Sunday, 25 September 2017 – CENTRAL LANES BOWLING CENTER, Tamuning, Guam
For the second straight month, the Guam Senior Bowlers Association monthly senior tournament went down to the last frame and once again the competitor who struck when he needed it most got the better of the one who threw more strikes. Third seed Nestor Valencia got the critical strike he needed in the first throw of the 10th frame to stop 7th seed Jim Pinaula’s title surge 262-260 with handicap and take the Senior Bowler of the Month for September. Pinaula was vying for his fourth title of the year. It was Valencia’s second and joined Pinaula as multiple titleholders for the year.
The lane pattern of the day kept consistent scoring vey difficult as the scores rose and fell like the ocean tides. In the qualifying rounds, ageless Rolly Hernandez led all 6 games to finish on top going into the shootout round. The shootout rounds started with a 2 frame roll-off to break the tie for 4th place between Alex Kloulubak and Bal Perez which Kloulubak won to get a one game bye.
Tenth seed Gomes Martinez started things off by taking the even number bracket 200 to 189-150 over 6th seed Kathy Mandapat and 8th seed Ben Taimanglo respectively with handicap. In the odd number bracket, Pinaula started his run 231-190-192 with handicap over 5th seed Bal Perez and 9th seed Zaldy Ponce respectively with handicap.
In round two, Valencia ended Martinez’s run with a narrow 203-194 win to advance to the semi-finals. Pinaula did likewise, beating out fellow team mate 4th seed Alex Kloulubak 243-165. This set up the semifinal match between Pinaula and top seed Hernandez which Pinaula won handily while Valencia set up the other half of the final by upsetting 2nd seed Ray Manibusan.
The final match was a classic see-saw match between two determined competitors which saw Pinaula open the game with four solid strikes which Valencia later matched in the latter frames. The two traded strikes and spares but it was the double in the ninth and tenth frame by Valencia combined by a ringing ten pin in the 10th by Pinaula that locked the win for Valencia by two pins.
The next monthly senior tournament will be at 9AM, Sunday, October 22nd at Central Lanes. This tournament is open to all bowlers aged 50 or will be 50 by December 31, 2017. This is a handicapped event with a cash prize going to the top four finishers. For more information contact Central Lanes bowling counter.
Guam Bowling 