Defending champions Dhruv Sarda and Sabeena Athica retained the men’s and women’s titles after completing facile victories on the last day of the 25th National tenpin bowling championships at Blu-O bowling alley here on Sunday.
In the step ladder knockout format, Sadha, who was the top seed, got the better of Karnataka’s Akaash Ashok Kumar 414-369 in the two-round final.
After Akaash had taken a slender four-point lead (198-194) going into the second game, the more confident Dhruv upped his game in the later half of the second game with a string of spares and strikes to emerge victorious.
In the women’s step ladder event, Tamil Nadu’s Sabeena quelled the challenge of Karnataka’s Judy Alban 353-307 to win her eighth national title.
After Sabeena had taken a narrow 11-point lead (183-172) going into the second game, she further extended her advantage as Judy struggled to play catch up.
Earlier in the men’s step ladder competition, Akaash rattled off six consecutive strikes in the first game against the fourth seed Girish Gaba which helped him defeat his State-mate 451-413.
Third seed Shabbir Dhankot, who became the youngest national bowling champion in 2010, was a bundle of nerves against Akaash and promptly lost the first game by a difference of 56 pins (179-123) and the difference was always going to be huge but he redeemed himself before going down by four pins (349-345).
In the first match of the women’s step ladder event, Judy got the better off Delhi girl Sunandha Sarda (163-142) before easing past Pooja Hegde (187-159) in the second match.
Awards: Men: Highest score in a single game: Shabbir Dhankot (275).
Maximum number of scores above 200: Dhruv Sarda: 21.
Women: Highest score in a single game: Sugandha Sarda: (226).
Maximum number of scores over 200: Sabeena Athica: 9
Most promising player: Varun N Ganpathy.