The Belgian and Squad 3 leader Eike Kabowski earn spots in Sunday's finals; five players crack the top 10 in Squad 2 and 3; cut for 42nd place is currently 1107 (184.50 average)
Mats Maggi (l.) of Belgian overtook the lead in the qualifying at the 34th Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona in the second squad Wednesday at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain. The Belgian national team member finished his six-game block with 245 and 249 to tie previous leader Ildemaro Ruiz (r.) of Venezuela at 1424 total, an average of 237.33. Maggi was seeded first due to the higher last game (Ruiz 239).
Venezuelan averages over 237 en route to earn automatic berth into Sunday's finals
Ildemaro Ruiz (l.) of Venezuela averaged 237.33 in the opening squad of the 34th Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona Tuesday evening at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain, en route to earn an automatic berth into Sunday's finals, Ruiz, who made three TV shows at the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, had games of 228, 238, 255, 219, 245 and 239 to beat out Osku Palermaa (r.) of Finland for the top spot by 25 pins.
Wins first title for Greece in 13-year history of the European Bowling Tour
Stavros Parasakis (pictured) of Greece made history when he defeated Stuart Williams of England, 466-456, to capture the title and the 10.000 top prize in the 8th Storm San Marino Open in Serravalle. It was the first-ever title for a Greek bowler, man or woman, in the 13-year history of the European Bowling Tour. Williams earned 6.009 Euro for second place. Swede Martin Larsen and Dominic Barrett, England, received 3.400 apiece for third and fourth place.
Swede earns 1.000 Euro bonus and leads top 48 into Sunday's finals; as the lone woman, Laurence Gaillard of France has already won the women ranking in San Marino; cut for 35th place was 1322 (220.33 average)
Joachim Karlsson (l.) of Sweden remained unchallenged in Saturday's Squad 18-21 en route to win the qualifying in the 8th Storm San Marino Open and a 1.000 Euro bonus. Karlsson was the only player of 242 from 21 countries who cracked the 1500-bar (250 average) when he posted 1519 in the 15th qualifying squad Friday afternoon. 48 players advanced to Sunday's finals. Laurence Gaillard of France was the sole woman who survived the first cut and has already won the women's ranking in San Marino.
Swede averages over 253 to lead the 232-player field into the final day of qualifying; PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli is "on the bubble" with 1314 (219 average)
Joachim Karlsson (pictured) became the first player in the 8th Storm San Marino Open who cracked the 1500-bar (250 average) when the Swede posted 1519 in the 15th qualifying squad Friday afternoon at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle. Karlsson used two 279 and a 277 game to rocket to the top of the 232-player leaderboard with an average of 253.17 over six games. Qualifying continues Saturday, July 14, with Squad 18-21 and concludes with the Desperado Squad following immediately after Squad 21.
Swede Martin Larsen leads 210-player field with 1476 (246 average); cut for 35th place is now 1293 (215.50 average)
Martin Larsen (l.) of Sweden averaged 246 in the 13th qualifying squad of the 8th Storm San Marino Open Thursday afternoon to take a 41-pin-lead with 1476 pinfall total. Another three international bowlers added their names to the leaderboard in Squad 14. Rob Thurlby (r.) of England led the squad with 1435 to move into second place, with Chris Klerk, United States third with 1392 and Dominic Barrett, England, fourth with 1391.
Four players crack the top 10 in Wednesday's Squad 9-11; cut for 35th place is now 1234 (205.67 average)
Massimiliano Celli (l.) of Italy started the eleventh qualifying squad of the 8th Storm San Marino Open Wednesday evening at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle with a low game of 203 but rebounded with three 240s and two 220s to rise to the top of the overall standings. Celli toppled 1388 pins, an average of 231.33 over six games, to surpass previous leader Daniel Vezis (r.) of England by 24 pins. Qualifying continues Thursday with Squad 12-14.
17-year-oldtwo-hander shoots 1364 series in Squad 7 to lead a field of 122 bowlers; cut for 35th place is now 1200 (200 average)
Fresh off his victory in the 10th Czech Open, 17-year-old two-hander Daniel Vezis (l.) of England posted a 1364 series to overtake the pole position in the qualifying of the 8th Storm San Marino Open at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle. Vezis led the seventh qualifying squad Tuesday afternoon and overtook rrevious leader Yoan Alix of France by 31 pins. Squad 8 leader Maurizio Celli of Italy moved into fourth place with 1322.Qualifying continues Wednesday, July 11th.
