3rd July, Bangkok: Sweden's Daniel Fransson defied all odds to oust the fancied Americans to capture the Boy's Masters gold medal of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 which ended at Blu-O Paragon Bowling Center on Tuesday.

Fourth-seed, Chris Via got off to a better start with a double in the first two frames of the Boy's title match against Daniel Fransson but came across a split in the third evening the match up to the halfway mark.

The American recovered with another double strike in the fifth and sixth frames to regain the slight advantage as the Swede struggled to knock down any double strikes.

A second split in the seventh frame by Via again put the match even but this time around, Fransson managed to strike in the foundation frame and doubled in in the tenth as Via closed out the match with a double in the ninth and tenth frame too.

The Amercian needed a strike in the 11th frame to have a any chance of a victory but a solid pocket shot saw pin 7 standing firmly.

Fransson struck in the tenth to seal the victory and captured Sweden's first gold medal after having won a silver in the Doubles and a bronze medal in the Team event.

"This has been an amazing week for me and to end with this win is even more amazing," said the 20-year-old Fransson. "I was very nervous in the match against Marshall in the semi but luckily, he had several bad shots and I managed to string together more strikes to win.

"I settled down a bit but was still nervous against Via in the final. It was a very close match and I'm glad I kept my nerves and pulled it through to win," added the champion, who knocked out Marshall Kent of USA, 242-202 in the semi.

Via, who settled for the silver medal continued the top seed jinx by sailing past Sam Cooley of Australia, 246-180 in the other semi.

Meanwhile, two gold medalist, Hwang Yeon-Ju clinched her third gold of the championship in the Girl's Masters title match be defeating top seed, Jacqueline Sijore of Malaysia, 226-215.

Hwang had earlier eliminated another Malaysian and third seed, Dayang Khairuniza, 223-181 in the first semi-finals. Sijore ousted fourth-seed, Bernice Lim of Singapore, 228-171 in the other semi to face the Korean.

Lim had tied with team-mate, New Hui Fen on 6421 after the Step 2 finals to force a one-ball roll-off to break the tie. Lim rolled 8 pins to Hui Fen's 7 to advance to the semi-finals.

"The match against the first Malaysian was easy as I settled down very quickly," said Hwang, who won her first gold in the Doubles finals with Kim Yeon-Jeong. She also won her second gold medal in the All Events.

"We were very disappointed not to win the Team gold medal especially after bowling so well," added Hwang. "This win made up for my disappointment and hopefully my team-mates as well."

The top seed jinx continued right up to the last event. All the Singles, Doubles and Team events top seeds failed to win the gold medal.

Korea emerged as the overall champion with medals haul of 5-0-3, United Stes finish second with 3-3-1 and Sweden third with 1-0-3. Korea also took the Girl's title while United States took the boy's.

48 countries took part in the 12th edition of the World Youth Championships held from June 22 to July 3 at the Blu-O Paragon Bowling Center, Siam Paragon Shopping Mall in downtown Bangkok.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

2nd July, Bangkok: Asian girls dominated the Step 1 Masters finals of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 occupying seven of the top 8 slots for Step 2 Masters finals while Marshall Kent of United States led the boy's division.

With pins carried forward from the 18-games All Events, Hwang Yeon-Ju of Korea led from start to finish. Hwang, who has won gold in the Doubles and All Events, rolled 1234 over 6 games to lead into the next round with 5105.

Doubles bronz emedalist, Jacqueline Sijore of Malaysia trailed the Korean throughout the finals to settle for second spot with 5057. All Events silver medalist, New Hui Fen of Singapore slipped down to third with 4984.

Her team-mate, Bernice Lim, who shot a 300 in game 2 in the dual oiling conditions, finished fourth with 4927 and scoring the highest 6-games series of 1316.

Singles gold medalist, Kim Seon-Jeong took fifth spot with 4906 ahead of third Korean, Oh Nuri in seventh with 4874. The only non-Asian, Juliana Franco of Colombia, who totaled an identical 4874 with Oh, clinched the eighth and last spot for next round.

Two Americans, Jessica Earnest and Danielle McEwan missed the cut by 16 and 20 pins respectively rounding out the top 10.

