12th SHABA season opens today

A total of 11 teams will vie for top honors in this year’s action that will run until October.

This year, only few teams are joining because the different batches merged into one team, making the tournament more intense and highly competitive. Only batch 2003 is fielding in a solid lineup.

Just like in the previous years, each team will be carrying its corporate sponsor.

Batch 2003 will be bannered by Kenya, while the rest of the entries include the Daisy Condensada, Home Options, Domek, Gillamacs-Sanyo, Worldwide Travel and Tours, Singha Beer, PhilHeavy,Beaver Sandals, Super Shuttle Ferry and Transtek.

The event organizers led by SHABA president Milvic Chua hopes this year’s edition will be free from conflicts between some players.

Stiff penalties will be imposed to players and teams who will get into trouble.

“This might be our last. So as much as possible, we hope to make it fun-filled event,” Chua said in a press conference yesterday at the Cebu Grand Convention Center.

The tournament will follow a single round robin format, with the top eight teams barging into the quarterfinal round where they will be bracketed into two groups of four.

The top two teams in each bracket will then dispute for the final tickets. The championship is a best-of-three series.

Today’s opening will have a simple ceremony spiced up with the selection of the best muse, best uniform and the most popular team.

An exhibition match between the Philippine Christian Gospel School Alumni All-Stars and Domek 96/99 will follow right away.

A total of five matches will featured in the opening day of the three-month cagefest sponsored by White Gold,RBS, Edcon Glass, Vignet UPVC Windows, Borplus and PPR Pipes.

These pit Worldwide vs. Singha Beer, PhilHeavy vs. Super Ferry, defending champion Daisy Condensada vs. Gillamac, Home Option vs. Beaver Sandals, and Kenya vs. Transtek.