The 2007 European Ranking season concluded with the Storm English Open in Nuneaton, England, last weekend. The 2007 European Bowling Tour consisted of 18 tournaments, 12 classified as a "Major" tournament and six as a "Challenger". Osku Palermaa, Finland and Kirsten Penny, England earned the men's and women's European Ranking titles for the first time in their careers.
Lakeside Superbowl in Nuneaton, England (Dec. 5-9, 2007)
The title match of the inaugural Storm English Open at Lakeside Superbowl in Nuneaton, England was an all-English affair. Qualifying leader and No. 1 seed Stuart Williams (pictured) rolled two big games to defeat equally strong Robert Kendall, the No. 7 seed, in the best-of-three games finals, 2-0. The reigning World Ranking Masters champion won the first match 243-234 and sealed the victory with 242-233 win in match #2. Williams pocketed 4.000 English Pounds (approx. 5.555 Euro) for his second EBT title in 2007, while Kendall received 2.000 Pounds. Isabelle Saldjian, France, won her second consecutive women's ranking title.
World Trios champions a candidate for "Swedish Sports Team of the Year"
The Swedish Bowling Federation has announced that former international Christel Carlsson will become the new head coach of the women's national team. The contract is valid for two years. Carlsson has named ten players for Team Sweden in preparation for the 2008 Women's European Championships in Odense, Denmark, including World Trios champions Nina Flack, Malin Glendert and Helén Johnsson, who were selected as one of four candidates for the nation's "Sports Team of the Year".
Republished courtesy of Croydon Guardian - Croydon, England (Dec. 3, 2007)
A Queen look-a-like bowled the first ball at the new Tenpin bowling alley in Valley Park on Friday. Replacing Megabowl, which went into liquidation earlier this year, the site in Hesterman Way underwent a complete renovation over the summer. Elizabeth Richard dressed as the Queen for the opening of the new facility, which includes 25 bowling lanes, 10 American pool tables, a Take 10 Diner Bar, cosmic bowling, amusements and a fully licensed bar.
As the organizers of the 6th Vienna Open and the Lahti Open could not find enough hotels to accommodate the large number of players both tournaments expect, they had to switch their spots on the 2008 European Bowling Tour. The 6th Vienna Open will now be held from Sept. 30 through Oct. 5 as the 14th stop of the 2008 EBT. The Vienna Open is an EBT Major. The Lahti Open will become the 15th stop of the 2008 EBT. The tournament will now take place from Oct. 12-19, 2008. The Lahti Open is an EBT Challenger.
Most of the spots for the 2008 World Ranking Masters have already been decided
Osku Palermaa (l.), Finland and Kirsten Penny (r.), England have secured the men's and women's European Ranking titles before the final event of the 2007 EBT season, the English Open, takes place in Nuneaton, England, from December 5-9. With maximum 50 ranking points for the winner of the English Open rankings at stake Palermaa and Penny are out of reach for the three-time defending champions Paul Moor, England, and Britt Bröndsted, Denmark.
Strykers Bowl in Tamworth, England (Nov. 17-18, 2007)
Mike Quarry and Jemma Smith took different routes to win the 14th and penultimate ranking event of the 2007 Brunswick Team England season, the Tamworth Open Singles at Strykers Bowl in Tamworth. World Championship silver medalist Quarry led the men's division from start to finish, while in the ladies Jemma Smith shot 278 final game for a 2 pin victory.
Saldjian lands in 9th place to win the women's rankings
Dominic Barrett (pictured), England, seeded fourth in the five-player stepladder finals in the 4th Oltremare Columbia 300 Open in Naples Italy, averaged 210.60 over five games to beat all four opponents, none of whom managed a 200 game, en route to win his first career European Bowling Tour title and the 8.000 Euro top prize. In the title match against Timo Alho, Finland, the No. 1 seed who must be defeated twice, Barrett won the first game with his sole sub-200 score by a whisker, 182-181, and went on to claim the title with a 206-161 victory in game #2.
Martin Chapman didn't just smash the house record at AMF Ilkeston, England, when he threw his final strike last month – he also broke the British record for a sanctioned 3-game series reports Kevin McNeill. Chapman started with back-to-back 299s and closed out the set with a 279 game. "Chapman's 877 three-game series, an average of 292.33, may also be the highest recorded series WITHOUT a 300 game," said British Go Tenpin Magazine editor Eric Hayton. "We'll see if anyone claims that record."
