Singapore youth takes rare lead
17th April, Bangkok: Singapore’s 15-year-old national youth, Jeoy Yeo took a rare lead in the Ladies’ Open Masters Stage 1 finals of the 38th MWA Thailand International Open while Ng Chiew Pang finished second in the Men’s Open division. Hong Kong’s Milki Ng got off the mark with a superb 241 in her opening game to lead the field of 24 finalists, 20 pins ahead of 2011 ABF Tour Indonesia leg champion, Hee Kar Yen of Malaysia in second.
But Ng’s lead was short-lived as her team-mate, Chan Shuk Han took over the running after rolling 213 and 225 in her first two games. Chan held the lead for the next three games but could not sustain the pace as Malaysia’s Siti Shazwani moved ahead and into the lead past the halfway mark.
Singapore’s national youth, Joey Yeo, who fired three big games of 227, 226 and 225 from the fifth game was battling hard with Siti in the next four games before ending the tenth and final game with 200 to take pole position with 1956.
Korean Kim Ji Hye of Daejeon Metropolitan City stormed home to snatch second spot with 1952, just 4 pins adrift while pace-setter, Chan settled for third position with 1951. Siti slipped down to fourth with 1949.
Three-time ABF Tour TOC winner, Wendy Chai of Malaysia finished fifth with 1933 and defending champion, Lee Na Young of Daejeon scrapped through in sixth position with 1921. Meanwhile, Singapore national bowler, Ng Chiew Pang, who led before the final game, advanced into the next stage in second with 2108, 37 pins behind Kuwaiti veteran Yaqoub Al Shatti in the lead with 2145.
Pace-setter and newly-crowned ABF Tour Kuwait leg champion, Hareb Al Mansoori of UAE finished third with 2074 while another front-runner, Dechochai Tinjiratip of Thailand settled for fourth with 2050.
Two national youths, Alex Tan of Singapore Sports School and Joel Tan made the cut for the next stage in 14th and 16th positions with 2000 and 1987 pinfalls respectively.
Thailand’s Peerawich Rungcharoen and Hong Kong’s Wu Siu Hong survived the cut to tie with 1958 for 17th and 18 positions while another Hong Kong national bowler, Eric Tseng missed the cut by 1 pin.
The top 18 men will be joined by the top 3 local and top 3 overseas seeded Men’s Open qualifiers and the top 6 ladies will be joined by the top 3 local and top 3 overseas seeded Ladies’ Open qualifiers for tomorrow’s 10-game Stage 2 finals.
Singapore’s Keith Saw is the third seeded qualifier in the Men’s Open division. The top 6 men and top 6 ladies will advance into the stepladder shootout finals to determine the champions.
Detailed scores: Ladies’ Open Stage 1 Finals | Men’s Open Stage 1 Finals | Photo Album.
Photos by Terence Yaw in Bangkok.