French bowlers dominate Day 3 qualifying, hold four of the top 5 spots; cut for 35th place is currently 1192 (198.67 average)
Yoan Alix (pictured) of France posted a 1333 six-game series in Monday's qualifying Squad 5 en route to leap from fourth to first place in the qualifying of the 8th Storm San Marino Open at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle. With six of 21 squads in the books, the long-time national team member is one of four French bowlers in the top 5. Alix overtook previous leader Renato Bortolon of Italy by four pins. Bortolon slipped to second place with 1329. Qualifying continues Tuesday, July 10, with Squad 7 and 8 scheduled for 4 and 8 p.m. CEST.
Italian Renato Bortolon holds on to the lead after 4/21 qualifying squads; cut for 35th place is currently 1166 (194.44 average)
Renato Bortolon (l.) of Italy leads the qualifying of the 8th Storm San Marino Open after the first weekend with 1329 six-game total and an average of 221.50. The top four players after the first four of total 21 qualifying squads are automatically qualified for the finals on Sunday, July 15. Bortolon, who led the second quad on Saturday, leads Thierry Sacco (r.) of France and Mark Jonasdofsky of Germany by 12 and 18 pins, respectively.
EBT Gold tournament is underway at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle, San Marino
The 8th Storm San Marino Open got underway Saturday with the first two of 21 qualifying squads at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle, San Marino. Renato Bortolon (pictured) of Italy led the 36 men and five women with 1329 six-game total and an average of 221.50. Bortolon held a 34-pin cushion over second place Yoan Alix, France, with 1295. Marco Zorzan of Italy was mere one pin behind in third place with 1294. The top three players of Squads 1-4 will be automatically qualified for the finals.
PBA players dominate the leaderboard; Nina Flack of Sweden wins women's ranking
Pro bowler Chris Loschetter (l.) of Avon, Ohio, United States, captured his second career title on the European Bowling Tour in the inaugural Brunswick Italia Challenge Sunday, July 1st, at Bowling Red & Black in Asti, Italy. The 10-year PBA member finished round robin match play with a 13-game total of 3,155 pins including 150 bonus to celebrate a 55-pin margin of victory over PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash (r.) of Montgomery, Ill., USA.
Swede averages 243 in match play round to claim his first career EBT title; Dutch Lisanne Breeschoten finishes seventh to win women's ranking in Odense
Marcus Tidbeck (center) of Sweden averaged over 250 for the first six games in match play to claim his first career European Bowling Tour title and the 4.000 Euro top prize in the Odense International. Starting the final seven games of round robin match play in sixth place, Tidbeck leaped five spots and topped his nearest competitor, Finn Perttu Jussila (right), by 57 pins. Jussila finished second with qualifying leader James Gruffman (left), Sweden, in third place.
James Gruffman (l.) of Sweden won the qualifying of the Odense International en route to lead a field of 32 players - 29 men and three women - into Sunday's finals. Gruffman toppled 1445 pins, an average of 240.83 for six games, in quad 11/15 on Friday and remained unchallenged during the last three squads on Saturday. His compatriot Mattias Wetterberg (r.) used two 279 games in Squad 13 to move into second place with 1424.
Swede shoots 1445 six-game series in Squad 11; number of participants reaches 100, cutoff number for 26th place is up to 1258 (209.67 average)
James Gruffman (l.) of Sweden averaged over 240 in Friday's Squad 11 en route to position himself atop the leaderboard in the Odense International. Gruffman used high games of 276 and 290 to lead the field of 100 players from eighth countries with 1445. Third and fourth place belonged to Peter Hellström (r.), Sweden, and Dutch Lisanne Breeschoten, who led Squad 12 with 1396 total. Qualifying ends on Saturday with Squads 13-15
Ranta, Tiainen, Jussila and Russian Medveditskov crack the top 10; cut for 26th place is now 1227 (204.50 average)
Four bowlers from Finland entered the Odense International in qualifying squad 9 and three of them moved into the top 10 Thursday at Odense Bowling Center in Odense, Denmark. Former European Youth champion Tony Ranta (l.) led the squad with 1356 pinfall and an average of 226.00 to jump into second place. Ranta sandwiched games of 290, 256, 256, and 233 between two sup-par games of 156 and 165. Anders Lousdal, Denmark, continued to lead the field of 72 players from five countries with 1406.
Qualifying spots are filling up pretty fast as the popular EBT "gold" tournament celebrates its 10th anniversary; Bowlingdigital.com will provide Live Coverage and Live Streaming
The 10th Columbia 300 Vienna Open is the 16th event and the last "gold" tournament of the 2012 European Bowling Tour season as well as the 12th and penultimate event on the 2012 World Bowling Tour schedule. The $100.000 Dollar tournament will run from Oct. 2-7, 2012 at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria. Bowling fans around the world will be able to watch portions of the qualifying as well as all the final rounds including the stepladder finals live on Bowlingdigital TV.
