Results of 1998 ...
 17th - 19th Dec., 1998 Click here for detailed results |
 9th - 16th Dec., 1998 Click here for detailed results |
 20th - 29th Nov., 1998 Click here for detailed results |
 16th - 21st Nov., 1998 Click here for detailed results |
 31st Oct - 1st Nov., 1998 Click here for detailed results |
 16th - 25th Oct., 1998 Click here for detailed results |
Results a) First Leg - Sejati Bowl, Sungei Petani, May 9-10 GIRLS OPEN STATE GIRLS GRADED STATE 1st Low Bee Lian Selangor Fatasha Zura Selangor 2nd Mak Choong Yee Penang Vivien Khoo Penang 3rd Lena Lim Penang Yazliza Razlan Perak 4th Wong Lee Ching Selangor Cannie Lee Penang BOYS OPEN STATE BOYS GRADED STATE 1st Lai Chuen Lian Penang Lee Siew Liang Penang 2nd Lee Chee Yong Melaka Leon Lai Selangor 3rd Ch'ng Han Chye Penang Lim Kah Tak Pahang 4th Shahrom Shahid K. Lumpur David Lee Johor
Results b) Second Leg - Mega Lanes, Seberang Prai, May 12-13 GIRLS OPEN STATE GIRLS GRADED STATE 1st Mak Choong Yee Penang Vivien Khoo Penang 2nd Low Shi Yeen Kedah Yazliza Razlan Perak 3rd Christine Ong Penang Wong Siew Hong Penang 4th Low Bee Lian Selangor Chong Chia Lin Kedah BOYS OPEN STATE BOYS GRADED STATE 1st Tan Tong Nee Penang Md Saiful Hizam Kuala Lumpur 2nd Lee Chee Yong Melaka Lim Kah Tak Pahang 3rd Lai Chuen Lian Penang Brian Nirmal Kuala Lumpur 4th Mustafa Yassin Selangor Shahjehan A. Kuala Lumpur
Results b) Third Leg - Genting Bowl, Genting Highlands Resort, June 20-21 GIRLS OPEN STATE GIRLS GRADED STATE 1st Sharon Chai Johor Wong Siew Hong Penang 2nd Teh Lay Sim Penang Vivien Khoo Penang 3rd Wong Lee Ching Selangor Fatasha Zura Selangor 4th Lena Lim Penang Lim B-Jun Selangor BOYS OPEN STATE BOYS GRADED STATE 1st Mustafa Yassin Selangor Zul Hisyam Pahang 2nd Ho Jo Vern Penang Md Saiful Hizam Kuala Lumpur 3rd Shahrom Shahid Kuala Lumpur Allan Lee Johor 4th Tan Tong Nee Penang Tom Chia Johor
Results b) Fourth Leg - Cathay Bowl, Sri Petaling, K.L., August 27-28 GIRLS OPEN STATE GIRLS GRADED STATE 1st Teh Lay Sim Penang Norhaniza H Kuala Lumpur 2nd Low Shi Yeen Kedah Marsilah Razak Selangor 3rd Lena Lim Penang Vivien Khoo Penang 4th Low Bee Lian Selangor Yazliza Razlan Perak BOYS OPEN STATE BOYS GRADED STATE 1st Chan Kai Wah Selangor Md Saiful Hizam Kuala Lumpur 2nd Ch'ng Han Chye Penang Lim Kah Tak Pahang 3rd Ho Jo Vern Penang Suah Jin Chip Melaka 4th Mustafa Yassin Selangor Yong Chee Hing Kuala Lumpur
Results b) Fifth Leg - Pyramid Bowl, Bandar Sunway, P.J., August 30-31 GIRLS OPEN STATE GIRLS GRADED STATE 1st Low Shi Yeen Kedah Vivien Khoo Penang 2nd Jessica Then Sarawak Yazlin Razlan Perak 3rd Christine Ong Penang Fatasha Zura Selangor 4th Low Bee Lian Selangor Yeoh Kooi Chyn Penang BOYS OPEN STATE BOYS GRADED STATE 1st Mustafa Yassin Selangor Yong Chee Hing Kuala Lumpur 2nd Chan Kai Wah Selangor Tom Chai Johor 3rd Ooi Lay Beng Selangor John Kaveentesh Melaka 4th Sabarudin M Noor Selangor Lim Kah Tak Pahang
Results b) Sixth Leg - Golden Bowl, Mahkota Parade, Melaka, September 26-27 GIRLS OPEN STATE GIRLS GRADED STATE 1st Joyce Khoo Selangor Wong Siew Hong Penang 2nd Sharon Chai Johor Marsilah Razak Selangor 3rd Winnie Lee Penang Fatasha Zura Selangor 4th Teh Lay Sim Penang Yeoh Kooi Chyn Penang BOYS OPEN STATE BOYS GRADED STATE 1st Azren Mohd. Noor Penang Leon Lai Selangor 2nd Mustafa Yassin Selangor Tom Chai Johor 3rd Chan Kai Wah Selangor Alan Lee Johor 4th Shahrom Shahid Kuala Lumpur John Kaveentesh Melaka