Meanwhile a tussle for the lead occured between All Events gold medalist, Sam Cooley of Australia and two gold medalist, Marshall Kent of United States throughout the 6-game Step 2 finals for the boys.

Kent eventually grabbed pole with 5391, 51 pins ahead of the Aussie settling for second with 5340 followed by All Events bronze medlaist, Daniel Fransson of Sweden retained third spot with 5244.

German Christian Berlinger, Dutch Jord Van Weeren, Swede Kim Bolleby and second American, Chris Via advanced in fourth to seventh positions with 5183, 5173, 5158 and 5124 while the second from the Asian zone, Basil Low survive the cut in eighth with 5113.

No Koreans made the next round with Ryu Ji-Hoon and Hwang Dong-Jun missing the cut in ninth and tenth positions with 5066 and 5064.

The top 8 girls and top 8 boys will contest the Step 2 Round-Robin matchplay finals over 7 games (20 pns bonus for a win, 10 for a draw), again on dual oil pattern - medium on the odd lanes and long on the even lanes. The top 4 girls and top 4 boys will qualify for the semi-finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

1st July, Bangkok: Fourth-seeds, United States turned in superb performances to win both the Boy's and Girl's 4-players Team gold medals of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 at Blu-O Paragon Bowling Center on Sunday.

The top seed jinx continued to prevail at the championships when top seed boys, Sweden and top seed girls, Korea made early exits in the semi-finals elimination round going down to the mighty American opponents.

Both the Singles and Doubles top seeds for both the boys and girls division were eliminated in the semi-finals several days ago.

Andrew Koff, Zack Hattori, Chris Via and Marshall Kent had to grind out a hard-fought victory over Sweden, 860-822 in the first semi-final match to advance into the finals. Third seed, Singapore left it late in the last few frames of the other semi to seal victory over Germany, 814-786 and face the Americans.

Singapore's Basil Low, Keith Saw, Ng Chiew Pang and Mark Wong started much stronger than USA in the final. But the Americans settled down to bounch back mid-way through the match and went on to win the coveted team event.

"It wasn't an easy match against the Swedes in the semi but we kept our patient and in the end we managed the results we wanted," said Kent, who has picked up his second gold after winning the Singles and two silver medals in the Doubles and All Events.

"We didn't start off well but we managed to get our composure togther to finish the match much stronger than Singapore. They're a good team and credit must be given to them for reaching the finals."

Team USA's girls followed the footsteps of their compatriots after Jessica Earnest, Kelsey Muther, Amanda Greene and Danielle McEwan defeated Singapore, 850-799 to win their first medal of the championship and gave USA the double.

The American quartet took out top seed, Korea, 924-846 in the first semi-finals to earn a crack at the title while Singapore's New Hui Fen, Ilma Nur Jannah, Krishna Darshini and Bernice Lim edged England, 787-765 to advance.

USA settled down early and took a slight lead in the final but had a few splits allowing the Singaporeans to draw level at the halfway mark. The fourth seeds had a better momentum toward the end and went on to clinch victory with 850-799.

"Our win in the semi gave us a better momentum into the final," said anchor-women, Danielle McEwan. "The match against the Koreans were not easy but we managed to grind out the victory.

"We were actually glad that the Koreans chose the long oil pattern for the semi-finals," said assistant coach, Brian O'Keefe.

Competiton will now shift to the Masters finals. The top 24 girls and top 24 boys will contest the 6-game Step 1 Masters finals on July 2. The top 8 girls and top 8 boys at the end of the Step 1 finals will advance to the Step 2 round-robin matchplay finals on July 3.

The top 4 finishers in both the divisions will qualify for the semi-finals elimination rounds which will be telecast LIVE over True Vision Channel.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

30th June, Bangkok: Overnight leader, Kim Bolleby, Magnus Johnson Jr., Daniel Fransson and Johan Hellden broke three world records at the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 en-route to claiming pole position for the 4-players Team semi-finals.

With 117 pins lead from the first block, Sweden got off to a great start with 892 in their opening game of the second block over the long oil condition in the top 24 teams squad to widen the gap over Germany to 199 pins.

Bolleby, Johnson Jr., Fransson and Hellden then broke the one-game record of 990 set by USA in 2008 with 992 to extend their lead to a massive 384 pins as Korea moved up to second and Germany slipping down to third.

