AFTER a two-year hiatus, Cebuano bowler Heber Alqueza returned to the bowling scene on a winning note after topping the Graded division of the 2019 PSB Open Bowling Championship on Monday night, Sept. 23, 2019, at the Playdium Bowling Center in Quezon City.

Alqueza, a former national youth pool member, finished the 12-game series with a total score of 2,452 to beat John Tiongson and Mike Crisol, who ranked second and third with scores of 2,387 and 2,350, respectively.

The last time Alqueza played competitive bowling was two years ago when he won the Negros Open Bowling Tournament. He decided to put his bowling career on hold to focus on his studies.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing degree, Alqueza found himself back in the bowling alley.

Alqueza struggled in the opening game with a dismal 158 score, but was able to shake off the rust with 210 and 247 in the next two games. He then scored 169, 192, 245 and 197 in games four to seven.

Alqueza of ACBI-Prima did not disappoint in the last five games, scoring 233, 177, 201, 202 and 221, to sneak out with the title.

Tiongson of Team PBA tallied scores of 233, 254, 202, 162, 183, 193, 210, 179, 195, 201, 189 and 186 good for second place.

TBAM-Prima’s Crisol, meanwhile, put up scores of 217, 214, 176, 203, 200, 179, 192, 183, 168, 202, 224 and 192.

Completing the Top 8 bowlers were Greg Wilson (2,314), Ferdie Co (2,306), John Mendoza (2,281), Mon Camba (2,255) and Art Gatmen (2,222).

The next tournament for the 23-year-old Alqueza will be the United Southern Bowlers Club (USBC) Open, which is slated on Oct. 1 to 7 at the Starmall in Muntinlupa City. (RSC)