Finns add their names to the leaderboard on Friday at VII Catalonia Open

    02/28/09

    2009 European Bowling Tour #3

    Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain (Feb. 24 - March 1, 2009)

    2008EBT08OskuPalermaa.jpg Finns Osku Palermaa, Krista Pöllänen, Heidi Manninen and Panu Nurmilo added their names to the leaderboard in the VII Catalonia Open - Trofeu Galasa on Friday at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain.

    Two-time defending ranking champion Palermaa (pictured left) had six games between 235 and 258 to lead Squad 6 and to move into second place in the overall qualifying standings with 1468, an average of 244.67 over six games. Stuart Williams, England, continued to lead with 1474 (245.67).

    2008BWCKristaPollanen_small.jpg Pöllänen (right) finished mere four pins behind Palermaa with 1464 including 48 pins handicap to become the top-ranked women in the field of 107 players in third place.

    Thomas Larsen, Denmark, was the third player in Squad 6 who cracked the 1400-bar and the top 10 with his score of 1452. Larsen leaped into sixth place mere two pins behind Robert Andersson, Sweden (4th, 1454) and just one behind Dominic Barrett, England (5th, 1453).

    2008EBT13JasperAgerbo_small.jpg Marcial Ovide, Catalonia, is still the best local bowler in 7th place with 1445. Manninen topped Squad 7 with 1436 including handicap, good for 8th place overall. Dane Jesper Agerbo (left), who posted the first 300 game of the tournament Thursday night, slipped to 9th place with 1432.

    2008EBT05ErikAndersin_small.jpg Rounding out the top 10 is Swede Erik Andersin (right) with 1412. Nurmilo led the fifth qualifying squad on Friday morning with 1408 and sits in 11th place in the overall qualifying standings.

    A total of 15 players, 12 men and 3 women, have cracked the 1400-bar thus far.

    2008KSALucasLegnani2_small.jpg Lucas Legnani (left), Argentina, who was tied with Pierre Luc Sanchez, France, at 1340 after seven qualifying squads, rolled a 1401 series (233.50) in Squad 8 on Friday night to leap into 15th place. Sanchez remained the man on the bubble in 30th place with 1340 six-game total or an average of 223.33.

    The VII Catalonia Open - Trofeu Galasa is the third stop of the 2009 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's "Majors". The tournament offers total prize fund of 55.000 Euro. The top 48 players cash with 12.000 going to the winner. Jari Ratia, Finland, is the defending champion.

    Qualifying runs through Saturday evening, Feb. 28, with the final Squad 12 scheduled for 9 p.m. local time.

    48 players, the top 30 qualifying leaders plus the 12 squad leaders not among the top 30 plus the next best six women, will advance to the finals and carry forward 50 per cent of their respective qualifying total.

    Those 48 players will bowl 4 games to cut to the top 24, who will determine the three players for the stepladder finals in another 4-game block. No. 3 takes on No. 2 for the right to bowl No. 1 for the title and the 12.000 top prize.


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