The 2003 Vodka Cruiser Gold Cup came to a thrilling climax at the Eden SuperBowl last weekend. After three tough qualifying rounds and stepladder finals, Mark Muscat and Jennifer Oakley were crowned champions.
They will now represent Malta in the European Gold Cup Tournament in Poland next May.
The day started with the top six playing a single round-robin. Qualifying pinfall accumulated in earlier rounds was removed to level the field.
The six ladies through were: Marita German, Pamela Demanuele, Josephine Bonello, Lily Attard, Melissa Camenzuli and Oakley.
Demanuele started strongest and went on to finish the set first with a total of 1,071.
Oakley was the surprise package on the day, bowling two big wins, each boosted by 20-point bonuses.
She reached the decisive stage second on 1,040, 77 pins better than previous leader German.
The first match of the finals was between Oakley and German, with the latter getting off to a nightmare start. Oakley rolled a valuable turkey (three strikes in a row) to give her a substantial lead which proved too much for her rival who lost 148-200.
Oakley went on to face Demanuele in the final. Only a few pins separated the two as Demanuele was forced to play catch-up due to Oakley's 13-pin handicap cushion. The title was still up for grabs until the final frame when Oakley collected the points she required to complete a resounding victory.
The male qualifiers were: Mark Spiteri, Paul Baldacchino, Muscat, Peter Mallia, Brian Vella and Neil Sullivan.
While previous leader Spiteri managed to impress the crowd by winning all five of his round-robin games, the big scores went to Muscat. He only lost one game but rolled highs of 213, 214 and a fine 247. Muscat booked his place in the final by finishing first, 39 pins better than Spiteri on 1,096. Mallia was third on 1,042.
Spiteri faced Mallia in the first match of the stepladder finals. It was a tight game up until frame six where Spiteri failed to convert a cruel split. Eventually he lost the contest 168-188.
In the final, Mallia suffered an early setback, bowling two opens in the first three frames, whereas Muscat was in good control, never failing to strike, or, at least, convert his spares. Mallia never recovered, finishing with a 176, as Muscat closed with a 192.