18 Nov Malaysia A Team victorious in 18th Asian Schools 10-Pin Bowling Tourney 2017
KUCHING: Malaysia A emerged victorious at the Masters category 18th Asian School Tenpin Bowling Championships held at Megalanes Sarawak of Jalan Batu Kawah which ended on November 16.
Malaysia’s challenge was spearheaded by Tun Ameerul Hakim who upstaged Alex Yu, the top seed bowler from Hong Kong A during the final round. He was on form and bagged two games with a score of 269-205 and 201-181 to collect the Boys Masters gold.
Earlier, the Malaysian second seed bowler disposed off Shoumick Datta of India, the third seeded bowler with a score of 279-237 during the semi-final.
In the Girls Masters stepladder finals, Puteri Nurul Dini, who was the top seed, faced no difficulty in overcoming the challenge from third seed Fion Liew Shan Ting from Singapore, beating the latter 207-176 and 251-193 to make it a clean sweep for Malaysia A.
Fiona Yew also from Singapore finished third after losing to compatriot Fion Liew 158-176 in the semi-final.
The two gold medals on the final day made Malaysia A the undisputable overall champions with six gold, six silver and two bronze medals, followed by Hong Kong A (2-1-1), Australia A (1-2-0), Indonesia A (1-0-0), Singapore A (0-0-1) and Malaysia B (0-0-1).
Malaysia A’s other gold medals were won in the Girls Singles, Girls Doubles, Girls Team and Girls All Events.
Puteri Nurul Dini was the team’s best performer with four golds from the Girls Doubles, Girls Team, Girls All Events and Girls Masters and a bronze in the Girls Singles.
The closing and prize presentation ceremony was graced by Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC) chief executive officer, Dr Ong Kong Swee, who represented Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Dr Ong who read the minister’s speech said the 18th Asian School Tenpin Bowling Championships had further exposed and boosted tenpin bowling in Sarawak.
“This event gathers top class bowlers to Kuching and fosters goodwill and friendship among countries in Asia. “I congratulate Abas for successfully organised this event for the very first time in Kuching. We appreciate your continued sacrifices and endeavours in promoting the sport in Sarawak,” he said.
He also added the local bowlers, in particular Sarawak’s young Sukma squad, had learned a lot from their Asian counterparts and savoured the privilege and experience. Also present during the closing ceremony were deputy president of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC), Dato Mohd Najeeb Abdullah, Amateur Tenpin Bowling Association of Sarawak (ABAS) president Sunny Si, deputy president Shaifulbahri Shukri and the association’s vice president Robert Lu who is also Malaysia team manager.