INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines ? Flashing his old brilliance, former masters champion Biboy Rivera scored a perfect game en route to ruling the Ramadan Open masters finals at the Khalifa Bowling Center in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Thursday night.

The bespectacled Rivera easily topped the masters qualifiers with a 237 average then capped his impressive performance by crushing former World Cup titlist Saeed Al Hajri of Qatar, 267-195, in the stepladder finals.

The 35-year-old national team mainstay pocketed the equivalent of P300,000 in his finest outing yet since winning the masters in the 2006 World Men?s Tenpin Bowling Championship in Busan, South Korea.

?I would like to thank my sponsors Prima Pasta, Ebonite, USAct, Dexter Shoes, Supreme Steel Pipes and Paul Neppes, for making my trip here possible,? said Rivera in his e-mail message to Philippine Bowling Congress secretary general Bong Coo late Thursday.

?Of course, I also dedicate this victory to my country,? he added.

On the way to the championship, Rivera nearly achieved back-to-back perfect games on the same night last Thursday, opening his second block with a 300-297 that vaulted him to the top of the 16-game qualifying series.

Using a 15-pound Hammer Jigsaw ball, rolled his perfect game on lanes 5 and 6 of the Khalifa Bowling Center to take the top seed in the stepladder finals.