Joonas Jehkinen leads penultimate Squad 17; is the only player to move into the top 52

    03/22/14

    2014 European Bowling Tour #4

    Fellow Finn Joonas Jähi continues to lead the 330-player field from 31 countries with 1545 (257.50 avg.); Swede Daniel Fransson rolls his second perfecto and sixth overall; Singapore's New Hui Fen rolls the first 300 by a woman; cut for 12th place is still 1480 (246.67) and cut for 52nd place improved by one pin to 1412 (235.33)

    2014EBT04JoonasJehkinen.jpg2014EBT04JoonasJahi.jpgWorld and European champion Joonas Jehkinen (pictured left) of Finland was the only player of 99 participants in the penultimate squad, who moved into the top 52 as the qualifying of the 2014 Brunswick Euro Challenge nears conclusion.

    Jehkinen, who won last year's qualifying with 1523, rolled games of 259, 267, 221, 224, 231 and 267 to lead Squad 17 Saturday evening at Dream-Bowl Palace in Munich, Germany, en route to move from 100th to 15th place with 1469 or an average of 244.83.

    His compatriot Joonas Jähi (right) leads the field of 330 players, 262 men and 68 women, from 31 countries heading into the last qualifying squad with 1545 and an average of 257.50. Lars Tangermann, the best German bowler in the field, holds the 12th and last place to earn one bye for the finals with 1480 or an average of 246.67.

    2014EBT04DanielFransson.jpg2014EBT04DaphneTan.jpgSwede Daniel Fransson (left) and Daphne Tan (right) from Singapore started the six-game block in 47th and 48th place and were in danger to fall out of the top 52 with 1415 and 1414 including handicap, respectively.

    Tan rolled 1414 scratch including high games of 279 and a final 267 and added 48 pins handicap to finish just seven pins behind Jehkinen with 1462, good for 16th place overall.

    Fransson, who posted the tournament's first 300 game in Squad 8, which resulted in a 1307 series, rolled his second perfecto and the sixth overall in game four on the way to a 1458 series which propelled him into 17th place.

    2014EBT04NewHuiFen.jpg2014EBT04MatsMaggi.jpgSingapore's New Hui Fen (left) rolled the first 300 by a woman but could not improve her previous high score (1354; 106th place).

    Jehkinen's feat came at the expense of Anton Borg of Sweden, who slipped out of the top 52 with his 1411 series. Belgian national team member Mats Maggi (right) now holds the infamous last place to advance directly to the finals with 1412 and an average of 235.33.

    Qualifying continues on Saturday, March 22, with Squad 18 starting at 8 p.m. CET and concludes with the Desperado Squad slated for 11.30 p.m.

    2014BECLogo_small.jpg The Brunswick Euro Challenge is the fourth tournament on the 2014 European Bowling Tour schedule and one of only two "Platinum" events this season, the EBT's highest tournament category. The BEC is also the 10th stop of the World Bowling Tour and will award a PBA International title, if won by a PBA member.

    The 11th issue of Europe's richest tournament will be held from March 15-23 at Europe's biggest bowling center, 52-lane Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring in suburban Munich, Germany.

    The Tournament offers an increased total prize fund of 111.111 Euro with 11.111 Euro going to the winner, 9.000 Euro to the runner-up and 7.000 Euro to the third place finisher.

    BowlingdigitalBanner.gif Bowlingdigital.com will provide Live Coverage and Live Streaming of the last day of qualifying and the whole finals. The stepladder final will be broadcast live on Bowlingdigital TV Sunday, March 23, from 17:00 to 18:00 Central European Time (starts at noon Eastern Daylight Time or Monday, March 24, at 0.00 a.m. Hong Kong Time).

    Qualifying will kick off Saturday, March 15, with two squads and runs through Saturday, March. 22, with the final Squad 18 slated for 8 p.m. CET. Qualifying concludes with the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad at 11.30 p.m. Women receive eight pins handicap each game, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    A total of 64 players will qualify for the finals on Sunday, March 23, including the top 52 qualifiers, the top 8 of a separate leaderboard of the squads conducted March 15-19 plus the top 4 of the Desperado Squad.

    The top 12 qualifiers will receive one bye. The other 52 players 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 for match play.

    Round Two pinfall will be carried forward. The top 3 players after seven games round robin match play (30 pins bonus for a win; 15 for a tie) 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 11.111 Euro top prize.

    2014EBTLogo_small.jpg The 2014 European Bowling Tour features 20 tournaments in 14 countries. In its 15th season, the EBT consists of two Platinum, six Gold, three Silver and nine Satellite tournaments. The total prize fund exceeds one million Euro.

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event receive ranking points. Those points will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the top 12 men and top 12 women, who will compete in the eighth EBT Masters in Asti, Italy, on July 6, 2015.

    WBTLogo_small.jpg The 2014 World Bowling Tour, which actually got underway in November 2013 with the PBA World Championship, consists of 15 tournaments in Arabia (6), Asia (3), United States (3), Europe (2) and Australia (1).

    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 some points earned in 2012 and all points from the 2013 and 2014 are added to determine the points list.

    The top three men and top three women in the WBT Point Ranking will be invited to compete in the 2014 World Bowling Tour Finals, which will be held in conjunction with the PBA World Series of Bowling VI from Oct. 24 through Nov. 2 at South Point in Las Vegas.

    The World Tenpin Bowling Association, which is made up of 111 bowling federations, governs the sport throughout the world. For more information on WTBA and the World Bowling Tour, click here.

     


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    2014 Brunswick Euro Challenge - Qualifying Standings after Squad 17/18


    The top 52 qualifiers, the top 8 of a separate leaderboard of the squads conducted March 15-19 (Places 53-60) and the top 4 of the Desperado Squad (places 61-64) will advance to the finals on Sunday, March 23. The finals will be live streamed on Bowlingdigital.com.



    300 games (7) - Daniel Fransson (2), Chris Barnes, Andreas Gripp, Marshall Kent, John Wells, New Hui Fen.

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