ARAW ng Dabaw 2019 champion Gabriel Velasco added a feather on his cap by topping the Datba Monthly finals tournament for May held Sunday, June 2, at the SM Lanang Premier Bowling Center in Davao City.

The 23-year-old Velasco of Davao Doctors College, who gained the twice-to-beat advantage after topping the six-game eliminations, defeated No. 4 Joshua Disuacido, 206-197, in the step-the-ladder finals.

Velasco toppled a total of 1,347 pinfalls after six games in the meet organized by the Davao Tenpin Bowlers Association. He, who was also the 2018 Datba Bowler of the Year, received a champion’s trophy and a P10,000 cash prize.

“This is my fourth monthly title,” Velasco said in the vernacular.

AJ Galendez (1,306) placed second while Rod Tongo (1,238) and Disuacido (1,202) finished third and fourth, respectively.

In the step-the-ladder finals, Disuacido bested No. 3 Tongo (228-181) and No. 2 Galendez (186-158) to arrange a championship showdown with Velasco.

Disuacido settled for the P4,000 runner-up prize while Galendez went home with P2,000 and Tongo claimed P1,000.

Top qualifier was Ivan Awid while Velasco bagged the highest finals single title and Kert Palces copped the highest qualifying single award. (MLSA)