24th November, Guangzhou: Korea ended the 16th Asian Games with a best-ever results after Choi Bok-Eum won his third gold medal in the Men's Masters and Hwang Sun-Ok clinched the Women's Masters for her fourth gold.

Top seed, Choi Bok-Eum cruised to a comfortable victory over No. 3 seed, Mohammed Al Rageebah from Kuwait 462-327 two-game total in the title match to win his third and added the seventh for Korea.

Mohammed had four gutter balls to lose the first match, 154-217 to Choi and another two in the second game as the Korean strolled to an easy victory, 245-173. The gutter ball was as a result of the Kuwaiti having to play on the extreme right side of the lane on the short oil pattern that the top seed had chosen.

"In the TV finals I was quite relaxed. Of course, I was nervous but not that much, said the delighted and newly-crowned champion, Choi Bok-Eum through the interview conducted by Ms Kwon Soo-Hyun of the Yonhap News Agency, Korea.

"On short oil, I thought I can handle it and the head coach also said that if I do my own swing, it will be OK. He told me that the short oil could be tricky and advised me to change my ball to a spare ball and it worked.

Before I came to Guangzhou, I set my own target of achieving two gold medals and I'm really very happy to have achieved it."

Mohammed earned the right to challenge the title after he ended China's hope of a first gold medal in the games by beating second seed, Du Jianchao, 215-208 in which the Chinese chose long oil pattern for the match.

The Kuwaiti, who also won a silver in the Singles event, settled for his second silver medal while Du earned Chinese men team their first medal in the compeition with the bronze. Their women won three bronze medals in the Doubles, Trios and All Events.

Meanwhile, Hwang Sun-Ok of Korea was put under pressure for the first time when she met challenger and winner of the first match, Cherie Tan of Singapore. Hwang started off with a strike and a spare in the second and had to strike out till the eleventh frame before sealing the first game.

Cherie started off with a double, a spare in the third and then rolled five consecutive strikes before hitting a solid pocket to leave pin 7 standing. She then struck out to lose the match, 258-278 and 20 pins behind.

The second game was an equally thrilling encounter with the Singaporean taking a slender lead of 10 pins right up to the eighth frame.

Both struck on the foundation frame and had Cherie struck another in the tenth frame, she could have seal the match and the title.

Cherie had a 6-7 split which she managed to convert forcing the Korean to mark her final frame which she calmly delivered ending the match, 204-214 to take victory with 482-472 and winning her fourth gold medal.

"When I came here I aim to win two or more gold but after winning four, I'm overwhelmed, said Hwang. "Even though this is not an Olympic sport, we could still join the national training centre and that is a big help.

"I'm more confident on the long oil and that was what I chose. Although the left and the right lanes was slightly different, staying focus made the difference.

"After I won the third gold I realised that my next gold would be my fourth and that would be a record for Korean bowling and it put a little pressure on me. I'm glad I pull through and I'm also happy that all my other team-mates also won a gold medal."

Korea's hope of another one-two finish was dashed when No, 2 seed, Choi Jin-A lost the first match, 191-266 to Cherie Tan. But the Korean contingent could not have asked for more by winning the final two gold medals bring their tally to eight gold medals in the competition, their best-ever achievement.

The dominating Koreans also took home 5 silver and 2 bronze medals. Malaysia finished second overall with 2-1-1 while Singapore grabbed third spot with 1-3-1 medal haul. The only other country to win a gold was Philippines on the opening day.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

24th November, Guangzhou: It was a stroll in the park for the dominating Koreans as first block leader, Hwang Sun-Ok and Choi Jin-A finished one-two in the second block of the Women's Masters finals at the 16th Asian Games.

With a 75-pin cushion from yesterday's first 8 games, the 23-year-old Hwang Sun-Ok stamped her supremacy by winning seven straight matches with 211, 227, 256, 233, 218, 204 and 268 before losing to team-mate, Choi Jin-A 177-222 in the position round match.

Hwang could have broken the record set by Choi Jin-A in 2006 but her final game of 177 missed the mark by 23 pins which did not matter much as she will advance to the stepladder finals as top seed with 3727 and guaranteed at least a silver medal.

Choi, who tied seventh position in the first block, bounched back briliantly, winning six of the eight matches played today to finish second with 3689 to join her compatriot in the stepladder finals.

Attention was again shifted to the second position round match between Malaysia's Sharon Koh and Singapore's Cherie Tan. Sharon was 19 pin ahead of Cherie and whoever took the final match would advance.

It was a thrilling finale as both matched frame for frame with very little between the duo. Sharon was one frame ahead after she shot two double strikes but Cherie fired four strikes in a row to nail the match, 227-216 and pip the Malaysian by 2 pins.

It was an agonising end for the Malaysian after being so close to having a chance to improve her only brnze medal in the team event two days ago.

The first women's stepladder match will be between two lefties, Choi and Cherie. The winner will meet top seed, Hwang in a two-game total pinfalls to determine the champion.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

24th November, Guangzhou: Choi Bok-Eum of Korea shot the championship's second perfect game en-route to claiming top seed for the Men's stepladder finals of the 16th Asian Games after the second block.

Choi Bok-Eum, who was third going into the second block over the long oil pattern, won seven of the eight matches played for a scratch score of 1910 plus 70 pins bonus giving him a grand total of 3823, erasing the record set by his compatriot, Jo Nam-Yi four years ago.

The top seed had lines of 210, 300, 257, 224, 242, 226, 228 and 222 in his run to claiming top spot, 93 pins ahead of his nearest rival.

China's Du Jianchao, the only spinner in the field, shot 1832 in the second block and won six matches to take up second seed with a grand total of 3730. Du had lost the position round match to Choi, 191-222 but their positions were not threatened before the match.

Attention was shifted to the second position round match between third-placed and overnight leader, Yannaphon Larpapharat of Thailand and fourth-placed Mohammed Al Rageebah of Kuwait.

Yannaphon had 139 pins cushion over the Kuwaiti but it was very apparent that he was struggling to get his grip on the match. Mohammed started off with three strikes in a row while the Thai had an opened frame.

By the ninth frame, the gap was drastically reduced as Mohammed downed another three strikes in a row forcing Yannaphon needing to mark his final frame. But he was dealt with a cruel blow shooting a 4-7-6-10 split.

Yannaphon ended with 176 while Mohammed shot 224 plus 10 pins bonus to beat the Thai by 7 pins and snatched the third spot in the stepladder finals. Mohammed scored 1795 with six wins for a grand total of 3673 while the Thai shot 1660 and four wins for 3666 total.

