MATTA all set for Tinian goodwill event

The Marianas Amateur Table Tennis Association will be sending a crack six-man team to Tinian to compete against the island’s ping-pong players this weekend in what is dubbed as the 2005 CNMI Friendship Cup Invitational Table Tennis Tournament.

MATTA president Steven Lim said members of the Saipan delegation include himself, Mario Espeleta, Budhi Gurung, Su Yong Dong, Huang Zhenfa, and Guang Qiang Xi.

Gurung, Su, and Lim are part of the team that would be representing the Commonwealth in the table tennis competition of the 2005 Palau South Pacific Mini Games slated to begin at the end of the month.

The fourth member of the team, Chen Lin Yin Ling, will not be making the trip to Tinian as he is still in China, according to Lim, who serves as coach.

Expected to see action for the Tinian team are veteran paddle-pushers Liang Wei Bin, Alfred Yue, Chang Zhan Xue, Charlie Cheng, Liu Fu Liang, and Robin Lu. One notable player missing is Luke Lu, who is also on vacation in China.

The 2005 CNMI Friendship Cup Invitational Table Tennis Tournament would be staged at the ballroom of the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino.

While Saipan and Tinian players are priming up for this weekend’s ping-ping-fest, one link to the Marianas chain staying home are the Guam players, who for the second straight year begged off from participating.

“Guam gave notice two weeks ago that they would once again not participate. There were a few Guam players who were interested initially, but not their national team for the Palau Mini Games. I think they balked at the costs of coming over, since all of it would come out of their personal pockets,” said Lim.

With regards to the CNMI Table Tennis National Team preparing for the Mini Games, Lim said everyone, save for Chen who is off-island, is practicing well enough. He said aside from Gurung having a slight case of tennis elbow that occasionally gives him discomfort, their training have been running quite smoothly.

About a couple of months ago, MATTA began holding training sessions thrice or four times a week at a new “secret” training facility on the top floor of the Millennium Plaza in Garapan.

In the two-year history of the goodwill table tennis tournaments between Saipan and Tinian, the southerners have completely dominated the northerners, winning all four head-to-head encounters.

In the two most recent goodwill events, Tinian won 18 out of the 25 games to win the 2004 CNMI Friendship Cup Invitational Table Tennis Tournament in May 2004.

Tinian then made it two for two for the year when it took home the overall championship of the 2004 Marianas Friendship Table Tennis Tournament, which was hosted by MATTA at the Northern Marianas College Gymnasium last November.