Women bowlers start world bid

MANILA, Philippines - With a blend of youth and experience, the national women’s bowling team vies against the world’s best in the World Women’s Tenpin Bowling championships beginning tomorrow in Las Vegas.

The Filipina bowlers are led by Philippine Bowling Congress secretary general Bong Coo.

Liza del Rosario, fresh from bagging a bronze singles in the World Games in Taiwan, joined the team, which includes Liza Clutario, Marianne Posadas, Kimberly Lao, Krizziah Tabora, Rachelle de Leon and coach Jojo Canare.

“With Del Rosario winning a bronze at the World Games, I hope this augurs well for our country’s participation in the world women’s tenpin bowling championships. I wish our Filipina bowlers all the best,” Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping said.

The Filipinas will be slugging it out with the top players from 45 other countries, surpassing the previous record of 43 when the biennial championship was staged in Monterrey, Mexico two years ago.

The event will be held at the Cashman Center, a convention facility turned into a bowling venue featuring 60 specially-constructed lanes, located near downtown Las Vegas.

The youngest in the group is Tabora, 18, who won a bronze medal in the recent Asian Schools Championships in Hong Kong and was the women’s masters titlist in the 2008 RP Open.

The other newcomers are Lao, 19, and De Leon, who also saw action in the Asian Schools kegfest and won bronze medals in the event.

On the other hand, the 24-year-old Posadas was the Philippine leg champion of the ABF tour in 2008 was the all-events ladies’ Open titlist in the last RP Open.

Clutario captured the ladies’s masters gold in the 2005 Philippine SEA Games and together with del Rosario and Cecille Yap are best remembered for winning the trios championship when the world women’s bowling tourney was staged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2003.