The Swedish quartet closed out the block with 874 for yet another record-breaking 5389 and bettered the six-game score of 5289 set by Malaysia in 2008 with 5389 for pole position.

They also broke the 3-game series of 2694 set by Malaysia with 2758 series. There was however, a keen tussle for the minor placings amongst Germany, Korea, USA and Singapore right up to the sixth and final game. The Germans closed out the block with 804 to secure second spot with 4971.

Singapore's Basil Low, Keith Saw, Ng Chiew Pang and Mark Wong was 20 pins behind the Germans, ended strongest with 878 to clinch third spot on 4969, just 2 pins off Germany.

Andrew Koff, Zack Hattori, Chris Via and Marshall Kent, who was 16 pins behind Korea, almost lost their spot as they managed only 782 in their final game but hung on when Korea shot a disasterous 758 to hand the fourth spot to the Americans.

United States edged Korea by just 8 pins with 4913 over Korea's 4905 to secure their place in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile the fight for the gold medal in the Boy's All Events was another tight race. Australia's Sam Cooley had to have a double in the tenth frame to end the final game with 226.

The Aussie totaled 1354 for an 18-game total 3960 to secure the gold medal, just 9 pins ahead of Singles gold medalist, Marshall Kent of USA, who rolled 215 in his last game for 1350 to settle for the silver with 3951.

Daniel Fransson of Sweden registered the highest 6-game series of 1434 in the team event snatch the bronze medal with 3945, a further 6 away from Kent. Overnight leader, Basil Low of Singapore was denied a medal after finishing fourth with 3921.

The Americans will face the Swedes in the first semi-final match while the Germans will meet the Singaporeans in the other semi at 3.00pm local time. Winners of the semi-finals will meet for the 4-players team title.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

30th June, Bangkok: Korea overtook first block leader Singapore to advance into the Girl's 4-player Team semi-finals of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 as top seed, joined by Singapore, England and USA at the end of the second block on Saturday.

Korea's Kim Ga-Ram, Kim Seon-Jeong, Hwang Yeon-Ju and Oh Nuri shot into the lead after a scintilating opening game of 970 in the second block and opened up a gap of 111 pins margin over Singapore.

Their 970 also erased the record of 925 set by Malaysia in 1998. The Korean quartet closed out the block and the 4-player Team event with 752 and 837 for a total of 5037 to advance into the semi-finals as top seed.

New Hui Fen, Ilma Nur Jannah, Krishna Darshini and Bernice Lim, who were led the first block yesterday, settled for second with 4877 while England improved from seventh to take up third spot with 4818.

Team USA claimed the fourth and last spot of the semi-finals elimination round with 4790 edging out fancied Malaysia into fifth position.

Korea will square off with United States in the first semi-final match while Singapore, who has had one semi-final appearance, will again have a second shot at the title when they meet England in the other semi.

Hwang Yeon-Ju and Kim Seon-Jeong of Korea won the gold and bronze medals after finishing first and third with 3871 and 3757 in the All Events while Singapore's New Hui Fen took the silver with 3755.

Doubles bronze medalist, Jacqueline Sijore of Malaysia was edged out of the All Events top 3 position after Kim Seon-Jeong shot 279 in her final game of the Team event as she managed only 183.

Singapore and USA have all four girls in the top 24 Step 1 finals. Korean, Japan and Malaysia have three each. Colombia has two while Israel, Latvia, Philippines, Russia and Sweden all have one each.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

29th June, Bangkok: Sweden topped the second squad of the first block Boy's 4-players Team event of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 to become the overall leader with Germany, United States and Korea completing the top 4.

Doubles bronze medalists, Kim Bolleby and Magnus Johnson Jr. joined forces with team-mates, Daniel Fransson and Johan Hellden and set a blistering pace with 905 to lead Thailand by 80 pins.

The Swedes fired a near record-breaking game of 951 in the second to open up a hugh gap of 203 pins as France moved into second spot. Although the leader eased off with 775 in the third game, the Swedish quartet totaled 2631 to become the overall leader.

"The boys were very professional today and work well together for a superb performance," said coach Robert Andersson. "They picked up all their spares and also had many good pocket shots.

