Sue Abela and Kenneth Arpa crowned national bowling champions

Sue Abela and Kenneth Arpa were crowned BOV National Bowling Champions 2022.

The BOV National Championships were played over the weekend on a new and more challenging format, whereby three separate eight-game blocks were played on each day of the competition, with each having a unique, new and challenging oil pattern.

Players were barred from trying out any of these new patterns before the tournament.

Arpa and Abela led their respective categories from start to finish – going top after Day 1 and finishing in first place with a comfortable lead over the rest of their competitors by the end.

Arpa secured his fourth National Championship in dominant fashion – finishing with a lead of 256 pins over the runner-up Nicholas Muscat.

Arpa was previously crowned national champion back in 2002, 2004, and 2009 respectively. With this year’s triumph, he has become the oldest national champion in the history of Maltese bowling at 53 years old – 20 years after his first title.

With his win, Arpa brought Mauro Anastasi’s five-year winning streak to an end, with Anastasi finishing in third position this year.

Sue Abela secured her 2h6t National Championship title this year and similarly to Arpa, she led from start to finish.

Abela ended up distancing herself from runner-up Cynthia Frendo Duca by a margin of 106 pins after all 24 games.

The gap between Abela and third-placed Melissa Swift was 267 pins.

Winning her first national title back in 1987, Abela has now won at least two titles in each of the last five decades (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s); her longest reign as Malta’s female national champion was an 11-year span from 2005 till 2015.

After her victory, Abela stated that she is very satisfied and motivated to defend her current European Championship title as Malta’s national champion.

Ernest Agius, Chief Operating Officer at Bank of Valletta, accompanied by MBA president Edward Mifsud, presented the trophies to the winners.

“Bank of Valletta strongly believes in the health benefits of sport and physical activity and is a major supporter of sporting initiatives in Malta as part of its ESG commitments,” said Agius, while congratulating the champions.

“Maintaining top form over a large number of years embodies perseverance and commitment, constantly developing their skills and techniques to face new challenges.”