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THE search for the country’s representation in separate
international competitions starts Saturday when the Little League
Philippine Series opens shop at the Alabang and Country Club grounds
in Muntinlupa City.
Little League-Philippines district administrator
Jolly Gomez an-nounced Friday that winners in the Major League
(11-12) boys’ baseball will advance to the Asia Pacific regional
eli-mination for the World Series set July 18 to 25 at the Hong Kong
Disneyland fields while cham-pions in the Junior League (13-14),
Senior league (14-16) and Big League (14-18) will proceed to their
respective regional meets June 28 to July 5 in Saipan.
All winners in girls’ softball, also in four
age divisions, qualify for the regional eliminations set July 5 to
11 in Guangzhou, China.
Games, which will be decided by the drawing of
lots following the screening of players, will be held from 12 p.m.
daily until the winners are decided April 13.
Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez
head the list of sports officials invited to grace the opening
ceremony along with Philippine Amateur Baseball Association
president hector Navasero and Amateur Softball
Association-Philippines head Jean Henri Lhuiller.
A total of 90 teams, 34 in the boys’ Major
League category, have been entered with the International Little
League Association of Manila (ILLAM) defending the titles it won
last year in the boys’ 11-12, class, 13-14 level ad 14-18 classes.
ILLAM also won the girls softball Major League
and Big League with Bacolod City trying to win its umpteenth crown
in the Junior League and Sta. Cruz of Laguna in the Big League
division.
Meanwhile, Manila is fielding a strong team
built around the UAAP runner up Adamson in its bid to reclaim the
Big League girls’ softball plum denied the Manilenyas last years,
Manila Little League Charter president, Councilor Che Bor-romeo
announced.
“Besides winning the Philippine Series, the
Manila Little League Charter is determined to represent anew the
country in the World Series in the Big League division and,
hopefully, win, too, the world championship,“ Borromeo said in a
separate interview.
Before losing the title to ILLAM, Manila had
been carrying the country’s colors in the World Series of the
14-18 division since 2001, bringing home the bronze medal each year.
-- Eddie Alinea
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