Results b) Seventh Leg - Pelangi Leisure Bowl, Johor Bahru, Johor, December 5-6 GIRLS OPEN STATE GIRLS GRADED STATE 1st Winnie Lee Penang Vivien Khoo Penang 2nd Low Shi Yeen Kedah Yazlin Razlan Perak 3rd Sharon Chai Johor Yazliza Razlan Perak 4th Joyce Khoo Selangor Lim B Jun Selangor BOYS OPEN STATE BOYS GRADED STATE 1st Tan Chee Wei Melaka Alan Lee Johor 2nd Kee Dow Liang Melaka Md Saiful Hizam K.Lumpur 3rd Mustafa Yassin Selangor John Kaveentesh Melaka 4th Ch'ng Han Chye Penang Zulmazran Z. Selangor
The Malaysian team participated in the 3rd WTBA Asian Zone Qualifying World Tenpin Team Cup which concluded at Chiao-Fu Bowl, Taipei, Taiwan on the 28th July with flying colours making up for the dismal performance in the 15th FIQ Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships 1998.
The Team were made up of:
Team Officials: Dato' Dr. P.S. Nathan
Sidney Tung
Team Manager: Holloway Cheah
Coaches: Sid Allen, Jim Porter
Team Members: Men - Alex Liew, Ben Heng, Daniel Lim,
Kenny Ang, Ricky Chen, Y.H. Ng
Women - Low Poh Lian, K.N. Lai, Wendy Chai,
Shalin Zulkifli, Sarah Yap, Sharon Low,
Karen Lain
Both the Men and the Women team finished top in the qualifying. Congratulations! Well done.
Results - Women
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 211 194 405
C. Taipei 183 189 372
Points 2 2 2 6
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 215 203 418
Hong Kong 209 177 386
Points 2 2 2 6
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 201 213 414
Japan 212 172 384
Points 0 2 2 4
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 163 178 341
Macau 172 134 306
Points 0 2 2 4
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 235 234 469
Singapore 191 201 392
Points 2 2 2 6
Results - Men
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 236 180 416
Bahrain 167 199 366
Points 2 0 2 4
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 229 164 393
C. Taipei 194 223 416
Points 2 0 0 2
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 206 195 401
Hong Kong 175 225 400
Points 2 0 2 4
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 221 210 431
Japan 187 231 418
Points 2 0 2 4
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 214 188 402
Macau 169 158 327
Points 2 2 2 6
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 215 200 415
Qatar 152 198 350
Points 2 2 2 6
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 245 186 431
S. Arabia 155 181 336
Points 2 2 2 6
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 233 212 445
Singapore 157 233 390
Points 2 0 2 4
1st Game 2nd Game Total Total Points
Malaysia 202 202 404
UAE 157 200 392
Points 2 2 2 6
Summary - Women
Pos Country Points
1. Malaysia 46
2. Japan 38
3. Singapore 32
4. Hong Kong 30
5. C. Taipei 24
6. Macau 10
Summary - Men
Pos Country Points
1. Malaysia 80
2. Qatar 69
3. Hong Kong 68
4. Japan 65
5. Singapore 63
6. C. Taipei 56
7. Bahrain 48
8. Saudi Arabia 36
9. UAE 28
10. Macau 27
19th October, 1998: The Malaysian Ladies' team bowled great today to tie with Team USA in first position after the first block of six matches in Round one at Party World Bowling Claus at Hoofddorp, Netherlands here.
They collected 12 points and won five out of six matches.
