Fourth Bing monthly honors for Zapanta

Raphael Zapanta won his fourth Bing Prince of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament of the year after beating four other youth bowlers Sunday at the Capital Bowling Center in Garapan.

The son of bowling officials Ross and Gigi Zapanta knocked down 751 pinfalls in a four-game series to finish with an average of 187.75.

The 13-year-old Chacha Junior High School student rolled a brilliant 193 and a scorching 202 in his first two games before cooling off with a 183 and 173 in his final two to post the score to beat in the monthly competition among the islands’ top youth keglers.

Zapanta added the June title to his previous triumphs last February, March, and May.

Trailing Zapanta by 39 pins was April champion Zack Cruz who wound up with a 712 total and a 178 average. Cruz started out slowly by firing a pedestrian 152 in the first game. He made up for that with a 189 in the second before closing strong with throws of 170 and 201.

J.D. Torres finished third with a four-game series of 651 and 162.75 average. He started out with a 146, rolled a 169 in the second, 186 in the third, before limping in the homestretch with a 150.

Jamie Vales and Troy Verdaguer make up the rest of the participants for the June Bing Prince of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament with pinfall totals of 621 and 490, respectively.

For finishing 1-2-3, Zapanta, Cruz, and Torres won $20, $15, and $10, respectively from SBA.

Simon Manacop and Gloria Omechalang, meanwhile, are leading the Budweiser King and Queen of the Lanes following Sunday’s roll-off at the Garapan venue.

Manacop opened up with two 200-plus scores Sunday and wound up with an 814 total and 203.5 average to top the men’s division. He was followed by Jonathan Hensley (806 and 201.5) and Raymond Angeles (762 and 190.5).

Omechalanag, for her part, lorded it over the women’s division in Day 1 of the monthly tournament, firing one 200-plus game to finish with 714 pinfalls, good for a 178.5 average.

Gigi Zapanta (622 and 155.5) and Diane Chong (609 and 152.25) finished second and third Sunday in the Queen of the Lanes.

Results of Day 2 of the two-day King and Queen of the Lanes last night were still not available as of press time.

The Bing Prince/Princess of the Lanes as well as the Budweiser King and Queen of the Lanes are sponsored by MARPAC. The tournaments are organized by the Saipan Bowling Association.