Singapore bowlers New Hui Fen, Bernice Lim and Daphne Tan win trios gold at Asian Championship
Three days after clinching the women’s singles gold at the Asian Tenpin Championships, ending her nine-year title drought, bowler Daphne Tan was back in action, securing the women’s trios title on Sept 21.
At the Blu-O Rhythm and Bowl in Bangkok, Thailand, the 34-year-old teamed up with fellow Singaporeans Bernice Lim and New Hui Fen to take the top spot in the trios event. Together, they amassed a total of 3,822 pinfalls, edging out Malaysia’s Natasha Roslan, Gillian Lim, and Sin Li Jane, who finished with 3,784 pinfalls.
South Korea’s Jung Da-wun, Ka Yun-mi, and Baek Seung-ja rounded off the podium, taking the bronze with 3,765 pinfalls.
Reflecting on the victory, Tan expressed her excitement, saying, “It’s thrilling to see all the hard work come together and be recognized in such a competitive field.”
The Singaporean bowlers’ journey to the top wasn’t without its challenges. After the first block on Sept 20, they trailed their Causeway rivals, Malaysia, by 40 pinfalls. Two games into the second block, the Malaysians extended their lead to 114 pinfalls. However, Tan, Lim, and New made a strong comeback in the final game, overtaking their opponents to claim the gold.
New credited their preparation, stating they “worked hard and smart back home to prepare for unexpected situations,” which helped them secure the victory.
Despite being teammates for 18 years, this was the first time the trio had combined for this event. Lim noted that their decades-long partnership made the experience feel natural, as “bowling with each other is not foreign to us.”
Singapore Bowling Federation technical director Jason Yeong-Nathan praised the team’s “positive energy” and teamwork, saying, “Going into game three, we were nearly 100 pins behind, but we stayed focused on the process and stuck to the game plan.” He was particularly impressed by their patience when facing challenging lanes.
New, who finished 31st in the singles event, was proud of her performance in the trios, attributing her improvement to adjustments she made after the singles. “I knew my form was off, so I tweaked some of the ball surfaces to give me a better read on the lanes. I had to trust my instincts and rely on my coach’s feedback to make smart moves,” she explained.
New, who finished 31st in the singles event, was proud of her performance in the trios, attributing her improvement to adjustments she made after the singles. “I knew my form was off, so I tweaked some of the ball surfaces to give me a better read on the lanes. I had to trust my instincts and rely on my coach’s feedback to make smart moves,” she explained.
With their success in Bangkok, Tan is now aiming for a hat-trick in the team of fives, where she will compete alongside Lim, New, her sister Cherie, and Shayna Ng from Sept 22 to 23. The Masters competition will follow from Sept 24 to 25. Singapore has yet to win the women’s team title at this tournament, and New expressed her desire to bring home the gold.
Tan added, “It’s been a fantastic journey, but there’s more work to be done. We’ll reset and come out fighting for more medals.”