The Ladies' Team also topped the field with 2,510 total pinfalls averaging 209.16 after 6 matches (12 games). Team USA is in 2nd with 2,461 and Venezuela in 3rd with 2,369.
The Men's Team did not have a very good day as compared with the Malaysian Ladies. They collected 10 points and is placed 12th position. Alex Liew and Ben Heng bowled extremely well in 4th and 5th spots but they require support from other slots for the target of top 8 to be within reached.
Malaysia finished 3rd in the Women's division and 14th in the Men's division in the last World Tenpin Team Cup Finals at Calgary in 1996.
"The Ladies team bowled extremely well today and if they can maintain this form they look favorite to reach the Step-Ladder Finals", said Sid Allen, the national coach. "It was strong performance from our girls today and it was a true team effort", added Sid.
 The Malaysian Women Team at the 3rd World Tenpin Team Cup in Netherlands |
 The Malaysian Men Team with Sidney Tung in Hoofddrop, Netherlands |
SCORES WOMEN DIVISION :- (Round 1) Match 1 Malaysia 2 - 1 England Match 2 Malaysia 2 - 1 Sweden Match 3 Malaysia 1 - 2 Germany Match 4 Malaysia 3 - 0 Venezuela Match 5 Malaysia 2 - 1 Netherlands Match 6 Malaysia 2 - 1 USA Pos Country Points Pinfalls 1) Malaysia 12 2,510 2) USA 12 2,461 3) Venezuela 12 2,369 4) Finland 12 2,334 5) Netherlands 11 2,317 6) Germany 10 2,381 7) England 10 2,357 8) Sweden 10 2,325 9) Denmark 9 2,419 10) Chinese Taipei 9 2,291 11) Norway 8 2,226 12) Brazil 6 2,134 13) Japan 5 2,361 SCORES MEN DIVISION:- (Round 1) Match 1 Malaysia 2 - 1 Canada March 2 Malaysia 3 - 0 BYE Match 3 Malaysia 1 - 2 Denmark Match 4 Malaysia 1 - 2 Venezuela Match 5 Malaysia 0 - 3 Belgium Match 6 Malaysia 0 - 3 Finland Match 7 Malaysia 1 - 2 Ireland Match 8 Malaysia 2 - 1 Dominica Pos Country Points Pinfalls 1) USA 22 3,714 2) Belgium 17.5 3,539 3) Sweden 17.5 3,455 4) Canada 16 3,407 5) Denmark 15.5 3,396 6) Spain 13 3,170 7) Nethelands 12 3,412 8) Finland 12 3,387 9) Dominica Rep 12 3,342 10) Qatar 11 3,203 11) Ireland 11 3,170 12) Malaysia 10 3,296 13) Italy 8.5 3,146 14) Venezuela 8 3,244 15) Brazil 6 2,887
22nd October, 1998: The Malaysian Team had another great day today with the Women winning 12 points out of the six matches and the Men's team winning 13.5 out of 8 matches.
The Women's team was great and won four out of the six matches with three clean sweep 3-0 wins. They have moved up one rank to 4th position and is leading in total pinfalls with 12,866 averaging 201.03. A spot in the step-ladder finals is now within reach.
The Malaysian girls went out there rather tense and lost their first match to Japan with 0-3. They then checked their focus and came from behind to beat Denmark with 2-1 in the second match and smashed England 3-0. They played the home team in the 4th match and was very unlucky to loose the match with 1-2. The team continued their great form to beat Chinese Taipei 3-0 and the top team Finland 3-0.
KN Lai, the Commonwealth Games Silver and Bronze medalist, was the star today in the team. She was the anchor of five out of the six matches for the Malaysian team and has to strike out in almost all matches to beat the opponent. The matches today were competed in great excitement as the scores were very close and there were a lot of tension among the top five teams fighting for a place in the step-ladder.
The Men's team started well by beating Qatar 2-1 in their first match, and had a bye in the second match for 5 points. They then lost two matches to Republic of Dominica and Canada with 1-2 before beating Brazil with 2-1 and smashed favorite Denmark with 3-0. Team USA beat us 3-0 although we played very well in the match. The final match with Belgium ended with a draw 1.5 - 1.5. Although Malaysia is still placed in 12th spot, the difference from 7 to 10th positions are very close and they can realise their goal to be among the top 10 in the world if they maintain good form in the last day of the competition tomorrow before the step-ladder finals on Saturday.
