The 2008 Women's European Championships started on Saturday with the Doubles event. 130 players - 62 teams and six boosters - were split into three squads - to bowl six games on short oil and six games on long oil. The top 4 of the 3-day event will advance to the finals on Monday evening at Odense Bowling Center in Odense, Denmark.

The first two squads bowled their first block on Saturday with defending champions Mai and Anja Ginge Jensen from Denmark taking the lead with 2623 six-game total and a team average of 218.58.

The scores went through the roof on Sunday morning as the top 3 doubles from Squad 3 overtook the Danes and another three doubles moved into 4th, 5th and 8th place.

Sweden's Helèn Johnsson and Nina Flack (l.r), members of the gold medal trio in the 2007 Women's World Championships, took a dominating 204-pin lead after the conclusion of the short-oil contest with 2897 pinfall total and an average of 241.42.

Johnsson, the reigning European Masters champion, led the way with 1546 including back-to-back 278s and a low game of 237. Flack added 1351. Averaging 257.67 for six games, Johnsson outaveraged her nearest competitor, Isabelle Saldjian, France (1418) by more than 21 pins.

Second place belongs to Zara Glover and Lisa John (l-r) from England, who chalked up 2693 (224.42). Finns Krista Pöllänen and Heidi Manninen leaped into third place with 2641 (220.08), while the Jensen sisters fell to fourth.

The 2nd Women's European Championships features 130 players from 25 of the 49 member federations of the European Tenpin Bowling Federation. Each federation was allowed to send maximum six players to the championships. Players will compete for medals in Doubles (12 games), Trios (6 games), Team (6 games), All Events (24 games) and Masters.

Photos courtesy of Eric Hayton (www.itenpin.co.uk).