Team Europe have retained the Weber Cup as captain Tomas Leandersson (pictured) tied the highest score of the tournament to beat America's Tony Manna Jr. and give his side the vital 18th point to secure the trophy.

America had led 16-14 following an early Sunday evening comeback but tides turned when the Europeans won four consecutive singles matches and it was Leandersson who posted a fantastic 258-game to secure the victory for his team. Supported by capacity crowds Friday through Sunday at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England, the Weber Cup really came of age and live television coverage throughout on Sky Sports heightened the drama.

"That was the best victory ever! There were some tremendously tough matches and at least 85 per cent went into 9th and 10th frames, said Leandersson. "It's unbelievable because that's three years in a row that I have been the final European guy out on the lane. When I went out there for the final match, I knew it was a tough lane and I had no clue what to do!"

"My players were fantastic though. Paul Moor showed how good he is and he is now one of top amateur left-handers in the world. Stuart Williams came in at last minute and did a tremendous job. He is really an up-and-coming bowler and a great decision to select him."

"Jens was superb throughout and really got the team going. I suppose me and Lasse were struggling but we managed to keep up."

Team USA got the best possible start to the final session as David Haynes delivered Stuart William's first defeat of the tournament following some highly consistent bowling from start to finish.

It was Williams' first sub-200 game of the event and that was courtesy of back-to-back open frames in the 3rd and 4th. Playing in his second Weber Cup, Haynes looked better and better as the tournament progressed.

In the second game, Mike Mullin showed what a gutsy performer he is as he revenged his earlier defeat at the hands of Paul Moor to put Team USA on level terms for the first time since 3-3 on Friday evening.

16 pins was the winning margin, but Mullin fought every inch of the way as Moor failed to reproduce the type of form that had seen him average 257 over the first four sessions of the event.

Jens Nickel made the necessary adjustments on a changing lane to get the better of Tim Mack to restore the European lead at 14-13. Mack missed the head pin too many times to make an impact whilst Nickel moved his feet to open up the lane and run out a 204-164 winner. "I think we will win and get the trophy! We're all really positive and we're all good bowlers," said Nickel after the match.

In the next game Lasse Lintilä finally put in a decent performance but unluckily for him, America's Tony Manna Jr. was 21 points better as the match moved back to level pegging at 14 points apiece.

Then in game 29, Team USA moved into the lead for the first time in the tournament. It was Bill Hoffman who won a close match over Tomas Leandersson. "I'm feeling pretty proud after that because I didn't want to leave Barnsley without winning a match", said Hoffman. "My team mates told me to slow it down as the lane wasn't hooking as much so that's what I did," he added.

Team USA put themselves in an even stronger position as they won their fifth consecutive Baker format game of the event to move into a two point lead at 16-14. To emphasize the paucity of Europe's Baker performance, the American's winning margin was a massive 81 pins, 238-157.

There was more drama in the next as Paul Moor recovered from a terrible start to overtake David Haynes in the clash of the form players. An open frame set Moor back badly in the early stages but he stuck with it and found a line to close out Haynes who faltered as Moor came on.

That made the overall score 16-15 to Team USA, but another great performance from World Tenpin Masters champion Jens Nickel made it 16-all. He beat Tim Mack, who despite struggling for form following a shoulder injury, ran him close. Nickel though responded to the big enthusiastic crowd to take the game.

"I feel really good but Tim had a bit of bad luck and I felt sorry for him. The crowds are tremendous and I really think we can win," said Nickel. Stuart Williams then put Team Europe into match point position in an absolute thriller against Bill Hoffman, where the level of scoring had little or no relevance.

It was 181-179 to the European as both players struggled. Hoffman had a chance to win by doubling the final frame but left a 2-8 after making the initial strike. "Oh my God! I don't think I could have gone through too many of those", said Williams, who has been highly impressive on his Weber Cup debut.

Then Leandersson got up and sealed the victory with a 258-218 win over Tony Manna Jr.


Final standings after 34 games: EUROPE defeats USA, 18-16
Stuart Williams 191-237 David Haynes
Paul Moor 215-231 Mike Mullin
Jens Nickel 204-164 Tim Mack
Lasse Lintilä 238-259 Tony Manna Jr.
Tomas Leandersson 204-225 Bill Hoffman
Europe 157-238 USA
Paul Moor 227-204 David Haynes
Jens Nickel 215-194 Tim Mack
Stuart Williams 181-179 Bill Hoffman
Tomas Leandersson 258-218 Tony Manna Jr.

