SEA Games: Slow start for PH bowlers in women’s singles match; Singapore, Indonesia dominate

The Philippine women’s bowling team was off to a rough start as they failed to secure a podium finish on the first day of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2019 Bowling Championships at the Coronado Lanes, Starmall EDSA in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday.

Veteran kegler Maria Liza del Rosario led the team in the women’s singles match with a six-game series of 1,213 pinfalls for an eighth place finish.

Marie Alexis Sy followed with 1,202 pinfalls at 11th place, Bea Katrina Hernandez landed on the 17th spot with 1,100 pinfalls while Marian Lara Posadas-Wong had 1,089 pinfalls at the 18th place.

Singapore’s New Hui Fen rolled 1,372 pinfalls, enough for her to secure the gold medal. Indonesia’s Tannya Roumimper snatched the silver medal with 1,307 pinfalls. New’s teammate, Shayna Ng, settled for the bronze medal with 1,271 pinfalls.

Playing with the homecourt advantage, the national women’s team had a solid performance in the initial salvo after Del Rosario and Posadas-Wong placed second and third places respectively in the first frame.

However, they just couldn’t hold on to the positions as Del Rosario stumbled in the second round with personal-low 155 pinfalls while Posadas-Wong hit a team-low 136 points in the fourth round.

“Ganun talaga eh. Bilog ang bola (That’s the way it is. The ball is round),” said Philippine bowling great Bong Coo, a four-time World Champion.

Despite the loss, Sy remained optimistic that the female keglers will get a medal in the succeeding events.

“We may not be the winners today but babawi kami (we will try to win) tomorrow and in the following days,” she said.

Sy admitted that there was something lacking in the team’s performance, which she thought was partly due to the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd.

“Today parang may kulang. Siguro hindi nawala ang nervousness pero babawi kami (There’s something missing. Perhaps it was the nervousness that we felt but we will do better next game),” she said.

As of writing, the men’s national bowling team was competing against 26 foreign keglers from seven countries in the men’s singles match for a chance at a podium finish.

The remaining games, which will run until December 8, include doubles, mixed doubles, team of four, and masters events for men’s and women’s divisions.