The ETBF Presidium has announced that the Ankara Open in Turkey will become the very first tournament with 'Premier' status on the European Bowling Tour. The 2nd Ankara Open, which will be held from September 13 to 24, 2008 at Rollhouse Bowling Center in Ankara, features a total prize fund of 100.000 Euro.
Defending champions Stuart Williams (r.) and Nick Froggatt (l.) did the double at AMF Macclesfield last weekend. Attracting a very solid entry of 43 doubles pairings it was a come from behind victory as top qualifiers were Damian Gray and ex-junior international Ray Teece with Rob Kendall and Dom Barrettt in second after the first round. Team England ranking points were awarded for the first 8 games – Matt Miller (1904) headed Ray Teece for max points, while Finny Banks (1756) headed partner Jo Allsebrook by 20 pins in the ladies.
Mega Xtreme Bowling Center in Sofia, Bulgaria (October 8-14, 2007)
Reigning World Youth Masters champion and European Adult Masters champion Mads Sandbækken, Norway, captured the title in the Sofia International Open 2007 at Mega Xtreme Bowling Center in Sofia, Bulgaria, and received the 4.500 Euro top prize. Sandbækken, seeded third, defeated #17 Charis Panayiotou, Cyprus, in the championship match, 189-179, to secure the victory. The Norwegian ousted #15 Erwin Potot, Spain, 192-185, in the semi-finals, while Panayiotou edged #5 Bogdan Dobondi, Romania, 188-183.
With just two events of the 2007 European Bowling Tour remaining, there are only two men and two women left in the race for the men's and women's European ranking crown. The men's title will be decided between current leader Osku Palermaa, Finland and 3-time defending champion Paul Moor, England. On the women's side, Moor's fellow countrywoman Kirsten Penny has a 58-point cushion over Britt Brøndsted, Denmark, who won the women's rankings in the past three years.
Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria (October 16-21, 2007)
Swedish national team member Dennis Eklund defeated Yoan Alix, France, 235-199, to win the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, the 7.000 Euro top prize and 100 ranking points. Alix was consoled with 4.000 Euro for his runner-up finish. Eklund advanced to the title match with a huge 248-216 victory over American Mark Siders. Alix won a close match against Jimmy Mortensen, Denmark, 219-211. Mortensen and Siders pocketed 2.500 Euro for third and fourth place respectively.
Torgny Asp is the owner of a bowling center in Mjölby, a little town in the South of Sweden, and still bowls in the Swedish national league at the age of 64.
You think that's nothing special? OK. How's that?
Asp played his first league match (a match consists of 4 games) on September 25, 1967. In 40 years, he hasn't missed a single match.
Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England (Oct. 19-21, 2007)
Team USA have retained their PartyPoker.com Weber Cup title after a fabulous final evening comeback at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday night. Tommy Jones was the man who claimed the winning point to cap a marvelous tournament for himself which included a maximum 300 game on the opening night of the competition. With Chris Barnes putting Team USA within a point of victory earlier, the stage was set for Jones to complete a comeback that saw his team trail 14-10 at one stage.
Team Europe (pictured) stand just three points away from reclaiming the PartyPoker.com Weber Cup as they enjoyed an excellent Sunday afternoon session that saw them win five of the six matches at the Barnsley Metrodome. With three doubles, two singles and a Baker, the opener saw the Finnish duo of Koivuniemi and Palermaa bowl a 290 game to comfortably win. Tommy Jones, though, kept up his run of good form to level things for the USA.
Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria (October 16-21, 2007)
Tina Hulsch (left), Germany, led the first round of the finals in the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, with 1448 six-game total en route to lead the top 24 into the single-elimination best-of-three finals. The top 24 will be seeded 9th through 32nd and meet the top 8 qualifiers, who earned one bye, in the Round of 32. Qualifying leader Robert Andersson meets #32 Marcus Berndt, both Sweden. No. 2 Stuart Williams, England bowls Vincent Cayez, France, and No. 3 Petteri Salonen, Finland takes on Mai Ginge-Jensen, Denmark.
Williams/Hulsch earn the title in the doubles competition
Robert Andersson (left) from Sweden waited until the last squad to win one of the highest scoring qualifying in the history of the European Bowling Tour at the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open. Andersson started the 14th and final squad with the tournament's fourth 300-game en route to beat the previous high score set by Stuart Williams, England and Petteri Salonen, Finland, both 1547, by one pin. Williams and Tina Hulsch from Germany won the Doubles competition with 2904 six-game total to split the 1.600 Euro top prize (approx. US$2,270). A total of 68 players from the qualifying advanced to the finals starting on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 8am.
