Game on a roll (The Malay Mail)

BOWLING is among the few sports that has given us reason to cheer in 1997.
 It serves as an example of a well managed association with achievements
that are hard for others to match.
 Over the last few years, bowling has brought about good news and pride
to the nation with its achievements rather than controversies.
 Basically, it all boils down to proper administration, calibre coaches,
professionalism, dedication, good development programmes and good
relationship with the National Sports Council (NSC) and sponsors.
 And the bowlers have certainly proved that they are no one season
wonders and the sport is constantly growing in strength with their full
potential yet to be realised.
 Even when their full potential is realised, which is expected to be in
1999, they can only move upwards as there are many more potentials waiting
on the wings for an opportunity to move into the main stream.
 The fact that their partner-in-sport under the Rakan Muda project - The
Land & General Bhd - has increased their grant from RM400,000 in 1995 to
RM600,000 last year only underlines the confidence the sponsors have in
them.
 The sport itself has certainly not let the sponsors down as eight other
sponsors (out of 20) have withdrawn their sponsorship for various reasons
including poor performances, disagreement, poor management and poor
accountability.
 Critics may point out that when it mattered most, bowling had failed
especially when the bowlers competed in step-ladder finals which had
turned out to be a jinx for the sport last year.
 Bowling sensation Shalin Zulkifli failed twice, in the Sea Games in
Jakarta and the World championship in Cairo, while Lai Kin Ngoh slipped at
the inaugural Brunswick Asian Championship for Champions in Guangzhou.
 But the step-ladder is no guideline because it is a one-off game while
the respective bowlers have done well overall and were even leaders during
the competition.
 However, in any case, national coach Sid Allen had specifically said
that Malaysia's true potential has yet to be realised.
 Not even when Malaysia had won five golds, five silvers and six bronzes
at the Jakarta Sea Games.
 Although next year is a very important year for the sport with six major
international championships coming up. It is the 1999 FIQ World
championship in the United Arab Emirates that Malaysia have targeted to be
ranked among the top three.
 Currently Malaysia are ranked about sixth with Holland leading the list
followed by the United States, Sweden, Finland and Taiwan.
 Ambitious as it may sound, but at least here is a sport body that
strives for excellence and is well in line to achieve their targets.
 While the hiring of Canadian nine years ago was the best thing that
could have happened to Malaysian bowling, it did not stop there.
 The Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC), under the leadership of Dr
P.S. Nathan and secretary Sideny Tung, have constantly worked hard to see
improvement.
 Besides Allen, there is Australian-born Chinese Eric Jang who has been
in Malaysia for the last two years and been largely involved in the
development of the game in the country.
 Known as the roving coach, Jang has been travelling to the ten bowling
centres of excellence across the country not only to help the elite group
of young bowlers but also to upgrade coaches in the respective States.
 The centres of excellence which started 10 ten years ago as a joint
effort by MTBC and NSC has certainly paid dividends and is expected to
continue to do so with the number of new talents being produced every
year.
 Next year, two more new centres will be opened to bring it to 12
throughout the country.
 There are about 35 coaches involved in the programme.
 Of the current 20 national bowlers, 16 of them, including Shalin are
products of the programme.
 And it was no surprise that at the recent national championships, more
fresh talents surfaced to give further hope for the future.
 Sarawak and Penang are two centres who have developed fast and produced
many talents for the future.
 Jang was stationed in Kuching for three months before the national
championship last month, and that probably explained Sarawak's supermacy
in the championships.
 James Potter, who was hired early last year, is another coach who has
made tremendous contribution to the game with his expertise in ball
drilling.
 The MTBC research centre has been rated as one of the best in the world
and it is through such planning and research that success has been gained.
 When bowling was said to be dominated by women in recent years, the men
also gave reason to celebrate with their emergence last year to match if
not better the women's performances.
 It has indeed been a fruitful year for the Malaysian bowlers with Sharon
Low starting off 1997 with her win at the Irish Open in January.
 Other notable achievements include Daniel Lim and Sharon Low winning the
mixed doubles event at the World Games in Lathi, Finland, Alex Lim
emerging as the youngest bowler to win the Melbourne Cup.
 The successes include Lydia Kwah winning the Philippines Open, Ricky
Chen bagging the Indo-Cement Cup in Indonesia, Kenny Ang's victory in the
Taiwan Open, Lai Kin Ngoh's second placing in the Brunswick Asian
Championship and of course Shalin's third place in the World Cup in Cairo.
                              (END)