With just one session to play in the 2005 Weber Cup, Team Europe are in the driving seat, requiring just five more points to retain the trophy they won last year. The Sunday afternoon session was shared at three games each, meaning the Europeans kept the two-point lead over Team USA they worked so hard to build over the first two days of the competition.

Team Europe looked set to increase their Weber Cup lead in the first match of the Sunday afternoon session as the Scandinavian duo of Tomas Leandersson and Lasse Lintilä set off in fine style against Tim Mack and Tony Manna Jr.

The American pair though showed great reserves as they piled on the strikes in the latter stages to ghost past their European opponents and reduce the deficit to just one point.

However, it was down to player of the tournament Paul Moor to bowl the game of the tournament in the second match as he posted a score of 280 to beat Mike Mullin. A nine in the second frame after the seven pin failed to drop was Moor's only imperfect ball of the match as every other scattered all ten pins.

"I'm playing really well here, said the Englishman after the game.
"I don't feel nervous at all. I'm used to playing under extreme pressure and my game seems to thrive on it."

There was more joy for the Europeans in the next game as Nickel and Williams came on to defeat Hoffman and Haynes in a game of two halves.

There were ten strikes in a row (five apiece) to begin the game before the scoring trailed off. The critical moment came when Haynes left a big split for Hoffman who failed to knock down any of them.

That derailed Team USA's momentum, leaving the German/English pair to strike out for the point. Reflecting the closeness of the competition, it was David Haynes who bowled a quality 256-game to take the next from Lasse Lintilä.

European No. 4 Paul Williams made it six wins out of six as he continued his tremendous run of form at this year's Weber Cup, this time in tandem with Germany's Jen Nickel. That took the European lead back to three points but the Baker jinx continued as Team Europe turned a winning position into a defeat.

It was the American's fourth consecutive Baker victory and gives them a fighting chance as the two teams go into the final session.


Standings after 24 games: EUROPE leads USA, 13-11
Lintilä/Leandersson 215-231 Mack/Manna Jr.
Paul Moor 280-246 Mike Mullin
Nickel/Williams 232-209 Hoffman/Haynes
Lasse Lintilä 212-256 David Haynes
Williams/Leandersson 238-214 Hoffman/Manna Jr.
Europe 188-207 USA

Team Europe maintained their two-point lead in the 2005 Weber Cup as the two teams - Europe and USA - shared the points in the third six-game session Saturday evening at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England.

Mike Mullin dug deep to grab a point back for Team USA in the opening game of the session as he beat Finn Lasse Lintilä in another match that went down to the wire. Lintilä had a chance to win but a big split put paid to his chances and allowed Mullin to run out a narrow ten-point winner.

For Mullin, though success hinged on the tenth frame; "I was waiting to make my shot but the pinsetter had broken down," he said after the match.

"It gave me time to relax, settle down and think about making my spare. It was an absolute must for me as I wouldn't have won the match if didn't make it.
"We don't give up though and we all have that 'never quit' attitude. We would love to be in the lead but that's not happened yet but hopefully we will by close of play tonight."

Jens Nickel recorded his first singles win of the tournament in the next match as he took care of Tony Manna Jr. in a high scoring encounter. Nickel is a bowler who feeds off the lively crowd and he came out of the traps firing on all cylinders as he made five consecutive strikes to start.

The solid Manna stayed with him but the German's strike rate continued into the second half of the match to give him the edge.

Paul Moor, who is fast shaping up as the player of the tournament, posted another huge score to overcome American captain Tim Mack and restore Team Europe's three-point lead. The Nottingham-based bowler made eight strikes in total, and for Mack, who is struggling a little, it proved to be too much. The final score was 255-214.

"I gave it my full concentration and focused on every shot, said Moor. "I'm on form at the moment and I feel I'm playing really well. I'm confident on the lane and I believe I can strike every time.
"We haven't lost the lead yet but it's still very close. We've every chance to win though but I think it will go right down to the wire."

David Haynes nicked a point back for Team USA in the fourth match as he showed courage under fire in the final stages to make the necessary double in the tenth frame to close out Tomas Leandersson.

The Nevada-based Haynes had left an open frame in the ninth to give Leandersson a chance but the European captain could not take advantage. "There was tremendous pressure in those closing moments but I stayed focused and concentrated on making the shot, said Haynes. "It's time to turn it around for us. We've got the players; we just need to get a few breaks and focus on the job."

