31st March, Macau: Triple gold medalist, Muhammad Rafiq Ismail and Doubles gold medalist, Natasha Roslan of Malaysia swept the Boy's and Girl's Masters gold medals at the concluding 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships.

Top seed Muhammad Rafiq needed only one match to win his fourth gold medal after beating challenger and No. 3 seed, Billy Muhammad Islam of Indonesia, 203-183 in the championship match.

The Indonesian had advanced to face Muhammad Rafiq after he sailed past No. 2 seed, Enzo Hernandez of Philippines, 256-216 in the Boy's first stepladder match but had to settle for the silver while Hernandez took home the bronze medal.

The champion, who had won his first gold in the Singles setting two new records, his second gold with Qalif Adnor Adam in the Doubles and his third in the All Events, is undoubtedly the star of the championships.

Muhammad Rafiq also erased the 3809 set by Michael Mak of Hong Kong in 2010 with 3873 after he topped the second block Masters finals winning all eight matches contested.

Hernandez finished second with 3832 from seven wins and Billy secured his stepladder spot with 3788 from just three wins. First block leader, Seo Hyo Dong of Korea missed the cut by 87 pins after losing the position round match 172-222 to the Indonesian.

Meanwhile, Natasha Roslan needed a second match to win the gold after she lost the first match to challenger and No. 2 seed, Emily Rigney of Australia, 180-202. But the 19-year-old Natasha bounced back with a comfortable 244-204 victory over the Aussie.

Rigney flew past third seed, No. 3 seed, Futaba Imai of Japan, 248-173 in the Girl's first stepladder match to face the top seed, Natasha in the finals. Ridney earned the silver medal and Imai the bronze.

The champion ended the earlier second block finals with 3608 from six wins and a draw to advance to the stepladder finals as top seed. Rigney finished second with 3559 from four wins while the Japanese, who also had four wins, totaled 3530.

Natasha's gold in the Masters gave Malaysia the Girls overall title with 2 gold and 3 silver medals to beat Korea, who had 2 gold. Muhammad Rafiq's four gold medals had given Malaysia the Boys overall title, well before the end of the Masters finals.

Malaysia naturally emerged as the Overall champion with a medal haul of 6-3-1. Korea finished second with 2-1-0 and Singapore third with 1-1-4. 58 boys and 40 girls from 15 countries took part in the 10-day competition.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

30th March, Macau: Team Silver medalist, Seo Hyo Dong of Korea shot the third perfect game of the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships en-route to leading the Boy's first block Masters finals.

2014 Asian Schools Masters and Team gold medalist, Adam Svensson of Australia had the best of starts winning his first four matches with lines of 256, 236, 239 and 269 to take the early running.

But the 18-year-old Aussie stumbled to a 180 lost in the fifth match to slip down to eighth as 2013 Asian Youth Doubles and All Events gold medalist, Billy Muhammad Islam of Indonesia rolled the torunament's second 300 in the third match to trail Svensson.

Seo followed the Indonesian with the third perfect game in the fourth match to close the gap and put himself nearer to the front runners.

Both Seo and Billy won their sixth match with an identical 279 with Seo taking over the lead and Billy trailing in second. The Korean completed the first block with a big game of 267 to finish in pole position with 2054 from six wins.

Billy settled for second, also with six wins for a total of 2002, 52 pins adrift. Singles and All Events silver medalist, Enzo Hernandez of Philippines won his eighth match with a huge 278 for five wins to snatch third position with 1958.

Early pace-setter, Adam Svensson of Australia and triple Gold medalist, Muhammad Rafiq Ismail rounded out the top 5 with 1951 and 1934 respectively.

The boys will resume with their second block of 7 matches and a position round match to determine the top 3 advancing to the stepladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

30th March, Macau: Doubles bronze medalist, Emily Rigney of Australia won six out of eight matches in the Girl's first block Masters finals to lead the field with 1847 at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships.

All Events gold medalist, Byun Sun Min of Korea and Natasha Roslan of Malaysia set a blistering pace by sharing the lead by winning their first match with 247. But both stumbled in the second by losing their match.

Qualifying 16th in the All Events, Futaba Imai of Japan blazed the lanes winning her second match with 277 following her win in the first match with 232 to take over the running.

Imai won her next four matches to stay in the lead until she fizzled off in the last two matches. Doubles bronze medalist, Emily Rigney of Australia was the most consistent in the field of 16 ending the first block in the lead with 6 wins on a total of 1847.

