Bowling

puakaganas

Nathan wants bowlers to go for individual glory too

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian bowlers have done well in the team event at world level but they should start aiming for more podium finishes in the individual events as well.  

This is what Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) president Datuk Dr P. S. Nathan hopes to see from the current batch of national bowlers.

The team of Shalin Zukifli, Wendy Chai, Zandra Aziela, Esther Cheah, Choy Poh Lai and Sharon Koh blazed the lanes to a new championship record and gold in the five-woman team event in the Women抯 World Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, last week.  

It was the second time in four years that Malaysia finished as the best team in the world.  

揟he same team also won the gold in the Doha Asian Games. There is no doubt they are world class with the latest achievement, which is not easy in an unpredictable sport like bowling.  

  

Golden girls: The Malaysian women bowlers (clockwise from top left) Choy Poh Lai, Shalin Zulkifli, Sharon Koh, Wendy Chai and Zandra Aziela posing with their gold medals after returning from Mexico yesterday.

揑n the team event, we have shown we can take on anybody without fear.  

揃ut what I hope is that our bowlers will build on their confidence and aim to do well in the individual events too.  

揊rom what I see, we Asians still lack self-belief in our abilities to fight against the Americans and Europeans.  

揟he Chinese, Koreans and Japanese have overcome this weakness. We hope our bowlers can work on overcoming this through time and more exposure in major competitions,

micha

sllu nye kat times square....

nk ajak puakaganas main kat sp.... lane plg mcabar bg micha stakat nih....

puakaganas

Quit plan put on hold
By LIM TEIK HUAT

KUALA LUMPUR: National women bowler Wendy Chai has had a change of heart and will not quit the national team.  

The bronze medal finish in the singles event in the just concluded women抯 World Championships in Monterrey, Mexico has inspired Wendy to continue to bowl for the country and not go into early retirement as planned earlier.

揑 will continue to bowl as long as the national team need me.  

揇atuk Dr P.S. Nathan (Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress president) and Holloway Cheah (national coach) also discussed the matter and they have asked me to carry on bowling.

揑 had thought of quitting after the Thailand SEA Games at the end of this year because of the problems with my knee but I will carry on for the time being.  

揑 think I can manage with proper rehabilitation,

puakaganas

biasa gak main kat times square tu tapi pua tak berapa cemerlang la kat sana

prototaip

main kat times square ye?tiap2 sabtu antara pukul 11 pagi hingga 2 petang aku selalu main kat situ...

puakaganas

Alex and Co aim to put men back in the limelight

PETALING JAYA: Southpaw Alex Liew aims to put the Malaysian men抯 bowling team back in the limelight when the team venture into Europe this month.

Alex, the men抯 skipper, will be leading the team to the Ankara Open in Turkey, which is the 16th stop in the European Bowling Tour (EBT).

The Ankara leg, which will be held from Sept 16-23, offers 70,000 euros

puakaganas

Bowler Poh Lai gets the chop
By RAJES PAUL

  

Down but not out: Choy Poh Lai aims to regain her form and make the squad for the Korat SEA Games.

PETALING JAYA: National woman bowler Choy Poh Lai has been dropped from the squad for the back-to-back Opens in Singapore and Taiwan due to poor form.

However, the 27-year-old Poh Lai is determined to make the team for the Korat SEA Games in December.

Poh Lai will be out to regain her touch, and self-confidence, by undergoing a one-to-one training programme with chief coach Holloway Cheah in the next few weeks.

Holloway will hold a selection roll-off after the Taiwan Open before naming the men抯 and women抯 teams for the SEA Games.

The Singapore Open will be held from Sept 18-29 and the Taiwan Open from Oct 6-13.

Poh Lai is determined to get to the root of the problem that saw her dishing out uninspiring performances during the recent women抯 World Championships in Mexico .

She finished last among the Malaysians in all the events.

揑 have been with the national team for five years and that was my worst performance (in Mexico). The worst feeling was when I could not lift my game although the coaches, team manager and my team-mates were doing their best to help me. They were supportive but I could not help myself,

puakaganas

Bowling: Esther to return from US to beef up SEA Games squad

PETALING JAYA: Bowler Esther Cheah is expected to return home to strengthen the preparation of the Malaysian women's team for the SEA Games, which will be held in Korat from Dec 6-16.

The 21-year-old Esther is currently at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in United States pursuing a three-year degree programme in psychology.

National chief coach Holloway Cheah was optimistic that Esther would be part of the squad for the Games.

揝he has to convince her professor that she will be able to sit for her exams, which will be held after the SEA Games. The professor is worried that Esther will not be able to make it,

puakaganas

Men bowlers give Ankara Open a miss

PETALING JAYA: The national men's elite bowlers have scrapped plans to compete in the prestigious Ankara Open after failing to secure early return flights to enable them to compete in the Singapore Open.

