Top-seeded
Cherie Tan, Singapore, and No. 2 seeded
Hussain Al-Suwaidi claimed the women's and men's Open Masters titles in the 41st Singapore International Open at Superbowl SAFRA Mount Faber in Singapore. The victories came at the expense of two Malaysian bowlers. Tan won in the decisive match against Zandra Aziela, Malaysia, Aziela, 224-179, to win the women's title and 5,000 Singapore Dollars. Al-Suwaidi ousted local favorite Remy Ong in a semi-final nail biter, 244-243, and then defeated No. 1 seeded Adrian Ang, Malaysia, twice, 279-195 and 236-200, to seal the victory worth S$25,000.
The cream of the crop in Philippine bowling will pit their skills against foreign rivals in the 37th Philippine International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships slated June 12 to 28 at the SM Mall of Asia Bowling Center in Pasay City. Leading the RP contingent is Liza del Rosario (l.), who will defend the women's title in the P2-million event organized by the Philippine Bowling Congress (PBC). Other Filipinos competing in Asia's longest-running tournament held in cooperation with Ebonite International are 2006 world masters champion Biboy Rivera and three-time Southeast Asian Games champion Paolo Valdez, who is coming off a three-year layoff.
The absence of defending men's Masters champion Wu Siu-Hong of Hong Kong has left the 37th Philippine International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships wide open—and Filipino standout Paulo Valdez (l.) is ready to pounce on the opportunity. Valdez, who topped the latest ranking tournament conducted by national coach Nico Valderrama, expressed confidence about his chances in the 17-day event that starts Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Bowling Center in Pasay City. "I feel good about my chances," said Valdez, the former Asian Bowler of the Year.
A crack Filipino contingent will have their hands full against an equally formidable foreign crew in the 37th Philippine International Open Championships starting Thursday at the SM Mall of Asia Bowling Center in Pasay City. Reigning world men's Masters titlist Biboy Rivera (pictured left), three-time Southeast Asian Games Masters champion Paulo Valdez and defending RP Open Masters champion Liza Del Rosario (pictured right with men's champion Wu Siu Hong) will be at the forefront of the Filipinos' campaign in the 17-day kegfest. 
Top seeded Chien Hsiu Lan, Chinese Taipei, and Bandar Al Shafi, Qatar, both rolled big games in the women's and men's championship matches to cruise to the titles in the 34th Hong Kong International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships at Hong Kong Bowling City in Hong Kong, China. Chien (l.) held off local favorite Chan Shuk Han, Hong Kong, 246-200, to claim the women's title and the HK$18,000 (USD2,305) top prize. On the men's side Al Shafi (left) flew past No. 4 seed Chen Chun Chieh, Chinese Taipei, 279-194, to win the title and the 35,000 Hong Kong Dollars (approx. USD4,485) top prize. 
Continuing to pursue its goal of advancing the sport of bowling worldwide, the United States Bowling Congress certified 34 new Level I and Bronze coaches in Thailand. The Level I and Bronze certification conference was held May 21-24 at SF Strike Bowl Ngamwongwan in Bangkok, site of the upcoming 2008 Men's World Championships in August. Coaches from Thailand, Jordan and Hong Kong attended the seminar with the assistance of the Thai Tenpin Bowling Congress.
The 34th Hong Kong International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships will be held at the newly open Hong Kong Bowling City at Kowloon Bay from May 29 to June 7, 2008. To show the sympathy, concern and support to the Sichuan earthquake victims, the Organizing Committee had decided to raise fund during the Challenge Cup invitational competition which was held after the Opening Ceremony on Friday, May 30. HKTBC President Vivien Fung was pleased to announce that the event raised HK$237,000 (over USD30,000) for the SF & OC of HK China – Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund. 
The women's and men's championship matches of the NHK Cup 42nd Japan All-Star Invitational Championships were clashes between two of the most experienced Japanese bowlers and two very promising juniors. The clash ended in a tie. In the women’s division, national team captain Ayano Katai (l.) defeated 14-year-old Yuka Oshima, 237-193, to win her second NHK Cup, while 16-year-old Daisuke Yoshida (r.) claimed the men's title with a 207-192 victory over No. 1 seeded Toshihiko Takahashi, an ace of the All Japan National Team. 
Top-seeded Shaker Al-Hassan (left) flew past local favorite Joonee Gatchalian (right), 299-205, to win the 6th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge at Midtown Bowl in Manila, Philippines, and the one million Philippine Pesos (approx. $23,500) first prize. The stepladder final was an all-lefthander affair. #4 Gatchalian, who rolled two big scores in the opening matches for the right to bowl Al-Hassan for the title, was consoled with 500,000 Pesos. 
