The medals they won may have been silver, but Singapore's keglers were as good as gold during yesterday's bowling team events at the Asian Youth Games.

In the girls' team event, Darshini Krishna, New Hui Fen, Anthea Soh and Ilma Nur Jannah were lying in third place after five games, 83 pinfalls behind Japan's Yuka Ohshima, Mikie Hamamoto, Shinobu Saito and Misaki Mukotani.

But the four Singaporeans turned on the style in the final game, posting a competition-high of 928 pinfalls to overhaul the Japanese and give the leading South Koreans a mighty scare.

Oh Nu Ri, Yoo Ka Hee, Hong Hae Ni and Sim Ul Jin held on for the gold with a combined score of 4,967. Singapore were second with 4,894, while the Japanese settled for bronze with 4,715.

It was the same story in the boys' event, where all looked lost for Singapore's Basil Low, Brandon Lee, Christopher Hwang and Justin Lim.

After five games, they were marooned in fourth place, 163 pinfalls adrift of leaders Hong Kong.

But they blitzed the lanes in Game 6, where a 918 total gave them a combined 4,952 pinfalls for the silver.

Hong Kong's Wong Kwan Yuen, Tsang Yin Ki, Tse Chung Yin and Michael Mak claimed the gold with 4,971, while the bronze went to South Korea's Choi Kyung Hwan, Hwang Dong Jun, Nam Ki Hoon and Park Ji Soo (4,935).

Yesterday's two silvers brought the hosts' medal tally in bowling to two golds, two silvers and a bronze.

The boys' and girls' Masters events roll off today.

Terrence Voon