Former World and European champion Gery Verbruggen (pictured) got off to a great start in Sunday's opening squad at the Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2015, finishing with a six-game total of 1396 (232.67 average) to lead a field of 61 players from Belgium, France, Poland and the host country Netherlands at Dolfijn Bowling Tilburg. The Belgian lefty, who led the European Bowling Tour's point ranking in its first four years (2000-2003), had games of 236, 226, 267, 223, 233 and 211. The finals of the event will be held on Sunday, February 15.
Martin Larsen, Mattias Olsson and Magnus Johnsson of Sweden led Friday's qualifying squads 10 and 11 en route to crack the top 10 heading into the final qualifying day of the Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2015 at Dolfijn Bowling in Tilburg, Netherlands. Larsen (l.) and Olsson (r.) tied at 1398, an average of 233.00, in
Squad 11 on Friday evening to sit in seventh and eighth place, respectively, heading into the final qualifying day.
Two world champions, Jesper Svensson (l.) of Sweden and Carsten Warming Hansen (r.) of Denmark, set the tone in Thursday's qualifying at the Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2015 as they moved into the top 6 in the overall standings. Svensson, reigning World Youth Masters champion, led Squad 7 with 1438 to jump into third place. Hansen, world champion in Trios, paced Squad 8 with 1427, to leap into fifth place.
Jord van Weeren, Netherlands, averaged 248.50 and posted a 1491 series in the fifth qualifying squad on Wednesday evening at Dolfijn Bowling in Tilburg, Netherlands, to shoot into the qualifying lead in the Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2015. Van Weeren, who was in third place with 1410 including the tournament's first 300 game, started his re-entry with games of 256, 247 and 259 before he closed out the series with a 243 triplicate.
Mexican national team member Alejandro Cruz (l.) paced the fourth of 14 qualifying squads Tuesday evening at Dolfijn Bowling in Tilburg, Netherlands, with 1383 six-game total, an average of 230.50, to move into fifth place in the overall qualifying standings of the Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2015. His fellow countrywoman Aseret Zetter (r.) was the best woman Tuesday with 1325 total to move into 18th place.
The bowlers of qualifying squad 3 in the took control of the leaderboard in the Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2015 Monday evening at Dolfijn Bowling in Tilburg, Netherlands. Humberto Vazquez (pictured), one of six Mexican bowlers in the tournament, averaged 243.33 for six games to move to the top of the 81-player field from six countries with 1460 total. Two Dutch bowlers, Jeffrey van de Wakker and Jord van Weeren, also cracked the 1400-mark.
The Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament 2015 is the third event of the 2015 European Bowling Tour and the first of three "EBT Silver" events this season, the third highest of the four EBT categories. The HBST will be held from Sunday, February 8 through Sunday, February 15 at 20-lane Dolfijn Bowling Tilburg in Tilburg, Netherlands. Players will compete for total prize money of 44.400 Euro with 6.000 Euro going to the winner. Low to cash is 46th place (400 Euro).
The unique pairing of two-time PBA Tour champion Ronnie Russell (r.) and rapper/hip-hop star French Montana (l.) teamed up to win the sixth CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational presented by Bowlmor AMF. In a dramatic comeback performance in the Baker doubles format championship match, the Russell and Montana team defeated two-time champions Chris Paul (c.) and his partner, two-time reigning PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte, 150-139, for the title.
Brian Voss (l.), United States, defeated his fellow countryman Ron Hurt, 439-386, to win the 27th Irish Open Championships and the 5.000 Euro top prize Sunday at Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland. Along with his 25 PBA titles the PBA and USBC Hall of Famer now owns four titles on the European Bowling Tour. Fourth-place finisher Amanda Larkin (r.) of Ireland was the best of 35 women to win the women's ranking and a 1.000 Euro bonus.
Glenn Morten Pedersen (l.) of Norway remained unchallenged in the last two qualifying squads Saturday at Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland en route to win the qualifying in the 27th Irish Open Championships by Seismic with 1517 pins, an average of 252.83. Chris Sloan from Ireland tied Pedersen but was seeded second due to the new EBT tie rules. Amanda Larkin (r.), Ireland, was the best of 36 women in third place with 1449 including handicap.