Khaled Al Dubyan (l.), Kuwait, defeated tournament leader Mansoor El Awamy, Qatar, in the men's title match in the 10th Sinai International Open Tenpin Bowling Tournament at International Bowling Center in Cairo, Egypt, 222-186, to claim the title and the $7,000 top prize. On the women's side, top-seeded Teresa Healey (r.), Mexico flew past denied Sandra Torrents' bid for back-to-back titles by defeating the Spaniard, 204-160. Healey received $3,000 for the victory. 
4-time World Cup Champion and USBC International Ambassador for Bowling Paeng Nepomuceno (on the right) just concluded the first USBC Silver Coaching Accreditation Seminar in Manila, Philippines, the first time a silver coaching seminar has been conducted outside the United States. Another first for Paeng was that he conducted three seminars - Level One, Bronze Level and Silver Level - one after the other. Nepomuceno's training is part of the USBC effort to create an international coach training program and bolster the strength of federations within the FIQ. 
Wendy Chai, for the last five years, has been defying doctors' advice to quit bowling but her defiance not to do so paid off when she won the World Ranking Masters in Jakarta on Monday to be the new women's World No 1. Not many know that the 31-year-old Wendy (pictured here with her mother Susan) has been suffering from a serious cartilage injury to her left knee, sustained at the 2003 World Championships in Kuala Lumpur. Since then she has been defying doctors' orders to go under the knife to repair her knee and to quit bowling. 
Seven new coaches have been certified at the USBC Bronze level following a recent conference in the Philippines led by USBC Coach/Instructor and world champion bowler Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno. It was the first USBC Level I and Bronze seminar taught this year by Nepomuceno, a USBC Level I and Bronze Instructor who teaches Level I and Bronze classes in the Philippines and Asia. The coaches he trains and certifies through the USBC program will in turn develop bowlers in that region.
Displaying the form that earned Australia's Jason Belmonte (left) the 2007 World Bowler of the Year Award, the 24 year-old two-handed bowler captured the champion's title for the third time at the fifth Kuwait Open 2008. Belmonte rolled his second 300 game of the tournament in match play to earn the No. 1 seed for the stepladder finals. In the title match, Belmo defeated second seed Martin Larsen (right), Sweden, in a decisive, although low-scoring 182-155 match, scooping the coveted title for a third time in his career.
In a title match between the two top-seeded players, Shaker Al-Hassan (pictured with the trophy) defeated compatriot Naif Oqab, 224-208 en route to win the 2nd Kingdom International Open at Universal Bowling Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the 30,000 Dollar first-place check. Oqab received $18,000 for second place, Paeng Nepomuceno, Philippines pocketed $12,000 for third place and Mahmoud Mazloum, Egypt, garnered $10,000 for fourth place. 
Tarek "Taco" Helmy won his third title in an Egyptian ranking event this year when he defeated Mostafa Seoud, 225-192, in the title match of the Police Tournament. Helmy, who won the tournament in Hurghada and the Team Egypt Trials earlier this year, was the No. 3 seed in the four-player stepladder final. He won the opening match against Karim Elgewaily, 195-179, and then ousted first round leader Karim Sheriff, 212-202, in the semi-final.
Philippine legend Paeng Nepomuceno will conduct United States Bowling Congress Level 1, Bronze Level and Silver Level Coaching Accreditation Seminars in conjunction with the 6th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge at Paeng's Midtown Bowl in Manila. The tournament which promises to have many participants from Asia and overseas, runs from May 7-13, 2008. "I am looking forward to conducting the seminars, especially since this will be the first time that a USBC Silver Level Coaching Accreditation Seminar will be given outside of the United States," said Nepomuceno.
Cheng Hsing-Chao, Chinese Taipei and Chan Shuk Han, Hong Kong, took different routes to the men's and women's Open Masters titles in the 34th Thailand International Open Tenpin Bowling Championships at S.F. Strike Bowl Ngamwongwan in Nonthaburi, Thailand. Hsing-Chao, the No. 6 seed, won four straight matches including 215-196 and 207-184 victories over No. 1 seeded Somjed Kusonpithak, Thailand, to triumph in the men's division. Shuk Han, the women's No. 1 seed, escaped with the victory after a 207-206 in the decisive match against No. 2 seed, Chien Hsiu Lan, Chinese Taipei. 
Malaysia will host the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay on April 21 in Kuala Lumpur, with a number of prominent sports personalities making a bee-line to be part of the prestigious event. Some of the outstanding athletes leading the Torch Run are Olympic Games medallists Razif, Jalani and Rashid Sidek, Cheah Soon Kit and Yap Kim Hock, all from the badminton sports, while other notable names are women world squash champion Nicol David, bowler Shalin Zulkifli, ...
Esther Cheah has decided to forgo her plans of representing her university in inter-college bowling tournaments for a professional career in the United States. She will soon become a full-fledged member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) to compete in the professional women's tour in the US. She decided on this after the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) refusal to allow her to compete in college tournaments. NCAA only allows amateur bowlers in its tournaments. The 22-year-old Esther is considered a professional ...