Table tennis champs Valle, Lariba earn tickets to SEAG

Rodel Valle and Ian Lariba ruled the 2009 Hao Chin Sr. Memorial National Table Tennis Championships over the weekend at the Blue Eagle Gym to lead the members of the Philippine team to the coming Southeast Asian Games. Playing under the Philippine National Police banner, Valle banked on his superb forehand to whip Ting Ledesma of Fil-Chi, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 14-12, in the men’s final selection event. With the triumph, Valle earned a ticket to the 25th SEA Games in Laos on December 9-18, alongside losing finalist Ting, Richard Gonzales and Julius Esposo. Cagayan de Oro’s 14-year-old sensation Lariba blanked Chrisma Capistrano, 12-10, 11-7, 11-9, for the women’s open singles selection crown and a place in the Laos SEAG. She will be joined in the biennial meet by Capistrano and Henezy Aragon. Emerging winners in the other divisions were Dominic Colina of Perpetual (men’s non-rank); Rowena Morales of Saint Martin (women’s non-rank); Adolfo Bazar of Cainta (boys’ high school); Joma Sibal (girls’ high school); Daniel Sugatan of Tapia Elem. School (boys’ elementary) and Via Bonzon of Lagro High School (girls’ high elementary). Colina bashed Jayson Trofeo of La Salle-Lipa, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9, to capture the men’s non-rank singles crown while Morales beat Joma Sibal, 11-6, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, in the distaff side. Bazar, for his part, outclassed schoolmate Alberto Bazar, 5-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10, for the boys’ high school title while Sibal got back at Morales, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8, to win the girl’s high school crown. Sugatan defeated Nico Camiling of Saint Martin, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8, for the boys' elementary title while Bonzon outplayed Lea Olivar of Joyful Angel Academy, 11-9, 11-7, 11-5, in the girls’ side. - GMANews.TV