At the moment they are in 8th spot based on total pinfalls.
SCORES WOMEN DIVISION :- TOP 5 (Round 2) Pos Country Points Pinfalls Average 1) Finland 69.5 12,708 198.56 2) USA 68.5 12,739 199.04 3) Denmark 61.0 12,659 197.79 4) Malaysia 56.0 12,866 201.03 5) Sweden 55.5 12,561 196.26 SCORES MEN DIVISION :- TOP 5 (Round 2) Pos Country Points Pinfalls Average 1) USA 77.0 16,410 215.92 2) Sweden 76.5 16,041 211.06 3) Finland 74.5 15,869 208.80 4) Canada 69.0 15,569 204.85 5) Netherlands 68.0 15,928 209.57 . . . . . . . . 12) Malaysia 54.5 15,364 202.15
23rd October, 1998: The Malaysian Women's Team came through a nail biting tie breaking match with Denmark after both teams finished with 65 points in 3rd place.
K.N. Lai was the hero all week, but today Shalin Zulkifli step-up to the plate in a dramatic fashion. She made the most difficult spare of 3,6,9 & 10 pin to beat Denmark by a mere 2 pins in the tie breaker to qualify for the step-ladder Grand Finals tomorrow. Shalin earlier strike out to win the final point from Brazil and forced the tie with Denmark.
"After facing adversity all week, they continued to believe in themselves and it's justice that they got the reward they deserve," said the very happy head coach of Malaysia, Sid Allen after the tie breaker. "The Women's Team came here to win the championship, their focus all week is to win the championship, not just to make the step-ladder. I believe that they are going to leave Amsterdam as World Team Champion," added Sid.
"It look bleak with 2 games to go after being 5 point behind, but their hard work was rewarding. They had their best performance of the week in taking 18 points out of 21 which at this level was nothing short of miraculous," Sid told the members of the local press during an interview.
Dato Dr. P.S. Nathan, President of the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress who is here as the head of the Malaysian delegation, was very proud of the Team's performance.
"It was a tensed struggle against the system of scoring in this World Tenpin Team Cup to come from 5th position to tie with Denmark for 3rd place. I say it's against the system is wrong in not recognising total pinfalls as the ultimate index of winning or loosing," said Dato Nathan.
"The scroing system is on a win one point loose one point system which makes the scoring more a casino situation than a sport. For example we were the top total pinfalls team almost from day one and yet we were languishing between 5th to 7th position daily," continued Dato. "Notwithstanding all these 'Obstacle', we managed to end up the round robin tournament with a tie for 3rd position which we won on an agonisingly close score with Shalin requiring to spare the last frame to win by 2 pins. Tomorrow is another day and we will meet USA in the 1st step-ladder match, and should we win it, we will be against Finland, the reigning World Team Cup champion. Wish us luck!" said Dato Nathan.
The Chinese Taipei and Japanese Teams who were the other Asian Zone teams in the Tournament supported the Malaysian throughout the tie breaking match. They shouted for Malaysia after Shalin spared the last frame. Shalin screamed immediately she spared the 3,6,9,10 and many wondered what was it that she was screaming. She later said that she screamed the world "Tomorrow" as it was the first thing that came to her mind and making the step-ladder finals.
The Malaysian Men's Team, being the youngest team ever in the biennial World Team Cup Championship, finished a creditable 12, two ranks better than the previous tournament at Calgary in 1996. They were in 8th place based on total pinfalls. They averaged 202.65 over 90 games.
SCORES WOMEN DIVISION :- TOP 5 (Round 3) Pos Country Points Pinfalls Average 1) Finland 73.5 14,313 198.79 2) USA 63.5 14,557 202.18 3) Malaysia 65.0 14,479 201.09 4) Denmark 65.0 14,187 197.04 5) Sweden 59.5 14,139 196.37 SCORES MEN DIVISION :- TOP 5 (Round 3) Pos Country Points Pinfalls Average 1) Sweden 92.0 19,076 211.95 2) USA 90.5 19,320 214.66 3) Finland 85.5 18,755 208.38 4) Denmark 83.0 18,388 204.31 5) Canada 82.5 18,391 204.34 . . . . . . . . 12) Malaysia 64.5 18,239 202.65
25th October, 1998: The 3rd World Tenpin Team Cup at Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, ended successfully at the Party World Bowling Claus with the same result as the one at Calgary in 1996 with Finland clinching the Women's Title, USA as 1st Runner-Up and Malaysia, 2nd Runner-Up.
