13th May, K.Lumpur: Johor's veteran, Suhaimi Rahmat overcame a disasterous start in the stepladder finals to edge challenger, Ch'ng Han Chye of Penang, 184-174 to capture the 1st Ampang SUperbowl International Challenge crown Saturday evening.

Suhaimi, who tied with Heric Chong of Selangor at the end of the 16-games finals at 3230, had to bowl an extra game to break the tie and make the stepladder finals as top-seed. And the 41-year-old businessman did it in style, romping home a comfortable winner, 213-193.

However, when his challenger came knocking at the door to the richest ever international graded championship in Malaysia, nerves began to creep into the top-seed. Suhaimi started the final match with 3 open frames but fortunately, Ch'ng also had one split in the third frame.

When Ch'ng recovered with a double in the forth and fifth frames, it appeared that the champion might be forced into the sudden-death decider. Suhaimi got his composure back by hitting a double in the fifth and sixth frames to level up at this stage.

Ch'ng had two perfect pockets in his next two frames but left single pins standing and eventually struck in the bonus frame and forcing his opponent to strike in the last frame in order to stand any chance of taking the match.

To the delight of the crowd, Suhaimi struck home to claim the victory with 184 and the RM20,000 top prize while Ch'ng settled for second and RM10,000. Heric Chong took home RM6,000 for finishing third.

In the first match between fourth-seed, Benjamin Hong of Singapore, Mohd Fadzli Othman of Kuala Lumpur and the highest youth girl finisher and sixth-seed, Amayna Kelana of Selangor, it was Benjamin who came tops to take the match, 213-203-166.

Benjamin was subsequently knocked out when he met with third-seed, Ch'ng Han Chye and second-seed, Heric Chong. Ch'ng won the match, 200-184-177 before loosing to the champion.

2003 Penang Pesta champion, Andy Lai of Singapore, missed the stepladder finals finishing seventh in the earlier second block finals ahead of Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad of Selangor in eighth and favourite, Sufian Othman ninth. Paiman Dali from Singapore competed the top 10.

Photos by Terence Yaw, MTBC.

12th May, K.Lumpur: Penang's Ch'ng Han Chye, who only managed to qualify for the Masters finals of the 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge in last night's desperado squad, topped the first block of 8 games this morning.

The Poly Shoe-sponsored spinner from Penang, was trailing the early leaders by some 50 pins at the halfway mark but picked up his pace in the second half thanks to a high game of 258 in the seventh game. The 32-year-old ended the block with 1686, 36 pins ahead of his nearest opponent.

Ch'ng had made 6 attempts and failed to make the cut for the finals and was forced to take part in the special 1-game desperado squad at 1.30am in the early hours of Friday. Chn'g scored 227 to squeeze into the finals behind Singapore's Jeremy Fang, who posted 236 and Fedrick Oh in second with 229.

Johor's Suhaimi Rahmat settled for second with 1650 followed by pace-setter, Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad of Selagor in third spot with 1644. Malaysian Open Graded Masters champion, Heric Chong kept pace with the leaders to take up fourth place with 1632.

Firuz Fatah, who was first reserve and made the finals due to a pull out by Rosli Malek due to a motorcycle accident and was unable to participate, finished in the top five with 1627.

Selangor's SUKMA squad, Amalyna Kelana was the top youth girl finishing 11th with H N Diem Thuy of Saigon Superbowl, Vietnam taking up the top lady position in 24th. The finalists will bowl another 8 games to determine the top 6 making the stepladder finals later today.

Photos by Terence Yaw, MTBC.

11th May, K.Lumpur: Singapore's Benjamin Hong and youth, Gregory Gan made their mark by easily making the Masters finals of the 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge as it enters into its final day of qualification tomorrow.

Benjamin, who was a Singapore national youth team member for a year, started off his fourth attempt poorly with 142 but came back strongly to hit a high game of 279. The Singaporean then ended the squad with 193 and 234 for a total of 848.

Although his 858 only puts him in 17th, he is confident that the scores will secure him a place in the finals. "The lanes are not easy and the pins are very stubborn," said Benjamin. "The scores won't be very high in the end," added the 26-year-old.

While the top 3 positions in the leaderboard remained unchanged, the midfield are being contested keenly. Selangor's Faris Rahman posted the highest 4-game score of the day with 875 putting him in sixth position.

