James Gruffman leads top 8 men into the finals of the 35th European Champions Cup

    10/21/12

    2012 ECC

    Swede leads all three qualifying rounds to win men's qualifying by 479 pins; veterans Lintilä, Verbruggen and Grabowski take the last three spots; defending champion Thomas Gross misses the cut

    2012ECCVerbruggenGruffmanSandbakken.jpg2011EBT04AchimGrabowski2.jpgJames Gruffman (center, with Gery Verbruggen, left, and Mads Sandbækken, right) of Sweden won the men's qualifying of the 35th European Champions Cup Saturday evening at bowling center Dekker in Zoetermeer, Netherlands and leads the top 8 players into Sunday's single-elimination finals.

    Like his female counterpart, Gruffman led all three eight-game blocks to finish the preliminaries with 5647 total and an average of 235.29, almost 20 pins higher than his nearest competitor. The Swede, who had 1927 on short oil (35 ft.), 1932 on long oil (40 ft.) and 1788 on combined oil, will meet Achim Grabowksi (right) of Germany in the quarterfinals.

    2012ECCRaymondTeece2.jpg2012ECCGeryVerbruggen3.jpgThe multiple national champion and former European champion posted the fifth-highest 1672 series on combined oil to leap two spots to take the eighth and last place to advance with 4953 and an average of 206.38.

    After 24 games Grabowski was 74 and 84 pins ahead of Mark McQueen of Scotland and Mykhaylo Kalika of Ukraine, who finished ninth and tenth with 4879 and 4869, respectively. Defending champion Thomas Gross suffered a 1419 series (177.38) to slip from sixth to 11th place and missed cut.

    2012ECCLasseLintila2.jpg2012ECCYoanAlix2.jpgTrailing Gruffman by 479 pins to capture the No. 2 seed for the finals was Raymond Teece (above left) of England, who used the second-highest series of 1728 for 5168 total (215.33). Teece bowls seventh-placed Gery Verbruggen (above right) of Belgium in the first round Sunday. The former world and European champion, who led the European Bowling Tour point rankings in the first four years, chalked up 5032 pins.

    Finnish standout Lasse Lintilä (left) was one pin better than Verbruggen with 5033 thanks to the fourth-best 1675 series. The past world and European champion meets Yoan Alix (right) of France, who was third with 5111.

    2012ECCMadsSandbakken2.jpg2012ECCHabibDogan.jpgIn the fourth match, No. 4 Mads Sandbækken (left) of Norway and Turkey's Habib Dogan (right), seeded fifth, will square off.

    Sandbækken, who won gold in Masters at the World Youth Championships and the Men's European Championships, totaled 5101 pins. The Turkish veteran used the third-highest series of the day (1696) to leap from seventh to fifth place with 5083.

    The quarterfinals in best-of-three games format start on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 9 a.m. local time.

    2012ECCLogo.jpg The European Champions Cup 2012 takes place at bowling center Dekker, a 16-laner with Funk equipment in the city of Zoetermeer, just 15 km East of The Hague, Netherlands.

    Starting on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 42 men from 41 countries and 36 women from 35 countries roll three eight-game blocks of qualifying over four days, the first block on short oil (35 ft.), the second block on long oil (40ft.) and the third block on combined oil (one lane dressed with short oil, the other lane dressed with long oil).

    The top eight men and the top eight women after 24 games advance to the single-elimination finals in best-of-three games format. The player, who wins all three matches, will be declared the champion.

     


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    2012 European Champions Cup - Men's Qualifying after 24 games


    First block on short oil (35 ft.), second block on long oil (40ft.) and third block on combined oil. The top 8 advance to the single-elimination finals in best-of-three games format.

     


    Men's Qualifying - Third Block Results


    First block on short oil (35 ft.), second block on long oil (40ft.) and third block on combined oil.