Alex Liew, Aaron Kong, Zulmazran Zulkifli, Daniel Lim, Adrian Ang and Mohd Noer Said were to leave today for Ankara, which is the 16th stop in the European Bowling Tour (EBT) scheduled for Sept 16-23.

They had skipped the Hong Kong Open earlier because it clashed with the tournament, which offers 70,000 euros

azazral

go shalin.. go

puakaganas

pro lepas2 raye lah ek....time pose ni aku tak larat nak main

puakaganas

Shalin on course for Hong Kong title

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's Shalin Zulkifli stayed on track for her first Open title this year when she finished top after the first block of the Masters Finals in the Hong Kong Open at the SCAA Bowling Centre yesterday.

The 29-year-old Shalin, who qualified for the Finals by virtue of being the defending champion, came close to scoring her first perfect game this year en route to her impressive eight-game score of 1,884 pins.  

She missed out on the magical 300 in the second game by just one pin. She had lines of 256-299-173-195-235-266-214-246.

Thailand's Angkana Netrviseth came in second with a 1,812 total while Joey Yip Ka Yan of Hong Kong finished third on 1,777. Malaysia's Lai Kin Ngoh, who is now based in Hong Kong, knocked down 1,718 pins for fourth spot.

Another block of eight games will be played today. The top six bowlers will then battle it out for the Masters crown in the step-ladder finals.

puakaganas

First successful title defence and first title of the year for Shalin

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian ace Shalin Zulkifli finally got the monkey off her back by defending a first international Open title in her bowling career.

A highly-charged Shalin defeated Hong Kong's Joey Yip Ka Yan 209-160 in the stepladder final to win the women's Masters crown in the Hong Kong Open at the SCAA Bowl yesterday.

With the win, the seasoned campaigner has also nailed her first Open title of the year.

Shalin made it to the stepladder Finals as the top qualifier with a 16-game total of 3,684.

  

Shalin: Defeated Hong Kong's Joey Yip Ka Yan 209-160 in the stepladder final.

Former national bowler Lai Kin Ngoh also made it to the Finals but she was eliminated in the first match after knocking down a poor 187 pins.

Shalin was happy with her breakthrough performance.

揟his win is a personal record for me. I have never successfully defended an Open title before and I managed to do it today. I am really very happy,

gepren

Salam.. dah lama gile tak posting sini!

Apa khabar bebudak gile boling semua?  
Masih main boling kah?  

Aku last main akhir bln 8 aritu je.. lps tu xde dah org ajak aku main boling.. sian btol!  

puakaganas

Bowling: Shalin now juggles with ball and a career in business

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's bowling icon Shalin Zulkifli has proved that there is a balance between excellence in sports and a career in business.

Shalin did well to retain the Masters crown in the Hong Kong Open on Saturday and it was the first time that she successfully defended a title in her bowling career. And she will be out to achieve another good showing in the Singapore Open this week.

While busy getting herself back to top form and winning honours for the country, Shalin has also quietly got a hype of activities into her own bowling alley, the Pin Junction at Cineleisure Damansara.

Together with boyfriend and former international, Azidi Ameran, the 24-lane alley will be the venue of a major league

puakaganas

Bowling: Sharon抯 birthday wish is to break into top 10
By AFTAR SINGH

KUALA LUMPUR: National number two Sharon Wee will turn 30 next month but she is not about to hang up her racquet just yet.

The Malaccan wants to further improve on her world rankings. Her best position since turning professional in 1999 was 18th last month.

揂ge is no barrier and my target is to break into the top-16 bracket by the end of the year. And by the end of next year, I hope to be among the top 10,

puakaganas

Bowling: Wendy and Zatil share top spot at the Singapore Open
By RAJES PAUL

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's Wendy Chai and Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani stole the show in the first block of the Masters Finals when they blazed their way to a joint top finish in the Singapore Open bowling tournament at Superbowl Safra yesterday.

Season campaigner Wendy recovered from a slow start to fire lines of 181-182-233-227-279-222-248-279 for a eight-game score of 1,849 pins.

  

On top: Wendy shares the joint lead with team-mate Zatil Iman at the Singapore Open yesterday

Back-up bowler Zatil shared the lead with lines of 248-203-235-258-256-245-203-201.

Youngster Sharon Koh also kept close to the leaders when she finished fifth with a score of 1,807 pins.

Wendy, Zatil and Sharon have realistic shots of winning the title when the second block of another eight games resume today.

Only the top six women and top six men after the 16 games qualify for the stepladder finals.

Two other Malaysians, Shalin Zulkifli and Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi, are in 14th and 20th positions and they have to double their efforts to make the cut today.

In the men's competition, Daniel Lim chalked up a perfect game yesterday but it was still not good enough to take the lead.

Daniel, who is gunning for his second Open title this year, knocked down 300 pins in the fourth game for an-eight game total of 1,839 pins to finish eighth.

