Two of the favorites, Mike Fagan, United States and Jason Belmonte (r.l), Australia, took a dominating lead in Brunswick Euro Challenge after squad 8.

Fagan, who won his first career PBA title this season when he teamed with Danny Wiseman to win the PBA Exempt Doubles Classic in Las Vegas, posted a tournament-best 1390 series including the highest game thus far (268) to lead the field of 144 players with an average of 231.67.

Belmonte, who was named United States Bowling Congress spokesperson for youth and the burgeoning two-handed approach delivery in February during the International Coach/Instructor Training seminar at USBC Headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., had six games between 217 and 243 to overtake the second place with 1373 (228.83).

Dutch Wendy van der List (left) had a 1253 scratch (208.83) and added 48 pins handicap, a standard on the European Bowling Tour for women, to become the first woman who cracked the 1300-bar with 1301.

Trailing Belmonte by 72 pins, van der List moved into third place.

Multiple French champion Francois Sacco (right) improved his score to 1295 in a re-entry to move into fourth place.

Previous leader Rafael Medina, Venezuela, slipped to fifth with 1293.


The Brunswick Euro Challenge is the fifth stop on the 2008 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's "majors". The BEC offers total prize fund of 90,000 Euros (currently approx. $136,500) and offers special prizes that will be given in categories such as youth encouragement, "B" bowlers and ladies.

The 2008 Brunswick Euro Challenge sponsored by Brunswick Bowling is organized by Brunswick distributor Valcke Bowling.

Qualifying will continue Wednesday through Saturday and ends with the 22nd qualifying squad and the ultimate Desperado Squad Saturday night, March 15.

A total of 64 players will qualify for the finals. The top 16 players will receive one bye into step 2 and will seeded 1-16.

The following 48 players will qualify for step 1:

• Players positioned 17-52 in the qualifying
• the top 6 from a separate standing for the squads conducted March 7-9, who are not among the top 52
• the top 6 from the Desperado Squad.

Those 48 will bowl six games starting from scratch to cut to the top 16 , who will meet the top 16 qualifiers in the first match play round. Match play is best-of-three games single-elimination. The field will be cut to 16, 8 and then four, who will determine the champion in a stepladder final.


Bowlingdigital will cover the event live from Paris with updates after each squad and round, respectively, and exclusive video footage commencing Thursday, March 13 all the way through to the finals on Sunday, March 16.