Young keglers feeling upbeat
THE battle for bowling supremacy in Southeast Asia begins today at the Royal City Hanoi Centre.
And the young national bowlers are ready to blaze the lanes as they feel confident from their few days of practice at the venue.
Malaysia Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) secretary general Maradona Chok believes his charges will unleash their full potential in the men and women’s singles and doubles events.
Both events will be over two days at the newly refurbished centre.
The team events are on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The bowlers have been testing the competition venue since their arrival here. The venue and lanes are OK,” said Maradona in Hanoi yesterday.
“The venue looks new, and there are no issues so far. We also tested the official oiling patterns today (yesterday), and everything is good.
“Our bowlers look pretty relaxed, and hopefully, they will be comfortable when the competition begins tomorrow.
“This is important if they hope to do well in the competition.”
Maradona added that there are no surprises in terms of the entry lists of the other countries.
MTBC will depend on a young squad to deliver medals in Hanoi.
“Singapore and Indonesia have
sent strong teams. We already knew this before we came here,” said Maradona.
“We are the only country who have young bowlers in the squad,” he added.
Shahrukh Amin Zulkifli, Hafiz Zainuddin, Syazirol Shamsudin and Nevern Netaneel Marcellinus Petrus make up the men’s team.
The women’s team comprise Gillian Lim, Nora Lyana Nastasia Norkamal, Nerosha Keligit Thiagarajan and Nur Syazwani Sahar.
No specific target has been set for the bowlers, though they are expected to challenge for the podium.
The national squad had won two gold, three silver and two bronze in Manila, three years ago