women's doubles BB.

Sharing the No. 1 spot with Smash Killers are Green All-Stars, which beat the Gray Hawks, 4-2.

The All-Stars won in the men's singles B, men's doubles BB, mixed doubles BC, and women's doubles BB.

Gray Hawks, which joined Smash Killers and Green All-Stars in the No. 1 spot on Day 3, dropped to second place tying Red Dragons Shuttlers.

Shuttlers improved to a 13-11 slate after outclassing Net Fighters, 4-2.

Shuttlers prevailed in the men's singles B, men's doubles BB, and mixed doubles BC and AB.
(Saipan Tribune)

Net Fighters, Smash Killers crush opponents

The Net Fighters went 4-for-5 in their doubles matches to pull off a 4-2 upset over Day 2 leader Green All-Stars at the resumption of action in the 2nd Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament Friday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Net Fighters dropped their first two games, but came out fighting on Day 3 to move out of the bottom of the team standings.

An 8-10 record after Day 3 put the Net Fighters in fourth place, while the All-Stars are still on top, but share the lead with two other teams.

The tandem of Keno San Pablo and Pauline Cielo gave the Net Fighters their first win on Day 3, topping the pair of Roding Domingo and Lupe Sabino in the mixed doubles CC, 21-11, 19-21, 21-8.

Team captain Ed Sikayun and Alvin Alvarez made it 2-0 for the Net Fighters when they downed Jojo Savellano and Edwin Montoya in the men's doubles BB, 11-21, 21-18, 21-9.

Sikayun then teamed up with Angeline Ito to thwart Montoya and Lea Estinopo in the mixed doubles AB, 15-21, 21-11, 21-14.

The Net Fighters' fourth win came from the duo of Cheng Saturno and Ric Blue, who defeated Christy Villaflor and Domingo in the mixed doubles BC in straight sets, 21-13, 21-15.

The Green All-Stars won in the mixed doubles BB with the tandem of Gerry Balarao and Estinopo prevailing over Alvarez and Shirley Kim, 21-12, 21-15. Balarao won the lone men's singles match of the day beating Alvarez, 21-17, 21-11.

In other results, the Smash Killers recovered from a loss in Day 2, while the Gray Hawks forced a draw to tie the All-Stars in the No. 2 spot. The three teams have similar 11-7 records.

The Smash Killers, who bowed to the All-Stars on Day 2, whipped the Blue Powers, 5-1.

The Smash Killers won the lone singles match and four doubles games against the Blue Powers.

Juneh Padua and Alfred Acosta foiled the Smash Killers' bid for a sweep when the pair outclassed Lucelle Lampera and Andrew Galvez in the mixed doubles BC, 22-20, 18-21, 24-22.

But the lone win was not enough to save the Blue Powers from dropping to a 5-13 record for the last place in the team standings.

The Gray Hawks and the Red Dragon Shuttlers split their games with the former prevailing in the women's doubles CC, mixed doubles BC, and men's singles B. The Shuttlers won in the mixed doubles BB, men's doubles AB, and mixed doubles AB.

In the other pairing on Day 3, the Bad Master improved their record to 10-8 and gained the No. 2 spot after defusing D'Bombers, 4-2.

The Bad Masters won in the mixed doubles BB and AB, men's doubles AB, and the men's doubles B.

D'Bombers dropped to a 7-11 record and are second to the last place.
(Saipn Tribune)