Natasha recovered by registering big games and winn six matched to trail the Aussie by 49 pins on a total of 1798. Team gold medalist, Lee Yeong Seung of Korea stormed home to take up third position a further 2 pins away.

Imai slipped down to fourth but only 25 pins from the Korean. Singles gold medalist and a second Malaysian, Nora Lyana Natasia completed the top 5 with 1737 despite winning only four matches.

The girls will resume with their second block of 7 matches and a position round match to determine the top 3 advancing to the stepladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

29th March, Macau: Byun Sun Min, Kim Mi Ae, Jang Ryeon Gyeong and Lee Yeong Seung bagged Korea's first gold medal at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships with victory in the Girl's Team of 4 event.

First block leader, Japan continued to lead the field at the start of the second block after knocking down 821 in the fourth game and increasing their lead over Korea from 19 to 22 pins.

But their lead did not last long when they managed only 764 in the fifth game as Korea took over the running with 841 following their 818 earlier. Japan slipped to second, 55 pins away while Australia made up grounds to take third spot.

The Korean quartet ended the second block with 816 to win their first gold medal with 4963. Malaysia's Nur Syazwani Sahar, Nur Amirah, Natasha Roslan and Nora Lyana Natasia stormed home with 844 to leapfrog into second and clinched the silver medal with 4876.

With just 8 pins separating Australia and Singapore, the Aussies completed the block with 4838 and Singapore needed 778 or more to snatch the bronze.

Joy Yap, Charlene Lim, Iliya Syamin and Kristin Quah prevailed to end with 798 to edge Australia by 21 pins and took home the bronze medal with 4859.

Byun added a second gold for Korea when she topped the All Events standings with 3920 after posting the highest 6-games score of 1340 in the final event. Nora Lyana added a silver medal to her collection of 2 gold and 1 silver by finishing second with 3884.

Singles bronze and Doubles gold medalist, Alisha Nabila of Indonesia picked up her second bronze medal after she finished third with 3812. Emily Rigney of Australia missed the podium in fourth with 3802.

The cut in 16th position went to Futaba Imai of Japan with 3605 averaging 200.28. Kristin Quah of Singapore missed the cut for the Masters finals by 7 pins finishing 17th with 3598.

All four Japanese girls qualified for the Masters finals joined by three each from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Two Korean girls and one Australian girl made up the top 16.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

29th March, Macau: Javier Tan, Brandan Tan, Joel Tan and Muhammad Jaris Goh put in a scintillating performance in the Team of 4 second block to win Singapore's first gold medal at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships.

Second to Malaysia in the first block yesterday and trailing by 52 pins, the Singapore quartet rolled 884 in their fourth game to move into the lead and 15 pins ahead of Christopher Tiong, Muhd Syafiq Sajeli, Qalif Adnor Adam and Muhammad Rafiq Ismail.

Singapore added a sizzling 900 in the fifth game to stretch their lead to 110 pins as Korea's Choi Hyung Jin, Hong Jun Yeong, Seo Hyo Dong and Kim Hee Jin also returned a superb 901 to take up second.

Malaysia slipped down to third after a lack-luster 817 in their fifth game. The leader kept their momentum into the sixth and final game with 890 to secure the gold medal with 5289.

Whilst Singapore was well on their way to the victory lane, a keen tussle for the silver medal had developed. The Koreans, who had a 56 pin lead over Malaysia going into the final game, ended their second block with 875 for a total of 5164.

With the final frame left to play, Malaysia still had a chance to regain second spot and snatch the silver from the Korean quartet if they can end with 932 or more but needed Muhd Syafiq, Qalif Adnor and the anchorman, Muhammad Rafiq to strike out.

Muhd Syafiq striking in the tenth and eleventh frames and finishing with 9 pin, meant Qalif and Muhammad Rafiq must strike home to win the silver by 1 pin.

Qalif got two strikes in the tenth and eleventh but left 2 pins standing ending all hopes. The anchorman struck home to finish with 930 and lost to the Koreans by 1 pin on a total of 5163.

Although the Malaysians threw away their golden chance to win the team, Muhammad Rafiq won the All Events gold medal with 4443 after posting the highest 6-games series of 1382 in his last event.

Enzo Hernandez of Philippines, who was fourth after the first block yesterday on 595, posted 741 in his second block and 1336 in the team event to clinch silver with 4165.

