Kobe Rokko Bowl in Kobe-Shi, Hyogo-Ken (Sep. 30 through Oct. 4, 2006)
The National Sports Festival is Japan's largest annual sports meeting. Hyogo-Ken was the host prefecture this year. The Japan Amateur Sports Association and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, Sports and Technology were the co-organizers. The Japan Bowling Congress was involved as the organizer of the bowling competition, which was held from September 30 through October 4 in Kobe Rokko Bowl, in Kobe-Shi, Hyogo-Ken.
Steve Thornton (center) won the PTBC Eliminator at Charrington Bowl in Tolworth, Surrey. He averaged 238,57 over seven games round robin and compiled a 5-2 won-lost record to finish with 1820 pinfall total. Trailing Thornton by 68 pins to finish in second place was Rob Thurlby (left), with defending BTE ranking champion Dominic Barrett (right) in third.
After the conclusion of the San Marino Open, the 17th out of 20 tournaments of the 2006 European Bowling Tour, Paul Moor and Zara Glover, both from England, sit atop the men's and women's European rankings. With her victory in San Marino, Glover earned 100 points to move past two-time defending champion Britt Bröndsted, Denmark.
Rose'n Bowl in Serrvalle, San Marino (September 29-October 8, 2006)
The championship match in the 2nd San Marino Open at Rose'n Bowl in Serrvalle was an All-English affair. Former 3-time World Champion Zara Glover rolled games of 241 and 226 to defeat Nick Froggatt and to earn the 10.000 Euro top prize.
When Gery Verbruggen, Belgium, started his sixth and final game in Prince de Liège Tournament at "Le Strike" bowling in Crisnée, the lefty knew it wouldn't be an easy task to defend his title. The tournament format is as simple as tough: six games without finals. The former World and European champion needed 250 to overtake another former world champion, Geert-Jan van Baest, Netherlands, by one pin.
Crocus Expo in Moscow, Russia (September 27-29, 2006)
The EELEX, the annual international trade show for the gaming and entertainment industry, celebrated its 15th anniversary at a new home, the Crocus Expo in Moscow, Russia. The third largest casino exhibition in the world and the largest in Russia, CIS and Baltic countries run from September 27-29 and was organized by the Unicum Group, the leading Russian provider of solutions and products for gaming business and entertainment industry.
Veitvet Bowling Center in Oslo, Norway (Sept. 23-Oct. 1, 2006)
Tobias Karlsson, who shot a perfect game in Round 5 to take the No. 1 seed for the finals, topped Magnus Andersson, 234-202, in the championship match to win the 16th stop of the European Bowling Tour and the 60.000 Norwegian Kronor top prize (approx. 7.260 Euro). Karlsson ousted women's ranking winner Nina Flack in the semis, 187-165, while Andersson eliminated Dennis Eklund, all from Sweden, 241-210.
Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia (Sep. 25 - Oct. 1, 2006)
No. 2 seed Or Aviram (left) from Israel came back from being down 1-0 to defeat No. 1 seed Mads Sandbækken, two games-to-one en route to win the men's title in the European Champions Cup at Zelta Bowling Center in Riga. Sixth-seeded Annika Kilander (right) from Sweden swept Norway's Heidi Thorstensen, seeded fourth, two-games-to-none, to claim the women's title.
Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia (Sep. 25 - Oct. 1, 2006)
World Youth Masters champion Mads Sandbækken, Norway, the men's leader board after 24 games of qualifying in the European Champions Cup. On the women's side, day one leader Fiona Banks, England, averaged 226,25 on the final day of qualifying to regain the lead and to earn the No. 1 seed for the best-of-three games single-elimination match play finals.Â
Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia (Sep. 25 - Oct. 1, 2006)
English ranking leader Dominic Barrett (left) and Dutch international Ghislaine van der Tol overtook the lead in the European Champions Cup in Riga, Latvia, after the second six-game block on long oil. First-round leaders Anders Öhman, Sweden, and Fiona Banks, England, slipped to third.
Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia (Sep. 25 - Oct. 1, 2006)
Defending champion Anders Öhman from Sweden and two-time European gold medalist Fiona Banks, England, took the lead in the European Champions Cup at Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia after the first 8-game block on the short oil pattern.
Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia (Sep. 25 - Oct. 1, 2006)
The European Champions Cup (formerly known as European Cup for Individuals) was opened yesterday at the Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia. Anders "Linus" Öhman of Sweden (left) and Tanya Petty (right) of Germany are the defending champions.
Ruth Doppler from Basel and Philippe Huber from Geneva, will represent Switzerland at the 42nd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Mampote Bowling Center in Caracas, Venezuela from November 4-10, 2006. The 2006 Swiss Champions won the Swiss World Cup Qualifier at Bowling Center BeSeCo in Rümikon-Winterthur, Switzerland.
