12th December, Singapore: Kai Virtanen of Finland defeated Petter Hansen of Norway 2 games to 1 to emerge as 2004 AMF Bowling World Cup champion at the Superbowl SAFRA Mount Faber this evening.

Virtanen went into the quarterfinals as the eight-seed, but he deposed top-seeded Jason Belmonte of Australia and fifth-seed Yahav Rabin of Israel to move into the title match.

The 35-year-old computer engineer and World Cup rookie brought the title back to Finland after a one-year absence by overcoming second-seed Petter Hansen of Norway, 2 games to 1 (258-208, 216-233, 258-242).

It was a successful comeback for Virtanen, who quit international bowling for five years but started training and competing again this past spring. "I bowled with Team Finland in Singapore in the 1991 World Championships and won a bronze medal, so I have good feelings about being here," Virtanen said.

Hansen had a chance to win by getting either a strike or spare in the tenth frame of the final game, but he left a disastrous 2-8-10 split instead and failed to convert it. Virtanen admitted he was taken aback to win that way. "I had hoped he'd leave something on his first ball, to force him to shoot for a spare and make things a little harder for him. But I never hope for that kind of bad luck for anyone."

Hansen ousted hometown favorite and sixth-seed Remy Ong of Singapore in the first semifinal match, 2 games to 1 (259-279, 248-214, 257-210), to advance to the title bout. His wish to bowl Virtanen for the title came true when the Finn defeated Rabin in the other semifinal match, 2 games to 1 (200-215, 214-194, 238-220).

"The Finns are so good that if I beat one of them, then I will know I bowled very well indeed," Hansen had said. "Kai and I had promised each other we'd be in the title match together, and here we were."

In the earlier women's competitioin, Pluhowsky became the third woman ever to win the title twice by dethroning defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada, 2 games to 0 (236-200, 234-85).

Ryan-Ciach achieved some satisfaction, however, as she and Jack Guay won the Bent Petersen Trophy for best combined country performance. Guay finished tied for fifth in the men's division.

Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

12th December, Singapore: Shannon Pluhowsky of the United States, the 2002 AMF Bowling World Cup women's champion, became just the third woman ever to win the title twice with a 2 games to 0 victory over defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada (236-200, 234-185).

Second-seed Pluhowsky advanced to the championship round at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber by dismissing third-seed Liza Del Rosario of the Philippines in the first semifinal match of the day, also by a 2-0 score (259-226, 269-169). Ryan-Ciach, seeded eight, earned her berth by outlasting the fifth-seed, Yoselin Leon of Puerto Rico, 2 games to 1 (279-190, 193-257, 208-193).

Pluhowsky's victory avenged her loss to Ryan-Ciach in last year's World Cup finals in Honduras. The 22-year-old U.S. national amateur champion admitted earlier in the week that the loss motivated her performance this year. "I learned a lot from my performance last year. In fact, I think I could have bowled better the entire season. My loss last year was a driving force for this season.

"It also helped that today, unlike last year, we bowled our finals right after the semifinals. We didn't have to wait for the men's semis to be finished, and it helped me not to have five hours of down time. I could keep practicing from my first match on, which allowed me to be loose and ready for the match."

Ryan-Ciach, the 33-year-old Canadian national champion, could have become only the second person in World Cup history to win back-to-back titles. "I thought I had an edge going into the finals right after the semifinals, because I was loose and warmed up," she said.

"For whatever reason, I didn't have the same ball reaction today. I lost my pin carry in the second match with Shannon. I made good shots, but kept leaving 4-pins and 10-pins and it's difficult to adjust for that kind of carry.

Pluhowsky averaged 249.5 for the day while giving the United States its 13th World Cup title (7 men, 6 women).

The men's semifinal and championship rounds also conclude Sunday. Singapore's Remy Ong, the sixth-seed, takes on second-seed Petter Hansen of Norway in the opening semifinal pairing, while fifth-seed Yahav Rabin of Israel and eight-seed Kai Virtanen of Finland face off in the second match. The semifinal winners meet for the title at 4:30pm. Singapore time.

Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

11th December, Singapore: Kai Virtanen of Finland, the men's eithgh-seed, stunned frontrunner Jason Belmonte of Australia with a perfect game and advance into the semifinals joining Israel's Yahav Rabin, Norway's Petter Hansen and Singapore's Remy Ong in the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup.

Virtanen, a 35-year-old engineer, recorded the eighth perfect game of this year's tournament when a 10-pin toppled lazily just before being swept off the pindeck. "This is my 17th perfect game but the first one I didn't see happen, because I had turned away figuring the 10-pin was going to remain standing," he said. "Then I got back to my seat and my coach Sami [Luoto] was high-fiving me and everyone started yelling. I had to see it on the replay to believe it."

The 300-247 victory over Belmonte in the first game was the forerunner of a 2 games to 0 victory over the tournament's top seed (300-247, 228-219). Insult added to injury for the Australian when he left the 4-6-7-10 split in the 10th frame of the second game while needing a spare or strike to win and force the match to a third game.

"I thought I threw it well, but it just kind of ran up on the pocket a little," Belmonte said. "I didn't expect that split from that ball." Virtanen's perfect game was the 27th 300 game in World Cup history but the first ever recorded in either the stepladder format or the current knockout format.

Virtanen squares off against fifth-seed Yahav Rabin of Israel in the semifinals. Rabin defeated fourth-seed Chester King of the Philippines 2 games to 1 (179-257, 237-236, 257-235). The other semifinal match pairs hometown favorite and sixth-seed Remy Ong with second-seed Petter Hansen of Norway. Hansen made short work of Belgium's Yves Van Eyken, 2 games to 0, with a near-perfect effort (279-203, 257-240).

Ong thwarted Canada's Jack Guay, 2 games to 1 (206-193, 204-279, 223-218) to keep alive Singapore's hopes for its first World Cup title. Ong had to regroup from an open frame in his final game and then double in the 10th to defeat Guay.

"At this level, concentration is so important," said Ong. "I think I will learn from my mistakes today. He (Jack) struck out to force me to strike. I would

like to be in that position any day, finishing first and forcing the other person to strike.

"This is a matter of self-achievement for me. I was so close in 2002. My dream has always been to win a world title. Hopefully, it will not be long until that happens."

The semifinal round begins with Pluhowsky and Del Rosario locking horns in the opener at 9.00am. Sunday. The men's first match, featuring Ong and Hansen, is set for 2.00pm. The 2004 AMF World Cup champions will be crowned Sunday afternoon at the center. The women's championship match is scheduled to begin at 3.00pm., followed by the men.

Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

11th December, Singapore: Puerto Rico's Yoselin Leon, Filipina Liza Del Rosario, America's Shannon Pluhowsky and defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada advanced to the women's semifinal round of the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup with victories in today's quarterfinals.

Fifth-seed Leon bounced back from a 279-189 drubbing by fourth-seed, Australia's Ann-Maree Putney, in the opening game to capture her match 2 games to 1 (189-279, 238-160, 205-200). "I just had to erase that game from my mind, tell myself I still had two games left to win, and start again as if it was the very first game," Leon said.

Third-seed Del Rosario handily defeated Sweden's Helen Johnsson, the sixth-seed, 2 games to 0 (278-203, 232-189). "I was very nervous, but when I rolled my practice balls, I was very relaxed. Chester [King, the Philippines' men's bowler who is also in the quarterfinal round] reminded me I needed to stay that way to carry."

Seventh-seed Laura Rhoney of Scotland fell to second-seed Pluhowsky, also 2 games to 0 (223-204, 231-163).

"The lanes played pretty much the same from yesterday, when I changed the surface of my ball and got better carry. So I didn't have to make too many adjustments today," said Pluhowsky, the 2002 World Cup champion.

Ryan-Ciach, who grabbed the final seed by just three pins from Singapore's Valerie Teo Friday, devastated top-seed Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia, 2 games to 0 (201-197, 235-225). Zulkifli has never won a head-to-head match in seven World Cup tries.

"The match was as tough as I thought it would be," Ryan-Ciach said. "Shalin never gave up and gave it everything she had; she just didn't get the pin carry."

A spectator tried to console Shalin after the match, telling her she did her best, to which Shalin responded, "My best just isn't good enough."

