Hot Miranda seizes men’s Class O lead

Former Masters champion Raoul Miranda of MTBA/RP carded a three-game series of 717 pinfalls Wednesday to wrest the Class O men’s singles lead in the 42nd Philippine International Open tenpin bowling championships at Sta. Lucia Center in Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall in Cainta, Rizal.

Miranda, a member of the national team, shot 207, 257 and 253 to finish ahead of six-time world champion Paeng Nepomuceno of PBC/Prima, who posted 667, and teammate Collins Jose (664).

TBAM/Prima/RP’s Rachelle Leon and teammate Ren Cremen also sparkled by taking the Open all events and Class A singles’ top positions, respectively.

Leon had 1,416 on separate series of 577 in singles, 391 (doubles) and 448 (team) to tow Krizziah Tabora (1,382) and defending Masters champion Liza del Rosario (1,372), while Cremen came through with 751 on sizzling games of 267, 254 and 230 to pull away from Pabs Penalba (658) and Merwin Tan (639).

TBAM/Prima’s Odjie Guerrero and Mar Serac also shone Wednesday together with PBA’s Nelia Santos in the 15-day tournament sanctioned by WTBA and ABF and organized by the Philippine Bowling Congress in cooperation with Sta. Lucia Mall.

Guerrero showed the way in two events:  the Senior Men’s Masters qualifying round and the Toti Lopa Memorial Cup Masters eliminations. Serac moved ahead in men’s Class A all events while Santos assumed the top spot in ladies’ Class A singles.

Guerrero tallied 1,309 to pace Sletba’s Rody Soriano (1,254) and Atty. Boy de Leon, the PBC deputy secretary general (1,199) in the senior Masters event.