This time, he had to go against a hometown favorite, Montree Vipitsini, for the championship. Neither bowler was able to muster much steam, but Dubois's experience in the two previous finals finally paid off. He outlasted Vipitsini, 567-549, to take the men's title.

The women, particularly Olivia Garcia of the Philippines, were the players who really gave the crowds at Sukhumvit Bowl something to shout about. Garcia, better known to the bowling world as Bong Coo, fired a record-breaking three-game set of 649 as she demolished Hattieanne Morrissette of Bermuda in the finals. The injured Morrissette could muster only a 587 total-good enough to win the previous two years, but second-rate in 1979 thanks to Coo's mastery of the lanes.

   
   

Philippe Dubois will remember 1979 as the year he broke the AMF Bowling World Cup jinx.

This time, he had to go against a hometown favorite, Montree Vipitsini, for the championship. Neither bowler was able to muster much steam, but Dubois's experience in the two previous finals finally paid off. He outlasted Vipitsini, 567-549, to take the men's title.

The women, particularly Olivia Garcia of the Philippines, were the players who really gave the crowds at Sukhumvit Bowl something to shout about. Garcia, better known to the bowling world as Bong Coo, fired a record-breaking three-game set of 649 as she demolished Hattieanne Morrissette of Bermuda in the finals. The injured Morrissette could muster only a 587 total-good enough to win the previous two years, but second-rate in 1979 thanks to Coo's mastery of the lanes.

Sukhumvit Bowl may have been the epicenter of the bowling action, but the players seemed almost hypnotized by the many "extra-curricular activities" available in Thailand's capital. They cruised the canals in outboard-powered launches with colorful awnings. They bought strands of flowers from eight-year-old street vendors. And, of course, there were the "obligatory" visits to the bars in the notorious Patpong district.

One bowler who didn't let himself get too distracted was Loris Mambelli of Italy. He posted the new single-game mark for the Bowling World Cup by stringing 11 strikes in a row before leaving the 8-10 split for a 298 game.

The 8-10 split? Come to think of it, maybe Mambelli was a little distracted at that...

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