Ryan-Ciach will take on Leon in the second women's semifinal match Sunday morning, with Pluhowsky and Del Rosario locking horns in the opener at 9.00am. at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber.

The men's quarterfinals begin Saturday afternoon and feature top-seeded Jason Belmonte of Australia against No. 8 Finland's Kai Virtanen in the final match of the night. Singapore's Remy Ong, sixth-seed, challenges third-seeded Jack Guay of Canada at 3.00pm. Other matches include second-seed Petter Hansen of Germany versus seventh-seed Yves Van Eyken of Belgium, and fourth-Chester King of the Philippines versus Israel's Yahav Rabin, third-seed.

Quarterfinal winners advance to Sunday's semifinal round, which begins at 900am. with the women at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber. The 2004 AMF World Cup champions will be crowned Sunday afternoon at the center. The women's championship match is scheduled to begin at 3.00pm., followed by the men.

Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

10th December, Singapore: Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia and Jason Belmonte of Australia continued to dominate the action at the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup Friday, capturing the top seeds as the tournament moves into the quarterfinal round.

Shalin rolled a near-perfect 290 game to finish the qualifying phase with 7492 pins for 32 games. Hoping to become the first Malaysian bowler ever to win a World Cup title, the 26-year-old righthander averaged 234.13, more than 10 pins better than Shannon Pluhowsky of the USA. Pluhowsky, who won the World Cup in 2002, averaged 223.69 for 32 games with 7158 pins and goes into the quarterfinals as the second seed.

With the tournament format changing to a best-of-three games knockout format, and all previous pin totals dropped, Shalin is hoping déjà vu doesn't strike again. "I don't want to think beyond the first match tomorrow," said Shalin, who was booted from the quarterfinals her past three tries. "I just want to win that first one! My strategy is to bowl to achieve my season average, which is 215, and hope for the best."

Shalin takes on defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada in the quarterfinal round. Ryan-Ciach also relied on a 290 game to snatch the eighth and final quarterfinal spot away from Singapore's Valerie Teo by three pins.

Preceding match-ups pit No. 4 seed Ann-Maree Putney of Australia against No. 5 seed Yoselin Leon of Puerto Rico; No. 3 seed Liza Del Rosario of the Philippines versus No. 6 Helen Johnsson of Sweden; and No. 2 Pluhowsky against No. 7 Laura Rhoney of Scotland. The women's quarterfinals begin with the Putney - Leon match at 8.00am. Saturday at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber. The Shalin - Ryan-Ciach match is scheduled to start at 11.00am.

Belmonte experienced a slight letdown in Friday's action, with his overall tournament average dropping six pins to 238.72. His 7639 total was still good enough, however, to slide past Norway's Petter Hansen by 60 pins. Belmonte will face another World Cup rookie, Kai Virtanen of Finland, in the men's quarterfinals Saturday.

"I really can't wait to get out on the lanes tomorrow, I'm looking forward to this," said Belmonte, who is trying to become the first man from Australia to win. "I'm kind of hoping that all the others in the top 8 will fall down, they're all so tough; but that is not likely to happen, so I'll have to give it my best shot."

Singapore's Remy Ong held on to sixth place and will meet Canada's Jack Guay in Saturday's quarterfinals. Ong admitted that it wasn't his best day on the lanes. "It's all about making moves on each shot. For instance, I had one game where I made two tough spares-the 2-4-6-10 and 2-4-7-10-and shot 180-something. I just had to move on to the next pair and not think about it anymore. I'm happy to make it to the finals."

Others advancing include No. 7 seed Yves Van Eyken, who takes on No. 2 seed Hansen, and No. 4 seed Chester King of the Philippines, who meets No. 5 seed Yahav Rabin of Israel. Rabin joined the "World Cup 300 Club" Friday as did Switzerland's Mathieu Berges, raising the number of perfect games recorded at this year's World Cup to seven. Berges, however, missed the cut by 28 pins despite the perfect score. The men's quarterfinals begin Saturday at 2.00pm. with the King - Rabin match.

"I'm really disappointed, I wanted so much to make the TV finals," Berges said. "I knew I had a shot after the 300 game, and I knew I had to bowl well, but I threw a terrible ball in the 9th frame of my last game and that was that. It was over."

