May Masters gets rolling today

The 24th CNMI May Masters Bowling Tournament will unfurl with play in the singles and doubles competition today at the Saipan Bowling Center.

Registration will start at 1:45pm with the first three games of the singles event kicking off the campaign beginning at 2pm. The doubles event will follow at 4:15pm and will be succeeded by the team event at 6:30pm.

After a 30-minute lane dressing, the extra shift for singles, doubles, and team competition will start at 9:15pm. Competition in the singles, doubles, and team will consist of three games each.

The May Masters will resume bright and early the next day, May 27, with singles at 9am, followed by doubles at 11:30am, and then the team event starting at 2pm. Following an hour-long lane dressing, an extra singles, doubles, and team shift will begin at 6:30pm.

At the same time men’s players are into the extra shift, the top 24 in the women’s all-events will see action in the women’s masters.

To be played from lanes seven to 12, it will consist of 12 games with the top women scorer declared as champion and will bring home a guaranteed $300.

Deadline for registration for the women’s masters is 5pm Saturday and will only be played if at least 12 women’s keglers have registered.

The top 36 men’s bowlers after the all-events, meanwhile, advance to the 12-game men’s masters set for Sunday, May 28, beginning at 9am.

The No. 1 bowler after the roll-off will get an automatic finals seat, while the rest of the Top 4 will duke it out in a one-game roll-off for the right to face the top placer for all the marbles.

If the first qualifier wins, he will be declared champion otherwise there will be a second game and the champion will be determined by the total pinfall of the two games.

The May Masters banquet and awards ceremony will follow at 6pm at Club V, Saipan Grand Hotel. Saipan Bowling Association president Jerry Tan will sponsor the banquet.

Entry fee is $30 for singles, doubles, and team events, while All Events is another extra $10. The Masters Event is $40 for men and $30 for women.

Youth bowlers 18 years and below only need to fork out $25 for the singles, doubles, and team events and $40 for the masters.

Last year, Noel Sicat and Cindy Taitano topped the May Masters after Sicat outlasted then defending champion Mark “The Shark” Halstead in the men’s finals, while Taitano out-steadied then reigning titlist Dianne Camacho to rule the women’s division.

The yearly May Masters tournament is organized by the SBA and is sponsored by MARPAC, exclusive distributor of Budweiser; JET Holdings; Saipan Bowling Center; Saipan Grand Hotel; Pacific Telecom, Inc.; Marianas Visitors Authority; and Tan.

MARPAC and JET Holdings are the year’s biggest sponsors having graciously donated a total of $3,500 for the tournament.

For entry forms and more information about the tournament, call SBA official Ross Zapanta at 322-5627 or SBA lanes supervisor Robert Talavera at 234-6420.