Javier Tan of Singapore settled for the bronze medal with 4142 after a 1275 series in the team event. His compatriot, Muhammad Jaris Goh missed the podium with 4055 taking fourth in the standings.

The cut in 16th position went to Hayato Hijikata of Japan with 3789 averaging 210.61. Hong Kong's Ivan Tse missed the cut for the Masters finals by 17 pins finishing 17th with 3770.

Three players each from Singapore and Korea advanced to the Masters finals joined by two each from Malaysia, Philippines, Australia and Japan. One Indonesian and one Saudi made up the top 16.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

28th March, Macau: Two gold medalist, Muhammad Rafiq Ismail led Christopher Tiong, Muhd Syafiq Sajeli and Qalif Adnor Adam to put Malaysia on course for a fourth gold at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships after topping the Boy's Team of 4 first block.

Singles bronze and Doubles silver medalist, Javier Tan, Brandan Tan, Joel Tan and Muhammad Jaris Goh got off the block with a cracking 900 to lead Malaysia by 28 pins. But a slip up in the second game cost them the lead as Malaysia took over the running with 883.

The Malaysian quartet finished off the block with a superb 912 to lead the pack with 2667. Singapore bounced back with a stunning 951 to haul themselves up to second with 2615, 52 pins adrift.

Choi Hyun Jin, Hong Jun Yeong, Seo Hyo Dong and Kim Hee Jin of Korea finished third with 2510, a further 125 pins away while Chinese Taipei, who was second after two games, slipped down to fourth with 2434.

Japan completed the top 5 with 2407, 103 pins behind the Koreans. The boys will resume with their second block of another 3 games over the medium oil pattern tomorrow morning.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

28th March, Macau: Japan's Futaba Imai, Seika Fujiwara, Manae Kameshima and Mitsuki Okamoto took a slender lead over Korea in the first block of the Girl's Team of 4 at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships on Saturday morning.

Korea's Byun Sun Min, Kim Mi Ae, Jang Ryeon Gyeong and Lee Yeong Seung took the early lead after rolling a superb 854 to lead Malaysia by 29 pins with Indonesia a close third, a further 2 pins away.

Japan added a splendid 859 to their opening game of 816 to mvoe into the lead as Korea managed only 783. The Japanese quartet ended the first block with 832 to lead the first block with 2507.

Korea finished second with 2488, just 19 pins behind while Malaysia's Nur Syazwani Sahir, Nur Amirah, Natasha Roslan and Nora Lynana Natasia finished third with 2423, a further 65 pins adrift.

Singapore finished fourth with 2393, 30 pins from the Malaysians while Australia rounded out the top 5 with 2391, just 2 pins apart.

The girls will resume with their second block over medium oil pattern tomorrow while the boys will contest their first block later today.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

27th March, Macau: Singles bronze medalist, Alisha Nabila partnered Nadia Pramanik to snatch the gold medal from Malaysia in the final game of the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships Girl's Doubles event.

Indonesia's second pair of Shabira Lintya and Aldila Indryati set a blistering pace with 475 in their opening game to lead Japan's second pair of Mane Kameshima and Mitsuki Okamoto by 11 pins.

Despite dropping their pace slightly with 393 in the second game, the Indonesians kept their lead while Japan continued to trail in second with their lead reduced to 8 pins. Japan took over the lead briefly but was unable to hang on to it for long.

Katey Furze and Emily Rigney of Australia shot into the lead after a stunning 468 in the fourth game with Korea's first pair in hot pursuit. The Aussie's lead did not last long either.

Singles gold medalist, Nora Lyana Natasia and Natashia Roslan went into the lead after the fifth game as the first Indonesian pair of Nadia Pramanik and Alisha Nabila rolled a superb 469 to trail the Malaysian by 15 pins and putting themselves in contention for the gold medal.

Ironically, both Malaysia and Indonesia were drawn to the same pair of lanes and tension was mounting. Nadia shot a sizzling 269 and Alisha 238 for a final game of 507 to snatch the gold medal from the Malaysians with 2582.

"We didn't have a good start and were way off the pace," said the 18-year-old Alisha, who won the Singles bronze medal on the second day of competition.

"But we kept pushing ourselves and felt that if we can get one or two high games, we could be in the running. The final game was really very tense but fortunately we kept our composure and we came through eventually. Nadia did expectionally well and I'm so grateful to her."