"It's good to have 231 pins over in this block. Although the long oil pattern for the second block is going to be challenging, I'm confident the boys will be able to handle it."

New Zealand's Anthony Carbonell, Blake Brooks, William Wells and Paul Housham finished second behind the Swedes with 2447 while Peurto Rico and France rounded out the top 4 in the squad but ended in seventh to ninth overall.

Earlier in the day, Germany's Andre Schroeder, Dominic Buchmann, Christian Birlinger and Tobias Boerding amassed a total of 2514 to lead the first squad and edged the fancied Amercians by 2 pins.

Andrew Koff, Zack Hattori, Chris Via and Singles gold medalists, Marshall Kent registered 2512, 36 pins ahead of the strong Koreans in third with 2478 and the Filipino quartet in fourth 2462.

Sweden will lead Germany, United States and Korea into the second block of 3 games over the long oil pattern. The top 24 teams from the first block will bowl in the second squad while the remaining teams will bowl in the first squad.

The top 4 teams at the end of the second block will qualify for the semi-finals elimination rounds over a single match. The winners of the semi-finals will face off in the title match for the gold medal.

Meanwhile singles bronze medalist, Basil Low of Singapore, continued to lead the All Events standings after 15 games with 3338. Marshall Kent of USA and Sam Cooley of Australia finished second and third with 3298 and 3262 respectively.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

29th June, Bangkok: Doubles bronze medalist, New Hui Fen and Bernice Lim led their team-mates, Ilam Nur Jannah and Krishna Darshini by topping the Girl's 4-players Team event of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 after the first block of 3 games.

Colombia's Laura Plazas, Alejandra Barreto, Andrea Carolina Ruiz and Singles bronze medalist, Juliana Franco took the early lead with a strong opening game of 872, 18 pins ahead of Team Singapore, who rolled an equally superb game of 854.

As the Colombian shot a lower game of 776 in the second, New Hui Fen, Ilma Nur Jannah,Krishna Darshini and anchored by Bernice Lim knocked down 834 to take over the running.

The Singaporeans fired a sizzling 895 to cruise to a comfortable end to their first block of 3 games with 2583, 105 pins ahead of their nearest opponent.

Doubles gold medalist, Kim Seon-Jeong and Hwang Yeon-Ju led their team-mates, Kim Ga-Ram and Oh Nuri to snatch second spot with 2478 while Chinese Taipei surprised the field with a third place finish.

Chen Ya-Chi, Wang Yu-Huei, Yeh Tzu-Yin and Chang Yu-Hsuan posted 2400 to edge Malaysia, who finished fourth, by 13 pins while early leader, Colombia felled to down to fifth. The fancied Americans rounded out the top 6 with 2338.

The boys will contest the first block 4-players team event in the next two squads divided into 23 teams each. They will resume with the second block of 3 games on June 30. The top 4 girls teams and boys teams will advance to the semi-finals elimination rounds on July 1.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

28th June, Bangkok: Korea added another two gold medals to their tally with convincing victories in the Girl's and Boy's Doubles finals of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 at Blu-O Paragon Bowling Center on Thursday.

Singles gold medalist, Kim Seon-Jeong and Hwang Yeon-Ju, who were seeded No. 4, edged top seed, Dayang Khairuniza and Jacqueline Sijore of Malaysia, 425-411 in the first semi-finals to advance to the finals.

The title match against Japan's Misaki Mukotani and Hiraku Takekawa was a one sided match when the Koreans went on a strike fest, both registering identical scores of 253 for a 506-420 victory.

"This victory made up for the disappointment in the singles event for me and I'm relieved to have won it," said Hwang Yeon-Ju. "We're also strong in the team event so we hope we can win more."

"This is my second gold medal and I'm over-joyed," said Kim Seon-Jeong. "I didn't bowl well in the qualifying round and I have to thank my partner as she helped me with a higher score."

Japan settled for their second silver medal after the boys finished second in the Singles while Malaysia, who was again eliminated in the semi-finals as top seed took home the brzone medal.

Singapore's New Hui Fen and Bernice Lim, who lost to Japan 370-400 in the second semi, also took home the bronze medal.