Barnsley Metrodome in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England (Oct. 19-21, 2007)
The 2007 Weber Cup is poised on a knife edge as the two teams finished day two all square at nine points each with all to play for. Trailing 7-5 going into the session, the teams shared the opening two games as Mika Koivuniemi (pictured) and then Chris Barnes recorded big victories. Then, in the battle of the captains, Tomas Leandersson mugged his opposite number Tim Mack for the point and then Tore Torgersen put in a telling performance to square things up at 8-8. Tommy Jones restored the lead for the Americans in the next game as Osku Palermaa blew a great chance to take the match and in the final Baker game, Team Europe restored parity.
The 2007 European Ranking season concluded with the Storm English Open in Nuneaton, England, last weekend. The 2007 European Bowling Tour consisted of 18 tournaments, 12 classified as a "Major" tournament and six as a "Challenger". Osku Palermaa, Finland and Kirsten Penny, England earned the men's and women's European Ranking titles for the first time in their careers.
The title match of the inaugural Storm English Open at Lakeside Superbowl in Nuneaton, England was an all-English affair. Qualifying leader and No. 1 seed Stuart Williams (pictured) rolled two big games to defeat equally strong Robert Kendall, the No. 7 seed, in the best-of-three games finals, 2-0. The reigning World Ranking Masters champion won the first match 243-234 and sealed the victory with 242-233 win in match #2. Williams pocketed 4.000 English Pounds (approx. 5.555 Euro) for his second EBT title in 2007, while Kendall received 2.000 Pounds. Isabelle Saldjian, France, won her second consecutive women's ranking title. 
The Swedish Bowling Federation has announced that former international Christel Carlsson will become the new head coach of the women's national team. The contract is valid for two years. Carlsson has named ten players for Team Sweden in preparation for the 2008 Women's European Championships in Odense, Denmark, including World Trios champions Nina Flack, Malin Glendert and Helén Johnsson, who were selected as one of four candidates for the nation's "Sports Team of the Year". 
A Queen look-a-like bowled the first ball at the new Tenpin bowling alley in Valley Park on Friday. Replacing Megabowl, which went into liquidation earlier this year, the site in Hesterman Way underwent a complete renovation over the summer. Elizabeth Richard dressed as the Queen for the opening of the new facility, which includes 25 bowling lanes, 10 American pool tables, a Take 10 Diner Bar, cosmic bowling, amusements and a fully licensed bar.
As the organizers of the 6th Vienna Open and the Lahti Open could not find enough hotels to accommodate the large number of players both tournaments expect, they had to switch their spots on the 2008 European Bowling Tour. The 6th Vienna Open will now be held from Sept. 30 through Oct. 5 as the 14th stop of the 2008 EBT. The Vienna Open is an EBT Major. The Lahti Open will become the 15th stop of the 2008 EBT. The tournament will now take place from Oct. 12-19, 2008. The Lahti Open is an EBT Challenger. 
Osku Palermaa (l.), Finland and Kirsten Penny (r.), England have secured the men's and women's European Ranking titles before the final event of the 2007 EBT season, the English Open, takes place in Nuneaton, England, from December 5-9. With maximum 50 ranking points for the winner of the English Open rankings at stake Palermaa and Penny are out of reach for the three-time defending champions Paul Moor, England, and Britt Bröndsted, Denmark. 
Mike Quarry and Jemma Smith took different routes to win the 14th and penultimate ranking event of the 2007 Brunswick Team England season, the Tamworth Open Singles at Strykers Bowl in Tamworth. World Championship silver medalist Quarry led the men's division from start to finish, while in the ladies Jemma Smith shot 278 final game for a 2 pin victory. 
Dominic Barrett (pictured), England, seeded fourth in the five-player stepladder finals in the 4th Oltremare Columbia 300 Open in Naples Italy, averaged 210.60 over five games to beat all four opponents, none of whom managed a 200 game, en route to win his first career European Bowling Tour title and the 8.000 Euro top prize. In the title match against Timo Alho, Finland, the No. 1 seed who must be defeated twice, Barrett won the first game with his sole sub-200 score by a whisker, 182-181, and went on to claim the title with a 206-161 victory in game #2. 
Martin Chapman didn't just smash the house record at AMF Ilkeston, England, when he threw his final strike last month – he also broke the British record for a sanctioned 3-game series reports Kevin McNeill. Chapman started with back-to-back 299s and closed out the set with a 279 game. "Chapman's 877 three-game series, an average of 292.33, may also be the highest recorded series WITHOUT a 300 game," said British Go Tenpin Magazine editor Eric Hayton. "We'll see if anyone claims that record."