Doubles and All Events gold medalist, Alex Liew of Malaysia posted a better second block of 1901 and four wins for a total of 3655 but missed the cut by 18 pins to finish fifth.

Overnight second-placed, Biboy Rivera of the Philippines struggled on his gold-medal winning short oil condition to end in seventh behind the second Korean, Choi Kong-Kyu.

Mohammed will meet Du in the first stepladder match later today and the winner will challenge Choi for a two-match total pinfall to win the Men's final gold medal.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

23rd November, Guangzhou: Triple gold medalist, Hwang Sun-Ok of Korea proved too good for the field as she took a comfortable lead in the first block of the Women's Masters finals at the 16th Asian Games on Tuesday.

Choi Jin-A beat Singles and All Events gold medalist, Hwang Sun-Ok 266-255 in the opening match of the Round-robin finals to lead her team-mate by 21 pins while Trios gold medalist, SHayna Ng of Singapore registered a win with the third highest game of 236.

Another win with 258 from Ng gave the Singaporean the lead but her joy was short-lived as Hwang regained the lead with two straight wins in the second and third matches to move ahead of Ng by 16 pins.

Hwang won her third match in the fourth with Ng right on her heels at the halfway mark. A lowly 189 saw Hwang sharing the lead with her compatriot, Choi locked at 1167. Singapore's second finalist, Cherie Tan made her bid to trail the duo by 52 pins.

The leader drew the fifth match with Tan but kept the lead as Filipina Lisa Del Rosario stormed into second spot with a sizzling 279. Rosario could follow it up with another strong game which allowed Hwang to pull away and stretching the lead to 83 pins after the seventh.

The Korean finished the block with 221 for a scratch score of 1808, winning five and drawing one match for a grand total of 1863 for pole position.

Esther Cheah of Malaysia finished strongly to snatch second spot with 1788 from six wins while Shayna Ng also shot a good game in the last to take up third with 1783 winning half her eight matches.

Maki Nakano crept up the field quitely to finish fourth with 1766 as Rosario slipped down to round up the top five with 1745. A gold in the Masters would allow Hwang to set a new games record of winning four gold medal in the games.

Korea already has 6 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze medals and will finish as overall champion regardless of the Masters results. Their women has 4 gold while the men contributed 2.

The men will return for their second block tomorrow while the women will take to the lanes for their first block at 1.30pm local time. The top 3 men and top 3 women at the end of the second block will advance to the stepladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

23rd November, Guangzhou: Thailand's Yannaphon Larpapharat sprang a surprise lead in the first block of the Men's Masters finals at the 16th Asian Games, 114 pins ahead of Filipino, Biboy Rivera and Korean Choi Bok-Eum.

Two gold medalist and the prolific Choi Bok-Eum won his opening match against team-mate, Choi Kong-Kyu with 254 to share the lead with Thailand's Yannaphon Larpapharat, who also won his with 254.

While Bok-Eum also won his second match, Yannaphon posted a higher game of 223 for his second win to move to the lead followed by Filipino, Biboy Rivera moving up to take up second spot.

The Thai followed it up with two more good games of 233 and 257 stretching his lead slightly over the Filipino to 27 pins at the halfway mark as the two Koreans bagan to close up the gap to the leading duo.

Choi Kong-Kyu's 266 in the fifth game moved him up to second while the Yannaphon remained in the lead. The Thai ended the block with a total of seven wins and a scratch score of 1896 for a grand total of 1966.

"I'm very comfortable on the long oil and that was why I was able to do well," said the 27-year-old law graduate, Yannaphon. "I'm weaker on the short and it's good to build up a small cushion.

"But I'm also lined up with the right equipment this time to handle the short oil and hopefully I can finish in the top 3," added the Thai, whose only win in an official championship was the Masters gold medal in 2001 South-East Asian Games.

Rivera beat Bok-Eum in the eighth game to clinch second spot with 1852, a distant 114 pins behind the leader while Kong-Kyu lost his last game with a poor 187 to slip down to fifth behind the best Chinese finalist, Du Jianchao, the only spinner in the field.

"I know I won the Singles gold on short oil and I had struggled in the long," said Rivera, who was second runnerup in the recent AMF World Cup in Toulon, France. "The pace is faster in the finals and there is less burden bowling on my own.

"Bowling in the team events is a lot different but I'm glad to have done well today. I hope I can relish the short oil pattern to make a top 3 finish in the second block.

All Events gold medalist, Alex Liew had a poor start in his first two games but a superb 288 in the third and a 269 in the fifth helped the Malaysian slightly to ninth and will need to step up his tempo in the second block.

The men will return for their second block tomorrow while the women will take to the lanes for their first block at 1.30pm local time. The top 3 men and top 3 women at the end of the second block will advance to the stepladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

22nd November, Guangzhou: Korean women won their third gold medal at the 16th Asian Games with an easy victory in the Team of 5 event and finished one-two in the All Events for their fourth gold and third silver medal.

Korea's Choi Jin-A, Hwang Sun-Ok, Jeon Eun-Hee, Gang Hye-Eun (alternating for Hong Su-Yeon) and Son Yun-Hee set two new records en-route to winning the Team of 5 gold medal. The Koreans broke the 8-year-old record of 3426 set by Malaysia in 2002 with 3501 in their second 3-game series.

Their easy victory with 6711 team total erased the record of 6555 set by Malaysia in 2006. The Korean women looked beatable when they lost the lead to the Indonesian team at the start of the fourth game after knocking down only 1028 as Indonesia followed it up with 1127.

Tannya Roumimper, Novie Phang, Ivana Hie, Sharon Limansantoso and Putty Armein were on a roll after their record-breaking one-game total of 1247 in the third game of the first block played yesterday.

But the Koreans responded with 1244 in the fifth game to regain the lead and overturned a 60 pin deficit to lead by 130 pins. They ended on a high with another sizzling 1228 to win their fifth gold medal with 6711.

Malaysia, who was third before the final game, almost snatched the silver from the Indonesians after ending strongly with 1161 for a total of 6295. But the Indonesian women showed nerve of steel to end with 988 and 45 pins ahead to win the silver with 6340.

Philippines made a late charge but missed the podium with 6111, 122 pins adrift while China and Japan, who were at one stage in the running for a medal, slipped down to fifth and sixth positions.

Hwang Sun-Ok won her second individual gold medal and Korea's sixth in the games after topping the All Events standings with 5508. Choi Jin-A gave Korea a one-two finish to win their fifth silver medal in the competition with 5276.