Meanwhile Korea's Kim Yeon-Sang and Hwang Dong-Jun were also seeded No. 4 after surviving the cut at the end of today's final Squad D. The second Swedish pair needed 409 in their last game to dislodge the Koreans but managed only 391.

England's Christopher Lam and Elliot Crosby, who had earlier topped both the final squad to emerge as top seed, lost to the Koreans, 414-421 in the first semi-final match.

In the championship match, the Koreans outshone the American favourites of Andrew Koff and Singles gold medalist, Marshall Kent, 480-420 to win their first gold medal.

"Everyone knows that the Amercian were the favourites but still we managed to beat them," said Kim Yeon-Sang. "We were confident before the final and we're now more confident for the next event."

Koff and Kent, who took out second-seed and overnight leader, Kim Bolleby and Magnus Johnson Jr. of Sweden, 436-394, settled for the silver medal while England and Sweden earned a bronze medal each.

Competiton will shift to the 4-player Team event starting with a single squad for the girls and two squads for the boys. They will play 3 games on medium oil pattern in the first block on June 29 and long oil pattern in the second block on June 30.

The top 4 girls team and top 4 boys team will advance into the semi-finals elimination rounds on July 1 at 3.00pm local time.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

27th June, Bangkok: Swedes Kim Bolleby and Magnus Johnson Jr. led the Boy's Doubles preliminaries of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 after three squads and posted a record 531 game for a total of 2551.

In the opening squad this morning, Kim Yeon-Sang and Hwang Dong-Jun posted a team total of 2532 to lead Singapore's Keith Saw and Ng Chiew Pang by 13 pins. Kim rolled 1155 and was covered by Hwang with 1377.

Yuhi Shinbata and Hiroki Takada of Japan finished a distant third with 2417 ahead of the first pair of Norway and the first pair of Thailand rounding up the top 5.

The second squad produced a much higher socre with three pairs surpasing the 2,500-mark. Dubai Open and Emir Cup champion, Kim Bolleby fired 1301 to add to his partner, Magnus Johnson Jr.'s 1250 for a 2551 total and overtaking the Koreans.

The Swedes fine display included breaking the record of 527 set by Korea in 2000 with 531 in the fourth game.

Netherlands' Kevin De Hann and Jeroen Van Geel, who finished second to Sweden with 2504, held fourth spots behind Korea and Singapore, who were pushed down one spot. Amercian pair of Zack Hattori and Chris Via tied with the Dutch to share the fourth spot.

The final squad of the day saw Germany's Dominic Buchmann and Christian Birlinger cracking into the top 4 by leading the squad with 2510 to snatch fourth spot overall after three squads.

Finns Pertu Jussila and Tony Ranta, who trailed the Germans by 7 pins, failed to make the top 4. Kuwait's Abdulrahman Suwayed and Abdulla Ahmed finished third in the same squad with 2475 while Australia threw away a chance to advance due to a poor final game.

One more squads remained and will be played June 28 morning. The Doubles semi-finals elimination round for both the girls and boys will be staged thereafter at 1.00pm local time.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

26th June, Bangkok: Malaysia's Dayang Khairuniza and Jacqueline Sijore led the top 4 pairs from Squad B of the Girl's Doubles event to advance into the semi-finals of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 late Tuesday evening at Blu-O Paragon.

Singapore's Ilma Nur Jannah and Krishna Darshini had taken the opening squad with 2441 ahead of the American pair of Jessica Earnest and Kelsey Muther in second with 2419 and Korea's Kim Ga-Ram and Oh Nuri third on 2391.

But when the second squad of girls took to the lanes at Blu-O Paragon in the evening, it was the second pair of Singles gold medalist Kim Seon-Jeong and Hwang Yeon-Ju of Korea which set the pace.

A power breakdown caused almost an hour delay and on resuming play, Malaysia's pair of Dayang Khairuniza and World Women's Singles champion, Jacqueline Sijore surged into the lead.

By the fourth game, the Malaysians were continuing to dictate the pace and Singapore's second pair of New Hui Fen and Bernice Lim made their bid with a sizzling 507 game to trail their neighbours.

Khairuniza and Sijore went on to cruised to a comfortable end to claim top spot for the semi-finals with 2614, exactly 100 pins ahead of Hui Fen and Lim in second with 2514.

