Former 4-time European ranking champion
Gery Verbruggen from Belgium won yet another European Bowling Tour title when he flew past
Yoan Alix, France, to win the Storm Dutch Open 2008 at Dolfijn Bowling in Scheveningen and the 10.000 Euro top prize. In the semis, Verbruggen, seeded 16th for the single-elimination match play finals, sidelined No. 1 seed
Dominic Barrett, England, 236-184, while Alix ousted No. 2 seeded
Bo Winther Pedersen, Denmark, 219-169. Pedersen received 5.000 Euro for second place, while Barrett and Winther Pedersen earned 2.500 each for third and fourth place, resp. Barrett and Nina Flack, Sweden, overtake the lead in the EBT rankings.
USBC Silver Coach Steve Innins, England, has completed his first Bronze Certification Seminar in the UK August 3-4, 2008 in Leeds. Innins has booked a seminar room at the Merrion Centre Hotel which is situated right above AMF Bowl Leeds, a 26-laner where part of the instruction took place. 16 coaches of varying ages and experience from England, Scotland and Germany were in attendance. Some participants were new to coaching and others have several years experience holding coaching qualifications from their home countries national associations.
The World Sports Festival 2008 "More Than Just A Tournament" was staged from July 4-6, 2008 in Vösendorf, Lower Austria, Austria. Over 3,500 boys and girls from 21 countries participated in the 3-day event featuring nine sports with unique Olympic-like atmosphere. Besides the sports activities the youth athletes had enough time for personal and intercultural encounters on and off the fields (lanes, pools, courts, etc.). The WSF (formerly United World Games) attracted 100 bowlers who competed in 4-player Mixed Team and Singles at Brunswick Bowling Hernals. 
The 1st Federation Tenpin Bowling Cup 2008 was held July 28-29 in Barcelona, Spain, immediately following the 30 Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona. Each of the three WTBA zones should be represented by four women and four men. The Federation Cup itself was determined in a best-of-three games Baker team shootout. In the championship match, the PABCON team (pictured) made quick work of the ETBF team, two-games-to-none, to win the inaugural Federation Cup. 
USBC Silver Coach Steve Innins, England, will hold his first USBC Bronze Coaching Certification seminar in England on third and fourth August 2008 at the AMF Bowl, Wade Lane in Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 8NH England. Innins has booked the use of a purpose built conference facility at the Merrion Centre Hotel which is situated right above the 26-laner, where part of the instruction will take place. According to Innins, the first USBC Bronze Coaching Certification seminar in England is an intermediate level of training and certification designed for individuals wanting to increase their coaching skills and professionalism.
PBA super star Pete Weber (l.) won two matches en route to claim his first career European Bowling Tour title in the 30th Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain. The PBA Hall of Famer, who had back-to-back 300 games in qualifying topped No. 3 seeded Nicole Sanders, Netherlands, 236-211 in the semifinal and went on to defeat No. 1 seeded Paul Moor (r.), 214-211 in the championship match. Weber earned 12.000 Euro or approx. $18,850 for 1st place and moved up into a tied 16th place in the EBT rankings, Moor received 6.000 Euro for second and Sanders, who won the women's rankings, pocketed 3.000 Euro for third place.
Martin Slavkovský from Bowling Club 300 Nove Zamky, one of Slovakia's best players, has scored three 300 games within eight days. Slavkovský, who represented his country in the 2007 European Championships in Vienna, Austria and the QubicaAMF Bowling Cup in St. Petersburg in the same year, rolled his first career 300 game on June 29th, 2008, the second one day later, both in the 'City Cup 2008' in Poprad, and the third just another six days later in the Slovakia Open on July 6th. 
Defending ranking champions Osku Palermaa, Finland and Kirsten Penny, England, regained the lead in the 2008 European Bowling Tour rankings in the 4th Storm San Marino Open, the 10th of 18 ranking events this season. Palermaa finished the tournament, a major on the EBT, in 9th position, while Penny was 15th overall and second in the women's rankings. Palermaa has a total of 391 ranking points and Penny 419. 
Remy Ong (l.) from Singapore defeated Thomas Gross (r.), Austria, 466 to 437 in the title match over two games total pinfall en route to win the 4th Storm San Marino Open and the 10.000 Euro top prize. Gross, who eliminated PBA super star Pete Weber in the semis, 438-359, was consoled with 6.000 Euro. Ong flew past Germany's Jens Nickel, 478-378, in the other semi-final. Weber and Nickel received 3.500 Euro each for third and fourth place, respectively. Marilyn Planchard, France, won the women's rankings. 
Thomas Gross (r.) from Austria won his second international title and his second 2.500 Euro top prize within eight day when he claimed the title in the 6th Czech Open 2008 at Bowland in Olomouc, Czech Republic, on Sunday July 13. Gross defeated Radek Pospisil from Slovakia in the title match over two games total pinfall, 430 to 372. Pospisil had to settle for second place with Jan Spacil, Czech Republic, in third.