Son Yun-Hee and Hong Su-Yeon finished third and fourth with 5175 and 5137 but Son had to give up the bronze medal due to the rules to China's Zhang Yu Hong, who totaled 5131. The two Koreans also had to give up their places in the Masters finals.

Jeon Eun-Hee (KOR-10th), Jazreel Tan (SIN-12th) and Gang Hye-Eun (KOR-15th) also had to give up their places as two of their team-mates had finished above them in the Top 16 standings.

Chen Dong Dong (CHN-18th) Tang Yan-Chun (TPE-20th), Misaki Mukotani (JPN-23rd), Novie Phang (INA-25th) and Pan Yu-Fen (TPE-30th) earned entry into the finals as those who finished above them also had two of their team-mates qualifying for the finals.

The finalists will contest the Round-Robin Matchplay finals on long oil in the first block tomorrow and short oil on the second block on November 24. The top 3 finishers will advance to the stepladder finals for their final gold medal.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

22nd November, Guangzhou: Overnight leader, Malaysia let a golden opportunity slipped away when they allowed the Koreans to overtake them in the final game to snatch the gold medal in the Five-player team event at the 16th Asian Games on Monday.

Adrian Ang, Muhamad Syafiq Ridhwan, Alex Liew, Muhd Nur Aiman and Aaron Kong of Malaysia, had a lead of 99 pins after their first block played yesterday. Korea, who was fifth overnight, set a blistering pace with 1176 in their opening game.

But the Malaysian responded to the challenge with an even higher fourth game of 1183 to stretch their lead to 154 pins. Korea's Choi Bok-Eum, Choi Kong-Kyu, Hong Hae-Sol, Jand Dong-Chul (alternated for Suh Sang-Cheon) went on a strikefest in the second game.

Their amazing fightback gave them a 1137 fifth game and narrowed the gap back to 96 pins from Malaysia, who managed only 1079. Qatar's and Japan's contention for a medal faded as Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates made their bid with two good games.

While the gold medal contenders were fighting it out in the final game to decide the champion, a separate duo was also developing between All Events gold medal contenders, Alex Liew of Malaysia, Choi Bok-Eum and Choi Kong-Kyu of Korea.

After two sizzling games from the Koreans, it was clear that every team member were all fired up which showed when they romped home with 1133 to snatch the gold medal from Malaysia. Their 3446 second series gave them a 6654, erasing the 2006 record of 6579 set by Japan in Doha.

Malaysia were lucky to hang on to second spot and take home the silver with 6579 after a disastrous 962 final game. But all was not lost as Alex Liew struck out in his final two frames to end with a 6-game total 1425 to secure the All Events gold medal.

Hong Kong's Michael Mak, Wu Siu Hong, Michael Tsang, Eric Tseng and Wicky Yeung fought on galantly to win the bronze medal with 6475 from the strong finishing United Arab Emirates, who missed the podium in fourth with 6408.

Alex totaled 5448 over 24 games to win for himself and his country, Malaysia a second gold medal. Choi Kong-Kyu pipped his team-mate, Choi Bok-Eum to take the silver medal with 5441, 10 pins ahed. Bok-Eum settled for the bronze medal.

"I feel so sad for my team-mates who worked so hard but came off short today to settle for the Team silver medal," said Alex Liew. "It would have been a glorious day had we won the gold too.

"But I cannot hide my joy for winning my second gold and my first individual gold medal in the Asian Games. There is still the Masters finals and we will continue to go for more."

Two Koreans, Jang Dong-Chul and Cho Yong-Seon had to give up their places in the top 16 in the All Events standings to 17th-placed, Mi Zhong Li of China and 18th-placed Michael Mak of Hong Kong in the Masters finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

21st November, Guangzhou: Korean women underlined their supremacy at the 16th Asian Games by topping the Team of 5 first block over the short oil pattern ahead of Indonesia in second and Malaysia third.

Malaysia's Sharon Koh, Zatil Iman, Zandra Aziela, Esther Cheah and Shalin Zulkifli set a fast pace with 1075 in their opening game of the first block over the short oil pattern to lead Chinese Taipei by 26 pins with Korea in third.

A poor 919 in Malaysia's second game saw them slipping down to fourth as Korea's Choi Jin-A, Hwang Sun-Ok, Jeon Eun-Hee, Hong Su-Yeon and Son Yun-Hee took over the lead followed by Chinese Taipei and China in second and third.

The mighty Koreans ended the first block with a sizzling 1125 to finish in pole position with 3210 in the left side of the house but the attention was shifted to the right where the Indonesian women was on fire.

Tannya Roumimper downed 236 with the second bowler, Novie Phang and third bowler, Ivana Hie both had a spare and struck home for an identical 290. Fourth bowler, Sharon Limansantoso and anchorwomen shot 207 and 224 setting a new one-game record of 1247.

Their total of 3171 nearly caught up the Koreans but fell short by 39 pins to snatch second spot. Malaysia settled for third with 3083 while China and Chinese Taipei finished fourth and fifth places.

"We didn't have a good start but when we shot 984 in the second game, everyone of us was all fired up," said Putty Armein, who won the Singles silver medal at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

"We've not even been close in the other three events and now that we're in the running for a medal, we'll just have to stay focus for the second block and fight harder."

Singles Gold medalst, Hwang Sun-Ok looked set to bag her second individual gold medal by leading the All Events standings after 21 games with 4718, extending her lead to 151 pins over compatriot, Choi Jin-A with 4567.

A third Korean, Son Yun-Hee is third with 4512 and she will be fighting with her team-mates for that second Korean spot in the Masters. Trios gold medalist, Shayna Ng of Singapore is fourth with 4478.

The teams will resume their second block over the long oil pattern tomorrow after the men have played theirs in the morning.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

21st November, Guangzhou: Malaysia men stake their claim on the Five-men team gold medal of the 16th Asian Games after taking an easy lead in the first block of 3 games with Qatar in second and Japan third.

Adrian Ang, Muhamad Syafiq Ridhwan, Alex Liew, Muhd Nur Aiman and Aaron Kong set the lanes at Tianhe Bowling Hall ablazed with a scintilating 1174 opening game and the early lead over China while the favourites, Korea were lavishing in fourth.

Ang and Syafiq made some errors in the second but fortunately were covered by their team-mates to post a respectable 1045 and retained the lead. Despite the setback, the Malaysians were able to extend their lead to 70 pins.