The Malaysian Women's Team were once again unlucky to finish behind USA in a dramatic 2 games step-ladder match which repeated the same faith for Malaysia as the last championship at Calgary in 1996 when Shalin needed to strike in the 10 frame and a solid pin 10 denied Malaysia to proceed further for the title.
It was an exciting match between the two teams. Malaysia, bowling on lane 17 was having difficulty to line up in the first game, and was 24 pins behind USA . The bowlers fought hard and picked up all spares except the 4-6-10 split by Kin Ngoh on the 9th frame. In second game on lane 18, Malaysia put up made a strong fight back with six strikes in a roll after a 8 spare in the first frame by Poh Lian. However a 3-10 split by Sarah denied the Malaysian for the lead. KN then put up another strike in 9th frame, and Shalin needed a strike to win the match. Shalin delivered a perfect shot with the ball going into 1-3 pocket strongly and everyone in the centre thought it was sure a strike, but pin 10 refused to fall and we lost the total pinfalls by just 11 pins.
"The bowlers had a great performance here at Hoofddorp. Although they were unable to win the title, they gained a lot of respect from coaches, officials and bowlers from all over the world with their fine tactical games, never give up fighting spirit and their beautiful sporting presentation on and off the lanes. I am very proud of them." said Team Manager Sidney Tung.
Besides the Bronze medal , the Malaysian Women's team finished 2nd in total pinfalls behind USA with an average of 201.09 over 90 games. Two of our bowlers are ranked top 10 in the world based on the most valuable player award in the championship here. Shalin is placed 2nd and KN Lai in 8th. USA's Kelly Kulick and Sweden's Goran Carlsson was voted most valuable bowlers in the Women's and Men's division respectively.
Sweden won the Men's title , USA in 2nd and Finland in 3rd.
The Malaysian Team will leave Amsterdam on October 26 and will arrive Kuala Lumpur on October 27 (Tuesday) at 7.30 in the morning by MH 17.
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34TH COCA-COLA AMF WORLD CUP Kobe, Japan |
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This year sees the 34th AMF Bowling World Cup in Kobe, Japan from 16th to 21st November, 1998. Kobe was devastated by the Greater Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 and since then has undergone a massive rebuilding programme. Today's Kobe is a modern and industrious friendly city.
AMF's Executive Vice President, Bent Petersen, and Bowling World Cup Organiser Anne-Marie Board went to Kobe in April to meet the Local Organising Committee and review arrangements.
Visitors to this year's Bowling World Cup will be impressed not only with Kobe but also the recently opened Kobe Rokko Bowl, a 72-lane state-of-the-art bowling centre equipped with the latest technology in bowling equipment - including High Performance Synthetic Lanes, 8800 pin-spotters and AMF's XL-11 Automatic Scoring.
With six months still to run and 70 countries already signed up to participate last year's remarkable total of 82 nations look set to be again broken.
Being the highlight of tenpin bowling's calendar, the Bowling World Cup is the most demanding amateur singles event. It is regarded as the premier world-wide event and has come a long way since 20 countries attended the inaugural World Cup in Dublin back in 1965.
The last time the event was decided in Japan was back in 1969 when the number of competing countries was just 30.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kenny Ang bounced back from a poor start to finish among the top 10 bowlers after 12 games of the first block at the 34th AMF Bowling World Cup in Kobe Rokko Bowl, Japan.
He got off to a bad start, knocking down only 155 and 158 in the second and fifth games but the 46-year-old veteran regained his form and shot high 257 in the 11th game to move up to ninth position on a 2,412 pinfalls for an 208.8-average.
FIQ World Championship Masters champion, C.M. Yang of Taiwan holds the lead on 2,796. Japan's Koichi Takahashi is second on 2,642 pinfalls while Mexican Mario Quintero is third with 2,526. Kenny said he was confident that he would be able to do better today.
"I had two bad games today (yesterday) but I am not too far from the bowlers who finished second to fifth," said Kenny. "I'm confident that I will catch up with them tomorrow (today)."
