Martin Larsen averages 237 to lead Qualifying Squad 18 at Brunswick Euro Challenge

    03/24/12

    2012 European Bowling Tour #4

    Swedish PBA exempt player cracks top 12; another six players positioned themselves in the top 52; cut for 52nd place is now 1328 (221.33 avg.)

    2012EBT04MartinLarsen.jpg2012EBT04TomHess.jpgThree-time WTBA World Champion Martin Larsen (pictured left) became the 18th player in the 2012 Brunswick Euro Challenge who surpassed the 1400-mark in qualifying when the Swede totaled 1426 pins, an average of 237.67 in Squad 18, to leap into 11th place in the standings. The PBA exempt player had games of 219, 236, 208, 245, 279 and 239.

    Four players of the United States, Tom Hess (right, 1533), Dino Castillo (1531), Mike Fagan (1514) and Sean Rash (1488) are in control of the leaderboard consisting of 345 players, 67 women and 278 men, from 31 countries.

    2012EBT04AndersLousdal.jpg2012EBT04StuartWilliams.jpgPBA champion Stuart Williams (right) of England is the best non-U.S. player in the field in fifth place with 1475.

    Dane Anders Lousdal (left), who is ninth with 1429, is the sole non-PBA player in the top 13.

    Women's U,.S. Open and USBC Queens winner Liz Johnson, United States, is the best of nine women above the cut line in 15th place with 1417 including 8 pins handicap each game, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    2012EBT04EstherCheah.jpg2012EBT04SitiSafiyah.jpgJoining the group from Squad 18 were Malaysian internationals Esther Cheah (left) and Siti Safiyah (right). Cheah, a two-time world champion, was second to Larsen with 1387 including a high game of 267 to help grab 23rd place in the qualifying standings. Safiyah was mere 15 pins behind with 1372 to leap into 29th place.

    Their compatriot Adrian Ang, who was "on the bubble" before this squad, rolled six games between 204 and 248 to land in 26th place with 1384.

    2012EBT04JesperAgerbo.jpg2012EBT04PerttuJussila.jpgAnother three European players positioned themselves above the cut line. Despite a 182 final game, Jesper Agerbo (left), Denmark, managed a 1361 series, good for 39th place. Perttu Jussila (right), Finland, was ten pins behind with 1351 to sit 43rd place with George Patel, England, further one pin and one place back with 1350.

    Ildemaro Ruiz (below right) of Venezuela, who made three TV shows in the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling, currently holds the 52nd and last place to advance to the finals with 1328 and an average of 221.33.

    2012EBT04IldemaroRuiz.jpgQualifying continues on Friday with Squads 19 and 20 scheduled for 4 and 8 p.m. CET followed by Squad 21 starting at Midnight.

    Photo Gallery Part 1 Photos Beat Grauwiler/Bowlingdigital.com.

    2011EBT17ClaraGuerrero2_small.jpg The Brunswick Euro Challenge is the fourth tournament on the 2012 European Bowling Tour schedule and one of only two "Platinum" events, the EBT's highest category. The BEC is also the seventh event of the 2012 World Bowling Tour and the second of three WBT events in Europe this season. Colombia's Clara Juliana Guerrero (left) is the defending champion.

    The tournament will be held from March 16-25 at 28-laner Le Plaza Bowling in Saint Maximin near Paris, France and offers total prize money of 106.000 Euro, approximately US $140,000 with 15.000 Euro going to the winner, 7.500 Euro to the runner-up and 5.000 Euro to the third place finisher.

    ValckeBowling.jpg BowlingdigitalBanner.gif The 2012 Brunswick Euro Challenge is organized and conducted by Brunswick distributor Valcke Bowling. Bowlingdigital.com will cover the event live from Le Plaza Bowling with stories and results after each round including live streaming, high definition videos and high quality photos.

    Live streaming of the 2012 Brunswick Euro Challenge stepladder finals starts on Sunday, March 25th at 6.30 p.m. Central European Time (12.30 p.m. EST; 12.30 a.m. on the 26th Hong Kong time). The award ceremonies are scheduled for 7.30 p.m. CET.

    The live stream of the stepladder finals of the World Bowling Tour's WTBA International Open, which was contested Wednesday, March 20th at Plaza St. Maximim, can be found here.

    2012BECLogo_small.jpg BEC qualifying runs through Saturday, March. 24 with the final Squad 25 slated for 8 p.m. Qualifying concludes with the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad at 11.30 p.m. Women will receive 8 pins handicap each game throughout the entire event, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    A total of 64 players will qualify for the finals on Sunday, March 25, the top 52 in the overall qualifying standings, the top 8 of a separate leaderboard of the squads conducted March 16-19 plus the top 4 of the Desperado Squad. The top 12 qualifiers will receive one bye.

    The remaining 52 finalists will bowl six games scratch to cut to the top 16 who will join the top 12 qualifiers in Round Two. Those 28 will bowl another six games scratch after which the field will be trimmed to the top 8 players who will carry their pinfall total forward into the match play round.

    After seven games round robin match play (30 for each win; 15 for each tie) the top 3 players will determine the champion in a stepladder final. The No. 3 seed bowls the No. 2 seed and the winner of the semifinal match takes on the No. 1 seed for the title, and the 15.00 Euro top prize.

    2012EBTLogo_small.jpg The 2012 European Bowling Tour is made up of 21 events in 16 countries including two Platinum, four Gold, eight Silver and seven Satellite tournaments.

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event earn ranking points based on how they finish in the event. The winner of a Platinum tournament such as the Brunswick Euro Challenge receives 250 ranking points, the winner of a Gold tournament gets 150, the winner of a Silver tournament earns 100, and the winner of a Satellite tournament gets 50 ranking points.

    Those points will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the top 16 men and top 16 women who will compete in the sixth EBT Masters in Bratislava, Slovakia in Sept. 2013.

    2012 European Bowling Tour Rankings
    EBT Women's Ranking
    EBT Men's Ranking

    WBTLogo_small.jpgThe ninth edition of the Brunswick Euro Challenge is also the seventh event of the 2012 World Bowling Tour organized by the World Tenpin Bowling Association. After the Bahamas Classic has been postponed the 2012 WBT consists of 13 tournaments in America, Asia, Europe and Australia - five in the United States and one each in Australia, Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, Kuwait and Thailand.

    Players earn ranking points based on how they finish in each event. The current points system is based on a continuous two-year cycle, so points earned in 2011 are added to points earned in 2012 to determine the points list.

    The top three men and top three women will be invited to compete in the World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the Professional Bowlers Association at the end of 2012 featuring total prize fund of $70,000.

    World Bowling Tour Rankings
    WBT Women's Ranking
    WBT Men's Ranking

    The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of 115 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, visit WorldTenpinBowling.com.

     


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    Qualifying Standings after Squad 18/25


    The top 52 in the overall qualifying standings, the top 8 of a separate leaderboard of the squads 1-8 (places 53-60) plus the top 4 of the Desperado Squad (places 61-64) will advance to the finals. The top 12 qualifiers will receive one bye.

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