27th March, Kuala Lumpur: A large crowd gathered at the Pyramid Megalanes this Sunday afternoon to witness the last day of play for the ABF Tour - Canon Malaysian Leg which saw Zulmazran Zulkifli winning Malaysia's second Men's tour title this year while Singapore's tour rookie, Amanda Ng emerged the Women's champion.

Zulmazran Zulkifli, who finished fourth in the Malaysian Open two days ago, easily dispatched Singapore's Carl De Vries, 255-198 in the final match. The Malaysian was on a hot streak, as he pulled off a string of four strikes from the first frame and then another five from the sixth frame to take a commanding lead. An open frame in the fifth was all that prevented the youngster from taking the high game award.

"It was a weak ball. I had four strikes in a row, so I thought I would stay relaxed and take it slow," said Zulmazran, when asked to comment on his open frame mistake.

"This tournament was meant for me. If you can beat Wu Siu Hong, your chances for this tournament are good," he said of playing the previous Tournament of Champions winner.

Zulmazran had earlier beaten Hong Kong’s Wu Siu Hong in the first semifinal, as the two exchanged strikes into the final frames of the game. After pulling off 5 strikes in a row, Wu was only one pin behind the Malaysian by the ninth frame. However, a 2-10 split left Wu unable to clear the tenth frame and the game ended in the Malaysian’s favor, 226-236.

In the ladies’ finals, Amanda Ng pumped her fist as she defeated her teammate, Jazreel Tan in a tiebreaker. The two young Singaporeans came in head-to-head for the tournament, with Tan taking the early lead after she pulled off four strikes-in-a-row from the first frame. Ng responded with her own four strikes from the fourth frame onwards, bringing their scores within reach. Both bowlers were not able to secure their bonus frames and ended the tenth frame with a 199 tie.

Tan bowled first, picking up a strike, spare and 6 pins for a 36 point total. Ng followed with two spares and a strike, bringing her to 39 and 3 points ahead for a victory. "I just wanted to produce good shots, and see what happened," said the 18-year-old champion, who had only joined the national team this year, and making her ABF Tour debut after doing well in the preceding Malaysian Open.

Ng had earlier ousted Malaysia’s only lady semifinalist, Sarah Yap in yet another tiebreaker. Under nail-biting tension, Tan came up with strike, spare and seven pins, bringing her 9th and 10th frame roll-off total to 37. Unfortunately for Yap, a spare and nine pins was all she could muster, missing the seven-pin that would have kept her in the game.

In the first match-up of the day, Jazreel Tan from Singapore pulled off an upset over Filipina, Liza Clutario, 218-179. In a sudden slump, Clutario left three open frames from the seventh onward, leaving Tan with an easy victory and a crack at the title.

Carl De Vries from Singapore made it into the finals by taking an early lead in the match against local bowler Mustafa Yassin and beating him, 220-175. Zulmazran took home US$2,000 for the top prize while Amanda Ng won US$1,500 in the ladies division.

The high game award of US$1,000 each was won by Filipino, Joonee Gatchalian in the men's division with 269 while ABF Tour TOC champion, Wendy Chai won the ladies' high game with 267.

The ABF Tour will comprise eight Legs and a Grand Final, the Tournament of Champions. Each Leg will be staged over one or two competition days where the top 16 men and 16 women bowlers from the preceding International Open Masters Event (Open Grade) will compete in a one-game match play knock-out competition for the individual men's and women's titles.

The Tournament of Champions will be staged over four competition days where the top 16 men and 16 women bowlers (based on ABF Tour ranking points), will qualify to compete over four rounds of competition for the coveted men's and women's ABF Tour Champion titles.

ABF Tour - Canon Malaysia Leg is organized by ABF in association with Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress and sponsored by Canon Marketing, Sunway Lagoon Resort, Malaysian Airlines and supported by Pyramid Megalanes.

The ABF Tour Malaysia matches was telecast LIVE on Astro Supersport and televised later on local television stations of the eight countries where the tour is being held. It is also broadcast later from parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, central Asia, China and Australasia with an estimated audience of around 90 million.

For further information and details please contact ABF Tour Committee Marketing and Event Management Division at Tel: (852) 2810 5191; Fax: (852) 28105192; Mr. Ritchie Lai (Mobile: (852) 93598669; email: ritchie.lai@tndgroup.com or Mr. Kelvin Pong (Mobile: (852) 9100 0958; email: Kelvin.pong@tndgroup.com. Visit www.abftour.com for LIVE scores.

Photos by Y.S. Liew, MTBC.

