The Swedish Bowling Federation has selected World Doubles Champion Martin Larsen as the Bowler of the Year 2006. The 27 year-old Swedish International has had an outstanding year and was the top ranked player on the Swedish Super Six Tour and the No. 5 on the European Bowling Tour. The highlight was a gold medal at the Men's World Championships in Busan, Korea.
Terminal Bowling Center in Kiev, Ukraine (Dec. 22-24, 2006)
Dmitriy Shilkin from Belorussia defeated Vitaliy Shilan, Ukraine, 267-257, on Christmas Eve en route to win the QubicaAMF Kiev Open 2006 at Terminal Bowling Center in Kiev, Ukraine. Shilan, seeded 4th, sidelined 14-year-old qualifying leader Alexey Vasilenko, Russia, in the first semi-final, 258-250. In the other semi-final, Shilkin, the No. 3 seed, ousted #2 Sergey Prokhan, Russia, 253-231.
Former Finnish international Jouni Helminen has been elected president of the Finnish Bowling Federation for a two-year term. The 36-year-old was elected by the voting delegates selected by the federation's convention by 12 votes to 10 votes over current president and World Tenpin Bowling Association president Heikki Sarso. Helminen will serve as president from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008. To read our interview ......
In a match between the No. 1 and No. 2 seed, tournament leader Richard Beck defeated Matt Hamilton, 393-367, en route to win the final Brunswick Team England ranking event, the PTBC Airport Challenge, at Airport Bowl in London, England, and enough points to move him into the squad for the second year. In the women's finals, Nikki Harvey, the No. 8 seed, flew past No. 2 Jemma Smith, 392-297.
Kungsbacka Bowling Center in Kungsbacka, Sweden (Dec. 11-17, 2006)
In a battle between two World Cup champions, Osku Palermaa from Finland defeated Peter Ljung from Sweden, 255-222, en route to end the 2006 European Ranking Season with victory in the Kungsbacka International Tournament in Sweden. Palermaa, who ousted Marcus Nyberg, Sweden, in the semis earned 10.000 Euro for his efforts. Ljung, who eliminated the new Swedish head coach, Tomas Leandersson, pocketed 4.500 Euro for second. Leandersson and Nyberg received 2.000 Euro each for third and fourth place, resp.
European Rankings after 20 Events - Final Standings
Paul Moor from England has won the European rankings for the third consecutive year. Kungsbacka champion Osku Palermaa from Finland came up strong but fell 16 points short to finish second. Runner-up Peter Ljung, Sweden, ended up third. Rounding out the top 8 and joining those three in the 2007 World Ranking Masters in Qatar are 4. Stuart Williams, England 5. Martin Larsen, Sweden 6. Thomas Gross, Austria 7. Jason Belmonte, Australia and 8. Kai Virtanen, Finland.
European Rankings after 20 Events - Final Standings
Two-time defending European women's ranking champion Britt Brøndsted won the women's rankings in the Kungsbacka Int'l en route to overtake previous leader Zara Glover, England, and to win the third consecutive ranking title. Joining those two in the 2007 World Ranking Masters in Qatar are Swedes Nina Flack (3rd), Helen Johnson (5th) and Anna Mattsson-Baard (6th) as well as Isabelle Saldjian, France (4th), Patricia Schwarz, Germany, (7th) and Ivonne Gross, Austria (8th).
As earlier reported, Magnus Johnson stepped down after eleven years as Swedish head coach and Sweden's top bowler Tomas Leandersson will take over the job. However, Johnson's retirement lasted less than week as he signed a contract with Swedish bowling club 'Sundbybergs IK'. "I will coach and train the club from the first of January on a more regular basis," Johnson stated.
The European Bowling Tour (EBT) announced its 2007 schedule, with 21 stops - 13 Majors and 8 Challengers - in 16 countries. The tournaments offer total prize money of more than 1.14 million Euro or more than 1.5 million U.S. Dollar. The 2007 EBT will begin with the Brunswick Ballmaster Open at Tali Bowling Stadium in Helsinki, Finland (January 6-14, 2007).
