Sue Abela, representing Malta, a small island in the Mediterranean Sea, powered her way into the lead in the women's division at the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup after three of four qualifying blocks. Abela had games of 213, 225, 213, 248, 215 and 217 for a 1331 six-game series and an 3923 pinfall total, an average of 217.94 over 18 games. Previous leader
Lee Sun Hee, Korea, slipped to second with 3864.
Aumi Guerra, Dominican Republic, whose coach Craig Woodhouse is lying ill in his hotel room and was unable to attend a single game this week, leaped into third place with 3854 after posting the women's high series (1403) and high game (279) thus far.
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Jason Belmonte from Australia remained unchallenged in the final qualifying squad and will lead the top 24 men into the second round in the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia. Belmonte had six-game blocks of 1452, 1374, 1380 and 1400 to lead the field of 88 players with 5606 and an average of 233,58. Opposite to the previous years, the pinfall will be carried forward until the 3-player stepladder final. No complaint from Belmonte.He led the qualifying in the 2004 World Cup in Singapore but fell to eventual winner, Kai Virtanen, in the first round of the single-elimination finals to finish fifth. 
Jason Belmonte, Australia, rolled his second 1400 series in the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, to hold a 117-pin lead after the players from Squad A have finished their 24 games of qualifying. Belmonte had a 5606 pinfall total and an average of 233.58. Team USA's Bill Hoffman (right) regained the second place with 5489. Squad B leader Marcelo Suartz, Brazil, must shoot a new World Cup record of 1548 to overtake Belmonte by one pin and to win the qualifying. 
Ghislaine van der Tol, Netherlands, won the women's qualifying in the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Dutch lefty rolled a 1402 series in the fourth and final qualifying round to jump from 9th to first with a 5179 24-game total and an average of 215.79. Another lefty, Sharon Koh, Malaysia, finished in second place with 5168. Squad B leader Helen Johnsson, Sweden, needed a 235 to earn the top spot but had to settle for third with 5140 behind a 195 in the final game. Nofar Herskovitch, Israel, took the 24th and final qualifying spot with 4756 or an average of 198.17.
Marcelo Suartz (l.), Brazil, took over the lead in the men's Squad B at the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia behind games of 212, 246, 259, 279, 275 and 247 and 1518 six-game series. The 20-year-old overtook previous squad leader Petteri Salonen (r.), who was third in the overall standings, by 62 pins to lead the 43-player field with 4059 18-game pinfall and an average of 225.50.
Aumi Guerra (left), Dominican Republic, set the pace in Squad B on day 3 qualifying at the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup. Guerra had games of 229, 279, 240, 242, 182, 231 and a 1403 six-game series Tuesday morning at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, to fall just ten pins short of the lead in the women's division. Lee Sun Hee (right), Korea, remained atop the 73-player field with 3864 18-game total and an average of 214.67. Guerra is second with 3854. Squad A will start at 11.30 a.m. Latest News: Abela needs 159 in the final game to take the lead.
Sue Abela (left) from Malta, who led Squad A after the first round of six games and was third overall, moved into second place with 2592 12 game total after she led Squad A fort he second consecutive day. Abela trails leader Sun Hee Lee from Korea (2636) by 44 pins. Sasha Luciano (right), Puerto Rico, was 24 pins behind Abela to move into third place overall with 2568. Tina Hulsch of Germany is fourth with 2565.
First block leader Sun Hee Lee (left), Korea, rolled the second highest six-game block of squad B on Monday to maintain her lead in the women's division of the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Korean averaged 208.33 for the round and felled 1250 pins including a high game of 223 and a low game of 192. With 2636 12-game total, an average of 219.67, Sun holds a 71 pin lead over Tina Hulsch (right), Germany, who is second with 2565. 
There must be something in the Russian water. Petteri Salonen, who won four gold medals at the 2005 European Championships in Moscow, Russia, set a new record for six games on day two qualifying in St. Petersburg, Russia, en route to leapfrog 45 spots at the men's QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup. Salonen had games of 247, 220, 256, 279, 279 and 257 for 1538, an average of 256.33 and 380 pins more than the Finn had his first block yesterday (1158). His 2696 12-game total propelled him from 48th to third place.
Sue Abela, Malta, took the early lead in the women's division Squad A in the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia., with 1342 pinfall total and an average of 223,67. Abela started with 191, 213, 253 and 214, overtook the lead with 223 in game #5 and closed out her six-game series with 248. She was the sole player of the squad, who reached the 1300-plateau.
In his very last tournament as an unmarried man, Jason Belmonte, the two-hander from Australia, came out of the gates quickly and took the lead on day one qualifying in the men's division at the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia. Belmonte (left) rolled a 1452 six-game series, an average of 242.00. Trailing by 19 pins to sit in second place was Bill Hoffman (right) from the United States, who cjhecked in with 1433 and an average of 238.83. Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, set the high light when he rolled the first 
Paulo Lopes (left) from Portugal is the surprise leader after Men Squad B has completed the first of four six-game qualifying blocks at the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in St. Petersburg, Russia. Lopes stunned the favorites when he finished his block with 257 and 279, the high game thus far, to shoot into the lead with 1385 pinfall total and an average of 230.83. Mohamed Al-Qubaisi, UAE, and Remy Ong, Singapore, who were atop the 43-player field until the final game, ended up in second and third place, respectively. 
The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup was officially declared at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia. For the first time in its 43-year history, the most prestigious amateur tournament in the sport of tenpin bowling, visits Russia. 84 men and 73 women representing 88 countries will participate in this year's event.
Bowlingdigital will cover the event live from St. Petersburg commencing November 3 all the way through to the finals on Sunday, November 10. 
For nearly a dozen years, the United States has struggled in the men's division at the QubicaAMF World Cup, and Team USA's Bill Hoffman admits he feels some pressure heading into this year's event. Hoffman, a two-time U.S. Amateur champion and eight-time Team USA member from Columbus, Ohio, will face stiff competition from across the world at the 43rd World Cup, which begins Sunday in St. Petersburg, Russia.
USA's Lynda Barnes remains the only returning champion at the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia but she will face stiff competition from all, including Indonesia's Putty Armein (5th last year) and Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic (8th last year). Final arrangements have been made for TV coverage of the event. The finals will be broadcast live on Russian channel RTR and will feature on Eurosport in two one-hour slots. 
Marcial Ovide and Sandra Torrents won the Spanish Bowling World Cup qualifier and will represent their country in the 43rd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Continent Bowling Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, from November 3-11, 2007. Ovide dominated the men's division outaveraging his nearest competitor by more than 18 pins over 12 games. Torrents led the women's division by 109 pins. 