Natasha and Nora Lyana returned a respectable 451 but had to settle for the silver medal with 2541, 41 pins adrift. Furze and Rigney also recorded a respectable 441 to hang on to third for the bronze medal with 2512, a further 29 pins away.

Early pace-setter of Shabira and Aldila missed the podium by 33 pins despite recovering with 415 and 446 in their last two games to finish fourth with 2479.

Competition will shift to the Team of 4 event over two blocks of 3 games each on March 28 and 29. The girls will contest their first block tomorrow morning and the boys in the afternoon.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

26th March, Macau: Squad A leader of Muhammad Rafiq Ismail and Qalif Adnor Adam remained unbeaten after the second squad to win Malaysia's third gold medal at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships in the Boy's Doubles event.

Muhammad Rafiq, who had won the Singles gold medal on Tuesday, picked up his second after another sizzling performance on long oil pattern with a 6-game score of 1446 in the first squad. Debutant, Qalif added a respectable 1368 for a total of 2814 to win his first gold.

"I'm happy that I carried my form to the Doubles," said the delighted Muhammad Rafiq, who led the All Events standings after 12 games by a hefty 194 pins and averaging 255.08.

"This is my first Asian Youth outing and to take home a gold medal is beyond my expectations," said Qalif. "I've to thank my partner, who is in great form. I'm now looking forward to the Team event to win more medals."

Singles bronze medalist, Javier Tan partnered Muhammad Jaris Goh in the second squad and led from start to finish to take the squad. But they were playing catch up most of the way.

The Singapore duo returned good lines of 464, 426, 415 and 485 and after the fourth game, they were trailing by 1024 pins. Tan and Muhammad Jaris returned a strong 481 in the fifth game and needed a big game of 544 or more to topple the leader.

Tan and Muhammad Jaris came close to snatching the victory midway through the final game, but while Javier was unable to roll more strikes, Muhammad Jaris missed a crucial frame in the eight which settled the tie albeit ending with 492.

The Singaporeans settled for the silver medal with 2763, 51 pins behind the champion. Singles silver medalist, Enrico Lorenzo Hernandez and Ivan Malig of Philippines picked up the bronze medal with 2690, a further 73 pins away in third.

Australian pair of Elliott Bastiste and Adam Svensson, who was second in the first squad, missed the podium by 128 pins with 2562 while Rafif Santoso and Billy Muhammad Ismal of Indonesia rounded out the top 5 with 2544.

The Girl's Doubles will be contested tomorrow before competion will shift to the Team of 4 on March 28 and 29. The top 16 boys and top 16 girls based on their All Events standing (18 games) will qualify for the Masters finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

26th March, Macau: Singles gold medalist, Muhammad Raifq Ismail continued his fine form when he partnered Qalif Adnor Adam to give the Malaysian duo the lead in the opening squad of the Boy's Doubles event at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships.

Muhammad Raifq had lines of 233, 196, 279, 279, 228 and 231 to round off a fine display for a score of 1446. Qalif returned a respectable 1368 for a team total of 2814 to take the Squad A.

Elliott Bastiste and Adam Svensson of Australia, who trailed the Malaysian pair from the third game onwards, ended in second with 2562, 252 pins behind. Ikrar Dinata and Randito A Pratama stormed home to clinch third spot with 2543, a further 19 pins away.

Early pace-setter, Japan finished fourth with 2514 while Singapore's first pair, who was third at one stage, slipped down to complete the top 5 with 2506.

The second squad will contest their Doubles event over the longer oil pattern after lane maintenance and the combined scores from both the squads will determine the winners.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

25th March, Macau: Debutant, Nora Lyana Natasia captured Malaysia's second gold medal at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships after topping a field of 40 in the Girl's Singles event on Wednesday.

Emily Rigney of Australia had a great start after rolling 248 in her opening game to lead Lee Yeong Seung of Korea by 2 pins with Joy Yap of Singapore a further 9 pins away in third.

Yap added a superb game of 226 in the second game to take over the running hotly pursuit by Nora Lyana in second, just 6 pins away followed by Lee third as the Australian dropped off after a poor game of 169.

Nora Lyana posted a strong 247 in the third to move 6 pins ahead of Yap at the halfway mark with the Korean maintaining third spot. The Malaysian continued her hot pace with 226 in the fourth game to hold the lead.

The lead changed hands after the Singaporean posted stronger fifth game of 233 to lead Nora Lyana by 4 pins going into the sixth and final game.