Japan's Misaki Mukotani and Hiraku Takekawa held on to third spot with 2501 while pace-setter, Kim and Hwang took the final semi-final spot with 2497.

American Amanda Greene and Danielle McEwan, who were in contention at one stage, slipped down to miss the cut by 52 pins on a total of 2445. Squad A leader ended up in sixth and the first American pair in seventh position.

The Malaysian pair will meet the Koreans again in the first semi-final scheduled for June 28 while the Singapore pair will meet the Japanese pair in the other semi.

The boys will contest their Doubles over four squads - three squads on JUne 27 and the last squad on June 28. The knockout semi-final rounds and the title match will follow immediately after the last squad.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

26th June, Bangkok: Fourth-seed, Marshall Kent of United States and second-seed, Kim Seon-Jeong of Korea captured the Boy's and Girl's Singles Gold medals of the 12th World Youth Championships 2012 on Tuesday.

Kent, who squeezed into the semi-finals in fourth place, defeated top seed, Basil Low of Singapore, 196-188 in the first semi-finals to advance to the title match against second-seed, Shusaku Asato of Japan.

Asato had earlier ousted third-seed, Ryu Ji-Hoon of Korea, 200-197 in the other semi to advance into the title match.

The Japanese took an early lead with a double in the final against the American but felled behind after a split in the third frame. Asato recovered with another double in the fourth and fifth frames as Kent had a split in the fifth frame.

Kent drew level after he rolled three strikes in a row from frame 7 and then end with another three strikes to beat Asato, 226-197 and claim his first gold medal. Asato settled for the silver while the Low and Ryu took home a bronze medal each.

"I was lucky to make the semi-finals and was also lucky to have beaten the top seed to reach the final," said the 19-year-old Kent from Yakima, Washington, who topped the Junior Team USA trails.

"The finals was a close match and the lane conditions were fairly tricky but I'm glad I came off better. To win the gold is not an easy task by any means especially when there are so much talented bowlers here."

Meanwhile in the girl's division, top seed Hee Kar Yen of Malaysia was outclassed by No. 2 seed, Kim Seon-Jeong of Korea, 228-169 in the finals to settle for the silver medal.

The Malaysian could not repeat the superb form she put up when she trashed No. 4 seed, Cristina Rodriguez of Puerto Rico, 225-151 in the first semi-finals.

Kim who defeated No. 3 seed, Juliana Franco of Colombia, 203-146 in the semi, won her first gold in her first major outing for her country since becoming a member of the national junior team this year.

"I'm thrilled to have deliver the first gold medal for my country," said the 19-year-old Kim. "I dedicate this victory to my congress and the coaches who have helped me so far. I'm hoping to go home with more victories."

Franco and Rodriguez earned a bronze medal each as losing semi-finalists. Competition will shift to the Doubles event over the medium oil conditions with the two girl's squads to be contested later today.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

25th June, Bangkok: Marshall Kent of United States clinched the fourth spot of the semi-finals from the last squad of the 12th World Youth Championships Boy's Singles event to join the two other semi-finalists from Squad C, Shusaku Asato of Japan and Ryu Ji-Hoon of Korea.

Last championship's Masters gold medalist, Andrew Koff of United States set a cracking pace with 277 in his opening game of the final squad of the Boy's Singles event to take the lead but felled out of contention after a poor 158 in his third game.

Alexandre Lepolard of France shot into the lead and by the fourth game was looking set to make the cut. A 215 in the fifth game meant the French needed only 225 or more in his last game to beat Australia's Sam Cooley, who was fourth in the combined standings from three squads.

At the same time, Marshall Kent of United States, who was trailing Lepolard in second, had a much harder task to break into the top 4 bracket. The 19-year-old Amercian needed 244 or more in his sixth and final game.

Kent rolled 244 in his last game for a total of 1317 pinfalls to snatch the final spot from Australia's Sam Cooley while Basil Low's record-breaking 1449 in the opening squad remained unbeaten.

Last championship's Masters gold medalist, Andrew Koff of United States set a cracking pace with 277 in his opening game of the final squad of the Boy's Singles event to take the lead but felled out of contention after a poor 158 in his third game.

