and Jess Dela Cruz RIYADH — Angels stunned their rivals in Nesto Dartfest two weeks ago at the onset of the stepladder contest at Villagio 2 Mall here. The group of Noel Doringo and Romy Gorembalem unleashed firepower in their grueling two games of darting against The Boss and Dart Cobras. Their victory in the first showdown ignited a hot momentum that pushed them to beat Ariel Agbunag's team twice erasing two sorry losses in their previous encounters. Angels opened the first singles with a 5-3 ending, courtesy of Allan, Rashid, John, Romy and Jamil. Adrian and Randy added 2 more points in the first doubles (7-3) but the last three pairs of Boss saved the game clinching all remaining doubles to end a 7-9 card extending the fight till the last leg. Thanks to the steady grips of Kris Arias, Randy Valenzuela and Nel Buenaventura who unrolled the game-winning darts. Team captain Romy Gorembalem refused to surrender and unleashed the last pin in Angel's favor, 10-9. The second game showed the same scenario in the singles and doubles matches. The Boss survived a pressure-laden doubles and finally reversed the momentum in their favor to reach a decision match 10-9 in the last leg. However in the last encounter, they were denied by a D20 outshot from veteran player Adrian "Toots" Tolentino. In the game against the Cobras, the unstoppable Angels gave a beating on Ariel Agbunag's team leaving no chance for victory, 11-3 and 12-7. Although the Cobras were equally ready for the battle, they were just surprised with their opponent's firepower. The first game results were 5-3 (singles) and 6-0 (doubles). The second game resulted with 5-3 (singles), 4-4 (doubles) and 3-0 (team match). The win was a sweet revenge for the Angels who never won a single match against the Cobras during the elimination round. The Angels will face former champs NBD Sparks in their next match and waiting in top ladder are Brand One, Bulleros and 53rd season winner Dart Tropa Vipers in the first position. The 16 players who qualified for the MVP race are also in the process of completing their matches.
