Canare running third in W Cup

The Philippines’ Jojo Canare came through with 1093 to place third after the first round of women’s competition in the 2003 AMF Bowling World Cup at the Planeta Sipangco Bowling Center in Tegucigalpa, Honduras Sunday.

It was a fine start for the 34-year-old Filipino champion, a former SEA Games gold medalist, who averaged 218.60 after the first five games of the event which gathers the best and the brightest bowlers in the world. She stood behind Scot Laura Rhoney, who had a 1124 and Hiroku Shimizu of Japan, who scored 1117.

The 62-women and 75-men’s fields will roll a total of 20 games before the first cut, when the rosters are reduced to the top 24 in each division.

2001 SEA Games gold medalist CJ Suarez, on the other hand, came through with 1078, with 215 average, and lay in 13th place in the men’s side paced by 1988 champion Mohammed Al-Qubaisi of the UAE, who ranged between games of 183 and 258 to average 224.20 for five games.

The Filipinos’ stint here is backed by Joey Puyat, vice president of Coronado Lanes, Inc.

Jose Smeke Lopez of Mexico turned in a 284 in his fifth game to finish three points off the lead and three points ahead of third-place Tore Torgersen of Norway. Torgersen, who won the championship in 1994, bowled 1115 overall. churned out the best single game in the afternoon, finishing three points short of a perfect game when he bowled a 297 in his second game. He finished fourth with an overall score of 1,104.

Shaun Ng of Singapore finished fifth, one point behind Hoffman.

More than 170 players from 81 countries are seeing action in the Honduran capital for the 39th annual staging of the amateur bowling world championships.