By Hans Karlsson, Press Officer of the Swedish Bowling Federation
Tomas Leandersson (l.), one of Sweden's finest players ever, was named head coach of the men's national team for the next four years. At the same time, Magnus Johnson (r.) will step down after eleven years as Swedish head coach in which he lead the 'Tre Kronor' team to six World Championship gold medals as well as numerous medals in international competition.
Defending Brunswick Team England ranking champion Dominic Barrett led from start to finish in the Burton Short & Long Singles en route to win his second ranking event this season. In the women's round robin final a late burst by Jenny Billingham and Lisa Gardner pushed Jemma Smith to finish with a 245 game to seal the title.
Stuart Williams and Nick Froggatt won the annual doubles event at AMF Macclesfield with a 2648 total, just holding off the Jo Harries and Darren Cundy pairing who totaled 2574. Third were Rob Thurlby & Jon Zadel on 2557. Brunswick Team England maximum points went to Lee Burrows and Katie Jowsey.
Bowling Beseco in Rümikon (Zürich), Switzerland (Nov. 12-19, 2006)
Frank Börner and Hans Nietsch (l-r), both of Germany, defeated compatriot Tanya Petty and Bigi Manico, Switzerland, 447-360, to win the 6th International Strangers Doubles Tournament at Bowling Beseco in Rümikon (Zürich), Switzerland. Börner, who had the field-best 237.86 average in the finals, had 234 and Nietsch added 213 to easily win the match and to earn the 1.200 Euro top prize.
With his victory in Naples, Paul Moor from England almost secured his third consecutive European ranking title. The lefty has 653 points and is 92 points ahead of second-placed Osku Palermaa. Thanks to a 3rd place finish in the women's rankings in Naples, Moor's compatriot Zara Glover regained the lead in the women's division.
Bowling Oltremare in Naples, Italy (Nov. 13-19, 2006)
No. 1 seeded Paul Moor, England topped Tony Fransson, seeded second, in the title match of the 3rd Oltremare Ebonite Championships in Naples, Italy, en route to win his third title on the 2006 European Bowling Tour and the 8.000 Euro top prize. Moor, the two-time defending European ranking champion has already won the tournaments in Istanbul and Barcelona.
The Cyprus Senior Open was the eighth and final tournament of the European Bowling Proprietors' Association (EBPA) Senior Bowling Tour 2006. The event was staged at 'Rock N Bowl' in Larnaca and drew 50 seniors from eight countries. In a high-scoring championship match, Olli Tiainen from Finland defeated Lasse Strandberg, Sweden, 257-221, to earn the title.
Olga Tarasova and Yuriy Grynyk won the second stop of the 2007 Ukraine National Championship at Cosmos Bowling Center in Chercassy. Defending women's champion Tarasova rolled a huge 258-game to beat Viola Zharko, 415-330, over two games total pinfall. Grynk had games of 210 and 190 to fly past No. 1 seed, Vitaliy Shylan, 400-353.
Eden Super Bowl in St. Julian's, Malta (Oct. 11-15, 2006)
Both top seeds, Christer Danielsson from Sweden and Hildegard Kuhn, Italy, walked away the winners in the Malta Senior Open Championships. Danielsson held off Ron Oldfield, England, 257-198, in the men's title match en route to win the 2.000 Euro top prize. On the women's side, Kuhn doubled in the 9th and 10th frame to secure a slim 3-pin victory over Brenda Pratt, England, 226-223, worth 1.500 Euro.
Bowlingdigital proudly presents the videocast from the title match of the 4th Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria. The video, taped and edited by Flavio Cuva from Zurich, Switzerland, is 14:56 minutes long and shows the entire match between Wu Siu Hong from Hong Kong and Osku Palermaa from Finland.