Defending champions Stuart Williams (r.) and Nick Froggatt (l.) did the double at AMF Macclesfield last weekend. Attracting a very solid entry of 43 doubles pairings it was a come from behind victory as top qualifiers were Damian Gray and ex-junior international Ray Teece with Rob Kendall and Dom Barrettt in second after the first round. Team England ranking points were awarded for the first 8 games – Matt Miller (1904) headed Ray Teece for max points, while Finny Banks (1756) headed partner Jo Allsebrook by 20 pins in the ladies.
Reigning World Youth Masters champion and European Adult Masters champion Mads Sandbækken, Norway, captured the title in the Sofia International Open 2007 at Mega Xtreme Bowling Center in Sofia, Bulgaria, and received the 4.500 Euro top prize. Sandbækken, seeded third, defeated #17 Charis Panayiotou, Cyprus, in the championship match, 189-179, to secure the victory. The Norwegian ousted #15 Erwin Potot, Spain, 192-185, in the semi-finals, while Panayiotou edged #5 Bogdan Dobondi, Romania, 188-183. 
With just two events of the 2007 European Bowling Tour remaining, there are only two men and two women left in the race for the men's and women's European ranking crown. The men's title will be decided between current leader Osku Palermaa, Finland and 3-time defending champion Paul Moor, England. On the women's side, Moor's fellow countrywoman Kirsten Penny has a 58-point cushion over Britt Brøndsted, Denmark, who won the women's rankings in the past three years.
Swedish national team member Dennis Eklund defeated Yoan Alix, France, 235-199, to win the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, the 7.000 Euro top prize and 100 ranking points. Alix was consoled with 4.000 Euro for his runner-up finish. Eklund advanced to the title match with a huge 248-216 victory over American Mark Siders. Alix won a close match against Jimmy Mortensen, Denmark, 219-211. Mortensen and Siders pocketed 2.500 Euro for third and fourth place respectively.
Torgny Asp is the owner of a bowling center in Mjölby, a little town in the South of Sweden, and still bowls in the Swedish national league at the age of 64. 
Team USA have retained their PartyPoker.com Weber Cup title after a fabulous final evening comeback at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday night. Tommy Jones was the man who claimed the winning point to cap a marvelous tournament for himself which included a maximum 300 game on the opening night of the competition. With Chris Barnes putting Team USA within a point of victory earlier, the stage was set for Jones to complete a comeback that saw his team trail 14-10 at one stage.
Team Europe (pictured) stand just three points away from reclaiming the PartyPoker.com Weber Cup as they enjoyed an excellent Sunday afternoon session that saw them win five of the six matches at the Barnsley Metrodome. With three doubles, two singles and a Baker, the opener saw the Finnish duo of Koivuniemi and Palermaa bowl a 290 game to comfortably win. Tommy Jones, though, kept up his run of good form to level things for the USA.
Tina Hulsch (left), Germany, led the first round of the finals in the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, with 1448 six-game total en route to lead the top 24 into the single-elimination best-of-three finals. The top 24 will be seeded 9th through 32nd and meet the top 8 qualifiers, who earned one bye, in the Round of 32. Qualifying leader Robert Andersson meets #32 Marcus Berndt, both Sweden. No. 2 Stuart Williams, England bowls Vincent Cayez, France, and No. 3 Petteri Salonen, Finland takes on Mai Ginge-Jensen, Denmark. 
Robert Andersson (left) from Sweden waited until the last squad to win one of the highest scoring qualifying in the history of the European Bowling Tour at the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open. Andersson started the 14th and final squad with the tournament's fourth 300-game en route to beat the previous high score set by Stuart Williams, England and Petteri Salonen, Finland, both 1547, by one pin. Williams and Tina Hulsch from Germany won the Doubles competition with 2904 six-game total to split the 1.600 Euro top prize (approx. US$2,270). A total of 68 players from the qualifying advanced to the finals starting on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 8am. 
The 2007 Weber Cup is poised on a knife edge as the two teams finished day two all square at nine points each with all to play for. Trailing 7-5 going into the session, the teams shared the opening two games as Mika Koivuniemi (pictured) and then Chris Barnes recorded big victories. Then, in the battle of the captains, Tomas Leandersson mugged his opposite number Tim Mack for the point and then Tore Torgersen put in a telling performance to square things up at 8-8. Tommy Jones restored the lead for the Americans in the next game as Osku Palermaa blew a great chance to take the match and in the final Baker game, Team Europe restored parity.