Angeles regains King of the Lanes title

Raymond Angeles reclaimed the Budweiser King of the Lanes title Sunday to complete Saipan Bowling Association’s 2008 royal court.

Angeles, who won the same title in 2006, but failed to defend it in 2007, prevailed in the 2008 season-ending tournament at the Saipan Bowling Center to join Queen of the Lane Emi Williams and Prince Zack Cruz in the winners’ cirle.

The three top bowlers were honored in an award banquet at Shirley’s Coffee Shop in Susupe with no less than SBA president Jerry Tan handing them their trophies.

Angeles regained the King of the Lanes he lost to Jon Hensley in 2007 after beating Raul Dumapit in the finals, 180-144.

The 20-year-old Angeles was ranked second in the stepladder finals and gained an automatic semis ticket.

Angeles tallied 1,806 pinfalls in the nine-game qualifying roll-offs. He knocked down more than 200 pins in Games 1 (204), 2 (248), 5 (237), and 8 (254) and had an average of 200.67 pinfalls per game.

Robert Talavera took the other outright semifinals slot when he finished on top of the 18-man field qualifying roll-offs with his total of 1,859 pinfalls. Talavera bowled in the 200s in six out of the nine games for an impressive 206.56 average.

The other qualifiers in the stepladder finals were the No. 4 ranked Ador Dimaano and No. 5 Percy Omechelang.

Dimaano, who was a finalist in 2007, boosted his chances for a return trip to the finals after slipping past Omechelang in the stepladder finals, 171-169.

The No. 2 Dumapit was paired with Hensley in the other elimination game with the former dethroning the 2007 champion with a 39-8 win in the tiebreak.

Dumapit’s next foe was Talavera and the former advanced to the finals with a 180-145 triumph in the semifinals.

Angeles foiled Dimaano’s bid for back-to-back finals appearance, as the former youth bowler cruised to a 219-152 victory.

Angeles picked up where he left of, outclassing Dumapit in the championship roll-off to gain his second King of the Lanes title.

Meanwhile, Raymond Zapanta, who missed the cut in the King of the Lanes competition finishing only eighth with his 1,652 pinfalls, went home with an award when SBA honored him for topping the association’s ranking points.

Zapanta earned 1,664 points in 2008, besting 23 other male bowlers.

Yho Villavicencio, who lost to Williams in the Queen of the Lanes tournament, two weeks ago, got the most ranking points in 2008 in the women’s division with her 740 points.