Former PBA exempt bowler
Andres Gomez, Colombia, rolled games of 210, 244, 216, 204, 198 and 210 in Squad 6 at Plaza Bowling in Saint Maximin, France to overtake the qualifying lead in the Brunswick Euro Challenge with 1282 six-game total and an average of 213.67.
Nicolas Forestier, France, who led the squad after five games, finished with 194 and 1277 to move into second place in the overall qualifying standings. Previous leader
Olivier Leroy, Belgium, slipped to third place with 1242. Qualifying continues on Tuesday evening with Squad 7 of 22.
Multiple World Champion Martin Larsen became the first player in this year's Brunswick Euro Challenge, who cracked the 1400-bar. The Swede came out of the gates quickly Thursday evening at Plaza Bowling in Saint Maximin, France, a spacious 28-lane center, and registered the first 500-series of the tournament for the first two games (267, 238). The righthander added games of 230, 255, 212 and 246 for the field-best 1448 series, an average of 241.33 for six games. Qualifying ends with squad #22 and the ultimate Desperado Squad on Saturday night, March 15. 
Jason Belmonte (left), the two-hander from Down Under, rolled games of 202, 226, 222, 232, the tournament high 279 and 237 to take the lead in the Brunswick Euro Challenge when the tournament has reaches the halfway point of its qualifying. Belmonte led the 11th of 22 squads Thursday afternoon at Plaza Bowling in Saint Maximin, France, with 1398 six-game total and an average of 233.00. He improved on a 1373 total to leap one spot and to overtake previous leader Mike Fagan, United States, by 8 pins. Qualifying continues on Thursday with squads 12 and 13 a 6 and 10 p.m.
PBA exempt bowler Chris Loschetter (l.), United States, improved his pervious six-game total by 210 pins on Thursday morning to leap 83 spots into 10th place in the overall qualifying standings in the 2008 Brunswick Euro Challenge. Loschetter led the 10th qualifying squad with 1290 pinfall total including a high game of 234 and a low game of 199. PBA champion Mike Fagan, United States and Jason Belmonte (r-l), Australia, remained unchallenged atop the leaderboard with 1390 and 1373 pinfall total, resp. Qualifying will continue Thursday with three more squads at 2, 6 and 10 p.m. 
The international players took over Plaza bowling center in Saint Maximin, France, where the fifth stop of the 2008 European Bowling Tour, the 90.000 Euro Brunswick Euro Challenge, is underway. Four players Shaun Ng (left), Singapore, Tim Mack (right), Ronnie Russell, both United States, and Dominic Barrett, England, moved into third through sixth place during the 9th qualifying squad on Wednesday night. Qualifying continues Thursday with four squads. 
Two of the favorites, Mike Fagan, United States and Jason Belmonte (r.l), Australia, took a dominating lead in Brunswick Euro Challenge after squad 8. Fagan, who won his first career PBA title this season posted a tournament-best 1390 series to lead the field of 144 players with an average of 231.67. Belmonte, had six games between 217 and 243 to overtake the second place with 1373 (228.83). Dutch Wendy van der List became the first woman who cracked the 1300-bar with 1301, good for third place overall. 
Olivier Leroy, Belgium, who led the fourth qualifying squad in the Brunswick Euro Challenge at Plaza Bowling in St. Maximin, France, improved his 1239 six-game total by three pins in squad 5 to finish the first weekend atop the leaderboard with 1242 or an average of 207.00. That is worth much more than just bragging rights as the top 6 players from the combined standings of squads 1-5, who will not finish among the top 52 qualifiers in the overall qualifying standings, receive an automatic berth in the finals on Sunday, March 16.
Olivier Leroy, Belgium, finished his six-game qualifying block Saturday afternoon with a 222 game to beat out Anne Lorraine Gales (pictured left), Denmark, for the top spot in qualifying after four squads by one pin. Leroy totaled 1239 pins, an average of 206.50. Gales added 48 pins handicap, a standard on the European Bowling Tour for women, to her her 1190 pinfall to sit in second place with 1238. The top 6 from a separate standing for the squads conducted March 7-9, who will not finish among the top 52 qualifiers, will earn a berth into the finals on Sunday, March 16. 
Gery Verbruggen (left), Belgium, took the early lead in the Brunswick Euro Challenge at Plaza Bowling St. Maximin in Saint Maximin.The 4-time European Ranking winner (2000-03) started with three sub-par games but rebounded with 253, 237 and 202 to lead the richest event on the 2008 European Bowling Tour after day one qualifying with 1228 six-game total and an average of 204.67. The 5th annual Brunswick Euro Challenge runs through March 16 and offers total prize fund of 90,000 Euros. 
The 5th Brunswick Euro Challenge, to be held from March 8 through 16, 2008 at Plaza Bowling in Saint Maximin, is the richest event on the 2008 European Bowling Tour and certainly one of its real "major" tournaments. According to Brunswick's Martina Jakobi, 446 players - 348 men and 98 women - from 38 countries have registered and there are only a few qualifying spots available from March 8-12. The BEC will get underway today with two squads at 1 and 5 p.m. Bowlingdigital will cover the event live from Paris commencing Thursday, March 13 all the way through to the finals on Sunday, March 16. 
The 2008 Brunswick Euro Challenge sponsored by Brunswick Bowling will be organized by Brunswick distributor Valcke Bowling.