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.
Oliver Blasé (l.), Germany, started his six-game qualifying series Thursday night at 10 p.m. with a 166 game but rebounded with five games between 206 and 247 to lead squad #13 with 1301 pinfall total (216.83). Blasé moved into 13th place in the overall standings. Martin Larsen, Sweden, continued to lead the field of 298 players with 1448 (241.33). Diandra Asbaty (r.), United States, improved her total to 1296 to sit in 15th place. 
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. 
Swede Martin Larsen (l.) and Dutch Wendy Kok (r.) finished 11th and 6th in the men's and women's rankings of the Catalonia Open, the fourth stop of the 2008 European Bowling Tour, to stay atop the EBT rankings. Larsen, who won the second stop in Luxembourg, has cashed ranking points in all four events thus far totaling 176 points. Dutch national team member Kok, the daughter of former Dutch standout Eric Kok, has totaled 178 points including the victory in the Luxembourg rankings. 
In an all-Finnish affair, Jari Ratia (left) defeated Pasi Uotila (right) by the closest possible margin, 194-193, en route to win the 6th Catalonia Open - Trofeu Galasa at Planet Bowling in Barcelona, Spain and the 12.000 Euro top prize. The stepladder final in Barcelona was a low-scoring encounter with No. 2 seed Ratia ousting No. 3 seed, Remy Ong, Singapore, in the semi-final, 184-177, for the right to take on tournament leader Uotila for the title. 
Tenpin bowling could be due for a revival in Suffolk after a large number of primary and secondary schools took part in a charity challenge at Kingpin Bowling Centre in Martlesham recently. Over 100 pupils from across the county's schools competed against each other in teams of four on the day, the students helping to raise money for their own schools as well as local charities.
The line-up for the 2008 PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters has been completed. Held at the Barnsley Metrodome from April 18 to April 20, the tournament will feature 16 of the best male and female bowlers from around the world. Jason Belmonte (l.), the sensational Australian who won this title 12 months ago with a magnificent 300 game in the championship match, will be back to defend his title. Ladies 2007 World Ranking Masters Champion Diandra Asbaty (right, USA) complted the field of 13 men and 3 women. 
Swede Martin Larsen (left) and Wendy Kok, Netherlands moved to the top of the men's and women's rankings after the third stop of the 2008 European Bowling Tour in Tilburg. Larsen, who won the second event in Luxembourg and finished third in Tilburg, overtook the lead in the men's division with 146 pints. Tilburg winner, Mikael Kanold, Sweden is second with 116 points. Kok, who won the women's rankings in Tilburg, jumped to the top in the women's rankings with 30 points.
Mikael Kanold (left) rolled games of 248 and 234 to win the final round of 4 in the Hammer Bronzen Schietspoel Tournament in Tilburg, Netherlands with 482 pinfall total. The Swede pocketed 10.000 Euro and 100 ranking points for winning the third stop and the second "major" of the 2008 European Bowling Tour. Norwegian Tore Torgersen, who had a 287 in game #1 finished second with 448 behind a 161 in game #2. Martin Larsen, Sweden, who won the EBT event in Luxembourg last weekend, was third with 411 and PBA super star Brian Voss was fourth with 366. 
Ballmaster Open champion Jouni Helminen and women's ranking leader Krista Pöllänen, both Finland, remained atop the men's and women's European Bowling Tour rankings though they did not compete in the second tour stop, the Ebonite International Luxembourg Open. Luxembourg champion Martin Larsen (l.), Sweden, moved into fourth place while women's rankings winner Marilyn Planchard (r.), France, jumped into sixth place in their respective divisions.
Martin Olsen from Norway, and defending champion Kirsten Penny, England, finished the 9th Hammer ALSAA Re-Entry Open in Dublin, Ireland, atop the men's and women's Open Division to earn the 1.000€ and 400€ top prizes, resp. Olsen (l.) used a pair of 289s to set a new tournament record at ALSAA Bowl with 1314 five-game total and an average of 262.80. Qatar Open champ Penny (r.) felled 1255 pins to lead the women's field by almost 100 pins.