Negros eyes solo lead in PFF Suzuki U-23 Cup

AFTER posting two consecutive victories over the weekend, the Ceres-Negros Selection will be facing the Iloilo booters 1 p.m. Monday to earn the leadership in the ongoing PFF-Suzuki U-23 Cup Visayas Regionals scheduled April 15-19, 2011 at Siliman Ball Park in Dumaguete.

Barangay 1 sweeps 14-under elims; Su-ay leads 21-under qualifiers

HIMAMAYLAN CITY – At the end of the single round robin elimination stage of the first 1st Mayor Tinto Bascon Cup CUP 2011 Summer Basketball League held at Cong. Agustin M. Gatuslao Memorial Center in Himamaylan City, the young powerhouse team from Barangay 1 mentored by Jeffrey Verano swept the 10-team cast with 9-0 win-loss record to lead three other teams that qualified to play for the semifinal round of the 14-under division.

Binalbagan launches 4th Balbagan cagefest

BINALBAGAN – The 4th Balbagan Sportsfest 2011 edition was recently launched last April 2, 2011 at the Binalbagan covered court with the brief opening ceremony ushering the start of the Inter-Barangay Basketball Tournament after the usual parade of all participating teams.

Gabutan KOs Thai foe

A SHATTERING upper cut followed by a powerful straight fight ended the 12 round brawl in three as Dayer Gabutan retained his World Boxing Organization’s oriental bantamweight title at the jampacked La Trinidad Municipal Gym.

Baguio racers shine in slalom invitational

BAGUIO racers made their presence felt anew landing in the podium of the over-all championship in the recently concluded Race Motor Sports Club Slalom Invitational Challenge at the Francisco Ortega Highway in San Fernando City, La Union.

Jet Ramos, Imay Datu and Ramzy Kairuz simply slammed the doors on other slalom racers in the one-day event to claim the third to fifth place finish in the first out of 3 legs for the Slalom Invitational for year 2011.

All Care, Batters down foe in Sumvac Batted balls

ALL CARE Insurance System clobbered Saint Luis University while CVB Batters came up with big runs in the third inning to secure separate victories in the first Baguio Batted Balls Sumvac Tournament at the Melvin Jones Football grounds.

The YLAD Cubzats powered All Care Insurance came up huge eight runs in the sixth inning to defeat SLU, 18-9, while the Batters overcame a fighting Dagsian United for a 19-10 victory in the slo-pitch competition.

Davao girls place third

THE Davao FA lost a tight semifinal battle and settled for third place in the Girls U14 National Selection Tournament at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.

Sabaldan: Mayor Sara Duterte, Phoenix sports and Yvonne Yuchengco, industry movers all

WE ARE lucky to have Yvonne Yuchengco herself, president of the Malayan Group of Companies which is currently having a tie up with Phoenix Petroleum, one of the fastest growing Davao-breed companies which is also our number one advocate in sports in the private sector.

Lhuillier revamps lineup

DEFENDING champions M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños made a major revamp in their lineup for the upcoming campaign in the Liga Pilipinas Conference IV, which is set to open on April 27 in Sto. Domingo People’s Center in Ilocos Sur.

The Niños parted ways with long-serving center and Conference I MVP Marlon Basco along with Tournament of the Philippines vital players Mark Magsumbol, Hafer Mondragon, point guard Eliud Poligrates and ex-PBA player Ariel Capus.

Tabal: Cebu’s new running queen

HARD WORK paid off once again for Mary Joy Tabal after dominating the women’s half marathon category of the 3rd Great Lapu-Lapu Run yesterday .

Tabal who had been consistently topping weekly runs in Cebu said her regular training was the key to her success and part of the credit goes to her coach and fellow runner, Philip Duenas.

Cebu blanks Leyte, 5-0

DESPITE losing two of its key players to red cards the other day, Cebu made up for the loss with its bench players stepping up to rout Leyte, 5-0, in the Philippine Football Federation-Suzuki U-23 National Cup in Dumaguete City.

“It was expected that we will win the game,” Cebu 23-Under Men’s team coach Eleazar Toledo told Sun.Star Cebu.

Limpag: Tennis toughies

IN one thread in a popular boxing forum, somebody said tennis was a sissy sport.

I wanted to throw a retort, but I didn’t since I knew it would be a waste of time.

Rama: Back from a hiatus

HAVING been gone from these pages a few editions now, writing again actually feels weird. I don’t know where to begin.

A visit to the shooting range with a buddy who wanted some ground shooting experience last Sunday did help give me back my bearings.

Kin still await DNA results identifying nurse in NZ

THE remains of Ce-buano nurse Rhea Mae Sumalpong have not been identified to this day, nearly two months after she got trapped under a collapsed building in Christchurch,

New Zealand following a powerful earthquake last Feb. 22.

Durano heeded poll ban: lawyer

DANAO City Legal Officer Gloria Lastimosa Dalawampu yesterday said Mayor Ramon “Boy” Durano Jr. has not violated any law in replacing his nephew, Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez Jr. with his brother, Jesus “Don” Durano, as city administrator.

He said the position is one of confidence and the mayor wants somebody he can trust for the job.

Arcilla beats Tierro to win 3rd C. Lhuillier men’s title

PATIENCE played a vital role for country’s no. 1 Johnny Arcilla as he beat PJ Tierro 6-7 (2) ,6-4, 6-3 to win the 4th Cebuana Lhullier Men’s Open title at the Baseline Tennis Center yesterday.

East: Mosley too old for Manny

ONE-time world champion Morris East is optimistic that Manny Pacquiao will win his May 7 fight against Shane Mosley because he believes the 39-year-old American is no longer as dangerous as he once was.

