Bowlers Jomond Chia, Lim Shi En crowned national champions

SINGAPORE – After a six-year wait, Singaporean bowler Jomond Chia reclaimed his national crown as he won the men’s open division at the Singapore Nationals on Dec 7.

The 24-year-old had entered the step-ladder finals as the third seed after placing third in the Masters with a 1,684 pinfall total, behind Ryan Toh (1,753) and Jonovan Neo (1,693). Mark Leong, who felled 1,680 pins, was the fourth bowler to advance to the step-ladder finals at the SingaporeBowling@RifleRange.

Chia beat Leong in a roll-off in the quarter-finals, before booking his spot in the grand final following a 258-158 victory over Neo in the semi-finals.

In the grand final, the Singapore Bowling Federation national training squad member clinched the opens title after a 200-192, 211-167 victory over Toh.

He said: “It feels amazing winning the title twice, I came in with no expectations but just telling myself to enjoy the moment, kept myself composed for the most part and I’m glad that the hard work paid off.

“I think I did pretty well throughout qualifying and masters, there wasn’t much issues I faced during my time bowling, it was all well communicated with the coaches and we overcome each obstacle according to plan.”

Meanwhile, Lim Shi En claimed her first national title with her victory in the women’s open division.

The 18-year-old was the top seed in the step-ladder final after topping the masters with a 1,791 pinfall total.

In the grand final, Nur Irdina Hazly took the first game 212-171, but a tie in the second game forced a roll-off, which Lim won 38-28.

Lim said: “Overall I felt satisfied with my performance throughout the qualifying block and also for masters, heading into the finals, my nerves got the better of me for the first few frames, causing me not to execute my shots properly.

“I will be reflecting with my coach and finding out what I need to be working on to further better my performance for any upcoming competition.”