Alexandre Lepolard of France shot into the lead and by the fourth game was looking set to make the cut. A 215 in the fifth game meant the French needed only 225 or more in his last game to beat Australia's Sam Cooley, who was fourth in the combined standings from three squads.

At the same time, Marshall Kent of United States, who was trailing Lepolard in second, had a much harder task to break into the top 4 bracket. The 19-year-old Amercian needed 244 or more in his sixth and final game.

Lepolard looked good up to the eighth frame but when he failed to make the spare in the ninth frame, it eliminated him from contending a top 4 spot.

Kent had a split in his first frame but rolled seventh consecutive strikes and all he needed was to mark his remaining two frames to qualify. He made a great shot in the ninth frame but left pin 10 standing which he failed to spare.

The American doubled up in the tenth and eleventh frame and needed nine or more pin count in his last throw to edge the Aussie by one pin but managed only eight pins.

And although Kent tied with Cooley at 1317, his higher final game of 244 to Cooley's 236 meant he finished fourth overall.

Shusaku Asato of Japan topped the earlier Squad C with 1387 to finish second to Squad A leader, Basil Low of Singapore. Ryu Ji-Hoon of Korea, who finished second to Asato with 1370, claimed third spot.

Andreas Skoglund of Norway, who topped Squad B in the morning with 1311 and temporarily held third spot, were beaten by the trio and was also edged by Singapore's Mark Wong, who finished sixth with 1315.

Top seed, Low will face Kent in the first semi-final over one match while Asato will square off with Ryu in the other semi. The winners of the semi-finals will meet in the final for the gold and silver medals. The losers will earn a bronze medal each.

The semi-finals for the Girl's and Boy's Singles will be held tomorrow at 12.00 noon local time and will be telecast LIVE over True Vision channel.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

24th June, Bangkok: Asian Youth Games Masters champion, Basil Low of Singapore set a benchmark of 1449 to lead the Boy's Singles opeing squad of the 12th World Youth Championships on Sunday evening.

Colombia's Jorge Figueroa and Sweden's Kim Bolleby shared the lead with their opening game of 234, 2 pins followed by pint-sized Mostafa Al Mousawi of Kuwait in second and Basil Low of Singapore in third on 231.

Low's superb second game of 259 put the 18-year-old 31 pins ahead of Bolleby and by midway through the 6-game Singles, the Singaporean had extended his lead to 82 pins after another sizzling 247.

Malaysia's Syimir Abdul Razak made his bid to stay with Low after stringing together three good games of 224, 222 and 209. The leader continued his blistering pace with 236, 216 and cruised to take the squad with 1449.

"Although my ball speed matched up well with the lane conditions, I still had to put in 110 percent focus to bowl well and consistently," said Low, who set a high benchmark of 1449 for the lead. "I'm hopefull that my score is good enough to secure me a spot in the top 4 semi-finals round tomorrow."

Australian AMF Masters champion, Sam Cooley rolled a big game of 290 in the fifth and another 236 in his final game to take second with 1317 while Syimir also finished well with 247 to clinch third spot with 1309.

2010 World Youth Masters champion, Kim Ju-Young of Korea rolled a similar 247 his his last game to snatch fourth spot with 1258. Jose Ramon Camacho of Mexico, who was third before the last game, slipped down to fifth with 1249.

Fourty-four boys will bowl in Squad B at 9 tomorrow morning with the next 44 boys in Squad C at 1.30pm. The final squad of the day will contest their 6 games at 6 in the evening.

The top 4 finishers in the combined four squads will make the cut for the knockout semi-finals on June 26. The top seed will meet the fourth seed in the first semi-finals and the second and third seed will square off in the second semi.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

24th June, Bangkok: Squad A leader, Hee Kar Yen of Malaysia held on to the lead and advanced into the semi-finals of the Girl's Singles event at the the 12th World Youth Championships underway at Blu-O Bowling Center.

The Koreans had a great start after Hwang Yeon-Ju took an early lead followed by Singapore's Ilma Nur Jannah in second. Hwang held the lead as Malaysia's Hee Kar Yen got close midway through the 6-game round.

But the Korean faded off in her final game with 147 to slip down to fourth as her team-mate, Kim Seon-Jeong stormed home to finish second to the Malaysian with 1291. Japan's Kana Shimoide tied with Hwang on 1259 but claimed third spot with a higher sixth game.

