DAVAO City pintoppler Edmund Cambaliza emerged as open masters champion in the recently-concluded 2nd National Bowling Tour (NBT) held at the E-Lanes, Ortigas Avenue in San Juan City.
Cambaliza, a Davao Tenpin Players Association (Datba) member, dominated the 10-game qualifying round by hitting 2,161 pinfalls to gain the twice-to-beat advantage in the championship round.
The Dabawenyo toppled Ricky Tagulinao of Sta. Lucia East Tenpin Bowling Association in one match, 207-202, to clinch the championship trophy and P60,000 cash prize.
In a Facebook chat interview with SunStar Davao, Cambaliza, a chemical engineer and brewmaster, said, "It was overwhelming. It's my first time to win a national bowling tour as a champion."
He returned to Manila without even knowing if his qualifying scores made the cutoff. While at the airport, he received a call informing him that he was the last qualifier for the associate masters finals and had to show up by 8 a.m. the following day.
In the associate masters finals, Atba player Jovy Jordan ruled the category after amassing 2,121 pinfalls after 10 games while Datba bets Cambaliza and Marc Fernandez grabbed the next two spots. Cambaliza made 2,069 pinfalls, while Fernandez had 2,057.
Cambaliza added, "In the mixed open masters finals, I had to do a last-minute qualifying set to ensure I make the cut. I started at the 33rd rank after two games, then entered the top 15 after four games. I placed seventh after six games, and second after eight games before finally making it to the top after 10 games, giving me a waiting status and twice to beat advantage. During the finals, I'm glad it took only one game to do the job, otherwise, it will be a lot more nerve-racking."
When asked how he kept his composure after the rigorous stages of the tournament, he replied, "I just tried too hard to calm my nerves and do everything I learned during practice. A lot of focus too."
Meanwhile, Tagulinao, who only ranked third after the qualifying, climbed his way to the finals by outclassing Datba player Marc Fernandez and Manila Tenpin Bowling Association's (MTBA's) Jac Sadiua in the quarterfinals. Tagulinao rolled 247 pins, while Fernandez and Sadiua scored 194 and 191, respectively.
Tagulinao's momentum carried him into the semi-finals, where he defeated JR Bañez of Casba-MKAI, 206-165, setting the stage for his titular showdown with Cambaliza.
Bañez secured the third spot, while Fernandez finished fifth, and Sadiua took sixth place. MLSA