Rivera unloads big games to pace bowl men's masters

MANILA, Philippines - Biboy Rivera flashed his old brilliance Wednesday, rolling big games en route to a 1388 total and grab the Class O men’s masters qualifying lead in the 38th Philippine International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl in Ermita, Manila.

The 35-year-old 2006 World masters champion shot a three game series of 728 on lines of 249, 244 and 235 to add to his previous total of 660 relegating erstwhile leader Chester King (1380) to second place, in the event sponsored by University of Perpetual Help System, Department of Tourism, Amway Philippines, Philippine Sports Commission, Chowking, Pagcor, Colgate-Palmolive Philippines, USAct, Pearl Garden Hotel, Paeng’s Midtown Bowl, Nestle, The City Bowling Shop, and Pan Pacific Manila, the tournament’s official hotel. Paulo Valdez (1352) slipped to third.

Las Vegas World Women’s Championship-bound Liza del Rosario (1304), Apple Posadas (1243) and Kim Lao (1184) showed the way in the Ladies’ Class O Masters qualifying.

In other events, AMBA’s Ramil totaled 1279 to lead BALP-UPHS’ Ricky Punzalan (1208) and MBA’s William Monodero (1194) in men’s Graded Masters qualifying. Youth bowler Ann Marie Kiac of PBAP-Bowlmart (1108), PBA’s Steve Lombos (1082) and TBAM-Prima’s Girlie Solis Cisneros (1022) took the provisional lead in the distaff side.

The other new leaders in the 16-day kegfest organized by the Philippine Bowling Congress and sanctioned by the World Tenpin Bowling Association and the Asian Bowling Federation are MTBA’s Art Roxas (1199) and BALP’s Nida Lagrisola (1076) in Associate Masters qualifying; LCTA’s Jovel Atienza (1085) and MBA’s Merlen Pamintuan (1025) in Rookie Masters; TBAM’s Jhunky Tabora (1279) and SLETBA’s Susan San Diego (1146) in Senior Masters; TBAM’s Kenneth Chua (1345) and Dyan Coronacion (1185) in Youth Masters qualifying.

PBC president Nitoy Tamayo has offered a four-year college scholarship worth P250,000 courtesy of UPHS to the first local bowler to score a perfect 300 game – the same special prize going to the top Filipinos each in the men’s and ladies’ Open masters competitions. On the other hand, the Open men’s masters champion gets a jackpot of P250,000 while the ladies’ masters winner receives P100,000.

Competition heats up as the first batch of foreign participants arrives Saturday to challenge local bowlers in the P2 million tournament.