18th May, Manila: Hong Kong national kegler, Eric Tseng won his first-ever international title by beating Australia's Sam Cooley, 214-202 in the title match of the 10th Euro-Med Storm International Masters Challenge.
Top seed, Tseng started the match with a strike but had an opened frame in the second to trail his challenger, Sam Cooley, who spared his first two frames. The Hong Kong kegler recovered with a double strike in his next two frames to draw level.
Cooley pulled away with a turkey from frame five but Tseng responded with his own turkey to remained level at frame eight.
Tseng then failed to spare a single pin in the ninth frame while the Aussie also encountered a split in the same frame to trail by 2 pins and leaving the final frame to decide the match.
Tseng struck out to end with 214 to shut out Cooley as he ended with 202 for Tseng to win his first-ever international title and the top prize of 1 million Philippine peso (approx. US$24,260).
Newly-crowned champion, Eric Tseng
Cooley, who defeated winner of the first stepladder match, Javier Tan of Singapore, 223-212 to advance to the title match, settled for 500,000 peso. Tan, who edged fourth-seed, Tim Mack of USA, 225-224 in the first match, earned 250,000 peso.
The American took home 125,000 peso for finishing fourth. The champion had earlier topped the Stage 3 finals with 2048 ahead of Cooley with 2006. Tan and Mack made the stepladder finals in third and fourth with 1922 and 1880.
Stage 1 and 2 leader, Mohd Rafiq Ismail of Malaysia, missed the cut by 29 pins to finish fifth with 1851 while the top Filipino was Enzo Hernandez of PH Team in sixth position with 1785.
Benny Dytoc of PTBA-Track-Bowlmart captured the Bevida-Storm Masters title with 2498 ahead of last month's Thailand Open Men's Grade A champion, Benjamin Hong of Singapore in second with 2378.
Top 4 winners, Tseng, Cooley, Tan and Mack
Liza Del Rosario of PH Team took the final podium spot with 2325 while Kang Bo Long of Malaysia and Carl Matthew Lim of SJBA-Ateneo rounded out the top 5 with 2310 and 2309 respectively.
The title sponsors of this year's event were Euro-Med Laboratories and Storm Products Incorporated. Co-sponsors were Bevida distilled drinking water, Roto Grip, Premiere Insurance and Surety Corporation, EGI,ASI, AZO, Coca Cola products, Sports Digest, Manila Prime Holdings, Heritage Hotel, Manila Bulletin, Bowlmart Training Institute, and Pearl Bowling Center.
Photos by Wicky Yeung, HKTBC.
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