But the 18-year-old Nora Lyana ended with a higher score of 210 in the final game to snatch the gold medal by 15 pins with 1359.

"I'm so happy to win this gold medal and my country's second gold in this championships," said Nora Lyana, who won two gold and a bronze medal at the recent Malaysian Interstates Championships for her state, Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory.

"I hope that I can carry this form into other events. Our main objective is to win the Team gold because everyone of us would then go home with one gold medal each."

Yap settled for the silver medal with 1344 while 2014 Asian Games Team bronze medalist, Alisha Nabila of Indonesia stormed home with 245 to clinch the bronze medal with 1308. Byun Sun Min of Korea missed the podium by 9 pins with 1299.

The girls will resume with their Doubles event on March 27 while the boys will contest their Doubles event tomorrow.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

24th March, Macau: Squad A leader, Muhammad Rafiq Ismail of Malaysia remained unchallenged and celebrated his 18th birthday by winning the Boy's Singles gold medal at the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships on Tuesday.

The 2015 Asian Championships All Events silver medalist, Muhammad Rafiq set the record-breaking benchmark of 1615 in the opening squad to win the gold by a comfortable margin of 135 pins.

"I could not have wished for a better birthday present than to win my first gold medal here," said the estatic Muhammad Rafiq, who won two silver and a bronze medal at the Asian Championships in January this year.

"And to break two records in the process has put the icing on the cake. I hope to carry my form into the Doubles, Team and Masters events."

The Malaysian also erased the 3-games record of 765 with 845 and the 6-games record of 1509 both set by Jason Belmonte of Australia in 2004 in Bangkok.

Squad B leader, Enrico Lorenzo Hernandez of Philippines, who rolled the tournament's first perfect game, earned the silver medal with 1480 while Javier Tan of Singapore, who finished second to the Filipino, picked up the bronze medal with 1433, a further 47 pins away making it an all-lefty 1-2-3.

Muhammad Jaris Goh of Singapore, who finished third in the second squad, missed the podium by 23 pins to finish fourth with 1410. Seo Hyo Dong of Korea, who was second in the opening squad rounded out the top 5 with 1397.

The 40 girls will take to the lanes tomorrow for their Singles. Competition will resume with the Boy's Doubles on March 26 and the Girl's Doubles on March 27.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

24th March, Macau: 2015 Asian Championships silver medalist, Muhammad Rafiq Ismail of Malaysia set a record-breaking benchmark of 1615 in the Boy's Singles opening squad of the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships underway on Tuesday.

Muhammad Rafiq got off to a blistering start with 278 in his opening game to lead Joel Tan of Singapore by 13 pins. The 18-year-old debutant added another stunning 289 to stretch his lead to 79 pins ahead of Hayato Hijikata of Japan in second.

The leader broke a 11-year-old 3-games series record of 764 set by Jason Belmonte of Australia in 2004 with 845 after he posted another massive game of 278 and extending his lead further to 160 pins.

The Malaysian continued his relentless pace with another superb game of 269 in the fourth and looked set to break the 6-games record. 2014 Asian School Championships Masters gold medalist, Adam Svensson was the only bowler keeping pace with Muhammad Rafiq in second.

Although Muhammad Rafiq was not able to added yet another big game in the fifth, he almost shot the tournament's first perfect game in the sixth game but managed only 298 to end with 1615.

His effort broke the six-game record of 1509 also set by Belmonte in 2004. Seo Hyo Dong of Korea snatch second spot with 1397, 218 pins adrift while Svensson totaled 1372 for third position.

Sayato Takahira of Japan and Hong Jun Yeong of Korea completed the top 5 with 1349 and 1340. Two others, Ernest Kwok of Hong Kong and Joel Tan also surpassed the 1,300-mark with 1331 and 1309 for sixth and seventh positions.

The second squad will take to the lanes after maintenance for their singles. The benchmark set by Muhammad Rafiq looks unbeatable leaving the players from the second squad tussling for the silver or bronze.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

23rd March, Macau: HRH Shiekh Talal M. Al-Sabah, President of Asian Bowling Federation declared the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships opened in a traditional opening ceremony held at the Complexo Desportivo Internacional do COTAI Bowling Centre.

