Philippine men blast Thais for 2nd win in World tchoukball

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – The Philippine men’s team blasted Thailand, 50-31, for their second straight win in the group stage of the 2nd World Beach Tchoukball Championships at the Sunset Beach Resort here Wednesday. The nationals raced of to an 8-3 lead in the first three minutes of the match, thanks to pinpoint scoring by playing coach John Jamelo. Taking advantage of the slow defensive recovery of the Thais, the Filipinos built a commanding 34-16 margin by the end of the second period.

Wilting in the oppressive early afternoon heat, the Thais did not have the energy to mount a rally. The Philippines thus climbed to two wins and one loss by a 50-31 blowout.

Bouncing back strong after dropping a close, intense opening match to powerhouse Poland, the Philippine team blasted Hong Kong, 45-33, Tuesday evening to stay in contention.

The nationals raced to an early 11-7 lead with decisive attacks and fluid passing, and finished the first 12-minute period up 16-10. Cheered on by a small but boisterous group of countrymen and family members, the youngsters then tightened up their defense and used quick reversals to lead by double-digits, 32-21, going into the third and final period.

Pacing themselves better as the evening wore on, the Filipinos, led by playing coaches Jamelo and Benjie Oray, maintained their composure and held off their opponents repeated rallies to send Hong Kong crashing to their second straight loss, 45-33.