Tabora stays in hunt but Bautista struggles

WROCLAW, Poland – Fast-rising Filipino bowler Krizziah Tabora kept her hopes of making the top 24 in the 48th Qubica/AMF Bowling World Cup international finals alive, but fellow Phl campaigner RJ Bautista’s chances dimmed after 15 games of the elimination round at the SkyBowling Centre here.

Tabora, a student of Miriam College, tallied 3092 for a 206.27 average to rank 17th in the women’s division, where Singapore’s Shayna Ng emerged as the new leader with a total of 3551 for a sizzling average of 236.73 pins in 15 games.

But Bautista fell from 13th to 25th with 3118 as he groped for his lines in the tough individual kegfest with only five more games left to determine the 24 who will stay in the running out of a field of 82.

American Marshall Kent, second after 10 games, submitted 3453 pinfalls, to take over the lead from Sweden’s James Gruffman, who tumbled to sixth spot with 3343.

UAE’s Hareb Al Mansoori checked in second with 3423, followed by Malaysia’s Ridhwan Abdul Malek Svafiq (3411), Colombia’s Andres Gomez (3381) and Ukraine’s Mykhaylo Kalika (3348).

England’s Kirsten Penny trailed Ng in the women’s division with 3412, followed by two-time World Cup champion Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic (3402), Germany’s Janine Gabel (3366), Norway’s Heidi Thorstensen (3325), Finland’s Krista Pollanen (3296), USA’s Danielle McEwan (3284), Sweden’s Rebecka Larsen (3276), the Netherlands’ Danielle van der Meer (3252) and Venezuela’s Patricia de Faria (3236).

Tabora and Bautista earned the right to compete here by winning the national championships in Manila.

Another Filipino, six-time world champion Paeng Nepomuceno, holds the distinction of being the only bowler to have captured the World Cup crown four times so far.