Kawazoe and Kawahara triumph in NHK Cup 41st Japan All-Star Invitational Championships
05/18/07
Shota Kawazoe and Mayu Kawahara walked away the winners in the most prestigious individual tournament in Japan, the NHK Cup 41st Japan All-Star Invitational Championships, which were contested at Kokubnji Park Lanes in Kokubnji-Shi, Tokyo from May 11-13.
In the women's division, Kawahara (pictured left), seeded third, topped Tazu Sakai, 244-214, in the semi-final and then mowed down Ayano Katai, All Japan National Team captain, 269-197 en route to win the prestigious title for the first time in her career.
Another first on the men's side when 18-year-old Shota Kawazoe (pictured right), a freshman at Dai-ichi Keizai University, defeated 51-year-old Takemi Kobayashi to capture the title.
Kobayashi, seeded third, flew past Tomokatsu Yamashita, 269-189, in the semi-final to earn the right to bowl top-seeded Kawazoe for the title. Kawazoe cruised to his NKK Cup title with a 226-172 victory.
Kawazoe , who was selected for the All Japan National Team in April, became the youngest champion ever in this event.
The men's and women's field is limited to defending champions, national team members, representatives for WTBA and ABF championships, prize winners of JBC championships and bowlers, who bowled more than 1000 games within the year in JBC approved tournaments. The men's and women's champions are considered the best amateur bowlers in Japan.
The picture shows all participants during the Opening Ceremony. Click on the image to view full size.
Nihon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is virtually a national broadcasting corporation. Every year, the men's and the women's stepladder finals are broadcasted nationwide.
The format is different from all other tournaments. 277 players - 164 men and 113 women - participated in this year's event. The top 48 male and 30 female bowlers after 9 games qualifying advanced to the semi-finals to bowl another six-game series. The top 12 men and 12 women after 15 games made the cut for the Masters Finals (round robin match play; 10 bonus points per win, 5 for a tie). The top 3 bowlers in each division qualified for Grand Finals (one-game stepladder matches). The top six players in the men's and women's division are the medal winners.
Kokubnji Park Lanes in Kokubunji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan (May 11-13, 2007)
Men's Championship Round (l-r):
1. Shota Kawazoe, Fukuoka, 226 (1 game)
2. Takemi Kobayshi, Mie, 441 (2 games)
3. Tomokatsu Yamashita, Tokyo, 189 (1 game)
Playoff Results:
First Match: Kobayshidef. Yamashita, 269-189
Championship Match: Kawazoe def. Kobayshi, 226-172.
Top 3 advance to the stepladder finals.
Honor Scores:
High Game: Hiroya Tamura, Aichi, 300
High Series: Makoto Endo, Gunma, 803
Kokubnji Park Lanes in Kokubunji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan (May 11-13, 2007)
Women's Championship Round (l-r):
1. Mayu Kawahara, Miyagi, 513 /2 games)
2. Ayano Katai, Shizuoka, 197 (1 game)
3. Tazu Sakai, Kyoto, 214 (1 game)
Playoff Results:
First Match: Kawahara def. Sakai, 244-214
Championship Match: Kawahara def. Katai, 269-197.
Top 3 advance to the stepladder finals.
Honor Scores:
High Game: Ayako Handa, Akita, 288
High Series: Chizuko Ichikawa, Shizuoka, 730
Japan
Shota Kawazoe and Mayu Kawahara walked away the winners in the most prestigious individual tournament in Japan, the NHK Cup 41st Japan All-Star Invitational Championships, which were contested at Kokubnji Park Lanes in Kokubnji-Shi, Tokyo from May 11-13. In the women's division, Kawahara (pictured left), seeded third, topped Tazu Sakai, 244-214, in the semi-final and then mowed down Ayano Katai, All Japan National Team captain, 269-197 en route to win the prestigious title for the first time in her career.
Another first on the men's side when 18-year-old Shota Kawazoe (pictured right), a freshman at Dai-ichi Keizai University, defeated 51-year-old Takemi Kobayashi to capture the title. Kobayashi, seeded third, flew past Tomokatsu Yamashita, 269-189, in the semi-final to earn the right to bowl top-seeded Kawazoe for the title. Kawazoe cruised to his NKK Cup title with a 226-172 victory.