Kim Thorsgaard Jensen, European Tenpin Bowling Federation Vice President, head of the ETBF Tournament Committee and organizer of the Brunswick Aalborg Open, one of the European Bowling Tour 'major' tournaments, has announced that the ETBF has changed its rules for penalty points and penalties for the 2007 EBT season. In addition a rule regarding 'pre-booked spots' was introduced.
The Swedish Bowling Federation has selected World Doubles Champion Martin Larsen as the Bowler of the Year 2006. The 27 year-old Swedish International has had an outstanding year and was the top ranked player on the Swedish Super Six Tour and the No. 5 on the European Bowling Tour. The highlight was a gold medal at the Men's World Championships in Busan, Korea.
Dmitriy Shilkin from Belorussia defeated Vitaliy Shilan, Ukraine, 267-257, on Christmas Eve en route to win the QubicaAMF Kiev Open 2006 at Terminal Bowling Center in Kiev, Ukraine. Shilan, seeded 4th, sidelined 14-year-old qualifying leader Alexey Vasilenko, Russia, in the first semi-final, 258-250. In the other semi-final, Shilkin, the No. 3 seed, ousted #2 Sergey Prokhan, Russia, 253-231.
Former Finnish international Jouni Helminen has been elected president of the Finnish Bowling Federation for a two-year term. The 36-year-old was elected by the voting delegates selected by the federation's convention by 12 votes to 10 votes over current president and World Tenpin Bowling Association president Heikki Sarso. Helminen will serve as president from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2008. To read our interview ......
In a match between the No. 1 and No. 2 seed, tournament leader Richard Beck defeated Matt Hamilton, 393-367, en route to win the final Brunswick Team England ranking event, the PTBC Airport Challenge, at Airport Bowl in London, England, and enough points to move him into the squad for the second year. In the women's finals, Nikki Harvey, the No. 8 seed, flew past No. 2 Jemma Smith, 392-297. 
In a battle between two World Cup champions, Osku Palermaa from Finland defeated Peter Ljung from Sweden, 255-222, en route to end the 2006 European Ranking Season with victory in the Kungsbacka International Tournament in Sweden. Palermaa, who ousted Marcus Nyberg, Sweden, in the semis earned 10.000 Euro for his efforts. Ljung, who eliminated the new Swedish head coach, Tomas Leandersson, pocketed 4.500 Euro for second. Leandersson and Nyberg received 2.000 Euro each for third and fourth place, resp.
Paul Moor from England has won the European rankings for the third consecutive year. Kungsbacka champion Osku Palermaa from Finland came up strong but fell 16 points short to finish second. Runner-up Peter Ljung, Sweden, ended up third. Rounding out the top 8 and joining those three in the 2007 World Ranking Masters in Qatar are 4. Stuart Williams, England 5. Martin Larsen, Sweden 6. Thomas Gross, Austria 7. Jason Belmonte, Australia and 8. Kai Virtanen, Finland.
Two-time defending European women's ranking champion Britt Brøndsted won the women's rankings in the Kungsbacka Int'l en route to overtake previous leader Zara Glover, England, and to win the third consecutive ranking title. Joining those two in the 2007 World Ranking Masters in Qatar are Swedes Nina Flack (3rd), Helen Johnson (5th) and Anna Mattsson-Baard (6th) as well as Isabelle Saldjian, France (4th), Patricia Schwarz, Germany, (7th) and Ivonne Gross, Austria (8th).
As earlier reported, Magnus Johnson stepped down after eleven years as Swedish head coach and Sweden's top bowler Tomas Leandersson will take over the job. However, Johnson's retirement lasted less than week as he signed a contract with Swedish bowling club 'Sundbybergs IK'. "I will coach and train the club from the first of January on a more regular basis," Johnson stated.
The European Bowling Tour (EBT) announced its 2007 schedule, with 21 stops - 13 Majors and 8 Challengers - in 16 countries. The tournaments offer total prize money of more than 1.14 million Euro or more than 1.5 million U.S. Dollar. The 2007 EBT will begin with the Brunswick Ballmaster Open at Tali Bowling Stadium in Helsinki, Finland (January 6-14, 2007). 
