Friday November 6, 2009
Bowling World Cup venue receives mixed reviews
By SHAMSHUL FITRI
PETALING JAYA: The newly-built 52-lane Malacca International Bowling Centre, which will stage the 45th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup from Nov 15-19, has received mixed reviews from national bowlers Zulmazran Zulkifli and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman.
The duo, who will represent Malaysia in the tournament, took to the lanes for a two-hour practice session on Tuesday.
Zulmazran, who will turn 26 a day after the tournament ends, said he was generally satisfied with the lane conditions there.
“Although the actual lane conditions were not laid out when we practised, the lane conditions for World Cup competitions are generally easy as the organisers want to see many strikes,” he said.
“Hence, it will be an open field.”
The Indonesian Open and Jakarta Super Classic champion said he aimed to make it into the top eight of the tournament and “then I will take it from there to bring honour for the country”.
Siti, however, had a different spin to the conditions at the bowling centre, saying she felt a bit cramped with the split-house style of the lanes – where 26 lanes sit on each side of the centre. “I am quite used to playing in big bowling centres but somehow I feel cramped there,” said Siti, who will turn 19 a day before the tournament begins.
“I’m also concerned that the fans may crowd the centre and the heat generated may alter the lane conditions.”
However, Siti – the reigning World Ranking Masters champion – admitted that her concerns were minor and she would focus on giving her best on tournament day.
For the record, the best Malaysian efforts in the men’s and women’s events of the World Cup were the runner-up finishes by Michael Chuah (1983 in Mexico) and Shalin Zulkifli (1996 in Belfast).
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