Quarterfinal winners advance to Sunday's semifinal round, which begins at 9.00am. at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber. The 2004 AMF World Cup champions will be crowned Sunday afternoon at the center. The women's championship match is scheduled to begin at 3.00pm., followed by the men.

Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

9th December, Singapore: Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia and Jason Belmonte of Australia remained atop the leader boards after 24 games were completed in the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup at The SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber.

Shalin, whose best World Cup finish to date has been second place, scored a 1292 set Thursday morning to bring her tournament average to 231.17 and total pinfall to 5548. Her nearest competitor, 2002 World Cup champion Shannon Pluhowsky, was 192 pins behind, at 5356. Pluhowsky is averaging 223.17.

"All of us in the top three were all 'under average' this morning," Shalin joked. "We made good shots, but pin carry wasn't there."

Making the cut along with Shalin and Pluhowsky in the women's division were Yoselin Leon of Puerto Rico, defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada, 1992 women's champion Martina Beckel of Germany, and hometown favorite Valerie Teo.

Teo stayed in sixth place with a set of 1315 pins Thursday. Her 24-game pinfall is 5157, and she is averaging 214.88. She agreed that the shot was more difficult to lock in on Thursday. "I thought pin carry was harder today. There were lots of 10-pins and 7-pins standing after first balls. But I feel I am just where I want to be at this stage."

Belgium's Wendy Bergen tossed her first career 300 on the women's morning squad. Bergen, a 27-year-old secretary, is the fifth woman ever to card a perfect game at the World Cup.

In the men's division, Belmonte posted another 1500-mark series Thursday to increase his lead over Norway's Petter Hansen to 106 pins, despite Hansen's 300 game late in the set. Belmonte now has a 245.25 average with 5,886 pins.

"I really wanted to finish the first 24 games on top of the field," Belmonte said. "It was a drive for me, a mental thing. Now I can say to myself, 'I beat these guys for 24 games, I can beat them for eight more.'"

Hansen has 5780 pins and a 240.83 average. He's trailed by Chester King of the Philippines, who also shot a perfect game Thursday night. Both 300 games came on lanes 3 and 4. Guay, who rolled the first perfect game in World Cup history in 1994, is in fourth place with 5559 pins and a 231.63 average. Ong settled into fifth place with 5537 pins and a 230.71 average.

Those advancing for the men included Canada's Jack Guay, Singapore's Remy Ong, 1988 men's champion Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi of the UAE, and the 1999 champion, Ahmed Shaheen of Qatar.

"I'm happy with the support I'm receiving here at the center," said Ong. "I think I did much, much better today, even though the lanes were faster and the carry was tougher."

Al-Qubaisi used a high game of 279 to push his 24-game total to 5447. He was averaging 226.96. Shaheen began the day out of the cut in 25th place but crawled into the top 24 with a 1350 series to finish 21st with 5,273 pins and a 219.71 average.

The top 24 men and women bowl eight more games Friday. The field is then cut to the top eight in each division, who advance to the best-of-three-games matchplay quarterfinals on Saturday. All pinfall is dropped after Friday's cut to the top 8. The 2004 AMF World Cup champions will be crowned Sunday afternoon at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber. The women's championship match is scheduled to begin at 3.00pm, followed by the men.

Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

8th December, Singapore: Australia's Jason Belmonte fended off his challengers to retained a slender lead at the end of the third block at the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup this evening.

Belmonte fended off Norway's Petter Hansen for the pole position Wednesday. Hansen posted the men's highest set for the day, 1466, to raise his total pinfall to 4237 and his average to 240.39. Belmonte, a 21-year-old World Youth Championships gold medalist, settled for a 1446 series. He is averaging 242.94 with 4373 pins.

"Considering how well players like Petter and Remy Ong are playing right now, I'm surprised to still be leading," Belmonte said. "It was a big day for me. I started slow and fought back hard, same as yesterday. I was happy I haven't plateaued, that I can still kick it in if I have to, especially because the other guys are coming at me."

Canada's Jack Guay stayed in third with a 1412 series, highlighted by a 279 game. "I really thought I was going to have another 300 game," said the only player to roll two perfect games in AMF World Cup history.

