INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?RP youth team member Collins Jose and former national squad stalwart Cecilia Yap flashed their brilliance Friday night but it was the legendary Paeng Nepomuceno who grabbed the limelight in the 38th Philippine International Open tenpin bowling championships.

The 52-year-old four-time World Cup champion and Hall of Famer landed in the top nine of the Class O men?s Masters qualifying at his very own Paeng?s Midtown Bowl at the Robinsons Place Malate.

The southpaw legend, a seven-time winner of this event, fired 662 and 710 during the qualifying block for a 1,372 total which was good enough to send him to Saturday?s Round 1 of the finals.

Jose, one of the RP bets in the coming Asian Youth Games and bronze winner in last month?s Asian Schools championships, had 1,420 pinfalls to slip past senior RP team member Biboy Rivera (1,417) for the lead in the men?s Masters qualifying.

Yap, who bagged the 2001 World Women?s Championships trios with Liza del Rosario and Liza Clutario, displayed her old form, notching a six-game series of 1,357 to bag the No. 1 ranking in the ladies? Class O Masters.

Nepomuceno, who recently received his fourth Guinness Book of World record for winning 181 major tourneys, was modest about his fine effort.

?I have not really prepared for this tournament,? Nepomuceno told the Inquirer. ?I was away for a month with the family and didn?t get a chance to bowl.

?But I will go out there and enjoy the competition.?

The local bets who also qualified were Benshir Layoso (1,312), Richie Poblete (1,407), Jonas Baltasar (1,402), Chester King (1,392), Jomar Jumapao (1,379), Frederick Ong (1,377) and Paulo Valdez. (1,373).

Leading the foreign charge was Hong Kong?s Wu Shiu-hong (1,504), who scored the second perfect game last Wednesday. Behind him was Kuwait?s Rakan Al Amiri (1,438) with another Hong Kong kegler, Wicky Yeung, (1,422) in third.