SBC retains Traders tourney crown

Saipan Badminton Club members pose for a group photo after clinching their fourth straight title in the 8th Annual Traders Insurance Badminton Team Tournament last Sunday at TSL Sports Complex.
(Jon Perez)

SBC earned its fourth straight crown in the lone team tournament sanctioned by the Northern Marianas Badminton Association. The four-time champion dominated the single round robin elimination, collecting 80 of the 120 points at stake in the month-long tournament to clinch the first finals berth.

Shirley’s, meanwhile, had to meet Community Badminton Club for the right to face SBC in the championship match. Shirley’s went on to post a 3-point edge against CBC, 69-66, to arrange a finals date with SBC.

In the title game, SBC showed its strong intention of keeping the crown with Hannah Choi teaming up with Alma Ortega and Julie Lee in collecting 6 quick points in the women’s AB and AA events. Three points are awarded to a team that wins a match in two games, while 2 points are given to the winning squad and one to its opponents if the match goes to three.

Choi and Ortega opened Day 1 with a 21-8, 21-12 win over Lani Bartolome and Windy Fernandez in the AA doubles division. Choi then joined Lee in dispatching Bartolome and sister Lot Caracut, 21-7, 21-11, in the women’s AB doubles event.

Shirley’s got its first points (2) courtesy of Jaja Bocago and Vilma Reyes in the women’s BC. Bocago and Reyes escaped with a 24-22, 10-21, 21-17 decision against the SBC pair of Diane Francisco and Bae Woo Kyung.

The close win in the women’s double BC, however, failed to spark a Shirley’s rally, allowing SBC to sweep the last two events—the women’s BB and men’s AB.

Ortega and Francisco made short work of Bocago and Caracut, 21-9, 21-8 in the women’s doubles BB, while Glenn Buultjens and Youngson Yu trounced Ferdie Arago and Jeff Riman, 21-15, 21-14, in their men’s AB tiff.

With SBC holding 13 points, it only needed 3 more to seal the title in the race-to-16 championship showdown.

Yu and Jongmin Lee then moved SBC closer to the crown, earning 2 points after a 21-18, 20-22, 21-18 win over Riman and Jerry Hibi in the men’s doubles B, while Hancheol Yu and Oh Im Bog clinched the championship for the favored team after they defeated Aries Cordero and Patrick Ferenandez in the men’s BC, 22-20, 21-13.

The final three matches in the title duel—the mixed BC and BB, and men’s CC— were still played even though SBC had the championship in the bag with its 18 points.

Shirley’s salvaged a little pride with wins in the last three matches. It collected 2 points after Reyes and Cris Hilario’s 21-19, 15-21, 21-17 triumph over Oh and Bae Woo Kyung in the mixed BC. In the mixed BB, Cordero and Windy Fernandez escaped with a 21-17, 16-21, 22-20 decision over Yun Jun Lee and Rowena Sison, while Patrick Fernandez and Leo Xu scored a 21-12, 21-19 win against Hancehol Yu and Daniel Kim in the men’s CC.

Meanwhile, Golden Racquets bagged third place after beating CBC, 17-13, in the consolation contest.

CBC entered the final day of its match against Golden Racquets with a 9-6 lead , but could not sustain its momentum, dropping a 4-11 tally to surrender the third place honors.

Golden Racquets collected 9 points with wins in the men’s BC and C, and mixed BB divisions, and added 2 markers in the men’s B.

Eydie Uy and Vic Regis defeated John Costales and Owen Ou, 21-12, 21-5; Noli Santos and Cheng Saturno tripped Ou and Mykki Caracut, 21-9, 21-11; and Uy and Ronnie Tan topped Costales and Kevin Park, 21-15, 21-16.

CBC had 3 points in the mixed BC courtesy of Caracut and Deether Edralin, who beat the husband-and-wife tandem of Jojo and Merlie Savellano, 21-15, 21-17.

Santos and Edwin Maratas gave Golden Racquets 2 more points following a 21-17, 11-21, 21-19 triumph over Edralin and Zeke Macario. (Jon Perez)