"But I didn't bend my knee quite as much as I should have on the shot that missed, and I lost the leverage and power to carry."

Singapore's Remy Ong is close behind in fourth place, 42 pins behind Guay. Ong is averaging 232.67 with 4188 pins. Qualifying for the full field continues through Thursday, after which the fields are cut to the top 24. Those bowlers bowl eight more games Friday. The field is then cut to the top eight in each division, who advance to the best-of-three-games matchplay quarterfinals on Saturday.

A record 95 nations are competing in this year's AMF World Cup (93 men, 73 women). The AMF World Cup is the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of articipating countries.

AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the AMF Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operating of bowling centers. It is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. More information about AMF is available on the Internet at www.amf.com. Tournament results are available at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com. Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

8th December, Singapore: Malaysia's Shalin Zulkifli, hoping for her first successful title bid in seven tries, holds a 199-pin lead over her closest rival after 18 games at the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup at The Superbowl Telok Blangah.

Shalin, 26, followed up her 1477-pin set Tuesday with a six-game total of 1438 Wednesday to boost her total pinfall to 4256 and her average to 236.44. A mainstay of the Malaysian national team for more than a decade, the righthander is trying to become the first person from her country ever to win the coveted World Cup title.

Shalin likes her chances so far. "There is an area of the lanes where I feel comfortable, and that is the area that is scoring well right now," she said. "Right now, it's more about accuracy. I'm not so comfortable when you have to open up the lanes and not go straight up at the pins."

"Overall, people aren't having too much trouble getting to the pocket, but they are having trouble with carrying the corner pins. It does seem that the straighter up you can go, with good heavy roll on the ball, the better off you are."

Taking over second place is the 2002 World Cup champion Shannon Pluhowsky of the United States. Her high game of 259 anchored a series of 1415 to give her 4057 pins for 18 games and a 225.39 average. Monday's leader, Ann-Maree Putney of Australia, dropped into third place with a 1279 series Wednesday, 22 pins behind Pluhowsky.

Singapore's Valerie Teo continued her assault on the leaders by posting the women's high set of the day, 1442. Her total pinfall of 3842 places her sixth and in good position to make the cut to the top 24 following Thursday's action.

"Monday, I was just trying to get my form back, as I haven't competed in four months," said the 20-year-old medical student. "Tuesday, I was trying to get

comfortable with the shot on the lanes. Today I was able to put all that information together and make better decisions. I feel I carried much better today."

Puerto Rico's Yoselin Leon fired a 290 game Wednesday, the high single for the women thus far. She is in seventh place with 3827 pins and a 212.61 average. Two perfect games have been rolled thus far in the tournament, by Pawel Bielski of Poland and Andrejus Puskariovas of Lithuania.

Australia's Jason Belmonte will try to protect his lead as the men complete their first 18 games Wednesday evening. Belmonte is averaging 243.91 for 12 games and leads Norway's Petter Hansen by 66 pins. Canada's Jack Guay, the first-ever person to roll a perfect game at the AMF World Cup (1994, Mexico), is in third place with 2818 pins and a 234.83 average. Singapore's Remy Ong sits behind Guay in fourth, with 2759 pins and a 229.92 average.

Qualifying for the full field continues through Thursday, after which the fields are cut to the top 24. Those bowlers bowl eight more games Friday. The field is then cut to the top eight in each division, who advance to the best-of-three-games matchplay quarterfinals on Saturday. A record 95 nations are competing in this year's AMF World Cup. The AMF World Cup is the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating countries.

AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the AMF Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operating of bowling centers. It is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. More information about AMF is available on the Internet at www.amf.com. Tournament results are available at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com. Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

7th December, Singapore: Asian Ranked No. 1, Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia eclipsed overnight leader, Ann-Maree Putney of Australia for pole in the women's second block of the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup at the end of Day 2 qualifying.

Shalin, who is making her seventh appearance in the series, took over the lead with a superb score of 1477 and a 2818 two-blocks total to lead by 62 pins while hometown favourite, Valerie Teo fought her way up to 23rd place.

The new leader is hoping to break a jinx that has followed her through six previous World Cups, fired a 1477-pin set tonight to eclipse Monday's leader Putney. The 26-year-old sports psychology student, used a high game of 279 to move into the lead with an average of 234.83 to Putney's 229.67.

