Golden Racquet splits assignments

 Golden Racquet Badminton Club had mixed results in last weekend’s 5th Annual Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament at the TSL Sports Complex.

Golden Racquet, which pulled off a 17-16 win over TAGA in Week 1, completed its second assignment and won over Shirley’s Badminton Club last Saturday, 19-14, and then lost to front-runner Saipan Badminton Club, 13-20, last Sunday.

After two weeks of competition, Golden Racquet has earned 49 won games for second place in the five-club field, five games won behind SBC (54). SBC, which earned 25 games won in Week 1 and 20 in Week 2, has overtaken Golden Racquet for the top spot after prevailing in three of its first four matches against Shirley’s BC last Sunday.

Against Shirley’s, Golden Racquet took seven of the 11 matches, sweeping the mixed doubles and winning two of the three men’s doubles and two women’s doubles.

Golden Racquet’s Edwin Maratas and Annarose Omori downed Hapi Gabriel and Elma Labuson in the mixed doubles A, 21-13, 21-19; Noli Santos and Babes Cielo swept Aries Cordero and Jaja Samonte in the mixed doubles B, 21-13, 21-15; and Kanata Omori and Chris Obaldo edged Jexler Caranto and Windy Fernandez in the mixed doubles C, 21-13, 18-21, 21-5.

In the men’s doubles B, Golden Racquet’s Edwin Montoya and Santos slipped past Sam Jones and Glenn Buljenns, 21-19, 21-18, and Kanata Omori and Jordan Pangilinan prevailed over Caranto and Jerome Malasarte in the men’s doubles C, 16-21, 23-21, 21-6. Shirley’s Jeri Hibi and Joseph Santos swept Montoya and Vic Regis in the men’s A doubles, 21-17, 23-21.

Cheng Saturno and Marylyn Montano and Montano and Savellano handed Golden Racquet two wins in the women’s doubles after beating Malou Malasarte and Roma Barlao, 21-17, 21-18, and Samonte and Labuson, 21-16, 22-20, 21-7, in the A and B divisions, respectively. Barlao and Fernandez took the women’s doubles C over Lupe Sabino and Obaldo, 21-11, 21-16.

Shirley’s two other wins were courtesy of Hibi and Malou Malasarte. Hibi dominated Regis in the men’s singles, 21-8, 21-11, while Malasarte outclassed Anna Alvarez, 15-21, 21-16, 21-11.

In other results, the Berks Blazers had another tough match-up as after losing to Shirley’s BC in Week 1, 16-17, the former escaped past TAGA over the weekend, 17-16.

The Berks Blazers took five of the 11 matches in the pairing, ruling the men’s double A and B, women’s doubles A and B, and the mixed doubles A. TAGA prevailed in six matches, but still lost on total games won, as the Berks Blazers recorded all of their five wins via sweeps.

Gerry Balarao and Wowie Abuel defeated Jerry Tan and Luis Camacho in the men’s doubles B, 21-12, 21-14, while Ferdie Arago and Saul Gargallo swept Andrew Galvez and Rodwealth Espana in the men’s doubles B, 22-20, 21-18.

In the women’s doubles, delivering the wins for the Berks Blazers were the tandems of Lanie Bartolome and Annette Quiambao, who swept Merlie Tolentino and Shirley Kim in the B division, 22-20, 21-19, and Marlene Peraja and Quiambao, who downed Angie Ito and Cristy Villaflor in the A division, 21-13, 21-17.

Clinching the close win for the Berks Blazers was the duo of Macoi Aguda and Lot Abuel, who whipped Mickey and Loyda Ito, 21-10, 21-13, in the mixed doubles A.