Obscure bet upstages Paeng, nat’l bowler

MANILA, Philippines - Unheralded Anton Alcazaren scored a big surprise by outscoring six-time world champion Paeng Nepomuceno and national bowler Raoul Miranda in the first center finals of the recent Bowling World Cup national championship.

Alcazaren rolled a 12-game series of 2743 at Superbowl to lead Nepomuceno, Miranda and 30 others into the men’s finals slated on Aug. 16, 17, 19, 20 and 22.

Miranda tallied 2533 at Coronado Lanes while Nepomuceno, the only male pintoppler to have won the World Cup four times so far, carded 2514 at SM Megamall.

Another regular campaigner in the local bowling circuit, Sammy Sy, also shared the limelight by producing the second best mark of 2705.

Veteran Abbie Gan tallied 2013 in 10 games to pace 18 other pinbusters into the ladies’ finals.

The second qualifying period of the event has started at Astrobowl, Paeng’s Midtown, Superbowl, Coronado Lanes, Commonwealth, Paeng’s Freedom Imus, Puyat Sports Baguio, Q. Plaza, Paeng’s Eastwood, SM MOA, SM Fairview, SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, SM Southmall and SM Valenzuela. 

The national finals will be staged on Aug. 16, 17, 19, 20 and 22 with the men’s and ladies’ champions earning the right to represent the Philippines in the BWC international finals slated on Nov. 1-9 at the Sky Bowling Centre in Wroclaw, Poland.

Last year, Mades Arles and Benshir Layoso carried the national colors in the international finals at the Sibiryak Bowling Center in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.  Arles finished No. 8 in the ladies’ division while Layoso wound up 17th in the men’s group.