Umali tops Youth division in 22nd Sletba Open; Alvarez, Tagulinao score

Kenzo Umali after posting a perfect score Saturday night

National Youth pool member Kenzo Umali put on an amazing display of power bowling Saturday night to capture the Youth Masters division of the 22nd Sletba Open at the Sta. Lucia Mall Bowling Center in Cainta, Rizal.

Umali, 18, of TBAM-Prima, capped a brilliant performance with a perfect game in the sixth of the 8-game series, which pulled him away from the pack of 18 other finalists. He ended up the show with a total of 1930, or an average of 241.

Four other players from TBAM-Prima made up the top five, namely Art Barrientos with 1705, Bill Yambao with 1688, Merwin Tan with 1678, and Danielle Evangelista with 1673.

Umali’s perfect game was his fifth in his young career. He achieved the feat on lanes 19-20 using a 15-pound Black Hammer urethane ball.

Earlier on Saturday, Arnold Alvarez of Sletba topped the Classified Masters field with a total of 1764 pitfalls in eight games, followed by Mark Legurpa of PTBA with 1714, Zal Barrientos and Annie Estrada, both of Sletba, with 1667 and 1661, respectively, and Ted Convocar of PTBA with 1651.

Arnold Alvarez

In the Senior Masters category finals held Friday night, Ricky Tagulinao of PBA kept his composure to clinch the title. Four Sletba players trailed him, namely Pabs Penalba with 1746, Abel Ulanday with 1739, Pet Agluba with 1730, and Peter Plaza with 1713.

Ricky Tagulinao

The Ladies and the 15 & Under divisions are being played Sunday morning, to be followed in the afternoon by the Open Masters class.

The 22nd Sletba Open is sanctioned by the Philippine Bowling Federation.