PLUHOWSKY RE-CAPTURES AMF WORLD CUP TITLE posted 12-12-04

 

SINGAPORE - Three-time defending U.S. Amateur champion Shannon Pluhowsky became just the third woman to win two AMF World Cups when she beat defending titlist Kerrie Ryan-Ciach of Canada for the 2004 World Cup bowling title Sunday, Dec. 12 the SuperBowl SAFRA Mount Faber.

 

Pluhowsky, a University of Nebraska senior from Phoenix who won the 2002 World Cup and finished second last year, topped Ryan-Ciach 236-200, 234-185 in the best-of-three championship match. Pluhowsky advanced to the finale by dismissing Liza Del Rosario of The Philippines in the day's first semifinal match 259-226, 269-169. Ryan-Ciach earned her berth by outlasting Puerto Rico's Yoselin Leon 279-190, 193-257, 208-193.

 

Finland's Kai Vertanen won the men's title by defeating Norway's Petter Hansen 258-208, 216-233, 258-242. Vertanen stopped Israel's Yahav Rabin 200-215, 214-194, 238-220 to move into the title match.

 

Pluhowsky became the first two-time women's winner since Great Britain's Pauline Smith (1981, 1993). Australia's Jeannette Baker (1982, 1983) is the only other women's double winner.

 

"I think the experience of being in the finals more than once helps," Pluhowsky said. "I did not have as many butterflies and was not as nervous feeling today. I am getting more used to all of the attention. I'm really a quiet person, and we don't get much attention in the U.S."

 

The 22-year-old U.S. national amateur champion admitted

earlier in the week that the loss motivated her performance this year.

 

“I learned a lot from my performance last year,” she said. In fact, I think I could have bowled better the entire season. My loss (in last year’s finals) was a driving force for this season.

 

 

Pluhowsky averaged 249.5 for the day while giving the United States its 13^th World Cup title (seven men, six women). The competition features the finest amateur bowlers in the world

 

"It is not an easy thing to defend and to beat the champ," Pluhowsky said. "The U.S. is so big it is hard to come back as the champion each year."

 

Ryan-Ciach, the 33-year-old Canadian national champion, could have become only the second person in World Cup history to win back-to-back titles.

 

 

Ryan-Ciach achieved some satisfaction, however, as she and Jack Guay won the Bent Petersen Trophy for best combined country performance. Guay finished tied for fifth in the men’s division.

 

A record 95 nations competed in this year’s AMF World Cup (93 men, 73 women). The AMF World Cup is the world’s largest annual international sports championship in terms of number of participating countries.

 

 

USA Bowling contributed to this report.