Bowlers Marcus Lim, Jazreel Tan come out tops at Singapore Nationals
Bowlers Marcus Lim and Jazreel Tan emerged victorious at the 50th Singapore Nationals' men's and women’s open divisions respectively on Saturday (Nov 16).
It was such a close fight in the men's stepladder finals at the SingaporeBowling @ Rifle Range bowling centre that twice, it came down to a single pinfall for the 22-year-old Lim.
Despite suffering from hand cramps, third-seeded Lim stepped up a gear in the stepladder finals to pip his opponents, first defeating second seed Kuek Qi En 237-236, then edging out top seed Oku Keita 217-216 to force a roll-off which Lim won 188-183.
Earlier in the masters event, Lim had amassed 2,390 pinfalls to finish behind 22-year-old national training squad teammate Kuek (2,408), and 35-year-old Keita (2,498).
“I am really happy to have won my first title. I am really thankful for all the support, especially from my coach Helmi (Chew) who has given me much valuable advice during this whole tournament,” said Lim, who also bagged the winner's cheque of $6,500.
The women's open stepladder finals saw Jazreel Tan, 30, edging out defending champion Charlene Lim, 20, to clinch the $3,500 prize money.
Tan topped the field of nine after 10 games with a total pinfall of 2,227, while Lim finished second with 2,167 pinfalls. Jermaine Seah was third with 2,165 pinfalls.
In the stepladder finals, Lim defeated Seah 203-184 to progress to the finale, where she overcame Tan 215-208 to force a roll-off. But Tan won it 227-200 to seal her title.
“I had a really rough year, so during this period, I tried many different things to improve my game. This win is a reassurance that I am on the right track and I still have what it takes to compete at the top level,” said Tan.
In the youth division, Leong Weng Hong and Mandy Koh clinched the boys' and girls' titles respectively.
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