Jean-Marc Lebon and Katrien Goossens won the men's and women's title in the 2008 Belgian Individual Championship Sunday May 4th at Bowling Bowlmaster in Brussels. It was the fourth consecutive national title for Lebon and the sixth overall. The champions will represent Belgium at the 31st European Champions Cup, October 20-26, 2008 at Treff Bowling in Duisburg, Germany.

This season, the Belgian Sport Bowling Federation created a new category called "Top Sport" (all categories, women and men together) in addition to the usual national championship ("A", "B", "C" and "D" categories based on players' average, women and men in separate division).

It was decided that the Belgian individual champions would come from the "Top Sport" championship as it was bowled on dual lane conditions with a final on "sport" conditions, while the Category A-D championship was contested on house condition.

All players bowled 30 games of qualifying - 10 on a 43-feet long pattern in Jumet in September 2007, 10 on a 34-feet short pattern in Oudenaarde in December 2007, and 10 on a mixed 33-feet short and 43-feet long pattern in Sint-Maartens-Latem in April 2008. Women received 8 pins handicap each game.

The top 16 players - 12 men and four women - advanced to the finals in Petersen style at Bowling Bowlmaster in Brussels. 30 per cent of the qualifying total was brought forward and each win in the 15-game round robin format was worth an additional 20 pins bonus.

Lebon averaged 214.00 for his fifteen games and won all but one match to defend his title once gain with 5345 pinfall total. Ives Van Eyken, who had an 11-pin cushion after qualifying, posted the field-best 215.27 average in match play but had to settle for second place with 5295 due to a 10-5 won-loss record. Qualifying leader Jimmy Ravez was another 20 pins behind to finish third with 5275 (9-6).
L-R Ravez, champions Lebon and Goossens, Van Eyken.

"All the good male Belgian players have participated in the "Top Sport" championship," said Lebon. "I have won my sixth title and for the fourth consecutive year after 1991, 1995, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and I'm very proud of it."

Katrien Goossens averaged 188.97 in round robin and won five of her 15 matches to finish in 10th place overall. She beat out Carolin Witvrouwen for the women's top spot by 74 pins, 4859 to 4785. Inge Joris was third with 4734 and Christine Van Boom fourth with 4689.