Saturday, October 04, 2008 LOPTTA hosts national liha table tennis tournament By Henry C. Villalva
THE Lopue's Table Tennis association (LOPTTA), headed by businessman Leonito "Diutay" Lopue, is hosting the 2008 1st Lopue's Liha National table tennis tournament at the LOPTTA clubhouse at Lopue's San Sebastian, Bacolod City starting Saturday.
The competition officially kicks off at 9 a.m. featuring three teams from Cebu, two teams from Malabon and another three teams from Bacolod City.
Lopue told Sun.Star Bacolod the two-day 'liha' event aims to rekindle the talents of veteran table tennis players who have excelled in the 'liha'or hard bat type of table tennis.
The tournament is open to the public for free.
Meanwhile, LOPTTA standout and former national team campaigner Marell Lagunday recently returned from her stint in the Jawad's Cup Table Tennis Championship in Cebu City held last September 27-28 at the Elizabeth Mall.
Lagunday, a former RP number 1 who was a mainstay of the RP team in 2004, came home from the Cebu invitational where she topped the women's open competition besting 15 other participants.
Competitions in the Jawad's Cup were also in the men's open as well as liha categories.
Other LOPTTA players who saw action in the Cebu event were Mark Jimenez, Edmund Garganan, John Paul Gubaton, Benjilkyn Dayap, Shamila Pineda, Beverly Paulma and Danilo Abonales.
The LOPTTA contingent used the Cebu tournament as tune-up in preparation for their scheduled stint in the forthcoming national selection from October 27-31 in Manila.
Lagunday told Sun.Star Bacolod Friday during an interview on the sides while the Bacolod City division table tennis competition was ongoing at the LOPTTA facility that 11 LOPTTA players are slated to see action in the national selection competition.
