RIYADH, 3 May — Banking on a balanced show of bowling prowess, Alley Bang Bang made short work of MIB (Mga Ilongo Bowlers) to bring home the message that they’re here to fight for the major awards, that is, after some forgetable stints along the way. A team known for their firepower, ABB of captain Rolly Manalang hauled down a total of 320 (200 + 120) points which not only claimed the Team of the Week citation but also dislodged the tough Hunks from 3rd place. Their feat could not have been more timely as the championship round already looms in the corner in the nearly concluding Marhaba Pre-Paid Phone Card Bowling League, First Conference being held at FAL Bowling Center every Saturday.
ABB is now looking at a manageable 113 points gap from No. 2 Unicorn of Willy Termulo after they left the Hunks of Rod Basilio behind by a scary 35 points distance at No.4. The work is cut out for ABB, without even mentioning the championship-bound Maverick’s gigantic 584 lead over them.
Captain Manalang was a pillar of power when he signaled the onslaught with a 254 in Game One and after that, Clem Salazar (805) and Edwin Guano (792) simply blasted the pins like they know how in the one-sided 4-0 shutout. The awesome Dante Prado, zero-handicapper, piled up just 721 pins in the game but they were all scratch pins. Prado is No. 2 in the elite Top 50 Bowlers.
Richard Oczon played 3 games good for 560 pins while another stalwart JR Bagon, No. 5 in the Top 50, rolled a superb 207 for his only game in the match. ABB rolled a total of 3856 which was 2 pins shy of the 3858 record held by the Hunks.
MIB of Beltran Tatoy, already down at No. 10, had no chance against the inspired ABB even if they (MIB) arrived in full force. Undermanned and beaten in games 1 & 2, MIB had Captain Beltran Tatoy, Mario Temano, Mark Corrales, Ricky Bunao & Hannibal Geronimo in games 3 & 4 against ABB’s best. But for ABB, it was already a walk in the park, with Salazar and Guano leading their teammates. The scores were 986-359, 976-797, 960-859 & 934-874 in ABB’s favor.
Meanwhile, Rey Andaya and Salvador Mirando had their great games going as Schneider Electric fought tooth-and-nail against Saudi Oger in a fierce battle that ended in a 2-2 draw. On the other hand, the durable pair of Nestor Mauyao and Manny Tuzon carried the fight for Saudi Oger in an exciting action that could have passed for a championship battle. Except that Saudi Oger (2,350 points) are at No. 6 and Schneider Electric (2,332) are at No. 7.
It was Andaya who shone brightest that day as he beat all bowlers to claim the coveted Bowler of the Week distinction of excellence. Andaya rolled 195, 173, 193 & 137 and used a 30 handicap per to game to post the highest 818 series. Andaya spearheaded Schneider’s win over Saudi Oger in game 1 (961-914) and Game 2 (936-920). Then Saudi Oger struck back with a pair of masterful wins (980-929) and 972-910 in the last 2 games through Nestor Mauyao. Mauyao, Saudi Oger’s fighting team captain, had the next best series of 806 during the day.
McDonald of Toffee San Jose banked on Norman Espejo Jr’s 806 series to stop the tough contender Hunks in a hard-earned 3-1 match worth 240 points for McDonald. McDonald cemented its hold of No. 5 in the standings with 2871 points in 20 weeks. McDonald relied on captain San Jose, Espejo Jr., Rizal Dollosa, Carlo Gaspar, Ramil Glorioso and Ed Sesperes in beating the Hunks of Rod Basilio (908-874, 882-959, 912-910 & 952-866).
In another match, Unicorn settled to a 2-2 draw with Al Humaidi Trading of Jesse Gutierrez. Unicorn, hard-pressed to defend the No. 2 spot as the No. 1 Mavericks are virtually unchallenged, earned a higher 160 to Al Humaidi’s 130 due to their bigger bonus. Unicorn was bannered by the No. 1 Jhing Sahagun, William Corro, Rene Dimapilis, Saud Egil and Dennis Albano. Al Humaidi had the quintet of Gutierrez, Patrick Maquiran, Neil Echevaria, Manny Balangue and Alaa.
Unicorn managed to hang on to No. 2 but Alley Bang Bang have just narrowed the gap to 113 points. The Marhaba Pre-Paid Phone Card Bowling League, First Conference is sponsored by Pre-paid Card Zajoul Group under the helm of Dr. Nasser Al Nabulsi, general manager. The semifinal and championship round will be on May 4-11 respectively and the awarding will be held on May 16.
