Luca Osella (second from the left), Italy defeated Hafthor Hardarsson, Iceland, in the championship match over two games total pinfall, 458-450, to win the 3rd QubicaAMF Open at Bowling Center Gladiator in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Osella was down by one pin after the first game, 234-233, but secured the victory and the 5.333 Euro top prize (-25% tax) with a 225-216 win in game #2. Hardarsson pocketed 2.667 Euro for second place. Semifinal losers David Canady and Dirk Völkel received 1.333 Euro apiece. Janine Gabel, all Germany, won the women's rankings.
The Presidium of the European Tenpin Bowling Federation (ETBF) has announced the 2010 European Bowling Tour schedule, the 11th season in the organization's history. The 2010 EBT includes 21 stops between January 2nd and December 18th, 2010 with return visits to all 15 venues from the 2009 season and six newcomers to the tour. The total prize fund of the 2010 EBT will exceed 1.2 million Euro, an average prize fund of approximately 55.000 € per stop.
As a consequence of the global financial crisis, the organizer of Ankara Open, the 13th stop of the 2009 European Bowling Tour, has announced that the prize fund of the 2009 tournament will be reduced to 70.000 Euro. In agreement with the European Tenpin Bowling Federation Presidium the Ankara Open changes loses its "Premier" status and changes to EBT "Major". The Ankara Open will be conducted September 5-13, 2009 at Rollhouse Bowling Center Bilkent.
3-time European ranking champion Paul Moor (l.),
England, was crowned men's European Bowling Tour Masters champion after
leading the 8-game round robin match play portion with 2023 pinfall total. With the victory, the lefty ended a two-year drought on the European Bowling Tour. The fact that the 18-game qualifying pinfall was dropped before the match play
round has been a quite controversial topic in Aalborg. According to our information, the players made their own results PLUS
QUALIFYING and the leader after 26 games, second-place finisher Jason Belmonte (r.), Australia, was paid out
the top prize of 4.000 Euro by the players.
Defending champion Kamilla Kjeldsen (l.), Denmark, won her second consecutive European Bowling Tour Masters title Tuesday at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark. Kjeldsen, who led the field after qualifying, outaveraged her nearest competitor, compatriot Rikke Holm Rasmussen, in the 8-game round robin match play portion by more than 9 pins. Priscilla Maaswinkel, Netherlands, finished in third place. The third EBT Masters will be held in Vienna, Austria, from May 3-4, 2010. 
Remy Ong (l.), Singapore, held on to the lead in the men's European Bowling Tour Masters after 18 games of qualifying with 4203 pinfall total and an average of 233.50. PBA Rookie of the Year, Jason Belmonte (r.), led the third block with 1443 (240.50) to jump into second place with 4138. The top 8 players will determine the champion this afternoon in an 8-game round robin match play round on dual lane condition.
Kamilla Kjeldsen (pictured), Denmark, who won the inaugural EBT Masters in 2008, posted the field-best 1380 six-game series on dual lane condition, a 230.00 average, to lead the top 8 women into round robin match play with 3981 pinfall total (221.17). Priscilla Maaswinkel, Netherlands, who led the field after two blocks on short and on long oil, was second with 1319 but slipped to second place with 3930 (218.33). The top 8 players will determine the champion this afternoon in an 8-game round robin match play round on dual lane condition.
Priscilla Maaswinkel (pictured), Netherlands, was the sole woman with two 1300-plus series on day one qualifying en route to take the lead in the women's European Bowling Tour Masters 2009. Maaswinkel had 1306 on short and 1305 on long oil to lead the field of 16 women with 2611 12-game total (217.58). Defending champion Kamilla Kjeldsen is mere 10 pins behind in second place with 2601. The 16 players return on Tuesday for the third and final six-game block on dual lane condition to cut to the top 8, who will determine the champion in round robin match play.
Remy Ong (pictured) from Singapore took the lead after the first day of qualifying in the European Bowling Tour Masters 2009. The lefty outaveraged his nearest competitor by more than eight pins with 2899 16-game total and an average of 241.58. Places 2-4 belong to fellow lefties Paul Moor, England (2800), Peter Ljung, Sweden (2791) and Mads Sandbækken, Norway (2698). The 15 players return on Tuesday for the third and final six-game block on dual lane coondition to cut to the top 8, who will determine the champion in round robin match play.
The title match of the Brunswick Aalborg International was a match between two teammates of multiple Swedish team champion Team Pergamon. Martin Larsen (pictured), Sweden, topped Tore Torgersen, Norway, 457 to 449 over two games total pinfall to win his fifth EBT title and the 10.000 Euro top prize. In the semifinals, Larsen and Torgersen eliminated two Finns on their way to the title match. Larsen defeated top seeded Joonas Jähi, 472-424, while Torgersen took revenge for the World Ranking Masters defeat earlier this month, when he ousted Osku Palermaa, 458-432. Palermaa will receive the EBT exemption of the PBA World Series. 