"I felt I made a lot of better shots and carried better today, even though I played the same line," Shalin said. "I've learned a lot about myself in my previous attempts. I know better now what to expect and how to pace myself in this tournament. Plus, I have a lot more friends and Malaysians here supporting me."

The 2002 women's champion, Shannon Pluhowsky of the U.S., moved into third with 2642 pins and a 220.17 average, while defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada slipped to 11th with a total of 2519 pins for 12 games. Ryan-Ciach suffered through two games in the 170s to drop her average to 209.92.

Singapore's Valerie Ong fought her way into the top 24 with a 1217 set and is in 23rd place with 2400 total pins and a 200.0 average. The 19-year-old National University of Singapore student has settled down after a nervous start, into a good pace and will be hoping to maintain the form to make the all-important cut for the next round.

Qualifying for the full field continues through Thursday, Dec. 9, after which the fields are cut to the top 24.

A record 95 nations are competing in this year's AMF World Cup. The previous record was set in 2000 in Lisbon, Portugal, when 88 countries sent athletes. The AMF World Cup is the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating countries.

AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the AMF Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operating of bowling centers. It is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. More information about AMF is available on the Internet at www.amf.com. Tournament results are available at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com. Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

7th December, Singapore: For the second consecutive day, a solid performance by Australia's Jason Belmonte at the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup was overshadowed by the excitement of a perfect game from Andrejus Puskariovas of Lithuania, despite maintaining his lead.

Andrejus Puskariovas, a 38-year-old businessman from Lithuania, rolled the tournament's second 300 game during the men's afternoon squad. It was Puskariovas' second career perfect game and followed the 300 posted Monday afternoon at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber bowling center by Poland's Pawel Bielski. It is the 21st 300 game in AMF World Cup history.

Puskariovas almost missed making history by getting up on the wrong approach for his final pitch. His coach caught him in time and steered him to the correct lane. Despite the close call, Puskariovas said he wasn't that nervous about getting the 300 game.

"I've had nine or 10 strikes in a row several times, and I rolled my first 300 game three months ago," he said. "Actually, when I got up in the 10th frame, I really thought that, after all this, I would probably leave one pin and get a 299 score."

Belmonte cooled down from his torrid 250.67 average on Monday. His 1423 series Tuesday kept him ahead of Norway's Petter Hansen by 66 pins. Belmonte is averaging 243.91 after 12 games.

"I think I can win, sure, but I think everyone here feels the same way," he said. "This bowling center is state-of-the-art, the conditions are nice, the pins are in perfect shape, and everything is top-notch. On the other hand, it makes it harder to win, too, because even more players can strike when conditions are like this."

Canada's Jack Guay, the first person ever to roll a perfect game at the AMF World Cup (1994, Mexico), used a 274 game to move into third place Tuesday. He has 2,818 pins and a 234.83 average. Singapore's Remy Ong sits behind Guay in fourth, with 2759 pins and a 229.92 average.

"I caught up a lot [with the leaders] today," Ong said. "I think we may see a new leader each day, and I hope that tomorrow I will be that person."

Ann-Maree Putney of Australia leads Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia as the women begin their second six games of qualifying. Putney's 1386 series gives her an average of 231.0 and a 45-pin lead over Zulkifli, who is trying to win her first World Cup in seven attempts.

Defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada is third with 1130 pins and a 218.33 average. Singapore's Valerie Ong sits in 27th place with 1,183 pins and a 197.17 average. Qualifying for the full field continues through Thursday, Dec. 9, after which the fields are cut to the top 24.

A record 95 nations are competing in this year's AMF World Cup. The previous record was set in 2000 in Lisbon, Portugal, when 88 countries sent athletes. The AMF World Cup is the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating countries.

AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the AMF Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operating of bowling centers. It is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. More information about AMF is available on the Internet at www.amf.com. Tournament results are available at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com. Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

6th December, Singapore: World Championship Gold medalist, Ann-Maree Putney of Australia took pole position in the women's first day of qualifying at the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup at Superbowl SAFRA Mount Faber Bowling Center.

