All eyes on Zulmazran and Siti Safiyah in World Cup at new bowling centre

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IT will be a sweet opening gift for the new 52-lane Malacca International Bowling Centre (MIBC) if a Malaysian were to be crowned world champion when it hosts the 45th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup next month.

Zulmazran Zulkifli and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman are Malaysia’s hopes at the tournament to be held from Nov 13 to 20 at the RM24mil complex in Ayer Keroh, reputed to be the biggest in South-East Asia.

All eyes will be on Zulmazran as he competes against the likes of Canadian Michael Schmidt and Walter Ray Williams Jr from the United States while Siti Safiyah would have to contend with Australian Ann-Maree Putney and Zara Glover of England.

Easy reference: The registration counter at the newly opened MIBC in Ayer Keroh, Malacca.

So far, 94 countries have confirmed participation and with just a month to go, the organisers are still hoping for a bigger pool of competitors.

This is the second time that the AMF World Cup is making its appearance in Malaysia. The first was in 1987 when the championship was held at the Miramar Bowl in Kuala Lumpur.

With the home advantage and support, 2009 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup organising committee deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Lotfi believes Zulmazran and Siti Safiyah may just win the titles.

Wan Ahmad Lofti: ‘The country and Malacca will gain a lot from hosting the World Cup which has a large following around the world.’

Zulmazran successfully defended the Canon Malaysian International Open in March before winning his second title for the year at the Indonesian International Open last month. He also a bowled a perfect game in the Mexico World Cup last year.

Siti Safiyah is making waves, too. The national champion won the World Ranking Masters title in Naples, Italy, in April. She was Malaysia’s best performer at the WTBA World Women’s Champion-ship, being the only Malaysian qualifier for the Masters event in Las Vegas, US.

The AMF World Cup in Malaysia is the third for Zulmazran, 26, and the second attempt for Siti Safiyah who debuted in 2006 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Huge gallery: Bowlers trying out the lanes.

As the bowlers train, MIBC is also preparing for this biggest World Cup meet.

It has been built according to QubicaAMF guidelines and equipped with the latest QubicaAMF lanes, pin spotters and scoring system.

The state government, through its investment arm Kumpulan Melaka Sdn Bhd, took two years to complete the complex spread over 2.5ha and located close to the Malacca International Trade Centre. The massive complex, managed by Benua Aspirasi Sdn Bhd, opened its doors to the public on Aug 1.

The two-storey building is disabled-friendly, with ample parking and the spacious central concourse provides the public with a clear view of the lanes.

Organising committee deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Lotfi, who is also MIBC corporate adviser, said the centre aimed to popularise bowling among youths.

Up and ready: Balls neatly stacked for patrons.

“The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup is recognised internationally as the sport’s most prestigious and established annual event.

“The country and Malacca will gain a lot from hosting the World Cup which has a large following around the world,” he said.

He said the QubicaAMF World Cup had become the largest annual international sports championship in terms of the number of participating nations.

“Singapore holds the record of 95 nations when it hosted the 2004 Bowling World Cup.

“We expect the record to be matched here, if not bettered,” he added.

Lotfi, however, lamented the lack of sponsors for the event in Malacca.

“It is set to attract worldwide audience and huge international media coverage, so it is an ideal platform for sponsors,” he pointed out.