Chinese Taipei improved one spot from third to second as China slipped out of contention while Japan improve thir first game position of fifth to third.

It was very apparent that the first two bowlers of the Malaysian team were suffering with the trickly lane conditions but was again carried by their fellow compatriots. Alex brought home 259, Aiman 236 as Kong was on course for a perfect game after firing 11 consecutive strikes.

But on his 12th frame, Kong pulled his shot and left two pins standing. His 298 gave the team a whopping 1136 for a team total of 3355 to secure an easy lead in the first block.

"Thank god I bowl well today and was able to carry the team," said the anchorman, Aaron Kong. "I'm still happy even though I did not score a perfect game. What's more important is to be able to score."

"Our team spirit is second to none and we are all like the 'Tiger', real fighter," said the Doubles gold medalist, Alex Liew. "We jell extremely well as a team and I believe we'll fight even harder tomorrow."

Qatar's Mansour Al Awami, Salem Marzouqi, Yousef Al Jaber, Fahah Al Emadi and Mubarak Al Muraikhi stormed home 1122 in their third game to snatch second spot with 3256, 99 pins adrift.

Japan took third place with 3239 followed by Hong Kong fourth with 3214. Korea fought back with a superb 1168 game to end the block in fifth position.

The two Koreans Choi Kong-Kyu and Choi Bok-Eum continued to occupy the first two positions in the All Events with 4780 and 4758. Alex Liew's 733 in the team event has hauled himself up to third relegating Ryan Lalaisang of Indonesia into fourth.

The women will cntest their first block in the Team of 5 later today. The teams will resume with the second block on November 22 to determine the medal winners.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

20th November, Guangzhou: Cherie Tan, Geraldine Ng and Shayna Ng broke the Korean stronghold to bag Singapore's first gold medal of the 16th Asian Games at the end of the Women's Trios second block on Saturday evening.

Korea, who have won two gold medals from the Singles and the Doubles event, looked set to win their third after the Choi Jin A-Hwang Sun Ok-Son Yun Hee threesome had led the first block with a 40 pin margin yesterday over their nearest rival, Singapore.

But the mighty Koreans stumbled to an aweful 544 in their opening game of the second block while Cherie Tan-Geraldine Ng-Shayna Ng scorched the lanes with a superb 664. Japan's Misaki Mukotani-Mako Nakano-Kanako Ishimine surged ahead to take up second, 70 pins adrift.

Singapore kept their momentum going with 631 as Japan continued to trail the leader still 65 pins away. Korea made back some grounds to move up to third, 4 pins behind the Japanese trio.

Singapore were drawn in the same lanes with China's Yang Suling-Chen Dong Dong and Zhang Yu Hong and as the Chinese were in hot pursuit bosltered by the large group of supporters, the leader never looked intimadated.

Four countries were strong contenders but is was Singapore, who came out on top finishing with 611 and a total of 3917 to clinch the gold medal. Korea settled for the silver with 3849 while China overtook Japan to snatch the deserving bronze medal with 3841.

"The feeling is awesome, "said the delighted anchorwomen Shayna Ng, who threw away the gold medal in the Singles event with a low game. "This win more than made up for that disappointment.

But more importantly, we get to win one gold medal each. Cherie was simply awesome so was Geraldine. Without Geraldine and Cherie, we could not have achieved it."

"The girls stayed calm and focus despite the intense competition," said head coach, William Woo, who was behind the trio throughout this block. "They deserved the victory. This will certainly raise the spirit of the team and look forward to more medals."

Japan lost the chance to win their first medal with a disastrous final game of 548 as Malaysia's Sharon Koh-Esther Cheah-Shalin Zulkifli stormed home to snatch fourth place with 3820 but missed the podium by 21 pins.

Hwang Sun-Ok stretched her lead in the All Events standings to 188 pins with 4094 over her compatriot, Son Jun-Hee in second with 3906. Maki Nakano dislodged Choi Jin-A for third with 3885 as Cherie Tan and Geraldine Ng moved up to fourth and fifth with 3857 and 3840.

The Team of 5 first block of 3 games over long oil will be contested on Sunday, November 21 and the second block on Monday, November 22 to determine the winners.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

20th November, Guangzhou: Korea underlined their prowess in bowling to win the Men's Trios gold and silver medal of the 16th Asian Games with a one-two finish while Qatar took the bronze on Saturday.

Choi Bok Eum-Choi Kong Kyu-Jang Dong-Chul continued where they left off in the lead after rolling 644 but it was Qatar's Fahad Al Emadi-Mansour Al Awami-Mubarak Al Muraikhi who stole the limelight with an awesome 705 to move into second spot and reducing the gap of 69 pins to just 10.

Hong Kong recovered slightly with 659 as Korea's second combination of Hong Hae Sol-Cho Young Seon-Suh Sang Cheon slipped down to fourth.

Despite registering another average scoreline of 657 in the fifth, the first trio was able to hang on to the lead with the recovering second Korean trio regaining second spot, 21 pins behind their compatriots.

By midway through the final game, the leader have more or less assured themselves the gold while an intense battle had developed amongst Korea, Qatar, Hong Kong and China for the minor places.

Bok Eum-Kong Kyu-Dong Chul claimed Korean men a first gold medal with 4061 with Kong Kyu firing the highest 6-game series of 1423 while Bok Eum and Dong Chul contributing 1321 and 1307 respectively.

"It's a hugh relief after winning our first gold medal," said the 22-year-old Choi Bok-Eum. "After our first block, we were fired up. But with so many good teams who can win the gold, we had to be on our best."

"To win a gold medal in my first Asian Games is simply fantastic," said the 2009 AMF World Cup champion, Choi Kong Kyu. "It has been my dream to win a gold in the Asian Games and I'm so gald that I've been given this opportunity."

Fellow team-mates, Hong Hae Sol-Cho Young Seon-Suh Sang Cheon fend off strong challenges from the rest of the medal contenders to win the silver medal with 3952 while Qatar kept their momentum going to take home the bronze medal with 3908.

A late charge from China's Zhang Peng-Zhang Yi Jia-Mi Zhong Li proved futile and they finished fourth with 3853, 52 pins behind the Qataris. Hong Kong slipped down to fifth with Malaysia in sixth position.

Choi Kng Kyu's 1433 propelled him into the lead of the Men's All Events standings with 4122 after 18 games played. Choi Bok Eum is second with 4067 while Indonesia's Ryan Lalisang move up to third with 4026.

