KUCHING: Sarawak bowling revs up its Malaysia Games (SUKMA) XXII preparations with a data-driven, competition-heavy approach as a young squad embarks for a challenging national campaign in August.
Team manager, Robert Lu Nam Min, said the strategy places strong emphasis on performance metrics, with selection largely based on results from local and international competitions, supported by monthly roll-offs.
“These monthly roll-offs are crucial. Coaches record data such as spare percentage and strike rate, and this helps us rank the players accurately,” he said.
Lu said the team is currently operating under a decentralised training system, allowing bowlers to train at multiple venues while maintaining continuous performance tracking.
The squad will be gradually reduced, first to seven players per category before the final selection of six men and six women to represent Sarawak at the biennial Games.
“We are now in a decentralised training phase, but the key focus is on performance. We have about nine male and nine female bowlers in the longlist, although this is not finalised yet,” he said in a recent interview.
To build competitive exposure, the long-listed athletes will compete in a series of major tournaments, starting with the Thailand Open Tenpin Bowling Championship this month, followed by the Malaysian, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur International Opens.
Lu, who is also the Amateur Tenpin Bowling Association of Sarawak (ABAS) vice-president, said the competitions will allow the association to assess not only performance but also technical aspects such as ball reaction, speed and lane conditions.
“Our technical coaches will work closely with the players to fine-tune their equipment and approach,” he said.
Centralised training in Kuching will begin after the tournament phase as the squad enters its final build-up to SUKMA, scheduled from August 15 over eight days.
A total of 11 gold medals will be contested across six disciplines: singles, doubles, trios, team, masters and mixed doubles.
Despite being five-time overall champions, Lu acknowledged that Sarawak faces a tougher challenge this year amid a transitional phase in the squad.
“Most of our current players are new and young. Many of our previous SUKMA bowlers have moved on to the national team and are no longer eligible,” he said.
He added that Sarawak currently have limited representation in the national backup squad compared to traditional powerhouses such as Selangor and Penang, which could influence the overall competition.
“We are up against very strong teams. But tenpin bowling has always been a team effort for us, and anything can happen,” he said.
Lu stopped short of setting a medal target but suggested that at least four golds, along with several silver and bronze medals, could keep Sarawak in overall contention.
“To win overall, we may also need other states to take medals off the stronger teams. That will give us a better chance,” he added.
Looking ahead, he said ABAS will continue strengthening its development pipeline through grassroots programmes, including inter-school competitions and coaching courses for teachers.
“We will continue to focus on development and building depth. At the end of the day, everyone wants to win, but the most important thing is to stay focused on our own preparation and performance,” he concluded.