Manila SEA Games gold medallist Aaron Kong did better than Daniel to finish one rung higher with 1,842 pins.

Three other Malaysians have to pull up their socks to stay in contention for the title today.

Southpaw Alex Liew came in at 20th spot with 1,770 pins followed by Adrian Ang at 30th placing (1,632) and Zaid Izlan Ibrahim Hakimi at 32nd (1,617).


Results
Masters Final (first block of eight games)
Men (top five only): 1. K. Somjed (Tha) 1981, 2. Remy Ong (Sin) 1877,3. Mika Koivuniem (Fin) 1875, 4. Jay Leon Guerrero (Gum) 1863, 5. CarlDe Vries (Sin) 1852.  

Selected: 7. Aaron Kong 1842, 8. Daniel Lim 1839,18. Syahereza Fajrin 1778, 20. Alex Liew 1770, 30. Adrian Ang 1631, 32.Zaid Izlan Ibrahim Hakimi 1617.

Women: 1. Wendy Chai (Mas) and Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani (Mas) 1,849, 3. Kim Eun-jung (Kor) 1829, 4. Jasmine Yeong-Nathan (Sin) 1825, 5. Sharon Koh (Mas) 1807.  

Selected: 14. Shalin Zulkifli 1674, 20. Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi 1637.

puakaganas

Zatil bags first title at Singapore Open
By RAJES PAUL

  

Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani (right) and Sharon Koh made it a 1-2 finish for Malaysia in the women抯 Masters event at the Singapore Open Saturday.

PETALING JAYA: Youngster Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani nailed her first international title yesterday to stake a strong claim for a place in the Korat SEA Games bowling squad.

Yesterday, the 19-year-old Zatil stunned compatriot Sharon Koh 237-216 in the stepladder final of the 40th Singapore Open for her first senior Masters title.

It was a well deserved victory for Zatil, who had been in devastating form throughout the competition.

Yesterday, she qualified for the stepladder finals as the number one bowler after completing the second block of eight games in the Masters Finals with impressive lines of 206-237-234-230-269-266-237-234 for a 16-game total of 3,762 pins.

The more fancied Sharon, a member of the gold medal winning team at last month抯 women抯 World Championships in Mexico, had earlier assured a 1-2 finish for Malaysia when she won the second match of the stepladder finals with a score of 231 pins to set up a meeting with Zatil.

But a split in the seventh frame saw her losing to Zatil in a closely contested final, which was played on two lanes set up inside the Novena Square shopping complex.

Seasoned campaigner Wendy Chai also made it to the step-ladder finals but was beaten in the first match after amassing 211 pins. Jasmine Yeong-Nathan of Singapore rolled down 205 pins while Tannya Roumimper of Indonesia went through with her 225 score.

Sharon then set up a showdown with Zatil after bowling a 231 against Tannya's 164 and Singapore's Cherie Tan's 215 in the second match.  

But the day certainly belonged to Zatil, who had been eyeing for a breakthrough since joining the back-up squad four years ago.

揟his is the happiest day for me. I stayed focused and it paid off with my first senior Open title,

puakaganas

Bowling: Teens reap the benefits
By RAJES PAUL

PETALING JAYA: Youngsters led by Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani gave impressive performances in the recent Singapore Open to indicate that Malaysian bowling is reaping the benefits from solid development programmes.

The 19-year-old Zatil, who has been in the back-up squad for the last four years, made a breakthrough by winning her first senior international title.

She defeated the more fancied Sharon Koh in the stepladder final to take the women's Masters crown and the success has enhanced her chances to feature in the SEA Games in Thailand in December.

After seeing Esther Cheah, Zandra Aziela Ibrahim Hakimi, Sharon and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman coming through the ranks, national chief coach Holloway was pleased to see Zatil coming to the fore.

  

The masters: Malaysia抯 Zatil Iman Abdul Ghani and Mika Koivuniemi of Finland strike a pose after winning the women抯 and men抯 Masters title in the Singapore Open.

揑t is not easy to win an Open title. Many have tried but few succeed. Zatil has worked very hard and I am happy that she has come out of the shadows of Sharon. The challenge for her now is to consistently do well on the international stage,

puakaganas

Adrian needs to double up his efforts

KUALA LUMPUR: Youngster Adrian Ang won his first international bowling title in April and felt that it could help him make the grade to compete in the SEA Games for the first time.

But now the breakthrough performance alone may not be good enough to seal a place in the team.  

The 19-year-old is well aware that he needs to perform well in the Taiwan Open, which will be held in Taipei from Oct 8-14. It is the last tournament for the national bowlers to prove their worth before the six-man and six-woman teams are named for the Games.

Adrian does not want to suffer the same fate as he did for the last Games in Manila when he was left out at the eleventh hour.

揑 have won my first Open title this year (the Euromed Storm International Masters Challenge) but I do not want to assume that I have a place in the team for the SEA Games. I have to prove my worth again at the Taiwan Open,