Bowling-Halle BeSeCo in Rümikon-Winterthur, Switzerland
Father and son, Ernst and Marcus Berndt from Sweden, finished 1-2 in the Singles event of the 5th Winterthur Triple at Bowling-Halle BeSeCo in Rümikon-Winterthur, Switzerland. Former European champion Ernst (pioctured) topped his son Marcus in the final game 236 to 215 to win the title by 11 pins. Oliver Blasé, Germany, fired a 299 in the final game to leapfrog into third place.
Osku Palermaa from Finland and Zara Glover from England and narrowed the gap to the men's and women's ranking leaders by finishing eighth and fourth, respectively, in the men's and women's rankings of the Viernheim Open, the 15th stop of the 2006 European Bowling Tour and one of the tour's majors.
Bowling Center Viernheim, Germany (Sept. 9-17, 2006)
Liz Johnson (left), Cheektowaga, N.Y., defeated Yoan Alix from France, two-games-to-one in the championship match of the 2nd Gutperle Viernheim Open 2006 presented by Storm to become the first American woman to win a European Bowling Tour tournament. Johnson pocketed the huge 25.000 Euro first-place check (approx. $31,700), while Yoan Alixwas consoled with 12.500. Euro. Sean Rash, United States received 5.500 Euro for finishing third.
Bowling Center Viernheim, Germany (Sept. 9-17, 2006)
Yoan Alix from France shot a huge 1949 eight-game series, an average of 243,63, to become the No. 1 seed for Sunday's finals in the 2nd Gutperle Viernheim Open presented by Storm. The top 40 qualified for the single-elimination best-of-three-games match play finals on Sunday starting at 8am. The top 8 semi-final leaders will bypass the first two rounds. The winner will walk away with the huge 25.000 Euro first-place check (approx. $31,700).
Six players crack top 58 in final qualifying squad
Jason Belmonte of Australia won the qualifying in Viernheim for the second consecutive year, worth 2.500 Euro. Belmonte led the field of 372 players from 27 countries with 1463 six-game total. Liz Johnson was the top-ranked woman in second place with 1440 to receive a 1.000 Euro bonus, Amanda Beck, both United States, who led Squad 29 with 1437, came up three pins short to finish third. Surviving the one-game Desperado Squad were: 1. Carsten Grieving, GER, 258 2. Uwe Tscharke, GER, 246 3. Amedeo Spada, ITA, 243 4. Rhys Parfitt, ENG, 238 5. Habib Dogan, TUR, 235 6. Andreas Boesiger, SUI, 230.
Bowling Center Viernheim in Viernheim, Germany (Sept. 9-17, 2006)
Jason Belmonte (left) is mere one squad away from winning the qualifying in Viernheim Open. The Aussie, who won the qualifying last year, led the field of 369 players with 1463 six-game total and an average of 243,83. Former PWBA champion Liz Johnson, USA, was the top-ranked woman in second place with 1440 including the standard 48 pins handicap.
The 24th qualifying squad of the Viernheim Open didn't bring major changes in the standings. Peter Ljung (left) from Sweden continued to lead with 1419. 23-time PBA champion Brian Voss started the 23rd squad with a bang. The PBA Hall of Famer rolled 12 consecutive strikes for the second 300-game of the tournament. Video Clip with the last two strikes available now.
The National Sports Festival is Japan's largest annual sports meeting. Hyogo-Ken was the host prefecture this year. The Japan Amateur Sports Association and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, Sports and Technology were the co-organizers. The Japan Bowling Congress was involved as the organizer of the bowling competition, which was held from September 30 through October 4 in Kobe Rokko Bowl, in Kobe-Shi, Hyogo-Ken.
Steve Thornton (center) won the PTBC Eliminator at Charrington Bowl in Tolworth, Surrey. He averaged 238,57 over seven games round robin and compiled a 5-2 won-lost record to finish with 1820 pinfall total. Trailing Thornton by 68 pins to finish in second place was Rob Thurlby (left), with defending BTE ranking champion Dominic Barrett (right) in third. 
After the conclusion of the San Marino Open, the 17th out of 20 tournaments of the 2006 European Bowling Tour, Paul Moor and Zara Glover, both from England, sit atop the men's and women's European rankings. With her victory in San Marino, Glover earned 100 points to move past two-time defending champion Britt Bröndsted, Denmark.
The championship match in the 2nd San Marino Open at Rose'n Bowl in Serrvalle was an All-English affair. Former 3-time World Champion Zara Glover rolled games of 241 and 226 to defeat Nick Froggatt and to earn the 10.000 Euro top prize.
When Gery Verbruggen, Belgium, started his sixth and final game in Prince de Liège Tournament at "Le Strike" bowling in Crisnée, the lefty knew it wouldn't be an easy task to defend his title. The tournament format is as simple as tough: six games without finals. The former World and European champion needed 250 to overtake another former world champion, Geert-Jan van Baest, Netherlands, by one pin.