Putney, a 34-year-old mother of two from Newcastle, leads Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia. Putney's 1,386 series gives her an average of 231.0 and a 45-pin lead over Zulkifli, who is trying to win the World Cup for the first time in seven attempts.

Putney, whose scores ranged between 202 and 253, was pleased with her effort. "If 202 is my lowest game for the tournament, I'll be happy; but there's another 18 games to go [to make the cut]" she said afterward.

Putney, who's also seeking her first World Cup title, is one of 74 women competing in this year's tournament. Hometown favorite Valerie Teo is in 27th place, and defending champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach is third with 1,341 pins and a 223.50 average.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, 21-year-old Jason Belmonte set a blistering pace to take the lead in the men's division, which gave the Australia a fantastic start to their AMF World Cup campaign. Belmonte blazed the lanes with a 6-game total of 1504 for a comfortable 95 pins over the first perfect-game scorer of the tournament, Pawel Bielski of Poland.

Hometown hero, Remy Ong is still in the hunt for the title and was placed 14th at the end of the first block and with another 18 games to go, there are plenty of room to make up grounds.

Qualifying for the full field continues through Thursday, Dec. 9, after which the fields are cut to the top 24. A record 95 nations are competing in this year's AMF World Cup.

The previous record was set in 2000 in Lisbon, Portugal, when 88 countries sent athletes. The AMF World Cup is the world's largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating countries.

AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the AMF Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operating of bowling centers. It is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. More information about AMF is available on the Internet at www.amf.com. Tournament results are available at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com. Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.

6th December, Singapore: Australia's Jason Belmonte set a blistering pace for the men on the first day of qualifying at the 40th AMF Bowling World Cup, underway at the SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber Bowling Center this afternoon.

However, a 20-year-old student from Poland named Pawel Bielski stole some of Belmonte's thunder by firing a perfect score of 300, the 20th in World Cup history, in his six-game opening set.

Bielski, who studies international relations at a private college in his hometown of Grdynia, used his first-ever 300 game to vault into 12th place in the 93-man field, with a six-game total of 1347 pins and average of 224.50.

"I wasn’t even thinking about rolling a 300 to start with," Bielski said afterward. "I just wanted to roll a game of 250 or better so I'd have a 1300 set. After my eighth strike, I knew I had the 250 score, so I got a little nervous. I don't know where my mind went - my 11th strike was a terrible shot. But it carried all the pins, so everything just worked out for me.

"This is my first 300 game, and I'm still trying to deal with all that excitement. I'm not even thinking about winning the tournament yet!"

Bielski and the rest of the field lag behind the 21-year-old Belmonte, who hails from Orange, New South Wales. Already a veteran of international competition, he won gold medals in the 2004 Asian Youth Championships and World Youth Championships. Belmonte's staggering 250.67 average and 1504 set included games of 267, 265, 258 and 257. His low game of the morning was 214. He holds a 95-pin lead over second-place Maurizio Celli of Italy, who averaged 234.83 with 1409 pins.

"I've had a hectic year so far," Belmonte admitted. "I did a four-week tour where I competed in Guam, Singapore, Qatar and at the British Open. I did well in all of them. When you’re on a roll, you have to go with it as long as you can. "No Australian man has ever won the AMF World Cup, we've had five women champions, but no man, and I'd love to be the first.

Singapore's Remy Ong is in the hunt for the title, sitting in 14th place after six games with 1342 pins and a 223.67 average.

Seventy-four women bowl their first round of qualifying this afternoon and evening at SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber. Defending women's champion Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada and Singapore's Valerie Teo are among the favorites to vie for the title.

Full-field qualifying continues through Thursday, Dec. 9, when the fields are cut to the top 24. A record 95 nations are competing in this year's AMF World Cup. The previous record was set in 2000 in Lisbon, Portugal, when 88 countries sent athletes. The AMF World Cup is the world’s largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating countries.

AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., the founder and principal sponsor of the AMF Bowling World Cup, is the world's largest owner and operating of bowling centers. It is also a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of bowling and billiards products. More information about AMF is available on the Internet at www.amf.com. Tournament results are available at www.amfbowlingworldcup.com. Media released by Lydia Rypcinski, AMF Media Coordinator.

Photos courtesy of Mr Murali, Asian Bowling Digest.