KUWAIT CITY, Oct 6: Nestor Matondo and Mohammad Rafiq were all class as they displayed a lot of skills to clinch the title in the Filipino Badminton Club in Kuwait (FILBACK) one-day tournament in Riggae, Friday. While negotiations for a new and permanent venue have reached the final stages , FILBACK decided on a temporary venue this week to ensure that all their members remain fit and at the same time provide a venue for the mostly Filipino community to get together in a bid to promote friendship and goodwill.
This event would not have been possible without the efforts of FILBACK Founding Chairman Caloy Abesamis, Tournament Director Ed Buensuceso and their office bearers who are consistently coming up with new ideas to provide a venue to the community to enjoy themselves and at the same time arrange fair and quality badminton games.
Due to limited time available only two categories were created — Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
Before the start of the tournament the FILBACK Technical Committee decided the tournament would be based on knock out matches with the top 4 pairs moving into the semi finals based on their total number of points. Seven points were awarded to the pair which completed its victory in 2 sets while the non-winning pair received 2 points but if the winning pair achieved its victory in 3 sets they were to be awarded 5 points and the loser 3 points.

Men’s Doubles
The tandem of Nestor Matondo and Mohammad Rafiq walked home with the Men’s Doubles crown when they fought wisely and overcame — in an extended two-set play — the good pair of Richard Amoto and Leandro de Jesus 23-21, 24-22.
There was a very close fight in both the sets with both of going into an extension as neither pair were ready to admit the other side was better than them. The match saw very long rallies, excellent cross-court and drop shots but none of the pairs could really dominate the match which swung from one side to the other and could have gone either way.
With supporters of both the teams cheering them up, Matondo and Rafiq – who took the title in a previous tournament when he was paired with Mohammad Nadeem—showed that their partnership maybe be new but it hadn’t affected their game as they quickly settled down with a deep understanding of each other’s game.Both are veterans on the court and they proved this point with an excellent display of skills and determination.
Amoto and De Jesus may have lost the game and with it the title but they won everyone’s hearts of all those present on the courts that day as they fought their hearts out with a display worthy of champions but it was not to be their day as their rivals just held on at the end of each set to emerge victorious.
While the match was close and tough , neither team showed any effect of the matches they had played throughout the day when they ran into some very difficult matches in the semifinals and the elimination round.

In the semi finals Nestor Matondo and Mohammad Rafiq overwhelmed Ed Buensuceso and Billy Ramos 21-18, 21-15 while Richard Amoto and Leandro de Jesus were in form when they hammered Michael del Pilar and Rey “Smokey” Orje in back to back sets 21-17, 21-17.
Both the ultimate finalists did not have too much difficulty in overcoming their opponents although the matches were much closer than the scores indicated.
Matondo and Rafiq were given a tough fight in the first set when their opponents took 18 points off them but they were more miserly in the second set as they gave away only 15 points.
Earlier in the elimination round, Donald Briones and Rey Lubaton overwhelmed Jess Sibunga and Leandro de Jesus 21-16, 21-11, while Elmer Domingo and Junnie Gratil outlasted Rey Orje in a seesaw battle 21-12, 17-21, 21-12, Nestor Matondo and Mohammad Rafiq brushed aside Rasheed and Joel Aguirre 23-21, 21-19, Edison dela Cruz and Jet Adlawan edged Nestor Farinas and Caloy “FILBACK Daddy” Abesamis 18-21, 21-17, 22-20 and the tandem of Tony Liow and Russel Skoyles blended well on the courts, pressing down hard on the accelerator to outlast Ed Buensuceso and Abdul Latif 18-21, 21-15, 21-15.

The battle between Matondo and Rafiq against Rasheed and Aguirre was also very close and really exciting to watch for both the sides gave nothing away.The first set went into an extension with Matondo and Rafiq narrowly prevailing over their rivals.The second set was also quite tough and Rasheed and Aguire showed a lot os skills and determination in a bid to level the game before they went down fighting to lose both the set and the match.
Dela Cruz and Adlawan were, meanwhile stretched to the limit in their match against Farinas and Abesamis, who took the first set after a really tough fight for the loss of 18 points.But the things did not go according to their liking in the next set as Dela Cruz and Adlawan fought back and displayed the stuff they are made of by giving away only 17 points to win the set , level the match and push it into a deciding third set.The last set was a cliffhanger and could have gone either way , with the rallies and the match swinging from one pair to the other.No one could predict the winners until the very end when Dela Cruz and Adlawan showed their determination and maintained steady nerves to take the set and with it the match.

In the other matches, Mohammad Nadeem and Ronald Brizuela edged Renato Calanog and Marianne Salunga in a seesaw battle 21-15, 16-21, 21-15, while Richard Amoto and Leandro de Jesus outlasted Ed Buensuceso and Billy Ramos 21-17, 16-21, 21-17, Michael del Pilar and Rey Orje edged Nestor Farinas and Jess Sibunga 21-14, 14-21, 21-7 and the pair of Elmer Domingo and Junnie Gratil outlasted Tony Liow and Russel Skoyles 21-14, 17-21, 21-10.
Nadeem and Brizuela seemed to take things easy after winning the first set without much effort and they paid for relaxing, although nothing should be taken away from the fight put up by their opponents., when they lost the second set and the match went into a third deciding third set.Nadeem and Brizuela where in no mood to relax now and they took the third set easily to win the match and move into the next stage.
Meanwhile, Nestor Matondo and Mohammad and Rafiq overwhelmed Donald Briones and Rey Briones 21-18, 21-15, while Rasheed and Joel Aguirre thumped Caloy Abesamis and Allan Sayoto 21-18, 21-19, Renato Calanog and Marianne Salunga hammered Richard Amoto and Abdul Latif 21-3, 21-11 and Michael del Pilar and Rey Orje brushed aside Edison dela Cruz and Jess Sibunga 21-17, 21-18.

Mixed Doubles
In Mixed Doubles , Majeed and Alethea Adana bagged the title when they put in their best effort to overwhelm George Burgos and Betchai Buensuceso 22-20, 21-15.
In the semi finals, Majed and Alethea Adana tamed Fay Guzman and Robert Ching 21-12, 21-16 and George Burgos and Betchai Buensuceso brushed aside Chato Guillermo and Jaime Berges 21-18, 21-14.
Earlier that day , in the elimination round, Majeed and Alethea Adana outlasted George Burgos and Betchai Buensuceso 17-21, 21-18, 21-15, while Roger Estinoso and Biberly Malvar thumped Val Canicosa and Abby Sayoto 21-15, 21-17, and the tandem of Regina Casano and Gomer Imperial tamed Marie Grace Calungsod and Frenel Garcia 21-12, 21-17.
On the other hand, Chato Guillermo and Jaime Reyes were made to sweat before they could edge Noel Sagada and Ayi Buenaventura 21-18, 14-21, 22-20, while Fay Guzman and Robert Ching wasted no effort to beat Beck Orje and Rosalie Galvez 21-15, 21-16, Jhun Banzon and Brilly Lariosa overwhelmed Val Canicosa 21-12, 21-17 and the pair of George Burgos and Betchai Buensuceso hammered Mauller dela Cruz and Ayi Buenaventura in back to back sets 21-13, 21-13.