Meanwhile, in the women's event, Shalin Zulkifli got off to a poor start, finishing 15th with a 2,341-total. Holland's Ross Greiner is leading the fray with 2,552 pinfalls. Today, Kenny and Shalin will play another 12 games. Only the top 24 bowlers will qualify for the second block of 16 games tomorrow.
Standings after 12 games Men Pos Name Country Score 1. Yang Cheng Ming C. Taipei 2,796 2. Koichi Takahashi Japan 2,642 3. Mario Quintero Mexico 2,526 4. Roger Pieters Belgium 2,507 5. Jaime Andrez Columbia 2,502 6. Jack Wong Singapore 2,488 7. Fred Allsopp Australia 2,447 8. Robbie Bimie Scotland 2,446 9. Kenny Ang Malaysia 2,421 10. Jack Guay Canada 2,419 Women Pos Name Country Score 1. Ross Greiner Netherlands 2,552 2. Tseng Su-Fen C. Taipei 2,469 3. Janette Pieczynski USA 2,442 4. Kim Sung-Wong Korea 2,431 5. Anette Raback Finland 2,427 6. Andrea Mirschel Germany 2,421 7. Gemma Burden England 2,406 8. Jesmine Ho Singapore 2,369 9. Connie Kwok Hong Kong 2,369 10. Zussie Machon Guam 2,362 . . 15. Shalin Zulkifli Malaysia 2,341
Both Kenny Ang and Shalin Zulkifli stepped up a gear to advance to the second round of the AMF World Cup in Kobe Rokko Bowl today.
Commonwealth Games double-gold medallist Kenny Ang made an improvement to finish in sixth position after 24 games with a socre of 4,918 pins while Shalin ended up in 12th position with 4,720 pins.
Only the top 24 bowlers in both the men and women's competition qualify for the next round. Meanwhile, defending champion Tseng Su-Fen from Taiwan and her teammate, 1995 World Masters champion Yang Cheng Ming are lapping the field after 24 games.
Su-Fen's 24-game total of 5,101 puts her 221 pins ahead of second placed Ross Greiner from Holland and 244 pins ahead of South Korea M.J. Kim.
24-year-old student is averaging better than nine pins a game more than her nearest competitor. Yang is holding a 183-pin lead over Koichi Takahashi from Japan while Mario Quintero from Mexico is third with 5,024 pins.
They will bowl 16 more games tomorrow and Friday before the filed is trimmed to the top eight men and women keglers. These players will compete in the head-to-head matchplay on Friday night to determine the top five men and women who will vie for the title in the stepladder finals on Saturday.
Standings after 24 games Men Pos Name Country Score 1. Yang Cheng Ming C. Taipei 5,406 2. Koichi Takahashi Japan 5,223 3. Mario Quintero Mexico 5,024 4. Fred Allsopp Australia 4,980 5. Jack Guay Canada 4,966 6. Kenny Ang Malaysia 4,918 Women Pos Name Country Score 1. Tseng Su-Fen C. Taipei 5,101 2. Ross Greiner Netherlands 4,881 3. M.J. Kim Korea 4,868 4. Malene Christoffersen Denmark 4,855 5. Andrea Mirschel Germany 4,841 . . 12. Shalin Zulkifli Malaysia 4,720
Shalin Zulkifli made an amazing comeback yesterday to march into the step-ladder finals for the AMF World Cup bowling for a third time in a row.
The 20-year-old, who becomes the first woman to qualify for three World Cup finals in a row, had been in 12th position for the earlier two days. But she surged to fifth after completing the second block of eight games yesterday. She then moved up another two rungs to third after winning four out of eight games in the final round-robin.
Shalin said she was glad to be back among the medal winners. "I thought I has slim chance of making the cut after bowling badly for the past two days," she said when contacted by telephone from Petalaing Jaya.
"I had trouble with my equipment and did not execute well but I found my rhythm today (yesterday). It is my third attempt and I want to win the title. I will face a tough field. I will give my best and hopefully the lane will suit me this time," said Shalin, who will next face the winner of the game between US lass Janette Piesczynski (fourth) and Holland's Rose Greiner (fifth).
Commonwealth Games gold medalist Maxine Nable pipped defending champion Tseng Su-Fen of Taiwan for the lead, winning seven of her eight games and tying the final with Su-Fen.