Dominic Barrett (pictured left) from England won the qualifying in the Brunswick Aalborg International 2009 and a 1.000 bonus with 1504 six-game total and an average of 250.67. Barrett, who won the Australian Open and the World Tenpin Masters in April, beat out Joonas Jähi, Finland (1503), Jesper Agerbo, Denmark (1502), for the top spot by one and two pins. Daniëlle van der Meer (r.), Netherlands, hit the cutoff number for 38th place with 1390, a 231.67 (scratch) average. A total of 48 players advanced to the finals on Sunday. 
Dominic Barrett (l.) from England finished the penultimate qualifying day in the Brunswick Aalborg International 2009 with a 1504 six-game series (250.67 average) en route to overtake the lead in the overall qualifying standings by one pin. Previous leader Joonas Jähi, Finland, and Squad 1 leader Jesper Agerbo, Denmark, slipped to second and third with 1503 and 1502, respectively. Thomas Gross, Austria, is the "man on the bubble" in 38th place with 1376 or an average of 229.33 for six games. 
Thursday's squad leaders averaged between 246 and 250 en route to crack the top 4 in the qualifying for the Brunswick Aalborg International 2009. Joonas Jähi, Finland, had games of 244, 256, 256, 277, 213 and 257 in Squad 6 to overtake the pole position in the overall qualifying standings with 1503 pinfall total and an average of 250.50. Fredrik Tjernes (l.), Norway, used one of three perfect games on Thursday to lead Squad 4 with 1482 (247.00), good for third place overall.
Dutch national team member Danielle van der Meer chalked up 1390 pins in the third qualifying squad Wednesday at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark, to move into fourth place in the overall qualifying standings in the Brunswick Aalborg International. Van der Meer, who studies at the University of Nebraska, United States, averaged 223.67 over six games on dual lane condition and added 48 pins handicap, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour. The top three players, however, remained unchallenged and automatically earned a spot for the finals.
Jesper Agerbo (pictured left) started the Brunswick Aalborg International 2009 almost with a 258 triplicate en route to set the pace with 1502 six-game total and an average of 250.33. Agerbo, who won the silver medal in Masters at the 2008 Men's World Championships, had games of 258, 259, 258, 235, 266 and 226 in the first of 14 qualifying squads Monday at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark. The Brunswick Aalborg International 2009 is the 7th stop of the 2009 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's "Majors".
In the year 2010, the Ballmaster Open tournament in Finland will celebrate its 40th anniversary. To underline the status as the longest running bowling tournament in Europe and the sole tournament which was on the European Bowling Tour schedule in every season since the tour's inception in the year 2000, tournament organizer Kimmo Lehtonen has applied for Platinum status in 2010 and has raised the total prize fund from 75.000 to 105.000 Euro. Lehtonen, a long-time Finish national team member and 2005 World Ranking Masters champion, has also announced that the Ballmaster finals will feature 16-player Round Robin match play followed by a stepladder final.
The European Bowling Tour has announced that Dutch Priscilla Maaswinkel (l.) will replace Marilyn Planchard (r.), France in the women's division of the second EBT Masters. Planchard cited "personal reasons" for her decision. The Masters is the 2008 season-ending event of the European rankings featuring the top 16 men and women and will be held at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark, May 25-26, 2009.
The European Bowling Tour has announced that Pasi Uotila (pictured left), Finland, has withdrawn from participating in the 2nd EBT Masters which will be held at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark, May 25-26, 2009. The Masters is the 2008 season-ending event of the European rankings featuring the top 16 men and women. Uotila, ranked 9th, has a hand injury and will be replaced by No. 18 Remy Ong (right), Singapore.
2007 World Ranking Masters champion Stuart Williams (pictured left) has withdrawn from 2009 European Bowling Tour Masters. Instead of participating in the Masters to be held at May 25-26 at Bowling Center, Aalborg, Denmark.
The top 16 men and the top 16 women from the rankings of the 2008 EBT season earned a spot in the 2nd EBT Masters. Williams will be replaced by No. 17 Mads Sandbækken (right), Norway.
Csaba Rácz from Hungary and Kristoffer Hagelberg, Sweden, led squads 10 and 11, respectively, en route to jump into the top 10 in the overall qualifying standings of the 3rd QubicaAMF Open in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Rácz (l.) started Squad 10 with 265 and closed out the six-game series with 259 to move into fifth place with an average of 236.50. Hagelberg (r.) overtook 10th place behind a 1393 series (232.17) including a high game of 279.