Singapore bowlers bag trios gold gold at Asian Championship
Three days after bowler Daphne Tan claimed the women’s singles gold at the Asian Tenpin Championships to end her nine-year individual title drought, she was on a roll again as she added the women’s trios title on Sept 21.
Competing at the Blu-O Rhythm and Bowl in Bangkok, Thailand, the 34-year-old Singaporean teamed up with compatriots Bernice Lim and New Hui Fen to win the trios event.
They posted a total of 3,822 pinfalls, 38 more than runners-up Malaysia’s Natasha Roslan, Gillian Lim and Sin Li Jane (3,784).
South Korea’s Jung Da-wun, Ka Yun-mi and Baek Seung-ja claimed the bronze with 3,765 pinfalls.
Tan said: “It’s such a thrill to work hard towards something and then for all the hard work to come together and be acknowledged across such a competitive field.”
It was a slow climb to the top for the Singaporean bowlers, who initially trailed Causeway rivals Malaysia by 40 pinfalls after the first block on Sept 20.
Two games into the second block, the Malaysians extended their lead to 114 pinfalls.
But Tan, Lim and New clawed back in the final game to leapfrog their opponents and claim the gold.
New noted that they have “worked hard and smart back home to prepare for unexpected situations”, which allowed them to seal the win.
While the trio have been teammates for 18 years, they have never combined before in this event, though Lim, 33, noted that “bowling with each other is not foreign to us” owing to their decades-long relationship.
Singapore Bowling Federation technical director Jason Yeong-Nathan was pleased with the team’s “positive energy”, adding: “I was surprised by the results because going into game three, we were (close to) 100 pins behind.
“I’m glad that we stayed focused on the process as a team and stuck to the game plan for each game.
“I was very impressed by the chemistry and teamwork from the trios. They kept patient when they hit the pair of lanes that were tough.”
New, who finished 31st in the singles, said she was proud of how she bounced back in the trios.
“I knew my shape wasn’t right, so after the singles, I adjusted some of the ball surfaces to try and give me a different look on the lanes,” she explained.
“Ultimately, I had to trust my instincts and count on my coach’s feedback to make sharp moves.”
After tasting success again in Bangkok, Tan is gunning for a hat-trick in the team of fives – alongside Lim, New, her older sister Cherie and Shayna Ng – scheduled from Sept 22 to 23, before the Masters from Sept 24 to 25.
Singapore have never won the women’s team title at this tournament and New, 32, said she would “love to go home with a team gold”.
Daphne Tan added: “It’s been fantastic but the job is not yet done. There are more medals on the table. So we will reset and come out fighting.”
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