Story courtesy of Rick Torres
Sunday, May 26, 2024 – CENTRAL LANES BOWLING CENTER, Tamuning, Guam
Second seed Zaldy Ponce finally had some good bowling luck come his way as he managed to string four strikes over the final five frames to upset top seed Sheila Bangs 260-174 with handicap to capture the May Pin Point Senior Monthly Challenge Sunday afternoon at Central Lanes Bowling Center.
The monthly senior tournament began with the Last Man Standing progressive pot competition that ended without a winner for the first time since its inception. The prize money collected from the monthly participants has now reached $1,071 and is estimated to go over $1,300 based on current entry participation. The event opened with the bracket elimination rounds. April champion and 13th seed Mike Sanchez and 8th seed Robert Baker climbed out of the B bracket bowling 224 and 243 respectively over 15th seed Ray Manibusan, 11th seed Jude Tenorio, 10th seed Arlene Reyes, and 6th seed Bill Taimanglo. Liz Langas (16th seed) and 12th seed Yvonne Acda blasted their way out of the A Bracket bowling 266 and 267 games respectively. The scores propelled them over 14th seed Frank San Agustin, 9th seed Tony Sobrevilla, 7th seed Manny Tagle, and 5th seed Joe Cepeda.
Round 2 Bracket A Quarterfinals began with Acda’s 207 including bonus points to take out Langas and 3rd seed Jess Meno. The Bracket B winner went to 4th seed Jim Pinaula’s 232 game to send Sanchez and Baker packing.
The semi-final rounds both ended in a one-ball roll-off to advance to the championship. Bangs and Pinaula each took one match with Bangs outpointing Pinaula to get to the final. Ponce had to come back from the first game loss to even the match. However, luck prevailed when Ponce’s one throw went awry but made an 8 count despite missing the headpin. Acda, a newcomer to this point of the tournament, fell short with a 7 count and elevated Ponce to the final match.
The championship game had top seed Bangs open with a strike in her first frame. Ponce missed his spare attempt and opened in his first frame. This was when the bowling gods decided to rain on Bangs with five open frames over the rest of the match. Ponce countered with six strikes over the remaining 9 frames to seal the game and hand him his first championship crown of the year.
The qualifiers for the Pin Point June Senior Monthly Challenge are currently ongoing mainly on the Friday Night Senior League. Senior bowlers who are not in that league can qualify via their other Central Lanes leagues provided they are entered at the Pin Point Pro Shop in Central Lanes before their practice bowling session ends. For more information, please contact Joey Miranda, Manny Tagle, or Jim Pinaula at the Pin Point Pro shop at Central Lanes Bowling Center.
PC: Manny Tagle, Sheila Bangs, Arlene Reyes
Guam Bowling 