July 22, 2008
KUCHING: Chong Jun Foo came looking for a good game in the second and final leg of the National Junior Bowling Circuit (East Malaysia) here at the weekend.
And he not only got what he was looking for but also bowled the top seed over in the process to lift the Boys Open title.
The Form Two giant-killer from SMK St Thomas matched Sabah’s champion and first-ranked Azreen Khasful frame for frame but finished the stronger on 363-330 to claim his sole title in this year’s circuit at Riverside Superbowl here on Sunday.
Chong, a member of the state Sukma XII team, did not bowl in the first leg in Kota Kinabalu last month because he had to go back to school after missing too many classes while training for the Terengganu Games.
His absence meant he did not collect enough points to qualify for the Grand Prix finals in Megalanes Kuantan, Pahang, from August 28 to 30.
But his victory here was sweet as he managed to stop the top seed who looked solid en route to the final.
The script was the same for Kuching’s Dayang Aida, winner of the Girls Open. She was also absent in the Sabah leg and will be out in the GP finals due to insufficient points.
Aida who beat Natalie Braoh (Kuching) 335-301 in the quarter-finals and Nabilah Kassim (Sabah) 366-333 in the semi-finals, took the title by defeating Syazwani Sajeli (Kuching) 367-341 in the final.
Abang Nazreen of Kuching won the boys graded division while Miri’s Farahan Ibrahim took the girls’ category at Crystal Bowl.
Abang Nazreen who beat Azril Fakhree in the finals, was overjoyed as he could only finish 22 in the Sabah leg. With this win, he joins Azril Fakhree and Ervin Lim (Miri) in the GP Finals.
Farahan beat Siti Farahain of Sabah 363-341 in the final.
The 14-year-old was third in the Sabah leg but hit all the right lines on Sunday.
She started the knockout round seeded eight but made steady progress from there. In the quarter-finals, she beat Najihah Deli of Kuching, the top seed, by only one pin — 314-313.
In the semi-finals, she outbowled Sabahan Nurul Ashikeen 347-330, and held her nerves in the finals to prevail.
Both Farzana and Farahain have qualified for the Grand Prix finals.
Only five players — three in Boys Open and two in Girls Open – qualified for GP finals from East Malaysia.
Alan Lee, development manager for tenpin bowling, Unit Prestasi Tinggi, MSN, gave away the prizes for the open category while Amateur Bowling Association of Sarawak deputy president Shaifulbahri Shookri gave away the prizes for the graded category.
The tournament was part of the SportExcel-MILO-NSC-MTBC National Junior Circuit.
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