Anders Lousdal holds on to the lead with 1406; cut for 26th place is currently 1200 (200 average)
Two-time European Bowling Tour champion Thomas Larsen (l.) led the eighth qualifying squad Wednesday evening at Odense Bowling Center with 1355 pinfall to move into second place in the overall standings of the 2012 Odense International. The Dane rolled five games between 223 and 244 and a low game of 179, an average of 225.83 for six games. His fellow Danish national team member Anders Lousdal (r.) held on to the lead with 1406.
Dane becomes first player who cracks the 1400-bar; Russian Alexander Medveditskov top foreigner in 7th place; cut for 26th place is currently 1195 (199.17 average)
Anders Lousdal (l.) became the first player in the qualifying of the 2012 Odense International, who cracked the 1400-bar, when he posted a 1406 six-game total Tuesday evening at Odense Bowling Center in Odense, Denmark. The Danish international had games of 226, 274, 236, 257, 211 and 202, an average of 234.33, in Squad 7, the only squad on Tuesday, to overtake previous leader Carsten Warming Hansen (r.), Denmark, by 75 pins.
Danish bowlers dominated the qualifying of the Odense International Monday at Odense Bowling Center in Odense with the top 13 spots of the leader board belonging to players from the host country Denmark. Carsten Warming Hansen (pictured) posted games of 225, 244, 229, 268, 172 and 193 in Squad 6 on Monday evening, which drew only six players, to overtake the qualifying lead with 1331 six-game total and an average of 221.83. Qualifying continues Tuesday. May 29, with Squad 7 scheduled for 7 p.m. CEST.
Mats Maggi (l.) of Belgian overtook the lead in the qualifying at the 34th Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona in the second squad Wednesday at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain. The Belgian national team member finished his six-game block with 245 and 249 to tie previous leader Ildemaro Ruiz (r.) of Venezuela at 1424 total, an average of 237.33. Maggi was seeded first due to the higher last game (Ruiz 239).
Ildemaro Ruiz (l.) of Venezuela averaged 237.33 in the opening squad of the 34th Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona Tuesday evening at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain, en route to earn an automatic berth into Sunday's finals, Ruiz, who made three TV shows at the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, had games of 228, 238, 255, 219, 245 and 239 to beat out Osku Palermaa (r.) of Finland for the top spot by 25 pins.
Stavros Parasakis (pictured) of Greece made history when he defeated Stuart Williams of England, 466-456, to capture the title and the 10.000 top prize in the 8th Storm San Marino Open in Serravalle. It was the first-ever title for a Greek bowler, man or woman, in the 13-year history of the European Bowling Tour. Williams earned 6.009 Euro for second place. Swede Martin Larsen and Dominic Barrett, England, received 3.400 apiece for third and fourth place. 
Joachim Karlsson (l.) of Sweden remained unchallenged in Saturday's Squad 18-21 en route to win the qualifying in the 8th Storm San Marino Open and a 1.000 Euro bonus. Karlsson was the only player of 242 from 21 countries who cracked the 1500-bar (250 average) when he posted 1519 in the 15th qualifying squad Friday afternoon. 48 players advanced to Sunday's finals. Laurence Gaillard of France was the sole woman who survived the first cut and has already won the women's ranking in San Marino.
Martin Larsen (l.) of Sweden averaged 246 in the 13th qualifying squad of the 8th Storm San Marino Open Thursday afternoon to take a 41-pin-lead with 1476 pinfall total. Another three international bowlers added their names to the leaderboard in Squad 14. Rob Thurlby (r.) of England led the squad with 1435 to move into second place, with Chris Klerk, United States third with 1392 and Dominic Barrett, England, fourth with 1391.
Massimiliano Celli (l.) of Italy started the eleventh qualifying squad of the 8th Storm San Marino Open Wednesday evening at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle with a low game of 203 but rebounded with three 240s and two 220s to rise to the top of the overall standings. Celli toppled 1388 pins, an average of 231.33 over six games, to surpass previous leader Daniel Vezis (r.) of England by 24 pins. Qualifying continues Thursday with Squad 12-14.
