KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian tenpin bowling is where it is today because of one man — Datuk Dr. P. S. Nathan.
And among those who will miss him a lot is his good friend, former national teammate and national head coach, Holloway Cheah.
Yesterday, after 50 years of helming the Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress (MTBC), Nathan, 91, announced that he was relinquishing his post as president.
Nathan, who founded MTBC in 1974, made the announcement at the national body's 50th anniversary dinner in Sunway.
"I first met Nathan way back in the 70s, when my friends and I used to pot bowl at Federal Bowl in Kuala Lumpur.
"Nathan would come then and bowl by himself, and never spoke to anyone.
"We used to observe him and learned that he was very systematic. He would train and leave.
"I finally approached him, and knew at once how knowledgeable he was about the game.
"Nathan was always a step ahead of everybody. When we bowled with one ball in tournaments, he already had two. When we finally had two, he had three.
"He has been a long serving president because he is an honest man, very straightforward and very passionate.
"Malaysian bowling is where it is today because of Nathan. MTBC will miss him a lot," Holloway told Timesport.
With Nathan vacating the hot seat, MTBC deputy president Datuk Mohamad Najeeb Abdullah will serve as acting president until their annual general meeting in October.
Asked his most memorable moment with Nathan, Holloway said: "It will have to be the Asian Games gold won in 1978."