Hermann Wimmer (l.) from Germany emerged as the winner of the 2nd Austria Senior Open 2008 at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria. Wimmer, who was third after qualifying overtook the lead in the Round of 32 and never looked back. He finished with 2754 12-game total including handicap and was able to weather a strong challenge by Austrian Walter Rieger and Jürgen Preuss, Germany, who came up strong in the final two games in the Round of 8. Wimmer pocketed 2.000 Euro for first place, Rieger received 1.000€ for second and Preuss garnered 700 Euro for third place. 
Thomas Gross (pictured) from Austria won the title in the 7th Slovakia Open at Brunswick Bowling Aupark in Bratislava, Slovakia and the 2.500 Euro top prize. The European champion in Doubles averaged 238-plus in round robin to hold a 150-pin lead before the final position round. Though he fell to #2 Miroslav Cifra, Czech Republic, 248-201, and #3 Peter Smits, Netherlands, posted a huge 276 game, Gross (center) cruised to victory with 2028 pinfall total. 
Sarit Mizrachi and Or Aviram won the titles in the 2008 Israeli Individual National Championship Friday at "Superbowling Sport", a 20-laner in Petach Tikva, Israel. 44 players participated in the championship. After 20 games on short and long oil the top 8 men and top women determined the champions in best-of-three single-elimination finals. The champions will represent Israel in the European Champions Cup in Duisburg, Germany, later this year. Aviram won the ECC title in 2006. 
A total of 792 seniors (507 men and 285 women) from 18 countries - Austria, Belgium, Catalonia (an Autonomous Community of the Kingdom of Spain, ETBF member federation), Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland - participated in the 17th European Senior Bowling Championships in three bowling centers in or near Nantes, France. The event was organized by Francoise Augustin, ESBC Presidium member. Paul Douw, Netherlands, was elected ESBC president for three years. 
With 9 out of 18 Tour stops in the books, Nina Flack from Sweden and Dominic Barrett, England, have positioned themselves atop the women's and men's European Bowling Tour rankings. Barrett, who finished third in Scheveningen, Netherlands, has cashed ranking points in all nine events to lead the men's division with 375 points. European Masters Champion Flack used one second-place finish and two first-place finishes in the last three events to take the lead in the women's rankings with 382 points.
Bianca Wiekeraad (l.), Netherlands, and Paul Moor (r.) defeated top-seeded Kirsten Penny and Dominic Barrett to claim the titles in the women's and men's division in the 17th Malta Open Championships at Eden SuperBowl in St. Julians. Opposite to the 4.400 and 3.000 Euro top prizes announced by the European Tenpin Bowling Federation (ETBF), Moor and Wiekeraad earned 3.080 Euro and 2.100 Euro, respectively, for winning the titles. 
Martin Larsen, Sweden, defeated the world's best two-handers en route to claim his second European Bowling Tour title this season in the Brunswick Belgian Open at Bowling De Meibloem in Gent, Belgium. In the semi-final Larsen ousted Osku Palermaa, Finland, 487-448, and secured the title and the 13.000 Euro top prize with a 473-428 win over Jason Belmonte, Australia. Belmonte pocketed 6.500 for second place. 
The Masters title in the Women's European Championships remained in Sweden. In the championship match, Nina Flack (pictured) defeated Mai Ginge Jensen, Denmark, two-games-to-one to win the prestigious title. In the decisive game, Flack flew past her opponent, 201-149. In the semifinals Flack swept her team mate No. 1 seeded Helèn Johnsson, 2-0, while Jensen eliminated the third Swede, Diana Alfredsson, 2-1. Jensen received the silver medal while Johnsson and Alfredsson tied for bronze. Sweden won all but one gold medal of the championships and led the medal tally with four gold and three bronze medals.
The five-player team from Sweden (left) earned the gold medal in the five-player team finals Friday in the Women's European Championships in Odense, Denmark. Nina Flack, Veronica Lantto, Diana Alfredsson, Therese Forsell and All Events champion Helén Johnsson flew past Germany in the semi-finals, 1215-1089, and then defeated Finland's Mari Santonen, Laura Tuomisalo, Heidi Mannonen, Minna Mäkelä and Krista Pölllänen in the championship match, 1080-1056. Finland, who defeated Denmark in the semi-final, 1068-1018, settled for silver, while Denmark und Germany tied for bronze.
The top five players maintained their positions in Women's European Championships All Events after the first block of three games in the team event at Odense Bowling Center in Odense, Denmark. Having completed 21 out of 24 games, Helèn Johnsson (l.), leads the field with 4877 pinfall total and an average of 232.24. Johnson led the Swedish team into the top spot with 752 3-game total to become the best player of the championships on short oil with an average of 244.58 over 12 games. Isabelle Saldjian, France, is second with 4805 with Dane Mai Ginge Jensen in third at 4694 pins. 