Michael Lacerna: Skill and composure
MANILA – Youth, skill and luck secured Michael Lacerna the ticket to win the 24th Sta. Bowling Association Bowling Championship Lucia East Tenpin (Sletba) on Sunday night.
The 14-year-old member of Sletba Youth showed his mettle by topping the list of winners that included Philippine bowling legend Paeng Nepomuceno (PBF-Sletba) and national team players Lara. Posadas-Wong (PBAP) and Patrick Nuqui (PBA).
Lara Posadas-Wong
The 33-man arena proved to be a tough one, with three perfect matches posted. TBAM’s Danielle Evangelista scored the first perfect match at the start of the 10-game streak, followed by Sletba’s Kevin Cu in game three and Nepomuceno in game six. Nepomuceno’s feat drew the loudest cheers from a sizable crowd that had come to watch the final.
But Lacerna retained her poise and composure in the tightly held final, which ended with a total of 2359 tackles, or an average of 236, to come out on top at the end of regulation games and sit out to face the winner in the scramble phase. Nuqui is second with 2352, Nepomuceno third with 2342 and Posadas-Wong fourth with 2326.
Posadas-Wong defeated Nepomuceno, 241-240, in the first 1st set, and then beat and defeated Nuqui, 209-185, for the right to challenge Lacerna to a two-game championship match.
Paeng Nepomuceno received the award for scoring a perfect match, one of six 300 in the 24th Sletba Open. With him were Frankie Uy, Sletba vice president, and Charles Calamba, director tournament director.
Lacerna had two openings early in the game, but recovered from worries when he scored a five-pack to close the lead over Posadas-Wong late in the first game, 227-235. In the second game, it was Posadas-Wong’s turn to start with an open frame, but roll a turkey (three consecutive hits) in an attempt to recover. But the shy, soft-spoken Lacerna gained confidence and matched her opponent to win the final title, 239-221. This gives him a total of 466 compared to Posadas-Wong’s 456 in the two-game championship fight.
Winners in other divisions:
Mixed Open Masters – John Tiongson (PBA, champion), Benshir Layoso (PTBA-Gruppo, 1st run), Jong Enriquez (Sletba, 2nd run), Mario Magdaluyo (Sletba, 3rd run) and Linda Grzybowska (MBA, 4th )
Mixed Sorting Master – Don Tungala (Sletba, champion), Matt Barredo (DATBI, 1st run), Kassie Yap (Sletba, 2nd run), Marlon dela Cruz (MTBA-MKAI, 3rd run) and Miguel Chua ( STAI, 4th time)
Mixed Senior Sorting Master – Boy de Leon (Sletba, champion), Elson Campita (PBA, first run), Edgar Caper (Sletba, 2nd run), Ray Santos (USBC, 3rd run) and Tosi Alcasid (PSB-Sletba, 4th place runnerup)
Women’s Masters – Louise Santarin (MTBA-MKAI, champion), Daphne Custodio (Sletba, 1st runner), Rica Ventura (Sletba, 2nd runner), Zen Avenido (Sletba, 3rd runner) and Kassie Yap ( Sletba, 4th run)
Mixed Young Masters – Marc Custodio (Sletba, champion), Patrick Nuqui (PBA, 1st), Danielle Evangelista (TBAM, 2nd), Adrian Jimeno (Sletba, 3rd), and Art Barrientos (Sletba, 4th)
Mixed Junior Master – Sean Esmilla (PBA, champion), Andrey Barbosa (STAI, 1st run), Sofia Dytoc (PTBA, 2nd run), Wilbert Dolosa (Sletba, 3rd run) and Lawrence Tucay (Sletba) , 4th)
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