1999 Las Vegas, USA
The 35th edition of the AMF Bowling World Cup, won October 9 by Amanda Bradley of Australia and Ahmed Shaheen of Qatar, was replete with all the high-scoring fireworks befitting the final World Cup of the millennium.
Bradley, a 24-year-old shipping clerk from Newcastle, defeated 1997champion Su-Fen Tseng of Chinese Taipei 219-179 in the women's championship match. Tseng was making her third stepladder finals appearance and seeking her second AMF Bowling World Cup title, but three open frames, including a 7-10 split, consigned her to second place. Tseng downed Sarah Yap of Malaysia in the opening match, 247-235.
Shaheen, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from Doha who rolled a perfect game in the 1997 AMF Bowling World Cup in Egypt, defeated early leader Shigeo Saito of Japan 196-155 and top seed Frank Boerner of Germany 224-184 to claim his crown. Five consecutive strikes early in the match iced the victory for Shaheen by the eighth frame. Boerner had been hoping to make it two German victories in three years in the men's division (Christian Nokel won in Egypt in 1997).
Bradley demolished the women's 48-game record by toppling 10725 pins and averaging 223.4 (including bonus pins earned in matchplay). Her performance topped the 220.3 mark set in Cairo, Egypt, in 1997 by Su-Fen Tseng of Chinese Taipei.
Frank Boerner of Germany raised the bar for the men with his 11028 pins and 229.8 average, bettering the 227.7 posted by Yung-Nein Peng of Chinese Taipei, also in Cairo.
The 1999 AMF Bowling World Cup also produced four perfect games-Shigeo Saito of Japan, Kenny Ang of Malaysia, Jill Friis of Canada and Mohamed Al-Qubaisi of the UAE-which nearly equaled the number of 300 games compiled in the previous 34 years (6). In addition to the four perfect games, 299 scores were rolled by Jon Helgi Bragason of Iceland and Garreth Hechter of South Africa. The second-best women's score, 290, was posted by England's Nicola Harvey.
Friis' 300 game was the second perfect game rolled by a woman in the AMF Bowling World Cup. The first came in 1997, in Cairo, by Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia. Canada's Jack Guay rolled the first-ever 300 in 1994 in Hermosillo, Mexico. He duplicated that feat one year later in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and remains the only person, male or female, to roll more than one perfect game in the AMF Bowling World Cup international finals.
Bradley demolished the women's 48-game record by toppling 10725 pins and averaging 223.4 (including bonus pins earned in matchplay). Her performance topped the 220.3 mark set in Cairo, Egypt, in 1997 by Su-Fen Tseng of Chinese Taipei.
Frank Boerner of Germany raised the bar for the men with his 11028 pins and 229.8 average, bettering the 227.7 posted by Yung-Nein Peng of Chinese Taipei, also in Cairo.
The 1999 AMF Bowling World Cup also produced four perfect games-Shigeo Saito of Japan, Kenny Ang of Malaysia, Jill Friis of Canada and Mohamed Al-Qubaisi of the UAE-which nearly equaled the number of 300 games compiled in the previous 34 years (6). In addition to the four perfect games, 299 scores were rolled by Jon Helgi Bragason of Iceland and Garreth Hechter of South Africa. The second-best women's score, 290, was posted by England's Nicola Harvey.
Friis' 300 game was the second perfect game rolled by a woman in the AMF Bowling World Cup. The first came in 1997, in Cairo, by Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia. Canada's Jack Guay rolled the first-ever 300 in 1994 in Hermosillo, Mexico. He duplicated that feat one year later in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and remains the only person, male or female, to roll more than one perfect game in the AMF Bowling World Cup international finals.
Philip Dunne of Ireland became the most prolific Bowling World Cup athlete, as Las Vegas was his 12th international finals. Marco Odio of Costa Rica is close behind, with 10 appearances. Paeng Nepomuceno of the Philippines remains on top when it comes to appearances in the championship stepladder finals, with nine.
Bradley's victory marks the third time in four years that the women's title has been won by an Australian. Her title ties Australia with Canada and Germany for third place in number of country victories, with five. All five Aussie victories have come from women (Jeanette Baker, 1982 and 1983; Cara Honeychurch, 1996; Maxine Nable, 1998). The United States leads with 11 victories (seven men, four women), but no U.S. player has won since 1995 (Patrick Healey Jr.), and no U.S. woman since 1990 (Linda Graham).
Shaheen is the third Arabic bowler, and the second from Qatar, to win the AMF Bowling World Cup. Mohamed Al-Qubaisi of the UAE, who finished sixth this year, was the first, in 1988. Shaheen's countryman, Salem Al-Monsouri, won in 1989.
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Bradley's victory marks the third time in four years that the women's title has been won by an Australian. Her title ties Australia with Canada and Germany for third place in number of country victories, with five. All five Aussie victories have come from women (Jeanette Baker, 1982 and 1983; Cara Honeychurch, 1996; Maxine Nable, 1998). The United States leads with 11 victories (seven men, four women), but no U.S. player has won since 1995 (Patrick Healey Jr.), and no U.S. woman since 1990 (Linda Graham).
Shaheen is the third Arabic bowler, and the second from Qatar, to win the AMF Bowling World Cup. Mohamed Al-Qubaisi of the UAE, who finished sixth this year, was the first, in 1988. Shaheen's countryman, Salem Al-Monsouri, won in 1989.
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Archives
Since the first event in 1965, winning AMF’s Bowling World Cup title has been the most coveted goal in amateur bowling. Whether held in the shadows of the Great Pyramids in or under the bright lights of , each tournament has provided unforgettable moments from competition that has spanned five decades. Browse the archives to discover or revisit these moments, competitors, and the great champions that have made up the rich history of AMF’s Bowling World Cup.