Castro is May Pepsi King of the Lanes

Alex Castro took full advantage of ideal lane conditions in the second day of competition to win the May Pepsi King of the Lanes Tenpin Bowling Tournament last Monday at the Saipan Bowling Center.

The 24-year-old Continental Airlines employee said he always went with the ball that rolled the longest the entire night and it obviously paid dividends, as Castro bowled no score lower than 212 pinfalls in all four games.

“You just have to find your mark on the lanes and it’s almost a sure strike. If not, you always have a good chance of making a spare because of the great lane conditions.”

Playing on lanes 9 and 10, Castro opened up with 212 pinfalls and improved by an average of 10 pinfalls the next three trips back. He rolled 214 pinfalls and 225 pinfalls in games No. 2 and 3 and then closed out the evening with 233 pinfalls to finish the tournament with 884 pinfalls or an average of 221 pinfalls a game.

“I’ve been bowling on and off for the last 16 years. I actually just came back to playing bowling after a long break. Starting last month, I try to hit the bowling lanes every Friday and Saturday,” he said.

Castro was not the only beneficiary of Monday’s better-than-usual lane conditions. Amazingly, all players in the top 10 finished with scores of 200 pinfalls or more and in all 12 players reached the benchmark.

March champion Raymond Zapanta tried to make a run at Castro but came up short and settled for second place with 863 pinfalls in four games for an average of 215.75 pinfalls.

Jonathan Eparwa was also in the hunt for the monthly title until a 198 in his fourth game derailed his chances and he wound up with 861 pinfalls for a 215.25-pinfall average.

First-round leader Mario Mayuga was confident his score would hold up but three bowlers eventually dislodged him from first place and he had to settle for fourth-best with 860 pinfalls and an average of 215 pinfalls a game.

Alex Cacdac salvaged a fifth place finish with a 258 in his last game. He recorded 846 pinfalls in four games for an average of 211.5 pinfalls a game.

February and April champion Ruselle Zapanta registered the highest single score of the tournament with his 268 in the second game Monday but it apparently was not enough and he ended up in sixth place with 844 pinfalls.

Edgar Talavera placed seventh with 843 pinfalls, while January winner Simon Manacop finished eighth with 823 pinfalls. Veteran keglers Robert Talavera and Paul Pangelinan closed out the top 10 with 821 pinfalls and 813 pinfalls, respectively.

In the women’s side, Carol A. McKenzie finished on the top of the heap with a four-game total of 717 pinfalls. Rosalinda Cal was second with 694 pinfalls, while Diane Camacho settled for third place with 687 pinfalls.

The May Pepsi King of the Lanes Tournament had a total of 81 entries. The monthly bowling competition is sponsored by Pacific Trading Co. and will culminate with a year-end championship tournament in January.