If it is true that the Korean women bowl better on short oil than on long oil, the gold and silver medals in the Hong Kong Asian Championships Trios event have been decided in the first block on Monday morning as the Korean trios are 1, 2 after three games on the long pattern.

Singles silver and gold medalists Choi Jin-A and Hwang Sun-Ok teamed with 2006 Masters champion Kim Yeau-Jin (pictured left, l-r) to lead the field of 19 trios with 1963 pinfall total, an average of 218,11. The trio had a slow start with 604, improved to 652 and closed out the set with 707, the highest game of the day.

Gye Min-Young, Gang Hye-Eun and Jeon Eun-Hee and  (on the right, l-r) were mere 23 pins behind with 1940 including games of 593, 659 and 688, an average of 215.56.

Chinese Taipei spinners Wang Yu-Ling, Chien Hsiu-Lan and Huang Chiung-Yao, who started with 624 and 703, led the field after two games, but fell to third behind a 598 in game #3 with 1925 (213.89). Huang had the individual high series with 719.

Fourth place belonged to the spinners from China, Cheng Lihua, Liu Nian and Zhang Yuhong, who checked in with 1877 (208.56).

Cherie Tan, Jasmine Yeung Nathan and Jazreel Tan (left, l-r) from Singapore finished on the same pair as the eventual leaders.

Jazreel and Yeau-Jin, both the team anchors, had strike, spare and a seven-bagger. While the Korean got strike #8, the Singaporean got a 9-count in the 10th to miss the 700-mark by 10 pins. With the 690 game, the trio leaped into fifth place with 1871 (207.89).

Rounding out the six teams with a 200-plus average is Malaysia with Zandra Aziela and Doubles gold medalists Shalin Zulkifli and Esther Cheah (right, l-r), who registered 1807 pins and an average of 200.78.

With three more games on the short pattern remaining on Tuesday (start is scheduled for 2pm) beating the Koreans won't be easy task.

Four of the Koreans 1. Jeon Eun-Hee, 3420, 228.00 2. Choi Jin-A, 3410, 227.33 3. Kim Yeau-Jin, 3407, 227.13 and 4. Hwang Sun-Ok, 3406, 227.07 lead the field of 61 women in Events after 15 of 24 games. All six Koreans are among the top 10. Malaysia has four among the top 16, who will advance to the Masters finals after 24 games.

After the completion of the women's and men's Singles and Doubles events in the 20th Asian Tenpin Bowling Championships at Hong Kong Bowling City in Hong Kong, Korea has two gold medals and Malaysia and Hong Kong one gold medal each.


Left: Korea - Choi Jin-A, Hwang Sun-Ok, Kim Yeau-Jin

The third day of competition features the first block of three games in the Trios event for both men and women (on the long oil pattern) and the Team event for women (on short oil). Trios will be completed on Tuesday while the Team event ends on Wednesday.


Left: China - Chen Dongdong, Wu Suqin, Yang Suiling

The women have drawn the short straw for the third day in a row.

While the men start at 1pm, the women had to get up early again to bowl Trios at 9am and will return for the Team event at 5pm.


Left: Hong Kong - Vanessa Fung, Chan Shuk Han, Milki Ng


Women's Trios - Latest Results

Women's All Events after 12 games