LALISANG SETS THE PACE
Ryan Lalisang of Jakarta, Indonesia (pictured), held off all challengers to maintain pole position going into the Masters' finals of the 31st Thailand Open at the BSC Bowl, RCA Plaza in Bangok Wednesday night. Posting 1017 over his four games, a 254.25 average, the slim Indonesian who bowled a televised perfect game in the inaugural leg of the ABF Tour in Malaysia last year, held a 13-pin buffer over second place when the dust of the final qualifying squads had settled, well past the crack of dawn on Thursday. In fact, it was just past 7:00 in the morning when the final squad players could retire.
"If there's no delay, it's not the Thailand Open," an official is reported to have commented.
Early pacesetter Andrew Frawley of Australia, now a national coach to the Kuwaiti team, dropped to third place as Malaysia's Azidi Ameran, fresh from competition in the World Ranking Masters in Florida, nipped into second place on 1004.
Defending champion Ahmed Shaheen from Qatar joins the fray at this stage and, of course, is determined to make the double. He will be joined by the top 13 players from the 'Local Pool', 13 from the 'Overseas Pool' and 13 from the 'Mixed Pool' to complete the Masters' field, playing 16 games for the top six to advance to the stepladder final on Friday evening.
In the ladies' division, defending champion Tsai Hsin Yi of Chinese Taipei, of dreaded spinner style, will join the top eight ladies from the Local and Overseas Pools, plus seven from Local Pool to also play 16 games for their coveted six stepladder positions.
Chien Hsiu Len, 26, also a Chinese Taipei 'spinner', leads the qualifiers and is the only female to break 900, that by a single pin, for her personal career best. Hot on her tail are a brace of Malaysians, Tang Joh Six, yet another spinner, and the ubiquitous Shalin Zulkifli, whose travels of around 11,000 miles over the past couple of weeks have left her a little on the weary side, to say the least. Two weeks ago she competed in the grueling World Ranking Masters in Florida, went directly from there to England for the World Tenpin Masters, being eliminated there in the first round, then flew here to Bangkok, Thailand for four attempts at qualifying before getting into third place.
Apart from Zulkifli and Singapore's 20-year-old Valerie Teo, the rest of the Overseas Pool consists of spinners, that 'helicopter' style much-favored by the Chinese Taipei group.
The Masters bowlers will bowl eight games Thursday evening, then the final eight Friday, finishing the 31st Thailand Open with the televised Stepladder Finals on Friday.
The top 16 Asian men and 16 women will qualify to compete in the fourth leg of the ABF Tour on Saturday and Sunday.
Pictures courtesy Terence Yaw, MTBC                                                        Keith Hale       

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