The women's second block will be played at 1.30pm local time to decide the medal winners. The Team of 5 first block for both the men and the women will be staged on Sunday.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

19th November, Guangzhou: Korean women continued to dominate the 16th Asian Games bowling competition after Choi Jin-A, Hwang Sun-Ok and Son Yun Hee topped the Women's Trios first block at Tianhe Bwling Hall.

The best Malaysian trio of Sharon Koh, Esther Cheah and Shalin Zulkifli set a near record-breaking pace to fire a sizzling 727 in their opening game of the first block over the long oil pattern to take the lead.

China's bronze Doubles bronze medalists of Yang Suling and Zhang Yu Hong teamed up with Chen Dong Dong also posted a superb 709 to trail the Malaysian by 18 pins.

When Koh-Cheah-Shalin dropped their pace in the second game with only 640, the Chinese stepped up to register 685 to take over the running, 27 pins pins ahead of the Malaysian while Japan and Korea moved up to third and fourth.

But it was the more consistent Choi-Hwang-Son trio who was able to continued their contant pace to fire 696 in their third game to end the first half in the lead with 2051.

Singapore's Cherie Tan, Geraldine Ng and Shayna Ng stormed home with a superb 735 to snatch second spot with 2011, 50 pins adrift the Koreans.

Misaki Mukotani, Maki Nakano and Kanako Ishimine of Japan took third spot with 2008 while the early pace-setter, Malaysia settled for fourth position with 1991. The Chinese faded off to finish fifth with 1975.

Two Indonesians, Putty Armein and Novie Phang came close to shooting the second perfect 300 in the second game. Putty missed it by 1 pin whle Phang downed nine consecutive strikes to end with 279.

After fifteen games played (6 in the Singles, 6 in the Doubles and 3 in the Trios), Korean women occupied the top 3 positions with Singles gold medalist, Hwang Sun-Ok remaining in the lead in the All Events standings with 3453.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

19th November, Guangzhou: After firing blanks in the last two events, the trios of Choi Bok Eum-Choi Yong Kyu-Jang Dong Chul and Hong Hae Sol-Cho Young Seon-Suh Sang Cheon gave Korea a one-two finish in the Men's Trios first block at the 16th Asian Games on Friday.

Hong Kong's Michael Mak-Eric Tseng-Wu Siu Hong set a blistering pace with a sizzling 741 opening game to lead the field of 33 teams of three, breaking the the one-game record set by Japan at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

But their lead lasted only one game when they posted a lowly 590 to tumble down to fifth as Korea's second trios of Choi Bok Eum-Choi Yong Kyu-Jang Dong Chul smashed the record just set by Hong Kong with 770 in the second game to move into the lead.

Qatar's first trio of Faha Al Emadi-Mansour Al Awami-Mubarak Al Muraikhi trailed the Korean trio after rolling 699 and 666 in their first two games ahead of Chinese Taipei in third and Hong Kong recovring slightly up one rung.

The leader held on their lead to end the block with 2053 despite firing only 603 in the third game while their compatriot and Korea's first trio of Hong Hae Sol-Cho Young Seon-Suh Sang Cheon stormed home to claim second spot with 1984.

The Qataris clinched third spot with 1983 after their lowest game of 618 ahead of Hong Kong settling for fourth place with 1963. Chinese Taipei completed the top 5 with 1946.

The men will resume with the second block of 3 games over the short oil pattern on Saturday morning while the women will contest their first block later at 1.30pm local time.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

18th November, Guangzhou: Korea's third pair of Hong Su Yeon-Son Yun Hee and second pair of Hwang Sun Ok-Jeon Eun Hee finished one-two in the Women's Doubles Squad B of the 16th Asian Games but fell short by 23 pins to overhaul Squad A leader and team-mates, Choi Jin-A and Gang Hye-Eun.

As the second squad of women took to the lanes at Tianhe Bowling Hall, the third pair of Chinese Taipei's Wang Yu-Ling and Tang Ya-Chun surprised the strong field to take the early lead with 474 ahead of Korea's second pair of Hwang Sun-Ok and Gang Hye-Eun.

The Taiwanese duo kept the lead after the second game with another impressive 458 with the third Korean pair of Hong Su-Yeon and Son Yun-Hee moving up to take up second as China's Yang Suling and Zhang Yu Hong surged into third spot.

Chinese Taipei let their lead slipped away with a poor 407 as the Chinese pair took over the running at the halfway mark while the two Korean pairs managed only 403 and 404 respectively.

Yang and Zhang retained their lead despite only firing 388 while Chinese Taipei narrowed the gap from 21 pins to just 4 pins after the fourth game.

The third Korean pair rolled the highest single game in the fifth with 487 to snatch the lead from the Chinese and built up a gap of 51 pins while Yang and Zhang stayed ahead of the second Korean pair by just 1 pin in second.

Hong and Son needed 473 or more to overhaul their team-mates and Squad A leader, Choi Jin-A and Gang Hye-Eun but came home with 450 to top the squad and settle for the silver with 2664.

Despite finishing second in the squad with 2603, the second pair of Hwang and Jeon had to give up their bronze medal due to the rules to China who finished third with 2593.

A late charge by Filipinas, Liza Del Rosario and Liza Clutario only gave them a fourth place finish and fifth overall with 2584. Japan, who was second in Squad A dropped to sixth and Singapore, who was third slipped down to seventh position.

Singles gold medalist, Hwang Sun-Ok continued to lead the Women's All Events with 2764 followed by Son Yun-Hee in second with 2695 and Hong Su-Yeon third with 2596.

Korean women has thus far won 2 gold and 1 silver medal with the Philippines and Malaysia picking up the other two in the Men's Singles and Men's Doubles events.

Competition will resume with the Men's Trios first block of 3 games over long oil pattern on Friday morning and the Women's Trios in the afternoon. The second block will be contested on Saurturday, November 20 to decide the winners.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

18th November, Guangzhou: Korea's Choi Jin-A and Gang Hye-Eun outclassed the field by topping the Women's Doubles opening squad of the 16th Asian Games which resumed at Tainhe Bowling Hall on Thursday.

Japan's Misaki ukotani and Kanako Ishimine almost crack the record of 527 for a one game total with a sizzling 502 in their opening game and opened up a gap of 50 pins over Singapore's Jasmine Yeong-Nathan and Jazreel Tan.

A lowly 403 by the Japanese pair barely kept them in the lead with just 3 pins ahead of Indonesia's Tannya Roumimper and Putty Armein making their bid in second as Singapore slipped down to third.

