Surprise first for Lavinia and Hidayat at Inter-state meet

Surprise winner: Lavinia Kho (centre) on the podium with Anis Hannani Romzi (left) and Nurul Anis Nabila Nizam.

PETALING JAYA: The absence of several big names in the 36th edition of the Inter-state Bowling Championships has opened the door for younger bowlers to step up and make their mark.

The competition at Sunway Mega Lanes yesterday saw Sukma Sarawak gold medallist Lavinia Kho claim the women’s singles title with a total of 1,314 pins.

She finished ahead of Johor’s Anis Hannani Romzi (1,298) while Kedah’s Nurul Anis Nabila Nizam settled for third place (1,288).

There was an upset when favourite Gillian Lim, the Professional Women Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour Rookie of the Year, finished 12th with a total of 1,163 pins.

For Lavinia, it was a sweet victory after several heartbreaks earlier this year, including finishing runner-up at the Singapore Open in June and suffering the same fate at the Kuala Lumpur Open.

A similar script unfolded in the men’s singles event, where Melaka’s Noor Hidayat Nazri pulled off a surprise victory.

Hidayat looked in control throughout and went on to dominate the field with a total of 1,415 pins.

The battle for second place was a tight one between Negri Sembilan’s Izz Naqiuddin Putra Islahuddin and Terengganu’s Ahmad Hazim Nik Mat, with just two pins separating them.

Naqiuddin secured the silver medal with 1,372 pins, narrowly edging out Hazim, who finished with 1,370.

The victories also saw both Lavinia and Hidayat book their spots in the 46th National Championships Masters, which will take place on Oct 5.

RESULTS

Singles

Men: 1. Mohd Noor Hidayat Nazri (Mel) 1,415, 2. Izz Naqiuddin Putera Islahuddin (Nse) 1,372, 3. Ahmad Hazim Nik Mat (Ter) 1,370.

Veteran: 1. Jamlidin Manap (Sab) 1173, 2. Asrul Azmir (Kul) 1166, 3. Mohd Nasir Mat Zain (Kel) 1143.

Boys: 1. Mohd Danish Mahmud (Kul) 1,376, 2. Muhd Aiman Syahin Sulaiman (Sel) 1351, 3. Aiden Lim (Pen) 1302.

Women: 1. Lavinia Kho (Swk) 1314, 2. Anis Hannani Romzi (Joh) 1298, 3. Nurul Anis Nabila Mohd Nizam (Ked) 1288.

Veteran: 1. Romahanum Othman (Sel) 1,064, 2. Norlina Mohd Nor (Pah) 1060, 3. Norlela Mohd Nawi (Kel) 1056.

Girls: 1. Nur Jeehan Iezzaty Suffian (Sab) 1303, 2. Chloe Ho (Sab) 1167, 3. Qurratu’ain Izdihar Pozi (Sel) 1153.