Del Rosario, Clutario 1-2 in Asian ranking

Liza del Rosario capped the Philippines’ striking performance on the international bowling stage this year by topping the Asian Ranking with World Championship Trios gold medal with teammate Liza Clutario finishing second in the top 16 of the women’s division.

Del Rosario regained the lead with 521 points, edging Clutario by three points and leading the elite cast of players, including the top eight bowlers in the European and American Zones, vying in the 2004 World Ranking Masters finals slated in Moscow.

Cecilia Yap, the other player in the RP squad which captured the gold medal in the trios event of the 15th World Tenpin Bowling Championships in Kuala Lumpur, compiled 263 points to finish seventh and make it to the Russia event.

The RP bowlers’ impressive placings relegated four-time Asian Bowler of the Year awardee Shalin Zulkifli to third place with 459 points followed by newly-crowned Hong Kong Open champion Wendy Chai of Malaysia (408), Choy Poh Lai, also of Malaysia (320), Jennifer Tan of Singapore (294), Yap, Lee Eun Ok of Korea (215), Lai Kin Ngoh of Malaysia (180), and Evelyn Chan of Singapore (177).

Chester King, on the other hand, settled for 10th place in the men’s side, still good enough to qualify for the world event next year. He had 189 points.

Hong Kong Open titlist Wu Siu Hong paced the men’s ranking with 396 points with World Championship Masters gold medallist Michael Little of Australia finishing second with 384.

Hong, a 19-year-old student from Hong Kong, was in second spot before the Hong Kong International Open after capturing the AVIVA Asian Bowling Tour Indonesia leg. He also finished a creditable third in the subsequent AVIVA ABT Hong Kong leg.  — Dante Navarro