Sentidokomon

By Ester Beatty

14^th October 2007, The English School Sports Hall, Nicosia

The much-awaited Inter-City Women’s Volleyball Tournament kicked off at 10:30 this morning with the attendance of the Philippine Honorary Consul, Mrs. Shemaine Bushnell-Kyriakides, and the Philippine Labour Attaché designate to Cyprus, Atty. Jaime Jimenez. Today is a round-robin, where all teams play each other to determine who will be competing with who in the final games on 21^st October 2007 at the St. Catherine Catholic Church car park in Limassol. After the mandatory picture taking before the start of the games, the Limassol and Nicosia teams kick off at 10.40 AM in the indoor arena, while the Paphos and Larnaca teams play their respective games on the outside court. A very exciting match between Limassol and Nicosia ensues with the Nicosians winning the first set compellingly with a score of 25-15. However, they momentarily lose their concentration in the second set losing 25-15. Could this be because their coach is busy checking what is going on with the other games outside? During the final set, the Nicosians win their game convincingly, with their coach at their side right up to the end of the match. With a combination of good smashes from Bhaby Avancena, Cathrine Beatty and Jinky Bugabu, the Nicosians proved too strong for the Limassolians. In the meantime, Larnaca and Paphos are playing another very tight game on the outside court. Larnaca lose the first set 20-25, but they manage to claw their way back in the second set, winning 31-29. However, they lose their momentum in the final set, losing 10-15. While Larnaca and Paphos continue their battle inside the sports hall, the other teams enjoy a short break to re-fuel their bodies for their next challenge. The next game was between the Limassol and Larnaca teams. The Limassolians won the first set 25-10, followed by winning the second set very closely at 26-24. After a short lunch, the Nicosia and Paphos teams were next to play. Perhaps the food at lunchtime was so good that it made the Nicosians sleepy! The Nicosians lose the first set with a score of 20-25. Realising that they are in danger, the Nicosians wake up and start playing well again! With a combination of good serving, passing and smashing, the Nicosians win the second set convincingly with a score of 25-15, and then go on to win the final set 15-6. The Paphos and Limassol game is the most exciting of all. Both teams play extremely well in terms of their attack and defence. Paphos wins the first set with a score of 25-20, but the Limassolians come back strongly and win the second set 25-11. During the final set, the game is extremely well balanced with both teams not wanting to concede any mistakes. The Paphians clearly lead the sets at 14-13 and then serve for the match. For some unknown reason they make an unforced error and lose the point. Limassol level the score at 14-14, manage to keep their serve, and win the game, and the match, 16-14 !!!The Paphians fought well, but lost through inexperience. The Limassolians showed that with the experience of their playing coach, Lanie Efthimiou, they can stay together under pressure. While the last game of the day was being hard-fought indoors, the Larnacans and the Nicosians demonstrated their sportsmanship by playing a friendly game on the outside court, with the Nicosians winning both sets with a score of 25-20, 25-21.Nicosia came first in the league table winning all three games out of three, Limassol came second winning two games out of three, Paphos came third winning one game out of three, while Larnaca lost all their three games. Nicosia team will face-off against Limassol in the Championship games while Paphos and Larnaca will play for the 3^rd and 4^th place respectively on 21^st October 2007. With the English School providing a perfect venue with its fantastic indoor sports hall facilities, all players enjoyed the experience of playing on a proper volleyball court with a smooth and dive-safe surface. As promised to the players and teams beforehand, non-Filipino officials were selected as Referees to avoid any controversy. The brothers Omi and Naved Homayou from Iran, officiated the games in the indoor arena while Sadiq from Indonesia and Inoka from the volleyball-loving Sri Lankan community, helped officiate the games at the outside court. In the process, all players learned something from having Referees who are fully familiar with the intricacies of the game of volleyball. LARNACA team: Elizabeth Banawi, Lailani Co, Ritchel Tianzon, Anes Villamor, Edahlane Florentino, Delilah Villanueva, Bella Nem Villanueva, Melanie de Leon (c); LIMASSOL team: May Bano (c), Lanie Efthimiou, Ruth Sesbino, Sally Tenorio, Loida Asug, Denden Amoquez, Jasmin Andreou, Thess Quiamzon, Gemma Cabral, Joann Toledo, Ruth Tagalicud; NICOSIA team: Bhaby Avancena (c), Cathrine Beatty, Jaque Viray, Jinky Bugabu, Jan Flores, Kim Avancena, Kenneth Aribuabo, Josephine Villejo, Chrysanthy, Flory Yasay; PAPHOS team: Caminos, Humilde, Devila, Acuesta, Tapic, Condat, Rosales, Pepito. Without the generous sponsorship of Western Union and donations from the following companies and individuals, the games would have been very difficult to organise: GAP Worldwide Removals, Atty. John Erotocritou, MP Centre, the Office of the Philippine Honorary Consul, Mrs. Shemaine Bushnell-Kyriakides, Wilma and Nick, Scarlet Tugbo, Nico & Jenny Julongbayan, Marvin Karisma, Kartoudes Ltd, Tita’s kitchen. Furthermore, without the unfailing support of the committee members of the Cypro-Philippine Association in Nicosia, namely Cora Hammoud, Venny McCullie, Lina Dapat, Joann Antoniou and the support of the scorers, namely Scarlet Tugbo, Lorna Montemayor, Lilian Blanco and Arnel Ambon of the Filipino Community Association, Limassol, and these events would have been difficult to organise. On behalf of the Filipino community in Cyprus, we therefore would like to say a BIG THANK you to all the above-mentioned companies and individuals for their continued support and generosity.