Japan held the lead at the halfway point but hotly pursued by Korea's Choi Jin-A and Gang Hye-Eun, who closed the gap to just 2 pins while Indonesia dropped one rung to third.

It seem that there was no stopping the mighty Koreans as they surged ahead with a scintilating 481 and built a margin of 63 pins over their main rival Japan. By the fifth game, Korea had 121 pins margin going into the sixth and last game.

Japan kept second spot but now came under pressure from the two Singaporean pairs, Geraldine Ng-Cherie Tan in third and Nathan-Jazreel fourth.

Drawn on the same lanes as the Singaporean first pair, the Koreans were shaky in the beginning after their opponent went on a strikefest but recovered to end the squad in pole position with 2687 to break the record of 2671 set by Singapore in 2006.

Geraldine and Cherie fired 418 in their last game for a total of 2535 to finish third to the Japanese, who held second spot with 2580. Their counterpart settled for fourth with 2488 while Philippines took fifth spot with 2469.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

17th November, Guangzhou: Jason Yeong-Nathan and Remy Ong of Singapore tied with Squad A second-placed, Japan for the silver medal in the Men's Doubles event of the 16th Asian Games at Tianhe Bowling Hall on Wednesday.

Zhang Peng and Du Jian Chao got off the blocks with 456 and 495 to give the host nation, China the lead over the favourites, Choi Bok-Eum and Jang Dong Chul of Korea by 25 pins.

But Singapore's third pair of Jason Yeong-Nathan and Remy Ong posted 441, 478 and 492 to take over the running, 32 pins ahead of the Chinese pair at the halfway mark. Jason shot 203, 246 and 212 while Ong rolled 238, 232 and 280.

Another respectable 436 by Jason and Ong gave the Singaporean pair some breathing space and a lead of 41 pins as Zhang and Du stayed closely behind in second. At this stage, the Singaporean would have to bring home 863 or more in their last two games to overhaul Squad A leader.

A lowly 405 in the fifth game put the Singapore pair on the back foot and needing an even higher game of 460 or more to stand a chance of snatching the gold.

Both started off with a double and while Jason went on a strikefest, Ong suffered a split in the third and just could not string together strikes to cover the opened frame.

Jason brought home seven consecutive strikes but Ong had two more opened frames in the seventh and eighth which forced the pair needing to strike out from frame nine to win the gold by 1 pin.

But the duo just could not deliver the goods as Jason ended with 258 and Ong a poor 181 for a 439 sixth game. Their total of 2691 tied with Squad B second-placed, Japan for the silver medal.

"I did well in the first three games as Jason was contributing to our score," said the 31-year-old Ong after recovering from breaking down in tears. "In the second half, it was all Jason and he was simply outstanding.

"We knew we had a golden opportunity to nail the gold but we just simply could not deliver. But we're not dampened at all. Our bonding as a team is very strong and this will show in the remaining events."

"I made sure I was not intimidated by the fact that we've to bowl exceptionally well in order to win the gold," said Jason, who won the Trios silver at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

"I may look calm but I was also extremely nervous and under tremendous pressure. Overall, I'm glad to have picked up another silver. It would be nice to come away with the gold. We will fight another day."

China faded off to end third in the squad with 2622 as Korea's Choi and Jang stromed home with a sizzling 479, albeit a little late, to snatch second in the squad with 2683.

Adrian Ang and Alex Liew clinched Malaysia's first gold medal with 2711 while Singapore tied with Japan's Shogo Wada and Tomokatsu Yamashita for the silver medal with 2691. Korea missed the podium to finish in fourth.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

17th November, Guangzhou: After firing blanks on the first event, Malaysia's Adrian Ang and Alex Liew bounced back strongly to grab the lead in the openng squad of the Men's Doubles event at the 16th Asian Games on Wednesday.

2008 Asian Championship Doubles gold medalist pair of Cyrus Cheung and Eris Tseng opened accounts with a sizzling 510 game to take the early lead over Qatar's Mubarak Al-Muraikhi and Fahad Al-Emadi by 16 pins.

Thailand's Phoemphun Yakasem and Dechochai Tinjiratip took a surprise lead after the second game but had Malaysia's second pair of Adrian Ang and Alex Liew closing on them fast after two good games of 466 and 450 to trail the the leader by 16 pins.

Host nation, China was the next surprise leader when Mi Zhong Li and Zhang Yi Jia fired a sizzling 515 overtaking the Thais and 43 pins ahead as Hong Kong and Malaysia dropped off their pace slightly.

Past the halfway mark, the table turned again as the Malaysian pair bounced back with 459 and Thailand and China not able to keep pace.

Ang and Liew pressed on with a relentless pace to down 470 and 440 to claim pole position with a total of 2711. Ang fell 1372 while compatriot, Liew knocked down 1339 to put themselves in the running for a medal.

Japan's Shogo Wada and Tomokatsu Yamashita stormed home with 515 and 462 in their last two games to snatch second spot with 2691 while Thailand settled for third spot on 2662 with Phoemphun scoring the highest 6-game series of 1452.

"My release wasn't so good in the beginning but then I made some adjustments and it worked towards the end," said the 32-year-old southpaw, Alex Liew. "My coach kept reminding me to stay low for my release and it helped a lot.

"Our mental trainer, Fred gave us the word "ICE" which stand for "Inteligence", Calm and Confidence" and "Energetic" and this pushed us further to achieve our goals which is to do well."

"I'm more consistent today and I'm happy with my performance especially with Alex's inspiration," said 22-year-old Adrian Ang. "My goal was to finish in the top three of the squad and to take the lead is indeed more than we could ask for."

2006 Asian Games Singles gold medalist, Ryan Lalisang of Indonesia posted the second highest 6-game series of 1439 but his team-mate, Rangga Yudhira managed only 1168 to give the Indonesian pair a fourth place finish with 2607.

Squad B comprising of 25 pairs will take to the lanes for their Doubles event at 2.30pm local time with the combined scores threafter to determine the top 3 medal winners.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

16th November, Guangzhou: Squad B leader, Sharon Koh of Malaysia failed to topple the top 3 finishers of the first squad in the Women's Singles event of the 16th Asian Games to give Korea's Hwang Sun-Ok the gold medal.

Cherie Tan of Singapore took the early lead in the opening game of the Women's Singles second squad but was immediately overtaken by Japan's Haruka Matsuda, who led for the next two games.

The Singaporean bounced back by almost shooting a perfect game but was content to regain the lead with 289 in the fourth game. But the more consistent Malaysian southpaw, Sharon Koh who took over the running after the fifth game to lead Tan by 31 pins.