The ceremony was graced by guest of honour, His Royal Highness Sheikh Talal M. Al-Sabah, President of Asian Bowling Federation, Mr Alan Lau, Vice President of Macao Sport Development Board, Mr Andrew Chan, Chairman of Macao China Bowling Association, Mr Mah Chi Seng, President of Macao China Bowling Association, Ms Vivien Lau, Honorary Life President of ABF and secretary general of World Tenpin Bowling Association.

Also present were Mr Mike Seymour, WTBA and ABF Vice President, ABF Vice President, Mr Choi Jang-Kyu, ABF Exco member, Mr Abdulla Rees, Vice Chairman of Macao China Bowling Association, Mr Fong Wan Man, countless distinguished guests, representatives of sponsors, team officials, coaches, players, supporters and spectators.

Emcees, Mr Nelson Kot, Vice President of Macao China Bowling Association together with his assistant welcome all present and kicked off the ceremonies by first introducing the guest of honour and other distinguished guests before announcing the marchpast of fiftheen participating countries.

Speeches started off with the welcome address by Mr Winston Chan, Vice President of Macao China Bowling Association and organizing co-chairman followed by the speech by guest of honour, His Royal Highness, Sheikh Talal M. Al-Sabah.

Mr Winston Chan then invited HRH Sheikh Talal accompanied by Mr Mah Chi Seng to perform the traditional dotting of the lions' eyes to mark good fortune and smooth running of the championships.

The traditional lion dance followed thereafter. Macau players, Ms Loy Xin Er and Mr Lam Iek Long took the players' oath on behalf of all other players while Mr Ryan Tang took the oath of officials.

HRH Sheikh Talal was then invited to official declare the championships opened. Guests were later invited to the welcome reception dinner hosted by Macao China Bowling Association at Madeira Portuguses Restaurant at the Venetian.

Competition will kick off with the Boy's Singles over two squads tomorrow followed the Girl's Singles in one squad on March 25. The Doubles will be held on March 26 and 27 while the Team of 4 over two blocks of three games on March 28 and 29.

The top 16 boys and top 16 girls based on the All Events standings (18 games) will qualify for the Round-Robin Matchplay Masters finals over two blocks to be held on March 30 and 31.

The championship will close with the victory banquet hosted by Macao China Bowling Association at Madeira Portuguese Restaurant at the Venetian.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.

22nd March, Macau: Fifteen countries have converged at the high-energy gaming city of Macau for the 18th Asian Youth Tenpin Bowling Championships which will begin tomorrow at the Complexo Desportivo Internacional do COTAI Bowling Centre.

58 boys from fifteen countries and 40 girls from ten countries have been entered for the week-long championship which will kick off on March 24. This is the seventh highest number of entries received for the Asian Youth CHampionship series since 1981.

The previous championship held in Hong Kong, China in 2013 had the highest turnout with 78 boys ans 48 girls from 21 countries. Countries like Egypt, Qatar and UAE are not taking part due to schools examinations being held at the same time.

Tournament Director, Dr Danny Santos chaired the team managers' meeting at Conrad Macau Caotai Central Hotel where players' names were confirmed, rules and regulations elaborated and schedule finalised.

Mr John Janawicz. technical official from Kegel Inc., outlined the lane patterns that will be used for the championship. The medium oil pattern at 37 feet and the long oil pattern at 47 feet have been circulated prior to the meeting.

Dr Santos also introduced Mr Winston Chan, Vice President of Macau-China Bowling Association as the local tournament manager.

Mr Nelson Kot, Vice President of Macau-China Bowling Association welcomed team officials to Macau and thanked them for the support shown by taking part in this year's championship in Macau.

The Jury of Appeal comprise of Sheikh Talal M. Al-Sabah, President of Asian Bowling Federation, Ms Vivien Lau, Honorary Life President of Asian Bowling Federation and Mr Abdulla Rees, Vice President of Bahrain Bowling Association.

Bowlers will compete in Singles, Doubles, Team of Four and the Masters Finals over 8 days at 24-lanes bowling Centre.

Competition will kick off with the Singles for boys on March 24 and for the girls on March 25. The Doubles for boys will be contested on March 26 and the girls on March 27. The Team of Four over two blocks of 3 games each will be staged on March 28 and 29.

The top 16 boys and top 16 girls based on the All Events standings (18 games) will qualify for the Round-Robin Matchplay Masters finals over two blocks on March 30 and 31. The top 3 boys and top 3 girls will proceed to the stepladder finals.

The championship will close with the victory banquet at the Venetian Hotel. Official practice will take place tomorrow for the participating countries divided into three squads.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Macau.