Thursday, August 21, 2008 Liberty to challenge Ex Gen's in IMBL
THE Ex Generations is set to continue its winning ways in the ongoing 15 team International Mixed Bowling League (IMBL) when it battles defending champion Liberty in the league’s eight week at the Puyat center tonight.
While Ex Gen continues to dominate its opponents, Liberty seemed to have lost its championship caliber after getting white washed by Mixed Nuts, 11-13.
Erstwhile league leader Ex Generation was on its way out in the last game but still managed to eke out a 15-9 win over Wild Cards last week for a league leading 126 won points.
Oscar Aquino returned after a week of absence and led three others with a 2-1 win over Tom Morado, even as Ed Claridad had 203s in the first two games for a similar win over Rob Lauro who closed with a 204.
Nelly Arciaga and Mila Sanchez had the same victory over Del Claravall and Offie Villanueva, respectively.
Only Rolly de Guzman fell for the team as the soon to be retired banker played miserably against Joe Agoot to fall 0-3.
Liberty has always been a dangerous team and known to make late charges to the championship round as it did last year when it sneaked past two others teams to make it to the final two.
Last conference, however, the charge came in late but still made it to the top four despite staying for some time at the bottom four, which it does now at 12th spot.
Liberty has the high average bowler in Joe Balaoing, a Benguet State University professor who carries a 188 pinfall per game clip and a measly 9 handicap, the lowest in the league. He also carries the highest series of 639 pinfalls, or 213 pinfall average.
Dondon Gadon has always been a threat and plays even better than his 168.05 ppg clip and last year's high average before absences cost him the title and even the mythical five selection for failing to meet the minimum games played of 75 percent.
Throw in Willy Ng (162.52), Beivz Tee and Bounty Peralta, players like Gadon, a TransCo executive, who are all more than meet the eye.
Pretty Pink Panthers are also clawing its way to the top and team manager Marice de Guzman would want nothing more than a title this conference for a team that could be one of the best in the league but never realized it because of its seeming self defeating attendance problem.
"That's the problem, we always have somebody absent during the crucial periods," summed Jun Rialubin.
But things look good for the former Maricians as handicaps have ballooned for players like Rialubin who used to bowl 170 plus ppg. But now is down to a 158.76 ppg clip.
Peter Go, the millennium amateur bowler, is down to a 162.93 ppg clip, down from the 180 ppg. clip. Boy Retuya is also a dangerous player who bowls better than his 163.33 average this conference. And he is just the second man, one of the more comfortable, if not the most, position in the five men rotation.
"A 30 for Go, a 33 for Rialubin. Impossible!" quipped Top 40 team captain Pigeon Lobien, who lost to Go twice, commenting on the handicaps of the two as the team's handicap plunged to a high 154.
And there is last conference's high average bowler, Joseph Tan, who can shift from a hook bowler to playing helicopter when the lane dictates it. Tan, who has the second best average of 185 ppg, is the only player who can do that and that depends on the lane conditions just as he did last week in helping the Panthers to a 19-5 win over Top 40.
They will mix it up with fifth ranked Mixed Nuts, last conference's fifth place finisher. In other games, it will be fourth ranked Chamba against former four time champion Palm Grove CCF Bowlers (6th), defending champion and seventh ranked Gerco up against newcomer Moog (12th), 8th ranked Kiwanis facing the 12th placed Khatib, 9th placed Cross Stitch playing blind, 11th ranked Top 40 against Mr. Donut, which remains at the cellar.
The IMBL or Thursday League is one of the four regular weekly features at the Puyat Lanes. The Rotary led Monday League starts the week, followed by the all-men Tuesday League which returns after almost three years of absence and the Philippine Bowling Congress recognized Baguio Highland Bowling Association initiated Friday League.
The IMBL, however, is the biggest and longest running which started in the former Camp John Hay lanes and boasts of 15 teams or 75 players under the leadership of mediaman Pigeon Lobien. (Roderick Osis)
