Ruselle gives Saipan best finish in Singapore

Ruselle Zapanta emerged as the top finisher for Saipan in the 25th Asian Intercity Bowling Championship held in Singapore from Oct. 12 to 17.

Ruselle, who competed in the six-day tournament at the Orchid Bowl, Orchid Country Club in Yishun, along with siblings Raymond and Raphael, placed fourth out of the 66 bowlers who joined the men’s singles event, missing the medal podium by only five pinfalls.

The eldest Zapanta totaled 1,279 pinfalls in six games to finish fourth behind men’s singles champion Jay Leon Guerrero (1,340 pinfalls) of Tamuning, Guam; Tay Hui Chiang (1,312) of host Jurong, Singapore; and Tam Tsz Sun (1,284) of Macau.

According to Saipan Bowling Association’s Ross Zapanta, Ruselle’s fourth place is the best finish by any Saipan bowler since they joined the Asian Intercity in Busan, Korea in 2001.

Ruselle knocked down more than 200 pins in five of the six games in the men’s singles, showing his best form in the opener after tallying 236 pinfalls. He had 220 and 215 in Games 2 and 3, 183 in Game 4 and 203 and 222 in the last two games for an average of 213.17 pinfalls per game.

Raymond and Raphael also entered the men’s singles event with the former ranked No. 17 and the latter at No. 31. Raymond collected 1,184 pinfalls for an average of 197.33, posting 245—his best score—in Game 6. Raymond logged 151, 180, 223, 188, and 197 in the first five games. Raphael scored more than 200 pinfalls in Games 3 (202) and 4 (225), had 176 and 182 in the first two games, and earned 157 and 182 in the last two for an average of 187.33 and six-game total of 1,124.

The Zapanta brothers were included in men’s all events too, with Raymond advancing to the next round after finishing at No. 15 in the 66-bowler field. Raymond collected 3,583 pinfalls in 18 games, as he posted 1,184 in the singles, 1,197 in the doubles, and 1,201 in the team event, to make the 16-player cut for the Men’s Masters Finals.

Ruselle and Raphael missed the Men’s Masters Finals as they finished at No. 19 and No. 55, respectively, after combining their respective scores in the singles, doubles, and team events. Ruselle ended up with 3,552 pinfalls, while Raphael tallied 3,170.

In the Men’s Masters Finals, Raymond was pitted against No. 2 finisher Min Su Park of Daegu, Korea and the Saipan bet lost, 0-2. Raymond scored only 171 pinfalls against Park’s 192 in Game 1 and then made 147 in Game 2 against the South Korean’s 227 for a 100-pinfall deficit, 318-418. Suk Byung Choi also of Daegu eventually won the Men’s Masters title, beating the host’s Tai Hui Chiang.

In the men’s doubles, Raymond and Ruselle teamed up and finished in the middle of the pack with their combined 2, 272 pinfalls. Raymond contributed 1,197 on the team, while Ruselle added 1,075 to take the No. 21 spot. Raphael also joined the doubles event and partnered with San Juan, Philippines’ Jasper Soon. The youngest Zapanta carded 996 pinfalls to go with the 1,065 of Soon. Guam’s JD Castro and Guerrero topped the doubles category (2,724)

For the team event, the Zapanta brothers battled 16 other squads that mostly had four players on their roster, giving the Saipan bets the disadvantage. The Zapanta siblings went on to combine for 3,450 pinfalls to place at No. 16. The four-player team from Daegu won the event after earning 4,945 pinfalls.

Seventeen cities joined the annual tournament that featured 68 male keglers and 36 female bowlers.