But Koh needed 261 or more to topple Squad A leader, Hwang Sun-Ok of Korea in order to land the gold, which proved to be a tall order. A 208 or more could realistically give her a silver to overtake Singapore's Shayna Ng.

The Malaysian failed to deliver the goods needed and managed only 183 and a total of 1318 to drop out of the medal contention leaving Shayna's and her team-mate, New Hui Fen's position intact.

"I was very consistent throughout the first five games and I was very comfortable," said the 23-year-old Sharon, almost in tears. "But somehow the pair of lanes in my last game was very different. I also made two simple mistake which costed me a medal."

Hwang took the gold with 1395 and the two Singaporeans, Shayna and Hui Fen the silver and bronze medal with 1342 and 1341. A third Singaporean, Cherie Tan, who finished second with 1309, ended in sixth behind Korea's Hong Su Yeon and Sharon fourth and fifth respectively.

"I was quite nervous as the Malaysian was looking good to do well and take away my chance for a gold," said the 23-year-old Hwang. "But after the first four frames of the Malaysian's sixth game, I knew I had won."

The men will resume their bowling with the Doubles event on long oil conditions split into two squads tomorrow while the women will contest theirs on November 18.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

16th November, Guangzhou: Hwang Sun-Ok lived up to the billings as favourites in the 16th Asian Games after the Korean snatched pole position from perfect gamer, Shayna Ng of Singapore in the final game of the Women's Singles Squad A.

Asiad debutant, Shayna Ng set the pace with a superb 245 in her opening game, 13 pins ahead of Korea's Jeong Eun-Hee and Malaysia's Shalin Zulkifli tied in second spot and compatriot, New Hui Fen fourth.

Another Korean, Hwang Sun-Ok surged ahead of the duo after rolling down 219, 237 and 259 for a 715 3-game series with Hui Fen taking up second spot, 10 pins adrift as Ng slipped down to third.

The house almost came to a standstill as Ng bounced back with 11 consecutive strikes and lining up for the 300. The 19-year-old struck a convincing 12th strike to register the first perfect game of the championship and took over the lead.

Ng followed it up with another good game of 227 and had a 19 pins margin over Hwang going into the sixth and final game. Unlike the Hwang, Ng was apparently under tremendous pressure to bring home a good game but as it turn out, she ran into all sorts of problems.

The Singaporean ended with a diasaterous 153 while Hwang downed 225 to end the squad in pole with 1395. Ng settled for second with 1342 and may prove costly if she fails to win a medal.

Her team-mate and pacing on the same pair of lanes, Hui Fen did better to end her sixth game with 232 to finish third on 1341. Hong Su-Yeon of Korea took fourth spot with 1329 while Indonesia's Tannya Roumimper finished fifth with 1300.

"I know I lost the lead after the Singaporean shot the 300 but I was not paying attention to it," said Hwang Sun-Ok, who won two gold and two silver medals at the 2009 World Womne's Championships in Las Vegas, USA. "I made sure I stay focus and make god shots. That was all I was thinking about."

The Women's Singles Squad B will take to the lanes at 2.30pm local time and the top 3 in the combined scores will determine the medal winners. Medal presentation will take place this evening.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

15th November, Guangzhou: Athlete from Kuwait and second squad leader, Mohammed Al Regeebah squandered a gold opportunity to snatch the gold medal from Squad A leader, Biboy Rivera of the Philippines in the Men's Singles at the 16th Asian Games.

Mohammed Al-Regeebah started a blistering pace with a awesome 265 in his opening game to lead the surprised Indian, Shabbir Dhankot by 27 pins. Despite continuing with his relentless pace by rolling 247 and 233, the athlete from Kuwait trailed Thailand's Somjed Kusonpithak by 26 pins midway through the second squad.

Somjed's 236, 267 and 268 gave the Thai a three-game series of 771 and looked set to surpass Squad A leader's six-game benchmark of 1414.

But Mohammed's sizzling 279 in the forth game gave the Kuwaiti the lead as Somjed slipped to second after a poor 186. Mohammed's amazing 1024 total at this stage put him clearly on course for the gold.

But he only managed 194 in his fifth game leaving Mohammed needing 197 or more to beat Biboys Rivera's 1414. An opened frame in the third frame did not deter the Kuwaiti as he struck three times to cover his opened frame.

A bad mistake in the ninth frame where he left 3 pins standing and failed to spare forcing Mohammed to strike out for the gold. But he managd only a strike and a 6-pin split ending the squad with 1404.

Although Mohammed topped the squad, he lost the golden opportunity to win Kuwait's first gold medal of the games and had to settle for the silver.

Filipino, Frederick Ong stormed home to finish second to Mohammed and overtook Korea's Choi Kong-Kyu to take the bronze medal. Early leader, Somjed Kusonpithak finished fifth behind Korea's Jang Dong-Chul in fourth and Chinese Taipei's Kao Hai-Yuan in third.

"I knew I had to strike out to beat both the Kuwaiti and my team-mate but I didn't get it," said the 29-year-old Ong. "But I'm still very happy to have been able to win the bronze."

"I was too nervous to watch the second squad but my team-mates were keeping me informed," said the delighted Filipino and gold medalist, Biboy Rivera. "I'm glad not only for myself and Frederick but for my country.

"I've finally achieved my dream to win a gold medal in the Asian Games after a third attempt. This made up for the disappointment I had in the recent World Cup in France where I finished third.

The women will take to the lanes at Tianhe Bowling Hall tomorrow for their Singles over two squads.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

15th November, Guangzhou: AMF World Cup first runnerup, Biboy Rivera of the Philippines set the benchmark of 1414 in opening squad of the Men's Singles as the 16th Asian Games got underway on Monday morning.

Seasoned campaigner from UAE, Shaker Al-Hassan opened accounts with a scintilating 268 but was only a mere 3 pins ahead of the athlete from Kuwait, Jassem Abbas Darwish, who shot an equally superb 265.

The athletes from Kuwait certainly had to proved that theay deserved to be at the championship when Rakan Al-Amiri and Mohammad Al-Zaidan snatched the top two places after the second game. As Rakan dropped his pace slightly, Mohammad took over the running at the halfway point.

2009 AMF World Cup champion, Choi Yong-Kyu made his bid after a slow start to trail the Kuwaiti by 36 pins and Singapore's debutant, Ng Tiac Pin third.

