Japan sets the tone as Squad A Teams have completed their six-game preliminaries

    12/13/14

    2014 MWC Abu Dhabi

    Japanese bowlers average 212 on medium oil to lead the Teams who were in position 29 and lower after Friday's first block on long oil; Kang Heewon (KOR) and Daisuke Yoshida (JPN) roll 700-plus series to set the pace in All-Events

    2014MWCTeamJapan.jpg Asian Games champions Toshihiko Takahashi (replaced Yusuke Yamamoto after the first block), Shogo Wada, Shusaku Asato and Yoshinao Masatoki and Daisuke Yoshida of Japan (pictured left) set the tone as Squad A teams have completed their six-game preliminaries at the Men's World Championships in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

    The Japanese bowlers had to bowl the second block of three games on medium oil (38 ft. Atlanta pattern in Squad A, which comprised of the teams who were ranked 29th and lower in the first block after averaging 193.33 for three games on long oil (43 ft. Tokyo) yesterday.

    Japan rebounded with games of 1065, 1082 and 1033 and a 3180 series, an average of 212 to lead the field of 16 teams with 6080 total and an overall average of 202.67.

    Leadoff bowler Yoshida posted 708 today to sit in second place in All-Events (combined scores in Singles, Doubles, Trios and Teams) with 5313 or an average of 221.38. Korea's Kang Heewon finished with 277 and 742 to lead Squad A bowlers in All-Events with 5368 (223.67).

    Immediately after the last ball was rolled, the Japanese and Korean bowlers gathered for one last photo with long-time team manager Yoshiyuki Arai (front row, center), who retires from his position after 15 years with Team Japan. Click image to enlarge.

    Bermuda finished Squad A with a 1045 game to sit in second place with 5983, followed by Lithuania in third place on 5917 and Iceland in fourth place with 5861.

    First-block leader Finland leads the top 28 teams into the second block with 3381 total and an average of 225.40. The top 4 teams after six games preliminaries will advance to the medal round beginning at 18.30.

    No. 1 will bowl No. 4 and No. 2 meets No. 3 in a one-game semi-final match. The winners bowl for gold and silver while the losers share the bronze medal.

    2014MWCLogo2.jpg 2014WorldBowlingLogo.jpg The 2014 World Tenpin Bowling Association Men's World Championships will be held from December 4-15 at 40-lane Khalifa International Bowling Center in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, UAE. 272 players from 49 countries participate in the event.

    The Championships, hosted by World Bowling Tenpin, the Emirates Bowling Federation and Zayed Sports City, is open to all WTBA Member Federations who are currently paid up members of World Bowling and their respective zone (PABCON, ETBF, and ABF).

    Maximum six men per country compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in Singles, Doubles, Trios, five-player Teams, All-Events and Masters in the 9-day competition (Dec. 6-14).

    BowlingdigitalBanner.gif Bowlingdigital will provide on-site coverage from Khalifa International Bowling Center in Abu Dhabi including reports, photos and results starting with the Singles event all the way through to the Masters finals on Sunday, Dec. 14.

    2014BowlTVLogo_small.jpg The United States Bowling Congress provides live streaming of the entire event on BowlTV. Live Scoring can be found on the official Website and on the website of World Bowling

    2014MWCAtlanta38.jpg 2014MWCTokyo43.jpg In accordance with the World Bowling Tenpin Playing Rules, the 2014 Men's World Championships will be contested on two lane conditioning pattern, the 38 ft. Atlanta pattern and the 43 ft. Tokyo pattern, a medium and a long pattern from the World Bowling bank of patterns.

    The Championships are the fourth World Championships for men only since the world's governing body for the sport of tenpin bowling has decided at the WTBA congress in the year 2003 to split the men's and women's events .

    The 2006 MWC took place in Busan, Korea (on 33 ft. Sydney and 43 ft. Tokyo pattern), and was followed by Bangkok, Thailand in 2008 (on 34 ft. Stockholm and 43 ft. Tokyo pattern) and Munich, Germany in 2010 (38 ft. Atlanta and 43 ft. Tokyo pattern).

    The 2014 Men's World Championships marks the event's first visit to Abu Dhabi and the Khalifa International Bowling Center since 1999.

    Several of the medalists of the at that time combined World Championships (men and women) are still active, either as player, coach or team manager.

    L-R Swedish men's coach Patrick Backe and Hong Kong, China head coach Bill Hoffman. Click images to enlarge.

    The "class of 1999" celebrating their 15-year reunion was spearheaded by World Champions Patrick Backe of Sweden, Ahmed Shaheen of Qatar, Gery Verbruggen of Belgium and Tore Torgersen of Norway and was joined by silver and bronze medalists Kimmo Lehtonen of Finland, Andres Gomez of Colombia, Bill Hoffman, United States and Germany's Achim Grabowski and Tobias Gäbler.

    Backe won two gold medals in Doubles and in the Team event, in which Sweden defeated Hoffman's Team USA, 6514 to 6425. Germany with Grabowski and Gäbler took bronze with 6362.

    Lefty Verbruggen won the gold medal in Singles (1379) by five pins over Grabowski, who took the silver medal (1374). Torgersen averaged 223.54 on his way to the gold medal in All-Events (5365). Shaheen, now the team manager of the Qatar national team, defeated Verbruggen in the title match to win the coveted gold medal in Masters.

    L-R Verbruggen, Shaheen and Torgersen.

    Torgersen and Shaheen also won silver and bronze in Trios. All players from the gold medal team from Finland, Antti-Pekka Lax, Lasse Lintilä and Ari Halme, have retired from international bowling.

    Backe teamed with Martin Blixt to win the gold medal in Doubles with 2716. Lehtonen (an partner Petri Mannonen) and Gomez (with team mate Jaime Monroy) shared the silver medasl on 2699. The Colombians set a championship record for one game with 599.

    Gomez' 300 game was one of four perfect games in the 1999 event. Shaheen, Rolando Sebelen (DOM) and Steve Thornton (ENG) had the others.

     


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    2014 Men's World Championships - Team Standings after six games (Squad A only)


    First three-game block on long oil (43 ft. Tokyo pattern), second three-game block on medium oil (38 ft. Atlanta pattern); top 4 will advance to the playoffs.

     


    2014 Men's World Championships - All-Events Standings after Teams Squad A Block 2


    Top 24 after 24 games will advance to the Masters competition.

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