Starting Friday's qualifying in seventh place Glenn Morten
Pedersen (pictured) of Norway put together an impressive 1517 series to take over the pole position in the 27th Irish Open Championships by Seismic at Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland. The Norwegian national team member tied previous leader Chris Sloan from Ireland averaging 252.83 for six games. Due to the new EBT tie rules Pedersen (low game of 218) overtook the Irish two-hander (low game of 244) based on the higher five-game total, 1299 to 1273.
Chris Sloan (pictured), a two-handed player from Ireland, fired high games of 255, 279 and four games between 244 and 247 to shoot in to the lead in the qualifying of the 27th Irish Open Championships by Seismic Wednesday afternoon with 1517 total and an average of 252.83. The third day of the tournament was affected by bad weather. Many flights scheduled for Dublin airport were redirected to Belfast and Shannon in Northern Ireland. 14 players alone from huge Norwegian contingent of more than 40 players missed their squads.
Paul Moor of England (pictured) defeated Joonas Jehkinen of Finland, 225-204, to kick off the 2015 European Bowling Tour with victory in the 45th Brunswick Ballmaster Open Sunday at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland. By winning his EBT record 16th career title (Finland's two-hander Osku Palermaa is second with 13 titles) and his first Professional Bowlers Association title, the 36-year-old lefty earned the 13.000 Euro top prize and took the early lead in the 2015 men's point ranking.
Jesper Svensson (l.), a two-handed lefty from Sweden, won the qualifying of the 45th Brunswick Ballmaster Open Saturday at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland, worth 1.500 Euro. The three-time European Bowling Tour titlist and 2013 BBO champion averaged 244.67 and toppled 1468 pins in the 10th qualifying squad to lead the field of 494 players from 17 countries. Kim Bolleby, Thailand, won the Desperado Squad by rolling the fourth 300 game of the tournament.
Martin Larsen of Sweden (l.) and England's Dominic Barrett (r.) posted 1418 series to lead Friday's qualifying and to move into fourth and fifth place in the 45th Brunswick Ballmaster Open at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland. Three-time European Bowling Tour titlist and 2013 BBO champion Jesper Svensson, Sweden, continued to lead the 475-player field from 17 countries, 425 men and 50 women, with 1468 and an average of 244.67.
Fresh off his victory in the 35th AIK International Tournament Jesper Svensson (l.) of Sweden posted a 1468 series in the 10th qualifying squad Thursday at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland, to move to the top of the 430-player leaderboard in the 45th Brunswick Ballmaster Open. The two-handed lefty had games of 269, 248, 289, 247, 223 and 192, an average of 244.67. Shayna Ng (r.) of Singapore slipped to second place with 1437.
German-Finnish Patricia Luoto (pictured) averaged 230 and totaled 1428 pins Tuesday afternoon at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland, to take the lead as the qualifying of the 45th Brunswick Ballmaster Open nears its halfway mark. Luoto is the best of 29 women in the 361-player field and the lone foreign bowler in the top 44, who will survive the qualifying cut. Long-time Finnish national team member and former BBO organizer, Kimmo Lehtonen became the second bowler in this year's event, who cracked the 1400-mark.
With one-third of qualifying squads in the 45th Brunswick Ballmaster Open in the books, the leaderboard got a new look after Sunday's Squads 5 and 6 at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland. Sami Lampo (pictured) of Finland bowled the first 300 game in Ballmaster Open this year in Squad 5 en route to shoot into the lead with 1388 and an average of 231.33. The BBO awards a 3.000 bonus for the first perfecto. In case it will be the lone 300 game, Lampo will get another 2.000 Euro.
Long-time Finnish national team members Petteri Salonen (l.) and Pasi Uotila (r.) led the fourth qualifying squad Saturday afternoon at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland en route to crack the top 5 in the overall standings of the 45th Brunswick Ballmaster Open. Salonen sandwiched games of 226, 276, 244 and 215 between a pair of 180s to move into fourth place with 1321. Uotila was just 12 pins behind with 1309, good for fifth place