MANILA, Philippines - Stephen Andrew Timson, Rino Eito and Joshua Perez successfully joined forces to capture the first Ateneo Table Tennis Training Center-Certified Ping-Pong Aficionados (CPA) national fellowship title tournament over the weekend.
The event was held at the Ateneo Table Tennis Training Center on Katipunan in Quezon City.
The troika of Timson, Eito and Perez, who survived the grueling battle of the one-day event participated in by at least 100 players nationwide, outclassed the trio of Mihali Crisostomo, Romer King Matsudaira and Kimberly Anne Mendoza for the title.
“It was very exhausting and tiring from morning to evening of endless play but we’re happy that we won the title,” said Timson. “My two other teammates played impressive and they also deserve the credit of this win.”
Timson, Eito and Perez won their respective matches against Crisostomo, Matsudaira and Mendoza to score a 3-0 win in the championship round of the tournament sanctioned by the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP).
Reyjie Rosales, Earl Andal and Jen Mariel Bauda settled for second runner-up in the event supported by Ateneo De Manila University athletic director Ricky Palou, Donic Philippines and managed by Ateneo head coach Floyd Lobaton.
TATAP board members Ting Ledesma (treasurer), Arnel Berroya (acting-president), Annie Andanar (secretary-general), Atty. Domingo Panlilio (chairman) and Maria Teresa Deniega (auditor) awarded the trophy and cash prize to the champion.
“We, the TATAP board members with the help of acting president Berroya, are now planning to make this tournament quarterly this year and hold this to a bigger venue for the love of this sport,” said Ledesma. “We will also increase the prices.”
The champion received P4, 000 cash prize plus trophy, while the first runner-up took home P3, 000 plus trophy and the second runner settled for P2, 000 plus trophy.