The day belonged to the first-timer, Gregory Gan from Singapore. The 15-year-old youngster attracted alot of attention after he strung together eight consecutive strikes in game 2 of his qualifiyng round. In his ninth frame, he managed only 7 pins to the disappointment of the crowd at Ampang Point.

Gan eventually ended the game with 275 which helped him to score 836 putting him second in the Youth Boys division and in the finals. Terengganu's Ahmad Dzikri still occupied top spot with 879 with Aaron Tay of Crystal Bowl, Sarawak third with 822.

There were no changes in the ladies' division with Saigon Superbowl's H N Diem Thuy in front with and fine effort of 856 followed by Pahang's Jenny Yap in second spot with 829 and Rosnani Azizan third with 817.

Qualifying ends tonight (12th May) and the top 27 from the mixed pool, 3 top ladies, 3 top youth boys, 3 top youth girls and the top 3 from the desperado squad making a total of 39 finalists will contest their Masters finals over two blocks of 8 games. The top 6 will make the cut for the stepladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw, MTBC

10th May, K.Lumpur: Vietnam only lady competitor, H N Diem Thuy grabbed pole position in the ladies' pool of the 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge as the qualifying enters its second last day at Ampang Superbowl Ampang Point.

In only her fourth attempt since arriving Kuala Lumpur on Monday evening, the 29-year-old Saigon Superbowl' Diem Thuy posted impressive lines of 176, 233, 213 and 214 to take over the lead in the ladies' pool of the Masters qualifying table with 856.

Her effort has pushed overnight leader, enny Yap of Pahang into second spot on a score of 829 with the top local lady at Ampang Superbowl Ampang Point, Rosnani Azizan in third position with 817.

"The lanes are not so easy and I was struggling in my first few tries," said the secretary of an events management company in Ho-Chih Ming City. "I was watching the other bowlers and realised that the outside line was easy to score so I used that line as well and it gave me the score I needed to qualify.

Diem Thuy, who has participated in tournaments in Malaysia for the past two years, has brought along four other Vietnamese to compete in the country for the first time.

Terengganu's Ahmad Dzikri continued to lead the Youth Boys division with 859 with Crystal Bowl's Aaron Tay of Sarawak taking over second spot with 822. Mohd Falany Mohd Khir dropped to third spot with 819.

Selangor's SUKMA squad member, Nor Amilia Md Noor had a chance to topple teammate, Amalyna Kelana in her third attempt last night. She started off with 194, 201 and 199 in her first three games and looked set to 200-plus final game but an open frame in the sixth cost her dearly.

The 15-year-old ended the qualifying round with 793, just 9 pins short of taking the lead in the Youth Girls division. She, however improved on her earlier 757 scoreline but remained in second position. Leong Huei Ping retained third spot with 660.

There was no changes in the top ten positions of the Men's qualifying pool with Sufian Othman of Kuala Lumpur, comfortably in front with 922 followed by Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad of Selangor and ex-national, Ng Yiew Hup of Selangor third with 909 and 900 respectively.

Qualifying will end tomorrow (Friday, 12th) and the Masters finals will be contested over two blocks on 8 games in the morning and afternoon on Saturday, 13th May. The top 6 at the end of the two blocks will make the cut for the stepladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw, MTBC

8th May, K.Lumpur: Malaysian International Open Men's Graded champion, Heric Chong of Selangor staked his claim on the title of the 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge when he posted 871 to safely qualify for the finals.

The 28-year-old Malaysia Airlines flight steward, who only managed a 747 in his best attempt so far, chalked up 246, 23, 174 and 247 for a 4-game total of 871 moving him out of the reserves pool to take up seventh spot in the qualifying leaderboard.

"Since winning the Malaysian Open, I had not been bowling regularly which probably accounted for my poor start," said Heric Chong. "I hope to get more practices before the finals this week. Remaining at the top of the table is still Kuala Lumpur's Sufian Othman with a score of 922. Selangor's Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad is second with 909 and ex-national, Ng Yiew Hup third with 900.

Beh Sing Hee (4th-876), Mohd Fadli Othman (5th-874), Rosli Malik (6th-873), K H Lim (8th-869), Hairoman (9th-863) and Nazshahrizad Nasir (10th-854) completed the top 10 in the mixed pool.

