In a title match between two members of the Swedish national team, Dennis Eklund defeated Martin Larsen, 202-195, to win the Örgryte International 2010, the third stop of the Swedish Super Six Tour 2010.

Eklund (pictured left), who denied Larsen's bid for back-to-back victories on the SSST, ended a long title drought on the tour. "Finally I was able to win again. It has been four years since I won last time in Super Six," Eklund said, after a weekend where he followed his game plan and responded to every challenge.

The tournament took place at Strike & Co in Gothenburg and was contested on the WTBA short oil pattern Los Angeles (36 feet), which proved to be a real challenge for the participants. The cutoff number for the finals was a modest 1245, or an average of 207.50, one of the lowest averages ever in the Super Six history.

Eklund, however, set the pace on the final day with a huge 769 3-game block (256.33 avg.). He was in third place after the first 8 games, but regained the lead during the quarterfinal and en route to claim the top seed for the stepladder final with 2707 12-game total and an average of 225.58.

Eklund was followed by local favorite Mikael Roos with 2688 and Norwegian standout Tore Torgersen with 2685. The former world champion and PBA exempt player rolled a 300 game on the final day and had second chance for a perfect game – but threw his 12th ball in the gutter to finish with 290.

Larsen beat out Team Pergamon teammate and Swedish national coach, Tomas Leandersson, for the fourth and last place to qualify for the stepladder by mere 11 pins. Leandersson, a multiple world and European champion, has won the first Super Six event of the season in Stockholm by defeating Torgersen, 215-193.

In the stepladder final of the Örgryte International 2010, Larsen topped Torgersen in the opening match, 244-200, and went on to defeat Roos in the semifinal, 234-210, for the right to bowl Eklund for the title.

Eklund opened with three strikes and took an early lead as Larsen was unable to strike on the right lane. When Eklund opened in the sixth frame, Larsen narrowed the gap and the title was decided in the final frames.

Eklund hit the pocket in the 9th and 10th frame, but didn't carry and had to settle for spares, finishing with 202. That left the door open for Larsen who needed a strike on his first shot in the 10th frame to win his second consecutive SST title.

Bowling on the right lane again, the right-hander left a 7-pin standing which sealed his fate.

"I threw a good ball and thought it would be a strike. Overall, I am satisfied with my performance and competing on the short oil pattern has been good for us, looking forward to the World Championships later this year (Aug. 11-22 in Germany)," said Larsen.

Eklund is one of the key players in the Swedish team and his focus is entirely on the World Championships. "I have improved both my mental and physical game, and will be much better prepared this time, compared to the championships in Bangkok two years ago," he said.

The fourth stop of the Swedish Super Six Tour 2010 will be held from Sept. 26 through Oc.t 3, 2010 at Bowling Arena in Jönköping, Sweden.

 

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Örgryte International 2010

Strike&Co in Gothemburg, Sweden (April 25 - May 2, 2010)

Championship Round:
1. Dennis Eklund, Sweden, 40.000 SEK
2. Martin Larsen, Sweden, 25.000 SEK
3. Mikael Roos, Sweden, 15.000 SEK
4. Tore Torgersen, Norway, 10.000 SEK
L-R Larsen, winner Eklund and Roos.

Playoff Results:
First Match: No. 4 Larsen defeated No. 3 Torgersen, 244-200
Second Match: Larsen defeated No. 2 Roos, 234-210
Championship: No. 1 Eklund defeated Larsen, 202-195

Places 5-8:
5. Tomas Leandersson, Sweden, 8.000 SEK
6. Peter Ljung, Sweden, 8.000 SEK
7. Mathias Ã…rup, Sweden, 8.000 SEK
8. Svein Roger Olsen, Norway, 8.000 SEK

 

Courtesy of Hans Karlsson/Thord Lagercrantz.