BADDICTS TOURNEY WINNERS. From left to right, Level E runners-up Ryan Doromal and Janrhel Asombrado; Level E champions EJ Arquillano and Joel Tiu; Level G champions Carl Cordova and Apple Garbo; Level G runners-up Ma. Angelique Jandonero and Jobelle Luces; Level F runners-up Mark Alcano and Chris Casumpang and Level F winners Karina Tecson and Lyrden Laborte. (CDN PHOTO/MARK TONGCO)
EXPERIENCE and wit again proved superior than youth and plain brawn.
This was especially true in the Level E championship match of the Baddicts Smash and Drop 3.0 Badminton Tournament last Saturday where Joel Tiu and EJ Arquillano beat the youthful pair of Ryan Doromal and Janrhel Asombrado, 31-27.
The odds were heavily stacked against the winnng pair because not only were their opponents much younger than them but are also current varsity players of Southwestern University.
Throw in Arquillano’s painful elbow and an upset is practically next to impossible.
But the champion pair leaned on their valuable years of experience to thwart their favored foes.
“Nagsakit raba akong elbow tungod sa duwa namo sa volleyball,” Arquillano said while the preliminaries were being played. After emerging at the top of their bracket and defeating Fritz Sagaad and Vincii Avancena in the semi-finals, Arquillano noticed that his strokes are improving and the pain has diminished. His consistent defense against the unrelenting power of Doromal and Asombrado, coupled with the masterfully placed attacks and drops of Tiu earned them the crown in the centerpiece division.
Meanwhile, the tandem of Karina Tecson and Lyrden Laborte claimed the Level F mixed title with a close, 31-29 victory against Mark Alcano and Chris Casumpang while Philippine Air Force team mates battled each other in the Level G finals where Apple Garbo and Carl Cordova defeated Jobelle Luces and Ma. Angelique Jandonero, 31-28.
The tournament was handled by match table handlers Heriz Arche Zambo, Glen Alcano, and Fritz Albores resulting in a smooth flow of matches without the long waiting time that usually plague badminton tournaments.
The Baddicts Smash and Drop 3.0 Badminton Tournament was sponsored by Kopiko 78C, Golden Ryu, WP Furniture, FORD-Minglanilla, Alberto’s Pizza, Gp Gutierrez and Wilson Miflores.