Meanwhile, Selangor's SUKMA squad member Amalyna Kelana took over top spot in the Youth Girls division with a acore of 802. The 17-year-old posted lines of 207, 229, 158 and 188 to move ahead of the Nor Amilia in second with 757. Another Selangor SUKMA squad member, Leong Huei Ping is third with 660.

There are no changes at the top of the Ladies' and Youth Boys divisions with Pahang Ladies State champion, Jenny Yap of Pahang leading with 829 and Terengganu's Ahmad Dzikri continuing the lead with 829.

Two groups of bowlers from Singapore will be arriving tonight to compete in the championship which will give the local bowlers a run for their money.

Photos by Terence Yaw, MTBC

6th May, K.Lumpur: 2005 National Championship Men's Graded champion, K.H. Lim of Kuala Lumpur comfortably made the Masters finals of the 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge late last night at Ampang Superbowl Ampang Point.

The 37-year-old season campaigner and veteran of the local circuit, struggled when he made his earlier attempts but came through comfortably to make the Masters finals with a superb 869. His efforts of 227, 205, 205 and 232 put Lim seventh in the qualifying table behind Malaysian Open Men's Graded champion, Heric Chong in sixth position with 871.

Maintaining the lead in the table is Sufian Othman, who posted 922 three days ago. Early leader, Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad of Selangor remained second with 909 while Penang's Beh Sing Hee is third with 876.

Rosli Malik of Ampang Superbowl finished fourth with 873 ahead of the two new entrants, Heric Chong and K.H. Lim. Nazshahrizad Nasir, Abdul Rashid Abdul Lajis and Isham Razali completed the top 10 from eighth to tenth positions respectively.

Meanwhile, there is no change in the ladies' top 3 qualifying position with Jenny Yap of Pahang maintaining pole position with 829 ahead of Rosnani Azizan, who improved to 817 but remained in second. Ima Saidin of Selangor is third with 767.

SUKMA Trials Singles Gold medalist, Ahmad Dzikri of Terengganu is still top of the Youth Boys division while the top spot in the Youth Girls division is taken over by Selangor's Amalyna Kelana, who improved with a score of 802.

Nazshahrizad Nasir continued to top the All Events table with a 6-game total from the Singles and Doubles with 1292 followed by Rosli Malik on 1283. Third spot in the table went to Imran Ali with 1213.

Photos by Terence Yaw, MTBC

4th May, K.Lumpur: Pahang State champion, Jenny Yap claimed top spot in the Top 3 laides division of the 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge Masters qualifying table Thursday evening at Ampang Superbowl Ampang Point.

Jenny, who won the State Pahang Closed Championship last year, posted 224, 182, 185 and 206 to grab the lead in the ladies' top 3 pool with a total of 829. Selangor's Ima Saidin was pushed down one slot to second with 767 while third place went to Rosnani Azizan of Ampang Superbowl with 691.

"The new pins are very though to knock down and I had to think hard," said the top lady spinner from Kuantan jokingly. "It has given me a headache since that but I'm glad I've qualified. Jenny has 8 pins handicap for each game as she is competing with the men.

SUKMA Trails Singles Gold medalist, Ahmad Dzikri of Terengganu continued to top the Youth Boys division with 859 ahead of Kuala Lumpur's Muhd Fadh Hazali in second with 815 and Abdul Karim Abd Rahman third on 761.

Meanwhile, Sufian Othman of Srisutra, Kuala Lumpur, who shot 922 on Wednesday night, remained top of the leaderboard ahead of Selangor's Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad in second with 909. 2005 Vietnam Open Men's Graded B first runner-up, Beh Sing Hee from Penang took third spot with 876.

Ampang Superbowl Summit USJ's pair of Mahadzir Mohd Ali and Nazshahrizad Nasir look set to pip the doubles pair of Rosli Malik and Mohd Fadzli Othman, but faulted in the last game to settle for second with a team total of 828, just 26 pins adrift. Rosli and Mohd Fadzli topped the Doubles event with 854.

A 854 in his first Singles and a 438 in the Doubles has given Nazshahrizad Nasir the lead in the All Events standings with 1292. Rosli Malik dropped one rung to second with 1283 with Imran Ali third with 1213.

Qualifying continues through to 12th May and the Masters finals will be held on the 13th May over two blocks of 8 games. At the end of the 16-games finals, the top 6 will make the cut for the stepladder finals. The top prize for the champion is a whopping RM20,000 making this the highest-prized graded championship in this region.

