Yousif Falah maintains lead; wins A Squad qualifying at H.H. Emir Cup 2015

    02/23/15

    Qatar

    Bahraini sets the pace in qualifying with 2755 total and an average of 229.58 for twelve games; B and C Squad bowlers will roll their qualifying blocks on Tuesday and Wednesday

    2014ABFT07YousifFalah2.jpgYousif Falah (pictured left) of Bahrain rolled a solid 1277 series Monday at Qatar Bowling Center in Doha to maintain a 51-pin lead and to win A Squad qualifying at the H.H. Emir Cup 2015.

    Falah, who paced the 47-player field after the first block with 1478, finished with 2755 total and an average of 229.58 for twelve games to set the pace for squads B and C, who will roll their qualifying blocks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    Danielle McEwan (below left), United States, rolled the highest second block of 1359 including 48 pins handicap to narrow the gap to Falah yet remained in second place with 2704 and an average of 217.33 scratch.

    2014EBT19DanielleMcEwan.jpg2014PBAKellyKulick2.jpgFellow Team USA member Kelly Kulick (right) was a distant third with 2553 total (204.75 average). The winner of the 2014 World Bowling Tour women's finals added 1288 to the 1265 from yesterday to leap from seventh to third place.

    Salem Al-Hajras of Kuwait stayed in fourth place with 2549 (212.42) behind a 1264 series today. Ghanim M Aboujassoum is still the top local bowler but slipped from third to fifth place with 2519 (209.92) after a 1221 second block.

    Rounding out the top 6 was Hazeem Al-Muraikhi of Qatar who had the field-best 220.33 average in block two and used the second-highest 1322 series to leap nine spots into sixth place with 2517 (209.75). The top 6 at the end of the qualifying will earn a first-round bye.

    The bowlers of Squad A have completed qualifying. B and C Squad bowlers will roll their qualifying blocks on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, starting at 10 a.m. (C) and 4 p.m. (B) Arabia Standard Time (AST).

    2015EmirCupLogo_small.jpg
    The H.H. Emir Cup 2015 is the eighth tournament on the 2015 World Bowling Tour and the qualifying event for the Qatar leg, the opening event on the 2015 Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) Tour.

    The Emir Cup will be held from Sunday, February 22-27 at the Qatar Bowling Center, a 32-laner in Doha, Qatar. Players will compete for total prize money of US$102,000 with $25,000 going to the winner, $12,500 to the runner-up and $6,000 each to the third and fourth place finishers.

    According to an agreement between World Bowling and the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), the Emir Cup will award a PBA title, if won by a PBA member.

    Qualifying runs over four days featuring three squads (A, B and C). Each squad bowls two six-game blocks (Squad A on Feb. 22 & 23; Squad B and C on Feb. 24 & 25). Women receive eight pins handicap each game.

    Total 32 players including the top 24 players after 12 games plus the next two Qatari youth players, the next two Qatari bowlers and the top four players from the Desperado Squad, advance to the finals on February 26 and 27. The top six qualifiers earn a first-round bye.

    The other 26 players bowl 6 games scratch with the top 10 advancing to the next round. Those ten and the top six qualifiers roll another six-game block scratch to determine the top four players who advance to the playoffs.

    The No. 1 seed meets the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed takes on the No. 3 seed over two games with the total pin fall to determine the winners, who bowl for the title and the $25,000 top prize in the two-game total pins championship match.

    WBTLogo_small.jpg The 2015 World Bowling Tour, which actually got underway in November 2014, currently consists of 19 tournaments in the Middle East (8), United States (7), Asia (2) and Europe (2) including seven "majors" and 12 regular tournaments.

    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 2013 and all points from the 2014 and 2015 are added to determine the points list.

    The top three men and top three women in the WBT points list will be invited to compete in the 2015 World Bowling Tour Finals in the beginning of 2016.

    World Bowling provides governance to international bowling and is made up of 134 bowling international federations. For more information on the World Bowling Tour, click here.

     


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    H.H. Emir Cup 2015 - Standings after Qualifying (Squad A only)


    Top 24 players plus the next two Qatari youth players (places 25-26), the next two Qatari bowlers (places 27-28) and the top four players from the Desperado Squad (places 29-32) will advance to the finals.

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