Del Rosario, Benitez capture bowl crowns

Liza del Rosario saved her best for last, beating Irene Benitez by four pinfalls to bag the women’s singles title of the 31st Boysen-PBC International Open Thursday at the Green Valley Center.

Last year’s World Cup runner-up came through with 981 in the final day of competitions, edging out Benitez who held the lead since Day 1 of the meet serving as part of the CGU Asian Bowling Tour’s third leg.

Benitez’s 977 total still landed her at second place while Malaysian Wendy Chai settled for third in the tournament which has Boysen, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Prudential Guarantee, Bowlmart, Prima Pasta, Kegel, ILO Construction and Manila Galleria Suites.

Benitez (1829) of SLETBA however, bounced back and won the women’s all events class O over Southeast Asian Games singles gold medalist Shalin Zulkifli (1770) and PBAP’s Ces Yap (1711).

National team stalwart RJ Bautista, meanwhile, ruled the men’s singles class O with a 1009 total, turning back the challenge of shawn Ng of Singapore (1000) and fellow national Botchok Rey (998).

But the host country failed to make it an all-Filipino show as national team mentor Purvis Granger (1870) and Arnold Lecaros (1870) lost to Azidi Ameran of Malaysia (1897) for the men’s all events crown.

In team events, the RP squad of Bautista, Biboy Rivera and Rey won the men’s class O championship by defeating PBAP-Bowlmart, 1451-1425, although its women’s counter-part of Liza Clutario, Jojo Canare and del Rosario lost the title to Malaysia’s Sarah Yap, Sharon Chai and Chalin Zul, 1349-1207.

Del Rosario, Bautista and Benitez lead the locals’ campaign as qualifying for next week’s Asian Bowling Tour began yesterday.

So far the three are well within the top 14 men and women qualifiers eligible to see action in the two-day knock-out tournament at the Pearl Bowling Center.

Other Filipinos also in contention include Rey, Rivera, Granger, Angelo Constantino, Paolo Valdez, Chester King, Jong Enriquez, CJ Suarez, Yap, Clutario, Canare, Ellen Ramos, Lovella Catalan and Kathlynn Lopez.