Dayang ready to fly the flag high for Malaysia in HK
PETALING JAYA: She may no longer be with the national team, but independent bowler Dayang Khairuniza Dhiyana Abang Jamalidon is ready to help Malaysia rule the women’s competition at the Hong Kong Open.
With the national team staying back to concentrate on the final phase of preparations for the KL SEA Games, the 25-year-old Khairuniza is the sole Malaysian bowler at the Hong Kong Open.
Khairuniza, who won the Masters gold medal at the 2013 Commonwealth Championships, will be among the 21 bowlers in second-round action at the SCAA Bowling Centre today.
She was exempted from yesterday’s opening round after finishing as the second-best qualifier in the overseas pool with a six-game score of 1,352 pinfalls in the one-week Masters’ qualifying sessions that ended on Thursday.
The eight-game second round features the top three finishers in the local and overseas pools and the top 15 bowlers from the first round.
Only the top six will then progress to the stepladder finals.
“As long as I make the top six, anything can happen, God willing,” said the Sunway Mega Lanes-backed Khairuniza.
“I may not have won an Open tournament before, but I have never doubted my ability.
“It was a struggle when I first arrived earlier this week. But once I found the right lines, I was able to bowl confidently and that resulted in a good qualifying outing.
“Hopefully I can keep that up for tomorrow’s crucial day,” added Khairuniza, who was dropped from the national set-up last September.
Malaysian women have won the Open category nine times since 2001.
Esther Cheah has won it three times – 2012, 2013 and last year. So did Shalin Zulkifli – in 2006, 2007 and 2010.
Lai Kin Ngoh won it in 2001, Wendy Chai in 2003 and Victoria Chin in 2014.
Former international Johnathan Chan has also advanced to the second round of the men’s Open event after making the top-18 cut yesterday. He amassed 1,660 pinfalls from eight games to finish seventh in the 33-man contest, which was topped by Thailand’s Kim Bolleby (1,837).