King reigns, pockets P1M in bowl challenge

Chester King reigned supreme in the third EuroMed-Storm International Masters Challenge, dishing out a superb game to outclass Cheng Chao Sheng of Chinese-Taipei in the finals, 237-201, and pocket the top P1 million purse at the Pearl Bowling Center yesterday.

King actually finished seventh in the eight-player final cast but the 2002 Busan Asian Games doubles gold medallist dominated the field from thereon, toppling 1904 pinfalls and emerging the top-seeded bet heading into the stepladder finals.

Finland’s Lasse Lintila, who led the semifinalists with a brilliant game Friday, settled for second spot with an 1876 while Lim Zhong of Singapore and Cheng took the two other slots in the stepladder stage.

Cheng trounced Zhong in the first match, 221-200, then outsteadied the fancied Lintila in the next, 217-212, to arrange a titular showdown with King.

But the Filipino bowler, whose stint in the annual event was backed by Ink for Less, Storm Bowling, Wave and Bowlmar, proved up to task as he sustained the momentum of his fiery performance to whip Cheng, 237-201, and bag the princely prize.

It was indeed an explosive weekend for King and the rest of the RP team mainstays with all of them qualifying for the Masters finals that further underscored their readiness for the Southeast Asian Games at this early stage at the very venue where the biennial event will be held.

The other top Filipino bets who participated were Cecilia Yap of PBAP, who placed eighth, top Asian bowler Liza del Rosario of Boysen-Fressinet-Crown Asia, who wound up ninth, rookie Markwin Tee of PBAP-Bowlmart, who finished 11th, Tyrone Ongpauco of TBAM-Prima-EuroMed, who took 15th place and RP team mainstay Biboy Rivera of TBAM-Prima, who placed 17th.