(L-R) Ainie Knight, Asuncion Bruce, Philippine Lawn Bowls Association president Rosever Dabi Pascua and Ronalyn Greenlees during the awarding ceremony of the PLBA National Triples Championship held last February at the Angeles Sports and Country Club in Angeles City, Pampanga. (Photo courtesy of Ronalyn Greenlees)
MANILA - The Philippines is set to compete in the 13th Asian Lawn Bowls Championship, which will be hosted by China in September.
According to playing-coach Ronalyn Greenlees, the Philippine Lawn Bowls Association (PLBA) will finalize the composition of the team after the National Singles Championship slated May 3-7 at the Angeles Sports and Country Club in Angeles City, Pampanga.
"We have began training for the Asian Championship and we are hoping that the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will support us. I submitted the request for funding to the PSC last October during our budget hearing," said Greenless in an interview Monday.
Greenlees is a quarterfinalist in the 2008 World Outdoor Bowls Championship, where she, alongside lawn bowls squad members Hazel Jagonoy, Rosita Bradborn and Asuncion Bruce, won bronze in the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The PLBA, which is now under the leadership of Rosever Dabi Pascua, has conducted its national tournaments in triples on Feb. 25-28, and pairs on March 1-4, at the Angeles Sports and Country Club.
Greenlees, Bruce and Ainie Knight won the gold medal in the ladies triples event after beating the team of Bradborn, Sharon Haunters and Nenita Tabiano, 17-10, in the final.
The bronze medal went to the team of Jagonoy, Nancy Toyco and Marisa Baronda, which scored a 20-10 victory over Arlene Brown, Lopez Farley and Dayana Horolan.
In the ladies pairs event, Knight and Bruce downed Bradborn and Jagonoy, 16-14, in the final to win the gold medal, while Greenlees and Farley pocketed the bronze medal after defeating Maria Guinto and Lynn Brown, 14-13.
In the men's division, Chris Dagpin, Elmer Abatayo and Robert Curt Guarin clinched the gold medal in the triples event after posting a 21-14 victory over Rey Samia, Ronald Lising and Emmanuel Portacio in the championship round.
Angelo Morales, Eric Hauters and Paul Kitchn prevailed over Leoncio Carreon Jr., Marcelito Pancho and Errol Johnson, 15-14, to settle for the bronze medal.
Morales and Hauters outplayed Lising and Portacio, 16-14, in the final of the pairs event to pocket the gold medal, while Carreon and Mercado defeated Chris Dagpin and Rodel Labayo, 20-15, to claim the bronze medal.
Three weeks ago, the men's team composed of Ronald Lising, Hommer Mercado, Paul Kitchen and Errol Johnson won the gold medal, while the women's team composed of Bradborn, Jagonoy, Baronda and Sharon Hauters took the silver medal in the 21st Tiger Bowls World Invitational tournament held at the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Training Center.
The same women's team also won the silver medal in the Belt and Road China Lawn Bowls Open 2018 tournament held in Shenzhen and Zhuhai last March 16.
During the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia, the national lawn bowlers managed to win one gold, three silvers and two bronzes.
The medalists are Guarin, Portacio and Carreon, Jr. (men's fours, gold); Baronda, Toyco and Tabiano (women's fours, silver); Greenlees, Jagonoy and Bradborn (women's tiples, silver); Pancho and Morales (men's pairs, silver); Bruce and Knight (women's pairs, bronze); and Elmer Abatayo (men's singles, bronze). (PNA)
