Grand Spectacle
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The richest dart tournament in the history
of Philippine darts - "The 38th Araw ng Agusan
del Norte P400,000 National Darts Classic"
- unfolded last June 17 to 19 in Cabadbaran, the provincial capital
of Agusan del Norte. This is a project of Agusan del Norte Governor
Erlpe John M. Amante and co-organized by the National Dart Foundation
of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Agusan del Norte Capitol Darts
Club.The P400,000 total cash prize is a historic breakthrough
in prize money for a single dart tournament. The P100,000 purse
is the first and only six-figure award given to the Open Singles
champion. The event line-up included the the P40,000 Classified
Draw Doubles, the P60,000 National Team Championship, the P45,000
Classified Draw Triples, the P50,000 Ladies' Singles, the P200,000
Open Singles and the P5,000 Free-Event National Youth Singles.
Highlight of the Opening Ceremony
was the parade of over 300 darters representing the biggest number
of cities and municipalities nationwide. A foreign delegation, the
first ever in Mindanao, from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates composed
of Filipino World and Asia Pacific Cuppers now playing under the
Khalifa Trading Company was likewise present for the event.
Keynote speaker Governor Erlpe John
M. Amante was greeted with a rousing round of applause as he announced
an even bigger tounament for next year, the P500,000 Agusan del
Norte National Darts Classic. NDFP president, Tito Soncuya, set
the tone of the event as a celebration for a new level of excellence,
respectability and recognition to the sports of darts in the Philippines.
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38th
Araw ng Agusan del Norte Singles Champions Jan-Jan Hinojales
and Boie Parfan
with Agusan del Norte Governor Erlpe John M. Amante and NDFP
President Tito Soncuya |
VIEW
RESULTS & PICTURES
To accomodate the large influx of
darters, the tournament utilized a forty-six (46) dartboard set-up,
the most ever in Philippine darts history.
The 501 Classified Draw Doubles
501 started after the Opening Ceremony. Local boy Joe Plaza of Agnor
Capitol Dart Club and Andy Quijano of Dart Prints- Cagayan de Oro
(CDO) emerged as champions from a field of 148 pairs (296 players).
The following day, with 53 teams
in the Fixed Four-Person National Team Championship, Team La Tondeña
– CDO composed of Lino Galgo, Bert Lozano, Boy Momo and Henry
Rivera edged local favorite Team Butuan III of Vic Castañares,
Orlando Navarro, Dodong Nollora and Mario Saclet with a 4-3 score.
Later that day, the Classified Draw
Triples drew a total of 255 players or 85 three-man teams. The troika
of Glean Espargoza of RPG Darts – Panabo (Davao del Norte),
Mon Oliveros of Khalifa Trading Company (Abu Dhabi) and Eric Peñaranda
of Iligan Darters (Lanao del Norte) emerged victorious over the
team of Dodong Lumantao of Cebu Niños and local boys Carlo
Burnea of Kajima Corporation and Dodong Nollora of Butuan Darts
Club.
The single events showcased the final
day of the tournament. The Open Singles saw big upsets as only two
seeded players, World and Asia Cuppers Boie Parfan and Ricky Mijares
of Robson advanced to the Top 16. Top seeded player Bert Lozano
of Cagayan de Oro lost to Ronald Locsin of Tacurong Dart Club (Sultan
Kudarat) while second seed Pabling Cadungog of the Dart Federation
of Kutawato (Cotobato City) lost to Jun Bayawa of Carry All Dart
Club of Sindangan (Zamboanga del Norte). Other seeded players like
Noel Anino of Duterte Agila (Davao City) lost to Eric Peñaranda
of the Iligan City Darters and Boy Melijor of GMC-Cagayan de Oro
lost to Henry Suerto of the San Carlos City Darters (Negros Occidental).
Many times Darter of the Year Dixie Ybanez, who now plays for Kahilifa
Trading Company, was beaten by Romel Mijares of Duterte Aguila of
Davao City.
Two-time World Cupper Boie Parfan
of Robson Philippines dominated the Open Singles event. Enroute
to the championship, Parfan dashed the hopes of the strong foreign
contingent of the Khalifa Trading Company winning 4-0 over Saleh
Alqubaisi in the early rounds, 4-1 over Mon Oliveros in the Top
16 and 5-0 over the last remaining Khalifa player Lourence Ilagan
in the quarterfinals. In the elimination rounds, Parfan shut out
4-0 Mario Saclet of Butuan Darts Club and Ricky Santiago of Amber's
Best (Makati City). Continuing his dominance, Parfan went on to
beat Dodong Nollora of Butuan City 5-2 in the semifinals and trounced
Rommel Bagotayao of Silay City, Negros Occidental playing for Globelines-Cebu
with a score of 6-3 in the championship.
Whereas Bagotayao struggled going
to the finals with wins over Andy Quijano of Cagayan de Oro and
Marvin Mariano of Prosperidad, Agusan del Norte, Parfan showed a
powerful display of 'dartsmanship" winning 32 legs/games and
losing only 6 legs/games.
The top two lady darters of the Philippines,
World and Asia Pacific Cupper Jan-Jan Hinojales of Robson-Davao
City and nineteen year old prodigy An-An Awitan of Cagayan de Oro
City met in the finals for the third time this year. It was a thrilling
championship down the wire with Hinojales prevailing 5-4. Hinojales
beat Sheila Braña of Koronadal Dart Club (South Cotobato)
4-2 while Awaitan overwhelmed Ging Martirez of Dartstorm (Quezon
City) in the semifinals.
In the Youth Singles, sixteen year
old Sherwin Diaz of Tagum Optimate Darters Organization (Davao del
Norte) crushed fifteen year old Kokong Ponferrada of Trotters-CDO,
3-0. Sharing Joint 3rd places were Renante Quilo of the Cabadbaran
Darters Association (Agusan del Norte) and Jarryd Ace Plaza of the
Agnor Capitol Dart Club.
Insights
The tournament was a great revelation of the deep talents of the
Filipino darters and the strenght of the new upcoming players wanting
national exposure. Despite the presence of the major darting citites
of Cagayan de Oro, Davao ,Cebu, Cotabato and Metro Manila, dart
players from these cities were not able to dominate the tournament.
Instead tournament money winners were dispersed to new talents comming
from Butuan, Sindangan, Tacurong, Tagum, and Koronadal, to name
a few. A sleeping giant has awakened in Mindanao. A new dart explosion
and dart revival is happening in its country side.
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