Kawazoe , who was selected for the All Japan National Team in April, became the youngest champion ever in this event.
The men's and women's field is limited to defending champions, national team members, representatives for WTBA and ABF championships, prize winners of JBC championships and bowlers, who bowled more than 1000 games within the year in JBC approved tournaments. The men's and women's champions are considered the best amateur bowlers in Japan. The picture shows all participants during the Opening Ceremony. Click on the image to view full size.
Nihon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, is virtually a national broadcasting corporation. Every year, the men's and the women's stepladder finals are broadcasted nationwide.
The format is different from all other tournaments. 277 players - 164 men and 113 women - participated in this year's event. The top 48 male and 30 female bowlers after 9 games qualifying advanced to the semi-finals to bowl another six-game series. The top 12 men and 12 women after 15 games made the cut for the Masters Finals (round robin match play; 10 bonus points per win, 5 for a tie). The top 3 bowlers in each division qualified for Grand Finals (one-game stepladder matches). The top six players in the men's and women's division are the medal winners.
NHK Cup 41st Japan All-Star Invitational Championships - Men's Division
Kokubnji Park Lanes in Kokubunji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan (May 11-13, 2007)
Men's Championship Round (l-r): 1. Shota Kawazoe, Fukuoka, 226 (1 game)
2. Takemi Kobayshi, Mie, 441 (2 games)
3. Tomokatsu Yamashita, Tokyo, 189 (1 game)
Playoff Results:
First Match: Kobayshidef. Yamashita, 269-189
Championship Match: Kawazoe def. Kobayshi, 226-172.
Top 6 Men after Round Robin
Top 3 advance to the stepladder finals.
| Pos | Player | Prefecture | Pinfall | Ave. | Bonus | Total |
| 1. | Shota Kawazoe | Fukuoka | 1661 | 237.29 | 50 | 1711 |
| 2. | Tomokatsu Yamashita | Tokyo | 1624 | 232.00 | 50 | 1674 |
| 3. | Takemi Kobayshi | Mie | 1621 | 231.57 | 50 | 1671 |
| 4. | Yu Onishi | Ishikawa | 1624 | 232.00 | 30 | 1654 |
| 5. | Mutsugu Fujita | Hokkaido | 1597 | 228.14 | 40 | 1637 |
| 6. | Daiki Ikeda | Kanagawa | 1568 | 224.00 | 40 | 1608 |
Honor Scores:
High Game: Hiroya Tamura, Aichi, 300
High Series: Makoto Endo, Gunma, 803
NHK Cup 41st Japan All-Star Invitational Championships - Women's Division
Kokubnji Park Lanes in Kokubunji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan (May 11-13, 2007)
Women's Championship Round (l-r): 1. Mayu Kawahara, Miyagi, 513 /2 games)
2. Ayano Katai, Shizuoka, 197 (1 game)
3. Tazu Sakai, Kyoto, 214 (1 game)
Playoff Results:
First Match: Kawahara def. Sakai, 244-214
Championship Match: Kawahara def. Katai, 269-197.
Top 6 Women after Round Robin
Top 3 advance to the stepladder finals.
| Pos | Player | Prefecture | Pinfall | Ave. | Bonus | Total |
| 1. | Ayano Katai | Shizuoka | 1527 | 218.14 | 30 | 1557 |
| 2. | Tazu Sakai | Kyoto | 1487 | 212.43 | 50 | 1537 |
| 3. | Mayu Kawahara | Miyagi | 1464 | 209.14 | 60 | 1524 |
| 4. | Kaori Daimaruya | Saitama | 1472 | 210.29 | 40 | 1512 |
| 5. | Nao Oishi | Yamagata | 1457 | 208.14 | 30 | 1487 |
| 6. | Chizuko Ichikawa | Shizuoka | 1454 | 207.71 | 30 | 1484 |
Honor Scores:
High Game: Ayako Handa, Akita, 288
High Series: Chizuko Ichikawa, Shizuoka, 730