26th March, Kuala Lumpur: Young stars stole the limelight at the ABF Tour - Canon Malaysia Leg 2005 on Day One when Singapore and Malaysia bowlers occupied three each of the eight semifinals slots.

Singapore National Champion, Jazreel Tan was joined by teammates, Amanda Ng and Carl De Vries while Malaysia's Zulmazran Zulkifli, Mustafa Yassin and Sarah Yap all rolled into the semifinals with newly-crowned Malaysian Open champion, Wu Siu Hong and Filipina Liza Clutario.

Top-seed, Siti Safiyah Amirah of Malaysia, who yesterday became the youngest-ever bowler to emerge as champion in the 28th Malaysian International Open, was pitted against her teammate and last year's Tournament of Champions winner Wendy Chai. Both bowlers chalked up impressive scores but it was the more experienced Chai who managed to edge out her opponent by one pin, finishing 268-267.

Chai however was stopped in her tracks in the second round by Filipina, Liza Clutario, 178-225 to take up the first semifinal spot. Clutario had earlier dispatched Zandra Aziela of Malaysia, 249-238 in the first round.

Malaysian Bowler of the Year, Shalin Zulkifli played against third-seed, Liza Del Rosario of the Philippines and bowled to a nine pin win, 201-192.

However, Shalin did not have the same success against ABF Tour debutant Amanda Ng of Singapore in the second round and was knocked-out, 206-232 in an exciting televised match.

It was a good run for the first-timers in this tournament as 15-year-old Jazreel Tan of Singapore also makes it into the semifinals after defeating ex-national, Lai Kin Ngoh 216-189 in the other televised match and then Malaysian junior Christyn Chew, 203-200. She will meet Liza Clutario tomorrow.

Second-seed, Sarah Yap of Malaysia also managed an easy win over Chinese Taipei's Wang Ya Ting, 204-167 before advancing into the second round to defeat the other contender from Taipei, Wang Yu Ling 240-207. Yap moves onto the semifinals tomorrow and is up against Singapore's Amanda Ng, as the only Malaysian woman left in the tournament.

In the Men's division, Tournament of Champion 2004 winner and yesterday's Malaysian Open champion, Wu Siu Hong from Hong Kong continued on his winning run as he defeated Qatar Leg champion Alex Liew of Malaysia, 242-233 in a thrilling televised match, and stormed through another Malaysian, Syafiq Ridhwan, 255-187.

2005 Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championship triple Gold medalist, Zulmazran Zulkifli of Malaysia, defeated teammate, Aaron Kong 258-214 in the first round, and Korea's Kim Ko Woon, 249-242 in the second round match to stay in the tournament and will face Wu Siu Hong in tomorrow's semifinals.

Yesterday's Malaysian Open runner-up, Mustafa Yassin took up the last semifinals spot after beating Wicky Yeung of Hong Kong, 227-191, and

Chinese Taipei's Cheng Chao-Sheng, 224-184 in Round 2. He will face Carl De Vries from Singapore tomorrow. High games of the day belong to Wendy Chai's 268 first round game against Siti Safiyah, and Filipino Joonee Gatchalian's 269 in the first round against local bowler Jonathan Lim.

The ABF Tour will comprise eight Legs and a Grand Final, the Tournament of Champions. Each Leg will be staged over one or two competition days where the top 16 men and 16 women bowlers from the preceding International Open Masters Event (Open Grade) will compete in a one-game match play knock-out competition for the individual men's and women's titles.

The Tournament of Champions will be staged over four competition days where the top 16 men and 16 women bowlers (based on ABF Tour ranking points), will qualify to compete over four rounds of competition for the coveted men's and women's ABF Tour Champion titles.

ABF Tour - Canon Malaysia Leg is organized by ABF in association with Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress and sponsored by Canon Marketing, Sunway Lagoon Resort, Malaysian Airlines and supported by Pyramid Megalanes.

The ABF Tour Malaysia matches was telecast LIVE on Astro Supersport and televised later on local television stations of the eight countries where the tour is being held. It is also broadcast later from parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, central Asia, China and Australasia with an estimated audience of around 90 million.

For further information and details please contact ABF Tour Committee Marketing and Event Management Division at Tel: (852) 2810 5191; Fax: (852) 28105192; Mr. Ritchie Lai (Mobile: (852) 93598669; email: ritchie.lai@tndgroup.com or Mr. Kelvin Pong (Mobile: (852) 9100 0958; email: Kelvin.pong@tndgroup.com. Visit www.abftour.com for LIVE scores.

Photos by Y.S. Liew, MTBC.