Hong Kong's Eric Tseng shot the highest single game in this squad with 289 to surge into the pack with Choi trailing by 7 pins and Ng remaining in third.

Poor games from Tseng allowed the Korean to take over the running briefly only to see Filipino, Biboy Rivera snatching pole position with a sizzling 265 in his final game. Rivera, who had a good start, slipped down but manage to bounch back strongly to end the squad with 1414.

"I had a good start but didn't do well in the second," said the 36-year-old Rivera, who had a chance to win a medal at the 2002 Asian Games, but hit his leg with his bowling ball in his final frame to end up fourth.

"The pair of lanes in my second game had a stronger backend than I expected and I didn't react fast enough. But forthunately, the the lanes for the rest of my games was better and I was able to recover."

Choi settled for second with 1370 but fear it may not be good enough for a medal. Jassem took thid spot with 1366 while 2006 Asian Games Singles champion, Ryan Lalisang of Indonesia stormed home too late to take up foruth with 1363.

The Men's Squad B will contest their Singles at 2.30pm local time and the top 3 in the combined scores will win the three medals at stake.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

14th November, Doha: The new lanes at Tianhe Bowling Hall are more challenging than it appears as the players took to the lanes for their second official practice sessions over the long oil pattern on Sunday.

The lane suface of the 38-lane center are AMF SPL's with a new Medex underalay and the approaches were original wood freshly cut and measuring 16 feet long which were refurbished for the games.

The plates on every single kickback were replaced while the flatgutters are synthetic and brand new on every lane. The depth is approximately 3 and a half inches on every lane. The pins used are Qubica AMFlite II's.

Pinspotters are 82-90XL's that have been refurbished by the same crew that leveled the lanes during installations.

Scoring units are Qubica and installed by a technician from Italy who went through some different scenarios every day to ensure that the system does what it's supposed to do. Large flat screens were also installed for scoring as well as monitors in the middle to view standings.

Most of the players and coaches have expressed that the short oil pattern is easier and most of the players were using the extreme outside line.

In today's long oil pattern, everyone has indicated that although there are oil in the front and longer, the backend is still as strong. It will indeed be very challenging for the players to adapt.

The main reason for the stronger backend appears to center around the new Medex underlay used which tends to dry up a little quicker.

Uzbeksitan team finally arrive late last night and will in fact be competing with six men. So the new total is 101 men and 74 women (minus 2 from India pulling out) making a total of 175 bowlers.

Competition will get underway tomorrow (November 15) with the Men's Singles split into two squads and on Tuesday (November 16) with the Women's Singles again into two squads. Medal ceremony will for both the Men's and Women's Singles will follow after the completion of the Women's Singles.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

13th November, Doha: Bowlers competing at the 16th Asian Games got a first hand test on the short oil lane conditions as they went through their paces on the first day of official practice.

95 men and 75 women, less 6 men from Uzbekistan who did not show up and 2 women from India pulling out due to injuries, took to the lanes at 38-lane AMF Tianhe Bowling Hall at the Tianhe Sports Centre.

The 16 countries were divided into three squads and each team, who has a men and a women team, had eight lanes while a single team country had four lanes. The first day of official practice was on the short oil pattern.

The second day of official practice will be over the long oil pattern before competition starts proper with the Men's Singles on November 15 and the Women's Singles on November 16.

While the competition will get underway in earnest, there were disappointment expressed by most of the team here. It was mainly centered on the lack of space in the bowling hall to accommodate even for coaches, team officials and team-mates.

Most of the space are being taken up by the TV broadcasters, media personnel and VIP seatings such that only two from each country will be allowed at the stands. The rest will have to sit it out at the athletes rest area while their team-mates are on the lanes.

Asian Bowling Federation made a concerted effort to find space to accommodate but there was simply none to spare at all. Family members and friends who have travelled to Guangzhou will be hughly disappointed.

Meanwhile, the grand opening ceremony was held yesterday evening on Haixinsha Island in the Pearl River and at a stadium next to the river. The capacity crowd were entertained to a spectacular display by art performances, fireworks and clockwork routines throughout the ceremony.

The Premier of the Peoples' Republic of China, Wen Jiabao officially declared the games open witnessed by the President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and the President of the IOC, Jacques Roggs in front of athletes from 45 participating countries.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.

11th November, Guangzhou: 177 bowlers from 17 countries are all set for the 16th Asian Games tenpin bowling event as they were confirmed during the team managers' meeting held at Tianhe Bowling Hall on Thursday evening.

101 men bowlers' and 76 bowlers' names were confirmed by the team officials who attended the meeting chaired by the Technical Delegate for the games, Dr Danny Santos, Vice President of ABF.

Also present was Ms Vivien Lau, Honorary Life President of ABF, who welcomed the team officials on behlaf of Sheikh Talal Al-Sabah, President of ABF. Mr Mike Purdy of Kegel Company Inc., USA is the Technical Official responsible for the maintenance of the lanes while the local Tournament Co-ordinator is Mr Wang Jiaxin of Chinese Bowling Association (CBA).

Mr Kyohei Akagai, Honoarary Life President of WTBA, Mr Cui Zhi Qiang, President of CBA and 1st Vice President of WTBA and Ms Suwalai Satrulee, Secretary General of Thai Tenpin Bowling Association and ABF Exco-Member are the appointed Jury of Appeal.

A roll call was conducted by Dr Santos, who also subsequently chaired the meeting to go through the schedule of events, ball registration, official practice sessions and other issues of importance. Mr Akagi together with Dr Santos then conducted the lane draw for the Singles, Doubles, Trios and Team events.

The opening ceremony will be held on November 12, 2010 on Haixinsha Island in the Pearl River. Opening ceremony will begin at 20:04 (local time) and Asian Games closing ceremony will be held on November 27, 2010, with the performances to begin at 20:06 (local time).

There will be two days of official practice sessions, the first on November 13 over the short oil pattern divided into 3 squads and the second on November 14 over the long oil pattern, again divided into 3 squads.

Competition kicks off with the Men's Singles divided into 2 squads on November 15 on short oil pattern while the Women's Singles, also divided into 2 squads on November 16 on short oil pattern.

The Doubles event will be contested on November 17 and 18, the Trios event over two blocks of 3 games each on November 19 and 20. The Team of Five will be held over two blocks of 3 games each on November 21 and 22.

The top 16 women and top 16 men (only two from each NOC) will qualify for the Round-robin Masters finals over two blocks of 8 games each on November 23 and 24. The top 3 women and top 3 men will advance to the stepladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Guangzhou.