Tabora hangs tough, makes WCup top 24

WROCLAW, Poland – Krizziah Tabora stayed in the hunt for the World Cup, safely making to the top 24 by finishing at No. 13 in the 48th Qubica/AMF Bowling World Cup international finals at the SkyBowling Centre here.

Tabora pooled 4242 after the 20-game eliminations for a 212.10 average to stay in contention in the women’s division of the individual kegfest.

But the Philippines’ male representative – Busan Asian Games gold medalist RJ Bautista – crashed out as he struggled at joint 31st with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed H Alnajrani at 4108.

Bautista averaged 205.40 but the men’s field of 82 proved too strong for him to match, particularly those in the upper bracket.

Tabora came in 17th after 15 games, but improved her showing in the last five elimination games to earn a shot at the eight quarterfinal spots and – hopefully – a crack at the title which Filipino hotshots Paeng Nepomuceno, Lita dela Rosa and Bong Coo had previously won.

Tabora and the 23 other women bowlers out of a field of 69, led by frontrunning Shayna Ng of Singapore, will roll eight more games to determine the eight quarterfinalists.

Ng carded 4659 for a 232.95 average to pace the survivors.

Other top qualifiers were England’s Kirsten Penny (4560), two-time champion Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic (4510), Sweden’s Rebecka Larsen (4469), Germany’s Janine Gabel (4466), USA’s Danielle McEwan (4454), Finland’s Krista Pollanen (4384), Norway’s Heidi Thorstensen (4355), Venezuela’s Patricia de Faria (4355) and Malaysia’s Jane Sin (4301).

American Marshall Kent towed 23 others into the next men’s round with 4667 pins in 20 games.