Photo by Terence Yaw, MTBC.

3rd May, K.Lumpur: Top Kuala Lumpur spinner and season campaigner, Sufian Othman took over the lead of the Masters qualifying leaderboard of the 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge at Ampang Point Wednesday evening.

Sufian, one of the top local competitor in the local scene, chalked up 214, 227, 246 and 235 to move to the top of the leaderboard with a 4-game total of 922. Winner of the 2004 National Championship Graded title, the leader has since gone into a slump and failing to win any title for the past one and a half year.

His 922 will certainly give the 30-year-old the much needed confidence to perform well during the finals on May 13. Early leader, Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad dropped one spot to second with 909 while Beh Sing Hee of Penang stormed into third spot with 876.

Team Ampang Superbowl's Rosli Malik and Isham Razali finished fourth and fifth positions with 873 and 850 ahead of Kuala Lumpur's Redhuan Abu Bakar and ARL Powerbowl's Mat Salleh Jalani taking seventh and eighth spots with 845 and 843.

Despite only scoring 757 in her first qualifying attempt, Nor Amilia of Selangor SUKMA Team, topped the Youth Girls division in the qualifying table. The 15-year-old started with a poor 147 but came back strongly to end the round with 232, 180 and 178. Her teammate, Amalyna Kelana and Leong Huei Ping took up second and third spots with 754 and 660.

Meanwhile, the top 3 positions in the Youth Boys division went to Asian Schools rep, Muhd Fadh Hazali of Kuala Lumpur, who posted 775 for the top spot. SUKMA Trials Singles old medalist, Ahmad Dzikri of Terengganu finished second with 765 followed by Abdul Karim Abdul Rahman in third with 761.

Muhd Fadh also topped the Doubles event with 800 partnering Rosli Malik with the pair of Abdul Hamid Hassan and Syazmiq Abdullah in

second with 761. Rosli Malik leads the All Events table with 1283 from a 873 Singles and a 410 Doubles scoreline.

Qualifying continues through to 12th May and the Masters finals wil be held on Saturday, 13th May. The top 27 in the qualifying leaderboard will be joined by the top 3 youth girls, top 3 youth boys, top 3 ladies and 3 from the desperado squad, making up a total 39 qualifiers.

Photo by Terence Yaw, MTBC.

1st May, K.Lumpur: Local bowler, Mohd Fakaruddin Fuad of Selangor led the Masters qualifying table of the inaugural 1st Ampang Superbowl International Challenge 2006 underway at Ampang Superbowl, Ampang Point.

A regular competitor in the local bowling scene, Fakaruddin posted an impressive 909 with lines of 210, 241, 223 and 235 to take an early lead in the Masters qualifying table. Another regular competitor Rosli Malik, who competed in the recent Thailand Open but failed to qualify, made amends to finish second with 873.

Mohd Fadzli of Srisutra, Suhaimi Rahmat of ARL and Fedrick Oh of Kuala Lumpur, completed the top5 from third to fifth positions with 814, 800 and 776. All three had a 5 pins handicap in this championship.

The inaugural international challenge is the first-ever graded championship sanctioned by both the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress and Asian Bowling Federation and the organizer is expecting entries from neibouring countries like Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Veitnam.

This championship requires bowlers to bowl in a 4-game Masters qualifying and complete the all events through a single and double. The top 27 in the qualifying leaderboard will be joined by the top 3 youth girls, top 3 youth boys, top 3 ladies and 3 from the desperado squad, making up a total 39 qualifiers.

The masters finals will be held on the 13th May over two blocks of 8 games. At the end of the 16-games finals, the top 6 will make the cut for the stepladder finals. The top prize for the champion is a whopping RM20,000 making this the highest-prized graded championship in this region.

Several special prizes will also be awarded to the best youth, best local, best overseas and best lady finisher comprising of RM1,000 each. At the same time, there will be three motorcycles to be awarded to the first three perfect games.

The championship is co-sponsored by Pennzoil, AM Bowling, Genting City of Entertainment, Storm, Dexter, Ebonite with Kegel Asia as the official lane maintenance provider. Asian Bowling Digest and Harian Metro are the two official media while the official hotel is De Palma Hotel.

Photos by Terence Yaw, MTBC.