Previous Story
Sweet revenge for King Simon
-
- Manacop
-
- Zapanta
Manacop, denied of a 3-peat by Zapanta in the 2013 finale, capitalized on his opponent’s so-so game in the finals with 210 and 207 in Games 1 and 2 for a 417 total and a 99-pin victory.
It was a huge disappointment for Zapanta, who dethroned Manacop last year, after clinching the top seeding in the nine-game roll-off and the first finals berth. He only needed to beat Manacop once, but had a measly 132 in the first game and could not keep up with his foe’s impressive performance in the second and last with his 194 and a 326 tally.
Zapanta scored 244, 211, 176, 211, 178, 227, 175, 143, and 212 in the nine-game roll-off for a 1,777 total and 197.44 average. Manacop finished third, bowling 182, 234, 178, 188, 161, 189, 185, 201, and 170 for 1,688 as he trailed Raymond Angeles—210, 221, 188, 181, 186, 191, 197, 211 and 149 (1,734)—by 46 pins.
Manacop faced Angeles in the stepladder semifinals and foiled an all-Raymond finale with a 182-163 decision.
It was Manacop’s third title in four seasons, as he also ruled the 2011 and 2012 competitions.
The King of the Lanes crown capped Manacop’s amazing year that saw him become the only CNMI bowler to qualify in the Masters event of the 28th Asian Intercity Bowling Championships held last November in San Juan City, Philippines.
He finished 13th overall to clinch a spot in the Masters event where the Top 16 bowlers advanced.
Ruselle Zapanta, Robert Talavera, Lito Teodoro, Raul Dumpait, Tony Verdager, MJ Aldan, Bernard Paraiso, Rusty Musca, Edward Baluyan, Ariel Dumapit, Paul Pangelinan, Percy Omechelang, Ador Dimaano, Jae Yong Kim, Raphael Zapanta, Roger De Guzman, Ronald Batac, Edgar Abalos, Yong Woon Lee, and Ben C. Aizon were the other male bowlers who qualified in the season-ending tournament sponsored by Budweiser and Marpac.
Manacop shared the 2014 top honors with Diana Camacho, who was named Queen of the Lanes after emerging on top of the eight-game roll-off and beating Yho Villavicencio in the finals, 158-137. (Jon Perez)