The EELEX, the annual international trade show for the gaming and entertainment industry, celebrated its 15th anniversary at a new home, the Crocus Expo in Moscow, Russia. The third largest casino exhibition in the world and the largest in Russia, CIS and Baltic countries run from September 27-29 and was organized by the Unicum Group, the leading Russian provider of solutions and products for gaming business and entertainment industry.
Tobias Karlsson, who shot a perfect game in Round 5 to take the No. 1 seed for the finals, topped Magnus Andersson, 234-202, in the championship match to win the 16th stop of the European Bowling Tour and the 60.000 Norwegian Kronor top prize (approx. 7.260 Euro). Karlsson ousted women's ranking winner Nina Flack in the semis, 187-165, while Andersson eliminated Dennis Eklund, all from Sweden, 241-210.
No. 2 seed Or Aviram (left) from Israel came back from being down 1-0 to defeat No. 1 seed Mads Sandbækken, two games-to-one en route to win the men's title in the European Champions Cup at Zelta Bowling Center in Riga. Sixth-seeded Annika Kilander (right) from Sweden swept Norway's Heidi Thorstensen, seeded fourth, two-games-to-none, to claim the women's title.
World Youth Masters champion Mads Sandbækken, Norway, the men's leader board after 24 games of qualifying in the European Champions Cup. On the women's side, day one leader Fiona Banks, England, averaged 226,25 on the final day of qualifying to regain the lead and to earn the No. 1 seed for the best-of-three games single-elimination match play finals. 
English ranking leader Dominic Barrett (left) and Dutch international Ghislaine van der Tol overtook the lead in the European Champions Cup in Riga, Latvia, after the second six-game block on long oil. First-round leaders Anders Öhman, Sweden, and Fiona Banks, England, slipped to third. 
Defending champion Anders Öhman from Sweden and two-time European gold medalist Fiona Banks, England, took the lead in the European Champions Cup at Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia after the first 8-game block on the short oil pattern. 
The European Champions Cup (formerly known as European Cup for Individuals) was opened yesterday at the Zelta Bowling Center in Riga, Latvia. Anders "Linus" Öhman of Sweden (left) and Tanya Petty (right) of Germany are the defending champions. 
Ruth Doppler from Basel and Philippe Huber from Geneva, will represent Switzerland at the 42nd QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Mampote Bowling Center in Caracas, Venezuela from November 4-10, 2006. The 2006 Swiss Champions won the Swiss World Cup Qualifier at Bowling Center BeSeCo in Rümikon-Winterthur, Switzerland. 
Father and son, Ernst and Marcus Berndt from Sweden, finished 1-2 in the Singles event of the 5th Winterthur Triple at Bowling-Halle BeSeCo in Rümikon-Winterthur, Switzerland. Former European champion Ernst (pioctured) topped his son Marcus in the final game 236 to 215 to win the title by 11 pins. Oliver Blasé, Germany, fired a 299 in the final game to leapfrog into third place.
Liz Johnson (left), Cheektowaga, N.Y., defeated Yoan Alix from France, two-games-to-one in the championship match of the 2nd Gutperle Viernheim Open 2006 presented by Storm to become the first American woman to win a European Bowling Tour tournament. Johnson pocketed the huge 25.000 Euro first-place check (approx. $31,700), while Yoan Alix was consoled with 12.500. Euro. Sean Rash, United States received 5.500 Euro for finishing third.
Yoan Alix from France shot a huge 1949 eight-game series, an average of 243,63, to become the No. 1 seed for Sunday's finals in the 2nd Gutperle Viernheim Open presented by Storm. The top 40 qualified for the single-elimination best-of-three-games match play finals on Sunday starting at 8am. The top 8 semi-final leaders will bypass the first two rounds. The winner will walk away with the huge 25.000 Euro first-place check (approx. $31,700). 
Jason Belmonte of Australia won the qualifying in Viernheim for the second consecutive year, worth 2.500 Euro. Belmonte led the field of 372 players from 27 countries with 1463 six-game total. Liz Johnson was the top-ranked woman in second place with 1440 to receive a 1.000 Euro bonus, Amanda Beck, both United States, who led Squad 29 with 1437, came up three pins short to finish third. Surviving the one-game Desperado Squad were: 1. Carsten Grieving, GER, 258 2. Uwe Tscharke, GER, 246 3. Amedeo Spada, ITA, 243 4. Rhys Parfitt, ENG, 238 5. Habib Dogan, TUR, 235 6. Andreas Boesiger, SUI, 230. 
The 24th qualifying squad of the Viernheim Open didn't bring major changes in the standings. Peter Ljung (left) from Sweden continued to lead with 1419. 23-time PBA champion Brian Voss started the 23rd squad with a bang. The PBA Hall of Famer rolled 12 consecutive strikes for the second 300-game of the tournament. Video Clip with the last two strikes available now.