RIYADH, 30 April 2004 — Last Friday SkyFreight-STR Dart Team led by team captain Jimmy Ballesteros gave Jolina’s Fashion Collection Dart Team their walking papers 12-6 in the first game of the step-ladder semifinals in the ongoing Power Horse Dart Team Challenge organized by the Expat Darters of Saudi Arabia (EDSA) which is being held at the Basement Level of Manila Plaza in Batha.
The Taytay, Rizal-based Cargo Experts won 8 out of 10 matches in the Singles, featuring a Ton-80 from prized acquisition Mario Lorenzo, as well as a 17 darts and 19 darts finish respectively from hotshots Edgar Garcia and Fred Villapando. The Stylists showed signs of catching up when they won 2 consecutive Doubles matches but the duo of Mario Lorenzo and Noel De Leon stemmed their recovery.
Ace Darters also eliminated Ner’s Original La Paz Batchoy Dart Team. Ace Darters started hot, winning 7 out of 10 matches in the Singles but sporadic wins in the Doubles gave the Iloilo Food Kings some hope. However, the match ended with an 11-7 score.
The battle for the title “Bullseye King” was so exciting that it brought everybody up on their feet. Eleven darters competed in do-or-die battles for the highly coveted title that was eventually won by Edgar Garcia of SkyFreight-STR.
Best players of the week all came from SkyFreight-STR Dart Team: Mario Lorenzo, Fred Villapando and Edgar Garcia. The event is sponsored by Power Horse Energy Drink, in cooperation with First Quadrant Riyadh, York Central Aircon, Philippine Airlines, Afnan Water and the Filipino Channel.
Thursday night featured the awarding ceremonies for Part 1 of the First Manila Plaza Classified Open Singles Dart Tournament with Vice Consul Adrian Elmer Cruz of the Philippine Embassy attending. Manila Plaza, represented by its General Manager Ghassan Attiya, gave away three color TV sets to champions in Class A, B and Novice categories.
Registration is ongoing for Part 2 of the competition. Interested darters can contact Lino Leonardo, Mobile 0502198011 or Dado Corpuz, Mobile 0501621943. Tournament organizers will be applying the “K-O-C” format in the competition, in preparation for EDSA’s revival of their participation in regional and international dart tournaments.