Abap-Cebu elect officers

IN a bid to reorganize its group, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Abap) Cebu Chapter elected a new set of officers yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Commission office.

The Abap national leadership, headed by Ricky Vargas, earlier asked chapters in the province and cities to organize and affiliate with the NSA and be a part of the national board.

ALA fight series in Country Mall

THE quest to discover and develop new boxing prodigies continues as the ALA-Summit Natural Drinking Water Fight Night Amateur Boxing Series returns to Gaisano Country Mall tonight with 12 bouts in the card.

Highlighting today’s bouts is the rematch between Toledo City’s Rhiyann Canillas and Mark Andre Acub of Antique in the 62-kilo division.

Pages: Tommy O’s stories about Manny P

MANNY steals my candies, said Tommy Osmeña. Yes, that’s true. The richest athlete that our nation has ever produced, pocketing P500,000,000 per blockbuster fight, the man who owns mansions spanning Los Angeles and Gen. Santos City, the congressman who bankrolled his own election campaign... yes, this billionaire codenamed Pacman… steals the candies of Tommy O.

Quijano: The other welterweight battle

AN interesting duel takes place today in the welterweight division with the winner being a potential and viable opponent for the sport’s reigning pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao.

Victor Ortiz is an explosive, powerful lefty who struts a record of 28 wins, 22 knockouts and 2 losses.

Rommel: Don’t miss thrills of Shanghai F1

GOD willing, I will still be in Shanghai covering the Formula One while you are reading this—thanks to Foton Motor Phils. Or, maybe, the race could be over as you pore over this piece. Whichever, I pray and hope (as St. Padre Pio loves to counsel us) you are all fine as usual.

The Formula One is one riveting event that captures the imagination of the world, particularly the motoring sport. It is the most followed race on wheels. Second to none.

Armecin, Pacquiao return, end SWU’s losing streak

AFTER skipping two games, Eleazar Armecin and Rene Pacquiao returned to the San Marino Corned Tuna-Southwestern University Cobras fold with a bang as they helped the team end a two-game slump with an 85-76 victory over the Winner Beef Loaf-Cebu Institute of Technology University Wildcats in the opening match of the 5th Cesafi-Partner's Cup yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.

Pacquiao scored the game-high 20 points, while Armecin added 15 as San Marino improved their standings to 2-3 while handing Winner Beef Loaf its third defeat in four games.

Cebu 23-U team suffers another loss

AN undermanned Cebu Elite 23-Under Men’s team remained winless after suffering its second straight loss in the Philippine Football Federation-Suzuki Under-23 National Cup yesterday in Dumaguete City.

Following a 2-0 loss to Iloilo the other day, the Cebuanos once again faltered, with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bacolod City, after two of its players Jess Roy Melgo and Edmar Galacio were slapped with red cards in the second half of the elimination match.

Iranian wins 1st stage

MANILA—Rahim Emami of Iran’s Azad University cycling team served notice of his title bid when he ruled the opening stage of the 2011 Le Tour de Filipinas, which started and ended at the Rajah Sulaiman Park in Manila yesterday.

The 30-year-old Emami, King of the Mountain runner-up in the recent 2011 Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia, journeyed the 67.2-kms. criterium along Roxas Blvd. and Macapagal Ave. in the cities of Manila and Pasay with an average speed of 45.54 kph to finish the race in one hour, 28 minutes and 32 seconds.

2,600 join Energizer night race in Davao

A TOTAL of 2,600 were set to answer the starting gun as the Energizer Night Race hits the road in an out-and-back course from SM City Davao parking area C on Saturday night.

Mirabel Roferos: The table tennis MVP

THE five-foot-one Mirabel Roferos did not just steer Davao Region 's gold medal finish in women's table tennis team event of the just-concluded 2011 Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa) National Collegiate Games, she was hailed most valuable player (MVP), too.

Lyn-Lyn, whose father Generoso is a merchandiser and whose mother Marlie is a housewife, powered her team that edged Cebu-bannered Central Visayas in the finals, 2-1, at the Pilar College in Zamboanga City.

Sambag 1 Mayor’s Cup Sportsfest moabli karon

SUGDAN na karong adlawa ang Sambag-1 Mayor’s Cup Basketball and Volleyball tournament.

Ang basketball gibahin ngadto sa upat ka divisions nga mao ang mini (12 yrs old and below), midget (13-17 yrs. od), juniors (18 yrs. old and above) ug seniors (35 yrs. old and above).

Negros 1st U18 booters save Negrense pride

TEARS fell from the eyes of the young Negrense booters Friday caused by mixed emotions as the Negros 1st U18 squad won their division title and saved their younger sisters’ pride, following the Negros 1st U14 shinbusters’ defeat via penalty shoot-out in their championship match at home against Rizal Football Association (RIFA) for the 1st Gov. Alfredo G. Marañon Jr. National Football Selection 2011 at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City.

Regine Metillo scored all of Negros 1st goals to lead a come-from-behind victory over visiting Iloilo FA, 4-3.

Loppta posts opening wins in Lopue’s Open

PADDLERS from the host-Lopue’s Table Tennis Association (LOPTTA) of Dr. Leonito “Diotay” Lopue posted early victories during the opening day of the Lopue’s Open 2011 scheduled April 15-17, 2011 at the Lopue’s San Sebastian Department Store annex building here in Bacolod City.

Bannered by former national team mainstay Isaias Seronio, Jong Otralla and Mark Jimenez, the Lopue’s Team A won over Ad Marketing, 3-0 while Lopue’s Team B of Noel Gonzalez, Paul Puentespina, John Paul Gubaton and Edmund Garganian also outplayed Imperium-Donic 3-0.