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28-year-old Kawazoe (right), a four time Triple Crown champion (points, earnings and average leader) on the Japan Professional Bowling Association Tour in 2010-2012 and 2014, won his first title this season and the 15th in his illustrious career.
For Terashita (left), 23, who turned pro in 2014, it was the third title and the first since 2015. Each champion received 1.5 million Japanese Yen or roughly 13.340 U.S. Dollar for the victory.
The 12th MK Charity Cup, an open charity bowling tournament, drew 144 men (108 pros and 36 amateurs) and 96 women (72 pros and 24 amateurs), who bowled 10 games of qualifying before the first cut to the top 36 men and women.
Those 36 bowled further five games with the top 8 advancing to round robin match play. The top 3 players in each division advanced to the TV stepladder finals. Total prize fund was 10.4 million Yen, equally divided in both divisions.
Kawazoe, seeded second, met third-seeded Isao Yamamoto (right) of Kanagawa, in the men’s semi-final. Yamamoto, 35, the top left-handed player on the JPA Tour and tone-time Triple Crown winner (2007), was also looking for his 15th career title.
Both players started the match well and it was nip and tuck through the first six frames as they matched each other with four strikes and two spares. Leading by just one pin, Kawazoe closed with six consecutive strikes to put the game away, 268-245.
Top-seeded Takashi Kudoh (left) of Kanagawa started out the title match commandingly, by connecting for the first six strikes, but the match was far from over.
Trailing by more than 40 pins Kawazoe rebounded with four consecutive strikes in frames 6-9 while Kudoh, 37, whose lone JPBA title came in the 2007 Tokai Open, left and spared the 3-6-9-10 combination in the seventh frame and a disastrous 7-10 split in the 9th frame which resulted in an open frame.
When Kudoh left a 10 pin on his first effort in the 10th frame, Kawazoe (right) needed 9-spare-8 to win by one pin. The right-hander got 9-spare-9, including two 10 pins, to seal the victory, 236-234.
Kudoh received ¥650.000 for second place and Yamamoto got ¥400.000 for third place.
On the women’s side, second seeded Chika Terashita, who had three second place finishes this season, bowled a clean semi-final game and closed out with a four-bagger to defeat Urara Himeji (left) of Osaka, 216-175.
The 39-year old 15-time JPBA champion and two-time Triple Crown winner (2008, 2015) had two opens in the third and eighth frame which sealed her fate.
Waiting in the title match was another experienced bowler, Mayumi Yoshida (right) of Ishikawa, an 11-time JPBA champion, whose last title came in the 2014 MK Charity Cup.
Terashita (left) struck on seven of her first eight shots and converted a 10-pin spare in the second frame, but Yoshida, who won the women’s Annual Point Ranking twice in her career (2003 and 2010), was still in contention.
When Yoshida failed to double in the 10th frame, Ishikawa struck out in her last frame to wrap a 258-234 victory.
Yoshida earned ¥650.000 for second place and Himeji pocketed ¥400.000 for third place.
Amateur Takuya Miyazawa wins 2017 Pro Bowling Rookies Cup
Saki Koike wins her first JPBA title in Sky-A Ladies Rookies Cup
Obara, Matsunaga triumph in Chunichi Cup 2017 Tokai Open
Urara Himeji wins Rokko Queens Open for 15th career JPBA title
Takeo Sakai captures his 35th JPBA title in 8th Handa Cup
Kenta Morimoto wins his second JPBA title in Round1 Cup
MK Bowl Kamigamo in Kyoto, Japan (September 14-16, 2017)
Championship Round:
1. Shota Kawazoe, Nara, 504 (2 games), ¥1.500.000
2. Takashi Kudoh, Kanagawa, 234 (1 game), ¥650.000
3. Isao Yamamoto, Kanagawa, 245 (1 game), ¥400.000
Playoff Results:
Semi-final Match: No. 2 Kawazoe def. No. 3 Yamamoto, 268-245
Championship: Kawazoe def. No. 1 Kudoh, 236-234.
MK Bowl Kamigamo in Kyoto, Japan (September 14-16, 2017)
Championship Round:
1. Chika Terashita, Hokkaido, 474 (2 games), ¥1.500.000
2. Mayumi Yoshida, Ishikawa, 234 (1 game), ¥650.000
3. Urara Himeji, Osaka, 175 (1 game), ¥400.000
Playoff Results:
Semi-final Match: No. 2 Terashita def. No. 3 Himeji, 216-175
Championship: Terashita def. No. 1 Yoshida, 258-234.
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