It is with great sadness that Kegel has announced that its founder and CEO, John M. Davis passed away at the age of 64 this morning at his home in Winter Haven, Florida. John was a very generous and compassionate man, who absolutely loved the sport of bowling. John leaves behind a legacy that will impact the sport of bowling and those who knew him forever. He will be sadly missed by his mother, wife, four brothers, three children, and six grandchildren, along with his extended family at Kegel and throughout the bowling industry.
QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup Manager Anne-Marie Board has announced that the finals of the 48th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, played December 1 at Sky Bowling center in Wroclaw, Poland, are scheduled to be broadcast on Eurosport 2 at the end of February. The channel, which reaches 54 countries in Europe, will show the finals in two one-hour long, back-to-back shows on Thursday evening, Feb. 28. Please check your local TV guide for detailed schedules in your country.
Barry Foley (l.) of the host country Ireland and Zara Giles (r.) of England remained undefeated in the match play finals over two games total pinfall en route to capture the men's and women's title of the 25th Storm Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Championships Sunday at Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland. In the title match, Foley outlasted Norwegian Robin Nordas Grindvik, 459-342, while Giles defeated Hannah Cullen of Ireland, 456-423.
Local bowlers set the tone on the first day of qualifying in the Storm Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Championships Thursday at Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland. The 25th edition of the event kicks off the 50th Anniversary Year of the Irish Tenpin Bowling Association (ITBA). Matt Hann (right) rolled games of 247, 238, 280, 247, 248 and 278 to lead the men's division after four qualifying squads with 1538 and an average of 256.33.
Rebecka Larsen Jr. (pictured) of Sweden maintained her lead in round robin match play en route to win the 33rd AIK International Tournament at Bowl-O-Rama in Stockholm, Sweden. The two-time European champion, who held a 146-pin lead over her nearest competitor after Final Round 2, averaged over 230 in match play to finish with 4983 total including 110 bonus pins. Larsen received 60.000 Swedish Kronor for the victory (approx. 6,940 Euro or $9,160). Bjørn Einar Rudshagen of Norway was second with 4839. 
Two-time European Champion Joline Persson Planefors (pictured) of Sweden averaged 254.50 in the 12th squad en route to outscore the men and to win the qualifying of the 33rd AIK International Tournament in Stockholm, Sweden. Persson Planefors, who was the 2011 European Bowling Tour women's point ranking leader, fired games of 259, 219, 224, 300, 268 and 257 for 1527 scratch and added 40 pins handicap - eight pins for each game but the 300 - to lead the field of 342-players with 1567 total.
Hafthor Hardarsson (l.) of Iceland posted the highest six-game series on the penultimate qualifying day to jump into third place in the overall standings of the 33rd AIK International Tournament in Stockholm, Sweden. Hardarsson had games of 239, 233, 244, 220, 248 and 269 for 1453 or an average of 242.17. With 11 of 14 qualifying squads in the books, PBA champion Dominic Barrett (r.) of England leads the 330-player field with 1497. 
Mikael Kanold (pictured) of Sundbybergs IK had a 1392 series, a 232 average, Wednesday at Bowl-O-Rama in Stockholm, Sweden, to lead Squad 5 in the 33rd AIK International Tournament. The Swedish international came out the gates fast with 263 and 267, then added 226 and a pair of 235 games. With a 235 triplicate Kanold would have taken the lead but had to settle for ninth place after a 166 final game. Lars Pejstrup leads the 166-player field since the first squad with 1460 and an average of 243.33.
Tournament organizer Ian Robinson (pictured) of the host bowling club AIK led the fourth qualifying squad of the 33rd AIK International Tournament on New Year's Day with 1441 en route to move into third place in the overall qualifying standings. Robinson, who averaged 240.17 average for the day, started his six-game block with 258, 224 and back-to-back 232 games. He added a huge 279 in the fifth and needed a final 236 game to overtake the lead but fell twenty pins short after finishing with 216.
Swedish youth national team member Pontus Andersson (l.) led the third and last Early Bird squad of the 33rd AIK International Tournament Sunday at Bowl-O-Rama in Stockholm, Sweden en route to move into second place in the overall qualifying standings. Andersson, who bowls for Team Clan BK, started his six-game series with a huge 279 game and added 237, 222, 209, 258 and 237 for 1442 total and an average of 240.33. Squad 1 leader Lars Pejstrup (r.) held on to the lead with 1460 (243.33).
The 33rd AIK International Tournament got underway Dec. 26 with two Early Bird squads at Bowl-o-Rama, a 28-laner in Stockholm, Sweden. Lars Pejstrup (pictured) of Team Mariestad BK led the field of 80 Swedes after the first day of qualifying with 1460 total or an average of 243.33 for six games. Pejstrup came out of the gates quickly with a 268 game and added 214, 245, 258, 239 and 236 to lead Squad 1 by 56 pins. Qualifying continues with the third and last Early Bird Squad on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. CET. 
The AIK International Tournament is one of the longest-running bowling tournaments in Europe. The 33rd edition will be held from Dec. 26 through Jan. 6, 2013 at Bowl-o-Rama, a 28-laner in Stockholm, Sweden. Once the opening event of the Swedish Super Six Tour, the AIK International is the lone international tournament on the ETBF calendar that runs over New Year's eve. The AIK offers total prize fund of 309.600 Swedish Kronor (approx. 35.820 Euro or USD47,260) with 60.000 SEK (€6,940 or $9,160) going to winner.
Giannis Stathatos (pictured) of Greece defeated Oleksandr Kondratyev of Ukraine, two-games-to-none, to win the 3rd IDM Bucharest International Bowling Open Sunday, Nov. 25 at IDM Club in Bucharest, Romania. Stathatos flew past his opponent in the first game, 258-186, and wrapped up the title with a 198-167 win in game two. The Greek national team member earned 2.500 Euro for the victory. Kondratyev pocketed 1.500 Euro for second place while Russell and Miller received 1.000 Euro apiece for third and fourth place.
Giannis Stathatos (l.) of Greece led a field of 104 players from 14 countries in the Bucharest Open with 1375 six-game total as qualifying has reached its half way point Thursday at IDM Club in Bucharest, Romania. By virtue of finishing 1-4 at the end of Thursday's qualifying, Stathatos, Romeo Gagenoiu of Romania (1336), Ronnie Russell, United States (r., 1323) and England's Matt Miller (1311) are automatically qualified for Sunday's finals.
Catalin Gheorghe (pictured left) of Romania rolled a 1274 six-game series Wednesday at IDM Club in Bucharest, Romania, to maintain third place in the qualifying at the 3rd IDM Bucharest International Bowling Open. His fellow Romanian national team members, Romeo Gagenoiu (r.) and Marius Piticariu, continued to lead the field of 58 players from Cyprus, England, Greece, Israel and Romania with 1336 and 1298, resp.
Romeo Gagenoiu (l.) of Romania overtook the lead in the qualifying of the 3rd IDM Bucharest International Bowling Open when the Romanian averaged 222.67 in the seventh squad on Tuesday aftrenoon to become the first player who cracked the 1300-bar. Gagenoiu rebounded from a 174 opening game with 214, 263, 242, 211 and 232, to hold a 38-pin lead over compatriot Marius Piticariu (r.), who slipped to second place with 1298.