Syaffique Ikhwan’s name may not be widely known, but that hasn’t stopped the former Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC) special squad member—who once trained alongside Rafiq Ismail and Timmy Tan—from making the country proud on the international stage as an independent bowler. On Sunday, the 29-year-old Syaffique came close to achieving a rare Open and Graded double at the Formosa International Classic in Taoyuan, Taiwan, narrowly missing out on the Open title. In the one-plus-one game format final, second-seeded Syaffique forced a decider against home favourite Xu Zhe Jia—who held a game advantage as the top seed—by winning the first game 225-203. However, Zhe Jia had the final say, stepping up his game to clinch the title with a 257-192 victory, earning himself NTD350,000 (RM47,000).

Syaffique, meanwhile, pocketed a commendable NTD175,000 (RM23,500), bringing his total winnings to NTD325,000 (RM43,700) after securing the Graded title on Saturday, which earned him NTD150,000 (RM20,200). Graded category typically refers to a classification system that groups bowlers based on their skill level or average scores.

Despite not making the cut for the national team, Syaffique remains committed to professional bowling, driven by his passion for the sport. “I’m grateful for these two back-to-back achievements in this tournament. It’s reassuring to know that I can compete for honours against the best. I will continue striving for more glory in the future,” said Syaffique, who was also the runner-up at the 2018 Taiwan Open. “I was part of the MTBC special squad back then, in the same batch as Rafiq and Timmy, just to name a few. Although I didn’t make it into the national team, I still chose to bowl full-time and make it my career. I travel to South Korea to compete in the professional tour there. “As an independent bowler, I wouldn’t have made it this far without my family’s blessings and my sponsors’ support. A special shoutout to Mr Fazz, Sharxfin Bowling Lab, Columbia300, Fexie Wear, and JNJ Distribution.” Meanwhile, national youth bowler Danial Abu Samah was the next best-placed Malaysian, finishing fourth. He was eliminated in the three-way semi-final won by Syaffique, who shot 225 to surpass Singapore’s Cherie Tan (206) and Danial (197). Four other Malaysians were in action but fell short of making the top-six cut for the stepladder finals. Ethan Damien Goh finished seventh, followed by Johnathan Chan (10th), Qurratun’ain Izdihar Pozi (16th), and Ahmad Aidil (17th).