Dumapit wins King of the Lanes

Raul Dumapit may have finished two strikes short of a perfect game, but he got a consolation of sorts by taking home the March Pepsi King of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament Monday night at the Saipan Bowling Center.

The Ambyth Shipping employee blazed the trail in the final day of the two-day roll-off, knocking down 200 or more pins in all four games to finish with a scorching total of 893 pins or an average of 223.25 pinfalls a game.

Dumapit rolled a 203 in his first game and then bettered that by three pins in his second for a 206 before knocking down 210 in his third game. He then went nuts in his fourth and final game knocking down eight straight strikes.

Although, his nerves got the better of him in his ninth attempt and rolled a spare, the Pulilan, Bulacan in the Philippines native still managed one more strike before finishing with a six to wound up with a 274.

His pinfall total was just two more than erstwhile frontrunner and perfect game achiever Robert Talavera. The 36-year-old SBC employee seemed headed for another monthly victory after also dominating the event last January at the San Jose venue.

Talavera started out strong Sunday with a 225 in his opening game. He rolled a 198 and 269 in the middle games before coming away with a 199 in the fourth for a 891 total and 222.75 average.

Arnel Del Rosario finished a far third with a four-game total of 843 and average of 210.75. He rolled a series of 248, 219, 167, and 209. Talavera’s older brother, Edgar, came in fourth with numbers of 827 and 206.75 (234, 198, 181, 214), while Kitz Barja round up the Top 5 with his 822 total and 205.5 average (214, 190, 213, 205).

Dumapit earned $150 for winning the March roll-off, while Robert Talavera and Del Rosario collected $70 and $40 for finishing first and second runners-up, respectively. Edgar Talavera also pocketed $35 and Barja $30.

The rest of the Top 10, with their pinfalls totals in parenthesis, were as follows: Dannie Robles (794 pinfalls, $20); Joe Sablan (790, $15); Percy Omechalang (772), Ronald Epan (766), and Mike Guirey (759).

The March Pepsi King of the Lanes drew a total of 58 entries. The tournament is sponsored by Pepsi and Pacific Trading Co. and is organized by the Saipan Bowling Association.