Fil-Aussie bowler takes qualifying round lead

At a young age, Filipino-Australian Jordan Dinham already earned his stripes when he defeated fellow Aussie Sam Cooley in a prestigious tournament last year.

Dinham, 18, brought his act to the Philippine International Open (PIO) Tenpin Bowling Championships this year and installed himself atop the leaderboard after the qualifying round of the youth boys division.

“I just have to be consistent throughout the tournament,” said Dinham, whose victory over Australian’s Cooley and Glen Loader in the 2018 New South Wales Open made him a hot item in the national bowling circuit from Down Under.

Cooley, one of Australia’s multiawarded keglers, is here in the country as he aims to defend the men’s open title against top Filipino qualifier Kenneth Chua.

After two rounds, Dinham showed great potential with a combined output of 1390, a 22-point advantage over national youth standout Merwin Tan, the reigning Asian youth bowling champion.

With his 1326 count, Ivan Malig of TBAM-Prima stayed at third in the qualifying where the top 18 bowlers advance to the finals on Friday.

Bea Hernandez, meanwhile, led the cast in the qualifying round of the youth girls category after rolling 1246. The doubles bronze medalist in the 2017 Asian youth championships with Nina De Vera lit up the scoreboard with 603 and 643 pinfalls after two rounds.

Hernandez will pace 11 other qualifiers, including fellow national pool mainstays Cherry Ng (1220) and Dale Lazo (1180). Joining them are Noelle Campos (1172) of TBAM-Prima, national team members Alyssa Ty (1147), Norel Nuevo (1103) and Grace Gella (1071).

Dinham, a 2019 national youth singles and all-event champion, will join Tan and Malig in the finals on Friday as well as national pool teammates Kayle Abad (1291), Patrick Nuqui (1284), Kenzo Umali (1273) and Praise Gahol (1246).