Del Rosario takes charge in WC elims

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino champion Liza del Rosario made an impressive start in the 50th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup by setting the pace in the first 10 of 20 qualifying games Wednesday at the Sky Bowling Center in Wroclaw, Poland.

Del Rosario, world women’s trios titlist in 2003, completed 10 games with 2304 pinfalls for a 230 average to finish 24 pins ahead of American Brittni Hamilton, who posted 2280.

The other Filipino campaigner in the world’s toughest individual bowling competition – former world FIQ kingpin Biboy Rivera, who is making his third international finals appearance – also performed well, shooting 2330 in 10 games to average 233 and check in fourth, behind Germany’s Tobias Bording (2441), Israel’s Oron Cohen (2344) and American professional bowler Chris Barnes (2335).

Del Rosario tallied 1195 after the games, and then followed this with 1109 to finish ahead of Hamilton and 68 other countries’ champions.

The veteran Del Rosario, considered one of the top Asian bowlers, put together games of 244, 236, 213, 287 and 215 in the first five games. Then she added 256, 207, 246, 217 and 183 in the second five.

Sweden’s Rebecka Larsen came in third in the women’s division with 2269, followed by Colombia’s Clara Juliana Guerrero (2229), Germany’s Martina Schutz (2183), Mexico’s Sandra Gongora (2163), Ireland’s Amanda Larkin (2159), Ukraine’s Daria Kovalova (2150), Australia’s Kaitlyn Commane (2149) and Puerto Rico’s Piritta Maja (2130).