Only three Malaysians left to carry the challenge in Stockholm
PETALING JAYA: Seven entered but only three survived.
Rafiq Ismail, Shalin Zulkifli and Adrian Ang are the only bowlers left carrying the nation’s challenge at the AIK International Tournament in Stockholm, Sweden.
The trio marched into the Final Step 2 of the European Bowling Tour (EBT) season opener after making the top 24 cut from the Final Step 1 at the Bowl-O-Rama yesterday.
Rafiq and Shalin both posted an identical six-game total of 1,384 to be the best-placed Malaysians in tied 10th spot and were joined by Adrian Ang, who amassed 1,332 pinfalls for 23rd spot.
One-time PWBA Tour winner Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman registered a 1,316 total but it was not good enough, narrowly missing the cut by 10 pins.
Syaidatul Afifah (1,291) was 30th while Syafiq Ridhwan Abdul Malek (1,231) ended up 37th. Two-time EBT winner Sin Li Jane was forced to withdraw midway through the fourth game due to stomach upset.
Five-time US PBA Tour champion Dominic Barrett of England won the 48-player mixed field contest with a 1,444 total.
The women competitors proved they were no pushovers with Singapore’s Shayna Ng (1,431) and homester Anna Andersson (1,419)
finishing an impressive second and third respectively.
All the 24 bowlers were joined by eight more bowlers who have earlier secured automatic entries into the Final Step 2 by virtue of being the eight top finishers of the 455-player qualifying rounds.
The 32 bowlers will bowl another six games before the field is cut to 16 for the Final Step 3.
Only eight will make the Final Step 4 and the last three players standing will battle it out for the 60,000 Swedish Krona (RM29,500) jackpot in the Final Step 5.