Unfortunately for Team USA, young Stuart Williams was again on top form in the final singles match of the evening to deny Bill Hoffman in another superb encounter that went down to the last frames. Six pins stood between the two players at the close but Williams had always managed to stay one step ahead of his opponent.

In the final match of the evening, it was once again Baker glory as Team USA made it 3-0 in the team format game to leave the tournament poised at 10-8 to Europe after three of the five sessions.


Standings after 18 games: EUROPE leads USA, 10-8
Lasse Lintilä 197-207 Mike Mullin
Jens Nickel 248-223 Tony Manna Jr.
Paul Moor 255-214 Tim Mack
Tomas Leandersson 214-221 David Haynes
Stuart Williams 232-226 Bill Hoffman
Europe 208-259 USA

Team Europe got the better of the second session of the 2005 Weber Cup to open up a two-point lead over their American counterparts at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England.

There were six matches in total - two singles, three doubles and a Baker - and the Europeans won four to the Americans' two. With five singles matches to play this evening, Team America will have it all to do against a European team who appear to have hit their collective form at the right time.

Jens Nickel and Stuart Williams stopped the rot for Team Europe after they dropped three matches on the trot on Friday night. They restored their lead in the opening match of the session as they got the better of the American axis of David Haynes and Mike Mullin.

Things looked good for the Euro pair in the early stages as they found themselves 46 pins up after the seventh frame but Team USA came back at them to run it close. It was Nickel though who stole the show as he made a seemingly impossible 6-7-9 split to get the pair back on an even keel and allow them to finish narrow six pin winners in front of a large, noisy crowd.

"It's fantastic to play in front of such a great crowd and even better to win," said Nickel after the match.
"We're really hoping to start today like we did yesterday and the more fans we have like this, the easier it will be to win games," added Williams.

There was more good news for Europe as Paul Moor beat Tony Manna Jr. in what was the match of the tournament so far to increase the European lead to two points at 5-3.

Moor bowled superbly to build up a sizeable lead but left an open frame in the eighth to let Manna right back in. The American made another miracle split - this time a 2-8-10 but could not quite get ahead as both players reverted to spares rather than strikes. In the end it was Moor who prevailed by a single point.

Team Europe then restored their three-point lead as the Scandinavian pairing of Leandersson and Lintila completed a comfortable 52-pin victory over a sub-par Tim Mack and Bill Hoffman.

The Europeans were never in any danger but there were question marks over Mack's fitness following some serious shoulder surgery in the summer. "I haven't been too good for the team so far. I didn't play well and now we're down three points," said Mack afterwards.

"I don't feel that sharp at the moment but I feel that I will get better as the weekend progresses and I pick up the pace." Mack was as good as his word in the next game as he beat Tomas Leandersson to get revenge for yesterday's defeat and reduce the deficit.

It was a must win match for the American skipper and while it was a relatively low scoring affair Mack dug deep and did enough to win. "I feel pretty darned good after that. I needed to win bad and that's what I did," said Mack.

"The lane is a bit different from yesterday; when it gets hotter in the arena, the oil moves around and forces the players to make adjustments and changes.
"The tournament seems to be following a pattern with the Europeans getting ahead and us catching up. I don't care though if it goes 17-17, as long as we win the last one that's all that matters."

The English duo of Paul Moor and Stuart Williams restored Europe's three-point lead though, buoyed on by a very lively Metrodome crowd. Ranked respectively No. 1 and No. 4 in Europe, the dynamic twosome had too much for Tony Manna and Mike Mullin and ran out 20-pin winners in a game that went down to the wire.

Four points would have been a huge lead for Europe to take into the evening session, but it was the Americans who won the final Baker format game in a match that was marred by rapidly changing lane conditions. There were three missed single pins as the oil on the lane broke up but in the end it was the Americans who prevailed by 170- 154.

"That's the kind thing that can happen in sport. Nobody could get it right, but the tournament is still young and there are plenty games to go. Hopefully we can attack it better next time," said European skipper Leandersson.

"It was a great day for the English bowlers who showed how good they. Now we need to try and get a little more focused and not screw around out there," he added.


Standings after 12 games: EUROPE leads USA, 7-5
Jens Nickel/Stuart Williams 202-196 David Haynes/Mike Mullin
Paul Moor 234-233 Tony Manna Jr.
Lasse Lintila/Tomas Leandersson 235-183 Tim Mack/Bill Hoffman
Tomas Leandersson 159-210 Tim Mack
Stuart Williams/Paul Moor 216-196 Mike Mullin/Tony Manna
Europe 154-170 USA

Team USA completed a remarkable comeback to tie Team Europe at three points apiece after the opening session of the 2005 Weber Cup at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England. After being down 3-0 in the six game session, Mike Mullin and Tony Manna Jr. reduced the deficit before the team achieved parity in the 'Baker format' final game.

