Vintage Paeng tops MBA Open Masters

MANILA, Philippines - Six-time world champion Paeng Nepomuceno may have aged, but he’s still as sharp and deadly as before when he was the most dominant force in the local bowling world.

The 53-year-old lefty and only four-time winner of the prestigious World Cup proved this last Sunday by beating his younger rivals to bag the MBA Open Masters bowling championship at Paeng’s Midtown Bowl at Robinson’s Place Manila.

“It feels so good to be a champion again. What makes it more meaningful is it’s my 120th career victory,” the 6-foot-one Nepomuceno of Nutrilite/Amway said after holding off AMBA-FCO’s Ramil Cisneros, 247 to 221, in the finals.

Nepomuceno ruled the 10-game eliminations with 2430 pinfalls for a 243 average, while Cisneros came in second at 2411.

Charles Tee, Nikko Go and Jeff Carabeo finished third, fourth and fifth with 2408, 2369 and 2366, respectively.

Carabeo won the first shootout match with 257 against Tee’s 236 and Go’s 217. But Cisneros earned a shot at Nepomuceno by whipping Carabeo, 249-217, in the second match.

Cisneros topped Nepomuceno in the first match, 240-207, but the veteran lefty regained his big touch in the extra game to frustrate his foe.

Nepomuceno, who recently competed in his 17th World Cup international finals in Melaka, Malaysia and came back only two weeks ago from Arlington, Texas where his life sized picture was placed at the entrance of the new Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum entrance, was untouchable in the elimination round.

He opened with a 259 and followed this with 211, 212, 267, 279, 225, 257, 226, 237 and 257.