Japan's Nao Ohishi topped Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia in the title match, 208-188, to win the 2nd annual DHC Cup Girls Bowling International Championship at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Bowling Center in Tokyo, Japan.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Ohishi, who represented the Japan Bowling Congress, led the field of 71 women after nine games of qualifying and held on to the lead in the 32-player semi-finals over six games to earn the number one seed for the stepladder finals.

In a high-scoring opening shootout match featuring No. 5-8 seeds (pictured right), Hiromi Matsunaga, representing sponsor DHC, rolled a 248 game to eliminate Japan Professional Bowlers Association members Hiroko Shimizu (235) and Yuuko Nakatani (234) as well as Korea's Choi Jin-A (224).

L-R Choi Jin-A (Korea), Yuko Nakatani (JPBA), Hiromi Matsunaga (DHC-JPBA) and Hiroko Shimizu (JPBA). Click on the image to enlarge it.

Matsunaga earned the fifth spot for the stepladder finals and carried the momentum into the first match defeating fellow DHC bowler Mai Takasaka, 215-194.

Roumimper, seeded third, ended Matsunaga's run and advanced to the semi-final match with a huge 279-218 victory.

The Indonesian national team member sidelined pro bowler Kelly Kulick, United States, in a close match, 207-204, for the right to bowl tournament leader Ohishi for the title.

L-R DHC Cup winner Nao Oishi (JBC), 2nd placed Tannya Roumimper (Indonesia), 3rd placed Kelly Kulick (USBC-PBA), 4th placed Hiromi Matsunaga and 5th placed Mai Takasaka (DHC-JPBA). Click on the image to enlarge it.

All Pictures courtesy of JPBA.

The top 8 advance to the finals. Places 1-4 advance to the Stepladder, places 5-8 determine the fifth player for the stepladder in a four-player shootout.

Nao Ohishi, representing the Japan Bowling Congress, finished the 9-game preliminaries in the DHC Cup Girls Bowling International Championship at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Bowling Center in Tokyo, Japan with the tournament's third perfect game en route to lead the top 32 players into the next round.

Ohishi, who was in second place after the first and second 3-game block with 726 and 696, finished with 221, 215 and 300 for 736 and 2158 9-game total or an average of 239.79.

Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia (right), who led the field of 71 players after the first two blocks with 743 including the first 300 game and 702, added 687 in block 3 to land in second place with 2132 (236.89).

Mai Takasaka, Japan, representing tournament sponsor DHC, rolled the highest 3-game series of the tournament thus far with 761 (256, 258, 247) to leap from 15th to third with 2092 (232.44).

Fourth place belonged to American pro bowler Kelly Kulick (on the left with Diandra Asbaty) with 2072. The 1999 World Champion in singles, who made history when she became the first female exempt player on the PBA Tour in 2006-07 season, had series of 692, 707 and 673.

Places 5 and 6 belonged to Japan Professional Bowlers Association (JPBA) members Yuuko Nakatani and Mai Fujita with 2013 and 2009, resp. Malaysian national team member Zandra Aziela (right) sits in seventh place with 2009.

Rounding out the top 8, who will make it to the TV finals on Sunday, is Korean standout Choi Jing-A (left) with 2006.

The top 32 players advanced to the next round to bowl another two 3-game blocks (starting at 10:30 a.m. local time on Sunday) before the cut to the top 8 for the stepladder finals.

Kanako Ishimine, Japan, hit the cutoff number with 1896 9-game total and an average of 210.67. Despite rolling the second highest series in block 3 with 739 (268, 236, 235), two-time world championships masters champion Diandra Asbaty, United States, missed the cut by nine pins with 1887 (209.67) in 34th place.

Also eliminated was defending champion Suzuna Miyagi, Japan, who landed in 67th place with 1656 pinfall total and an average of 184.00.

Pictures and results courtesy of BC Cheah, MTBC.

The second annual DHC Cup Girls Bowling International Championship, a tournament exclusively for women, is underway at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Bowling Center in Tokyo, Japan.

71 women from nine countries Indonesia, Japan (JBC, JPBA, and sponsor DHC), Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden and the United States started the nine-game qualifying round Saturday morning with the first of three 3-game blocks.

Indonesian national team member Tannya Roumimper (left) came out of the gates quickly with a huge 258 game and added the first perfecto of this year's event to overtake the lead. Roumimper finished with 185 to secure the top spot after Block 1 with 743 pinfall total and an average of 247.67.

Japan's national bowler, Nao Ohishi had games of 231, 257 and 238 to move into second place with 726 (242.00). Third place belonged to Yun Hee-Yeo, Korea, who rolled games of 214, 268 and 229 for a 711 series (237.00).

Zandra Aziela (right), a member of the Malaysian national team, led the field after game 1 (259) and added 214 and 236 to sit in fourth place with 707 (235.67).

Japan's Mai Fujita (JPBA) and Maki Sano (JBC) were tied for fifth place with 707. Rounding out the top 8, who will advance to the finals on Sunday, were Akiko Tanigawa (JPBA) and Mika Yamada (JBC) with 705 and 693, resp.

Just outside the box looking in is Kelly Kulick, who made history when she became the first female exempt player on the PBA Tour in 2006-07 season, with 692. Her team mate, multiple World and World Ranking Masters champion Diandra Asbaty, both United States, has to make up some ground as she had a slow start with 517 and 67th place.

All players will return today for the 2nd and 3rd block commencing at 2:00 p.m. local time after which the first cut will be made to the top 32.

Pictures and results courtesy of BC Cheah, MTBC.