Styled on golf's Ryder Cup, the Weber Cup features two five man teams representing Europe and the USA doing battle over three days in a series of singles, doubles and team matches. There is a potential for 35 matches and the first team to reach 17 points will lift the coveted trophy when play concludes on Sunday night.

Team Europe secured the opening point in the tournament as Tomas Leandersson edged past Tim Mack in the battle of the captains. Leandersson, who lifted this trophy first in 2003 and then again last year, turned it on in the closing stages as he struck out for victory.

"I was struggling at beginning as I started with a split so I decided to change my ball and my first shot was really good. I made the necessary adjustments and made four in a row to close, he said afterwards. "It's always better to be ahead in this competition. You don't need to be hunting points and the team are more relaxed," said the European skipper.

For Mack, coming back to bowling following a period away from the sport when he underwent massive shoulder joint surgery, it was a promising performance. "I was very nervous for first time in a long time because this is my first serious run out since the surgery, he said.

"I'm well on the road to recovery but I've lost a bit of velocity so I'm having to use my body and legs to generate that extra power.
"All things considered, I was pleased with my performance. I made two huge mistakes but I had a chance to win but in the end Tomas struck out to win.
"If the lane stays like this then there will be some high scores once the players have had time to work it out," he concluded.

In the second match of the evening, Hull's Paul Moor lived up to his billing as the No.1 ranked player in Europe as he banged down a succession of strikes to take out former US skipper Bill Hoffman.

There was more joy for the Europeans in the next as late call up Stuart Williams got the better of David Haynes by the narrowest of margins. It all came down to the last frame for Haynes as he needed a double to win but could only manage a 9 spare and a strike to leave Williams a 214-213 winner.

It was down to New Yorker Mike Mullin to record the American's first point of the competition as he got the better of World Masters Champion Jens Nickel. The winning margin was 51 pins as Mullin dragged his team back into the competition.

There was more good news for Team USA in the final singles match of the day as Tony Manna Jr. went past Finland's Lasse Lintilä by 32 pins. It was the 35 year-old Manna's 14th Weber Cup point in five appearances and a valuable one for a team looking at 4-1 deficit had he lost.

Finally, it was Baker joy for the Americans as a strike/spare finish from Tim Mack secured the point to tie the match. Leandersson though was full of praise for his team; "Paul Moor was unbelievably good today. He was always in the pocket and was solid throughout the match.

"Of course, we've lost Tore Torgersen (the Norwegian bowls on the PBA Tour) but we've found good replacement in Stuart Williams. He's a real fighter and part of what I believe to be the best European team ever.
"This tournament is always going to be tight but we've got to stay strong. Hopefully we can carry on these type of performances on Saturday," said Leandersson.


Standings after 6 games: EUROPE ties USA, 3-3
Tomas Leanderson 210 - 189 Tim Mack
Paul Moor 258 - 223 Bill Hoffman
Stuart Williams 214 - 213 David Haynes
Jens Nickel 195 - 246 Mike Mullin
Lasse Lintila 206 - 238 Tony Manna Jr.
Europe 183 - 204 USA

With the sixth annual Weber Cup set to get underway Friday evening at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England, both team captains have named their line ups for the five singles matches. Styled on golf's Ryder Cup, the Weber Cup features two five-man teams representing Europe and the USA doing battle over three days in a series of singles, doubles and team matches.

There is a potential for 35 matches and the first team to reach 17 points will lift the coveted trophy when play concludes on Sunday night. Both team captains, Tomas Leandersson (Europe) and Tim Mack (USA) have opted to go out first in what could be an explosive opening encounter. Each match is over one game with total pin fall determining the winner.

Europe vs. USA - First Session
#1 Tomas Leandersson vs. Tim Mack
#2 Paul Moor vs. Bill Hoffman
#3 Stuart Williams vs. David Haynes
#4 Jens Nickel vs. Mike Mullin
#5 Lasse Lintilä vs. Tony Manna Jr.
#6 Europe vs. USA

Following five singles games, there will be a Baker Format match whereby all ten players in the tournament take part.

All matches will be played in a single lane arena, which has been specially constructed for the event. With banked spectators on both sides, the Weber Cup represents tenpin's most intimidating venue.