Fresh off his victory in the 10th Czech Open, 17-year-old two-hander Daniel Vezis (l.) of England posted a 1364 series to overtake the pole position in the qualifying of the 8th Storm San Marino Open at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle. Vezis led the seventh qualifying squad Tuesday afternoon and overtook rrevious leader Yoan Alix of France by 31 pins. Squad 8 leader Maurizio Celli of Italy moved into fourth place with 1322. Qualifying continues Wednesday, July 11th. 
Yoan Alix (pictured) of France posted a 1333 six-game series in Monday's qualifying Squad 5 en route to leap from fourth to first place in the qualifying of the 8th Storm San Marino Open at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle. With six of 21 squads in the books, the long-time national team member is one of four French bowlers in the top 5. Alix overtook previous leader Renato Bortolon of Italy by four pins. Bortolon slipped to second place with 1329. Qualifying continues Tuesday, July 10, with Squad 7 and 8 scheduled for 4 and 8 p.m. CEST. 
Renato Bortolon (l.) of Italy leads the qualifying of the 8th Storm San Marino Open after the first weekend with 1329 six-game total and an average of 221.50. The top four players after the first four of total 21 qualifying squads are automatically qualified for the finals on Sunday, July 15. Bortolon, who led the second quad on Saturday, leads Thierry Sacco (r.) of France and Mark Jonasdofsky of Germany by 12 and 18 pins, respectively. 
Pro bowler Chris Loschetter (l.) of Avon, Ohio, United States, captured his second career title on the European Bowling Tour in the inaugural Brunswick Italia Challenge Sunday, July 1st, at Bowling Red & Black in Asti, Italy. The 10-year PBA member finished round robin match play with a 13-game total of 3,155 pins including 150 bonus to celebrate a 55-pin margin of victory over PBA Player of the Year Sean Rash (r.) of Montgomery, Ill., USA.
Marcus Tidbeck (center) of Sweden averaged over 250 for the first six games in match play to claim his first career European Bowling Tour title and the 4.000 Euro top prize in the Odense International. Starting the final seven games of round robin match play in sixth place, Tidbeck leaped five spots and topped his nearest competitor, Finn Perttu Jussila (right), by 57 pins. Jussila finished second with qualifying leader James Gruffman (left), Sweden, in third place.
James Gruffman (l.) of Sweden won the qualifying of the Odense International en route to lead a field of 32 players - 29 men and three women - into Sunday's finals. Gruffman toppled 1445 pins, an average of 240.83 for six games, in quad 11/15 on Friday and remained unchallenged during the last three squads on Saturday. His compatriot Mattias Wetterberg (r.) used two 279 games in Squad 13 to move into second place with 1424.
James Gruffman (l.) of Sweden averaged over 240 in Friday's Squad 11 en route to position himself atop the leaderboard in the Odense International. Gruffman used high games of 276 and 290 to lead the field of 100 players from eighth countries with 1445. Third and fourth place belonged to Peter Hellström (r.), Sweden, and Dutch Lisanne Breeschoten, who led Squad 12 with 1396 total. Qualifying ends on Saturday with Squads 13-15
Four bowlers from Finland entered the Odense International in qualifying squad 9 and three of them moved into the top 10 Thursday at Odense Bowling Center in Odense, Denmark. Former European Youth champion Tony Ranta (l.) led the squad with 1356 pinfall and an average of 226.00 to jump into second place. Ranta sandwiched games of 290, 256, 256, and 233 between two sup-par games of 156 and 165. Anders Lousdal, Denmark, continued to lead the field of 72 players from five countries with 1406.
The 10th Columbia 300 Vienna Open is the 16th event and the last "gold" tournament of the 2012 European Bowling Tour season as well as the 12th and penultimate event on the 2012 World Bowling Tour schedule. The $100.000 Dollar tournament will run from Oct. 2-7, 2012 at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria. Bowling fans around the world will be able to watch portions of the qualifying as well as all the final rounds including the stepladder finals live on 
Two-time European Bowling Tour champion Thomas Larsen (l.) led the eighth qualifying squad Wednesday evening at Odense Bowling Center with 1355 pinfall to move into second place in the overall standings of the 2012 Odense International. The Dane rolled five games between 223 and 244 and a low game of 179, an average of 225.83 for six games. His fellow Danish national team member Anders Lousdal (r.) held on to the lead with 1406.
Anders Lousdal (l.) became the first player in the qualifying of the 2012 Odense International, who cracked the 1400-bar, when he posted a 1406 six-game total Tuesday evening at Odense Bowling Center in Odense, Denmark. The Danish international had games of 226, 274, 236, 257, 211 and 202, an average of 234.33, in Squad 7, the only squad on Tuesday, to overtake previous leader Carsten Warming Hansen (r.), Denmark, by 75 pins.