In the second squad, Bethany Hedley of England, who celebrated her 18th birthday and would have given herself a perfect birthday gift had she made the top 4 semi-finals. Hedley led from the word "Go" and needed only 202 pins in her final game to topple Squad A leader.

But she chocked big time when she managed only 125 and was devastated to miss the top 4 cut and ending in seventh position overall. Juliana Franco of Colombia, who topped Squad B, finished third with 1280 to advance.

Puerto Rico's Cristina Rodriguez clinched the fourth and final spot with 1260 edging Kana Shimoide by just 1 pin. Hee Kar Yen will face Rodriguez in the one-game shootout while the Korea will meet Franco in the other semi which will be contested on June 25.

The winner of the semi-finals will meet in the championship match again over one game to determine the champion.

The Boy's Singles Squad A will be the final squad of the first day of competition. The second, third and fourth squads will be contested tomorrow. The top 4 from the combined scores will advance to the knockout semi-finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.

23rd June, Bangkok: The host of the 12th World Youth Bowling Championships 2012, Thai Tenpin Bowling Association put up an extravaganza show at Blu-O Bowling Center, Siam Paragon Shopping Mall to mark the opening the 10-day competition.

Fourty-eight countries from American zone, European zone and Asian zone took part in the marchpast which was graced by guest of honour, the Honorable, Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, Deputy of Prime Minister of the Governor of Tourists and Sports.

Emcees, Ms Chwanlak Direkwattananukul and Mr Peeraphon, True Vision Channel Sports Commentator kicked off the opening ceremonies by welcoming all present at the auspicious occassion.

Amongst those present were Mr Kevin Dornberger, President of the World Tenpin Bowling Association and President of FIQ, Mr. Pol. Lt. Gen. Somyot Poompanmoung, Air Chief Marshal and former Acting President of Thai Airways and President of Thai Tenpin Bowling Association and his committee members.

Also present was Ms Vivien Lau, FIQ secretary general, Mr Ad Ophelders, President of the European Bowling Federation and Mr Christer Johnsson, secretary general of WTBA.

The opening extravaganza started off with the introduction of the dance performed by the Bangkok Dance Studio followed by the symbolic tradition of "The Bowl of Glory".

This followed with the "Bag Pipes" performed by the Vajiravudh College which led the teams to the marchpast ceremony. Leading each of the participating teams were students of the Armed Forces Academies bearing the flags of each of the countries.

178 boys and 96 girls from fourty-eight countries paraded in front of the dignitaries, distinguished guests and a packed house in the 30 lanes at the Blu-O Bowling Center, Siam Paragon Shopping Mall.

Members of Thai team, Phumin Klanbida and Tanaprang Santhein took the oath on behalf of the bowlers while Mr Marios Nicolaides, Technical Delegate and Dr Danny Santos, Tournament Director took the oath on behalf of the tournament officials.

This was followed by speeches from the President of Thai Tenpin Bowling Assocaition, President of WTBA and the guest of honour, who subsequently declared the championship officially opened.

The teams who paraded were ushered to their seats and then entertained to the joyful dance performances of "Rabam Thon Warachet" and the spectacular performances of the "Thaiko Drums".

Earlier in the day, the teams went through their official practice which was divided into five squads. The players practiced on the two oiling patterns - the 45 feet Mexico City long oil pattern and the 38 feet Atlanta medium oil pattern which was released at yesterday's team managers' meeting.

The opening Singles event will be bolwed over the long oil pattern in the nest two days before switching to the medium oil pattern for the Doubles event on June 26 and 27.

The Team of Four will be bowled on the two conditions, 3 games in each block on June 28 and 29. The top 24 based on the All Events (18 games) will qualify for the Step 1 Masters finals over another 6 games with pins carried forward over duo oil patterns.

The top 8 will then advance into the Step 2 Round-robin Masters finals again over duo oil patterns, over 7 games with pins carried forward from Step 1. 20 points bonus will be allocated for a win and 1o for a draw.

The top 4 will proceed to the elimination finals with the top seed facing fourth seed and the second seed facing the third seed over one match from scratch. Five medals for each division (boys and girls) are up for grabs.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.