The top five bowlers from each divisions qualify for the step-ladder finals. Two year ago, SGalin finished second in Belfast. Last year she finished third but not before setting another record in the World Cup - she became the first woman to score a perfect game.
Meanwhile, Kenny Ang was not so lucky. He fell to 13th place and failed to make the cut. Only the top eight qualify after the second block with five making the cut for the finals. Defending champion Yang Cheng-Ming lived up to his favourite's billing after finishing tops yesterday. Mexican Mario Quintero finished second and Koichi Takahashi of Japan came in third.
Top 5 Men Pos Name Country Score 1. Yang Cheng Ming C. Taipei 10,365 2. Mario Quintero Mexico 10,297 3. Koichi Takahashi Japan 10,273 4. Jack Guay Canada 10,125 5. Fred Allsopp Australia 10,125 Women Pos Name Country Score 1. Maxine Nable Australia 10,237 2. Tseng Su-Fen C. Taipei 10,084 3. Shalin Zulkifli Malaysia 9,956 4. Janette Piesczynski USA 9,910 5. Ross Greiner Netherlands 9,981
Top seeds Maxine Nable of Australia and Yang Cheng-Ming of Chinese Taipei needed just one game each to capture the titles in the stepladder finals of the 1998 Coca-Cola AMF Bowling World Cup at Kobe Rokko Bowl Saturday.
Nable, who won a silver medal in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in September, took the title in her first Bowling World Cup outing by defeating Chinese Taipei's Tseng Su-Fen, 235-231, in the women's championship match. A key strike in the sixth frame, where a stubborn 10-pin was kicked out by a "messenger" pin ricocheting off the left wall of the pin deck, allowed Nable to string a five-bagger which made the difference in the game.
Tseng, the defending champion who had led most of the week, advanced to the title bout by dropping Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia, 222-199. A crowd disturbance in Zulkifli's eighth frame apparently broke her concentration, as she subsequently left a split that she was unable to convert.
Zulkifli had defeated Janette Piesczynski of the USA in the previous match, 222-176, after Piesczynski had eliminated the Netherlands' Ross Greiner, 213-163, in the opener.
Yang, who was inducted into the International Bowling Hall of Fame in 1997, coolly cruised past Mexico's Mario Quintero, 233-152, to wrap up his second major world title. He won the FIQ World Masters Championship in 1995, but he had failed to advance beyond third place in three previous Bowling World Cups. Yang averaged 214.6 for the week and was tournament leader for all rounds.
Quintero, bowling in his first World Cup, suffered four opens, including three splits, in the championship match after slipping past home favorite Koichi Takahashi of Japan in the men's third match of the day, 177-163. Takahashi had electrified the crowd the previous game by stringing the first six strikes and decisioning Australia's Fred Allsopp, 276-169. Allsopp had advanced on the basis of a 205-193 triumph over Canada's Jack Guay in the men's opening match.
The 1999 AMF Bowling World Cup moves to the United States, while the World Cup for the Millennium Year, 2000, will be held in Moscow, Russia. AMF owns and operates 541 bowling centers throughout the world, including 14 joint ventures in China, Brazil and Argentina. It is also a world leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling products, staffing 25 direct sales offices in 19 countries and maintaining close relationships with 24 international distributors who cover over 60 countries.
Men Final Standings Pos Name Country 1. Yang Cheng Ming C. Taipei 2. Mario Quintero Mexico 3. Koichi Takahashi Japan 4. Fred Allsopp Australia 5. Jack Guay CanadaStepladder results - Men: Allsopp defeated Guay, 205-183; Takahashi defeated Allsopp, 276-169; Quintero defeated Takahashi, 177-163; and in the championship match, Yang defeated Quintero, 233-152.
Women Final Standings Pos Name Country 1. Maxine Nable Australia 2. Tseng Su-Fen C. Taipei 3. Shalin Zulkifli Malaysia 4. Janette Piesczynski USA 5. Ross Greiner NetherlandsStepladder results - Women: Piesczynski defeated Greiner, 213-163; Zulkifli defeated Piesczynski, 222-176; Tseng defeated Zulkifli, 222-199; and in the championship match, Nable defeated Tseng, 235-231.
 Shalin Zulkifli on the winners' rostrum for the Bronze medal. |
 World champs, C.M. Yang dancing with Maxine Nable during the victory ceremony |
