2005 EBT

Joonas Jähi of Finland defeated Paul Moor, England, in the championship match of the Kungsbacka International, 264-194, en route to win the last title of the 2005 European Bowling Tour season. Jähi, who denied Moor's bid for his fourth EBT title in 2005, earned 10.000 Euro. Moor (pictured), who pocketed 4.500 Euro, defended his title as European men's ranking champion as did Dane Britt Bröndsted in the women's division. Kai Virtanen, Finland, and Robert Andersson, Sweden, who were eliminated in the semifinals finished in third and fourth place, worth 2.000 Euro.

Jouni Helminen won four consecutive matches to win the Oltremare Championships in Naples, Italy. Helminen, seeded sixth in the eight-player shootout, averaged 240-plus over his five games and easily defeated No. 1 seed Sami Konsteri, 492-381, over two games total pinfall. The tournament ran hours late on the final day and proved once again that a "major" status doesn't guarantee first-class quality.

The Finnish bowlers dominated the Columbia 300 Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, winning 26.550 Euro or 48,62 per cent of the 54.610 Euro total prize fund. Osku Palermaa, the No. 3 seed with the powerful two-handed style, defeated Team USA's David Haynes and Lasse Lintilä before he topped No. 1 seeded Petri Mannonen (both from Finland) in the championship match, 228-181, to win his second EBT title this season and the 8.000 Euro top prize (approx. $9,560).

Zara Glover of England won her second career European ranking title when she defeated Finn Sami Konsteri two-games-to-none in the championship match of the San Marino Open. Glover who won Oltremare Championships in 2004, didn't need her eight pins handicap to win the first game 236-198 but counted on one pin for a 240-239 in game two. English players dominated the finals as Glover's compatriots Nick Froggatt and Stuart Williams finished third and fourth.

2004 European ranking champion Paul Moor of England won his third title on the 2005 European Bowling Tour when he defeated Norwegian Tore Torgersen, 214 -170, in the TV finals of the Norwegian Open. Moor, who shut out the PBA exempt bowler with four consecutive strikes at the end, pocketed 10.000 Euro. Torgersen received 5.500 Euro for his second consecutive runner-up finish on the EBT. Or Aviram of Israel and Swede Mathias Arup, who lost in the semis garnered 2.700 Euro each.

In the championship match between two PBA exempt bowlers, Michael Fagan of the United States defeated Tore Torgersen of Norway, two-games-to-none, en route to win the Gutperle Anniversary - 1st Viernheim Open and the 25.000 Euro (app. $30,500) top prize. Torgersen was consoled with 12.500 Euro. Jason Belmonte of Australia and Jesper Agerbo of Denmark received 5.500 Euro for finishing third and fourth, respectively.

Chris Van Damme, who has won the 2005 Malta Open Championships earlier this year, captured his second European Bowling Tour title this season in The Hague. The Belgian defeated Dutch international Ghislaine van der Tol, 484-438, over two games total pinfall en route to win the Dutch Brunswick Open.

Swede Tomas Leandersson (pictured) defeated Timo Alho, Finland, 246-210, in the championship match of the Olympia Tournament, in Helsingborg, Sweden, en route to win the 13th European Bowling Tour event and the 10.000 Euro top prize. It marked the first victory on the EBT for the multiple European and World champion. Alho earned 5.000 Euro for second place.

Peter Ljung won the "Swedish Championships" at the 2nd Hungarian Open in Budapest. Ljung defeated his compatriot Tony Fransson, 377-354, in the title match to earn 10.000 Euro. In an-all Swedish semifinal the two men had defeated two women, Helen Johnsson (3rd) and Anna Mattsson-Baard (4th). The three PBA professionals in the field, Brian Voss (30th/1146), Robert Smith (32nd/1136) and Mike Machuga (35th/1127) failed to make the cut to the top 16.

PBA star Brian Voss became the second PBA champion to win a European Bowling Tour event this season when he defeated Jo Harries from England, 245-203, to win the 27th Trofeo Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona in Spain. Voss pocketed 10.000 Euro and 100 ranking points for his first EBT title. Harries, the qualifying leader, earned her right to face No. 1 seeded Voss with a stunningly ruthless 252-190 victory over 2-time European champion Jari Ratia from Finland.

Chris Van Damme from Belgium and Germany's Martina Beckel captured the title in the Malta Open. Two days prior to his 47th birthday, top seeded Van Damme made himself a $4,850 present when he easily defeated European ranking champion and leader Paul Moor from England, 245-158. No. 4 seed Beckel, 46, took the longer route and finally defeated Helen Johnsson, Sweden, who led since the qualifying, in a low scoring affair, 181-163.

Down by 22 pins after the first of two games in the championship match against Paul Moor from England, Mika Koivuniemi came back to win the second game by 40 pins to win the 9th stop of the European Bowling Tour, the Brunswick Aalborg International and the 11.000 Euro top prize. The "big Finn", 2004 PBA Player of the Year, won the two game total pinfall title match with 438-410, and denied Moor's bid for an unprecedented third EBT title in one season. Swedes Marcus Nyberg and Anders Öhman finished in third and fourth place, worth 4,000 Euro each.

In an all-German affair, Peter Knopp defeated Achim Grabowski, 509-491, over two games total pinfall to win his first European Bowling Tour title in the Istanbul Open and the 8.000 Euro top prize. Both players rolled a 279-score in the finals but Knopp's 230 made the difference. Grabowski was consoled with 5.000 Euro. 

Reigning European Ranking champion Paul Moor from England defeated tournament leader Osku Palermaa from Finland in the title match, 210-205 and 227-215, to win the Championship Golden Bowl in Turin an 10.000 Euro. This was Moor's second victory of this year's European Bowling Tour after winning the second stop in Ireland three months ago. Moor, the No. 2 seed, ousted Kai Guenther, Germany in the semi-final, 211-183. 

German international Jens Nickel mowed down three current and former Finnish internationals en route to claim the title in the Brunswick Euro Challenge and the 14.000 Euro top prize. Nickel, a bronze medallist in All Events at the 2003 World Championships, was the No. 3 seed in the four player shoot-out. In the opening match, the bowling center manager topped Petteri Salonen, 206-203, flew past Pasi Uotila, 258-212, in the semis and shut out No. 1 seed Jouni Helminen, 213-192, in the championship match.

Fresh off finishing 19th in last week's 62nd U.S. Open, Osku Palermaa won two matches in the championship round of the III Catalonia Open at Planet Bowling in Gava, Spain, en route to win his first European ranking title and the 6.000 Euro top prize. The Finn, seeded second, topped compatriot Jari Ratia in the semi-final, 224-204, then cruised to victory over top-seeded Marcial Ovide, Spain, 247-173.

Paul Moor (pictured) from England and Sweden's Viktoria Sofkova won the men's and women's titles in the Irish Open Championships in Dublin. Moor, the No. 1 seed, posted a big score to beat Ireland's Eoin McLoughlin in the men's final, 279-227. Sofkova, who took the fourth and final spot for the women's finals, topped 2-time European ranking champion Kamilla Kjeldsen, Denmark, in a two-frame roll-off after a 211-211 tie.

Mika Lahti, the only man in the 4-player TV finals, won the title in the 35th Ballmaster Open and 10.000 Euro at Tali Bowling Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. Lahti, seeded 33rd after qualifying, topped 2001 champion Piritta Kantola, 226-223, in the semis, then defeated Reija Lundén, 237-229, in the title match. The only non-Finnish finalist, Nina Flack, of Sweden, fell to Lunden in the other semi-final, 256-211.