Tomas Leandersson (l.), one of Sweden's finest players ever, was named head coach of the men's national team for the next four years. At the same time, Magnus Johnson (r.) will step down after eleven years as Swedish head coach in which he lead the 'Tre Kronor' team to six World Championship gold medals as well as numerous medals in international competition. 
Defending Brunswick Team England ranking champion Dominic Barrett led from start to finish in the Burton Short & Long Singles en route to win his second ranking event this season. In the women's round robin final a late burst by Jenny Billingham and Lisa Gardner pushed Jemma Smith to finish with a 245 game to seal the title. 
Stuart Williams and Nick Froggatt won the annual doubles event at AMF Macclesfield with a 2648 total, just holding off the Jo Harries and Darren Cundy pairing who totaled 2574. Third were Rob Thurlby & Jon Zadel on 2557. Brunswick Team England maximum points went to Lee Burrows and Katie Jowsey.
Frank Börner and Hans Nietsch (l-r), both of Germany, defeated compatriot Tanya Petty and Bigi Manico, Switzerland, 447-360, to win the 6th International Strangers Doubles Tournament at Bowling Beseco in Rümikon (Zürich), Switzerland. Börner, who had the field-best 237.86 average in the finals, had 234 and Nietsch added 213 to easily win the match and to earn the 1.200 Euro top prize.
With his victory in Naples, Paul Moor from England almost secured his third consecutive European ranking title. The lefty has 653 points and is 92 points ahead of second-placed Osku Palermaa. Thanks to a 3rd place finish in the women's rankings in Naples, Moor's compatriot Zara Glover regained the lead in the women's division. 
No. 1 seeded Paul Moor, England topped Tony Fransson, seeded second, in the title match of the 3rd Oltremare Ebonite Championships in Naples, Italy, en route to win his third title on the 2006 European Bowling Tour and the 8.000 Euro top prize. Moor, the two-time defending European ranking champion has already won the tournaments in Istanbul and Barcelona. 
The Cyprus Senior Open was the eighth and final tournament of the European Bowling Proprietors' Association (EBPA) Senior Bowling Tour 2006. The event was staged at 'Rock N Bowl' in Larnaca and drew 50 seniors from eight countries. In a high-scoring championship match, Olli Tiainen from Finland defeated Lasse Strandberg, Sweden, 257-221, to earn the title. 
Olga Tarasova and Yuriy Grynyk won the second stop of the 2007 Ukraine National Championship at Cosmos Bowling Center in Chercassy. Defending women's champion Tarasova rolled a huge 258-game to beat Viola Zharko, 415-330, over two games total pinfall. Grynk had games of 210 and 190 to fly past No. 1 seed, Vitaliy Shylan, 400-353.
Both top seeds, Christer Danielsson from Sweden and Hildegard Kuhn, Italy, walked away the winners in the Malta Senior Open Championships. Danielsson held off Ron Oldfield, England, 257-198, in the men's title match en route to win the 2.000 Euro top prize. On the women's side, Kuhn doubled in the 9th and 10th frame to secure a slim 3-pin victory over Brenda Pratt, England, 226-223, worth 1.500 Euro.
Bowlingdigital proudly presents the videocast from the title match of the 4th Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria. The video, taped and edited by Flavio Cuva from Zurich, Switzerland, is 14:56 minutes long and shows the entire match between Wu Siu Hong from Hong Kong and Osku Palermaa from Finland. 
Kim Thorsgaard Jensen, European Tenpin Bowling Federation Vice President, head of the ETBF Tournament Committee and organizer of the Brunswick Aalborg Open, one of the European Bowling Tour 'major' tournaments, has announced that the ETBF has changed its rules for penalty points and penalties for the 2007 EBT season. In addition a rule regarding 'pre-booked spots' was introduced.