Just three players, Tina Hulsch from Germany, England's Paul Moor and Matt O'Grady, United States, had a 1300-plus score in Squad 18 (8pm) and 19 (Midnight) in the qualifying for the Brunswick Euro Challenge Friday night and early Saturday morning at Le Plaza Bowling in Saint Maximin, France. O'Grady was the only one who cracked the top 52, who will survive the first cut.

PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (pictured left) leads the field of 290 players - 226 men and 64 women - since Squad 13 with 1537 six-game total and an average of 256.17. Another five players have cracked the 1400-bar, two English women, two Danes and Voss' fellow PBAer and last year's runner-up, Mike Fagan (right), who sits in third place with 1473.

Photos: Beat Grauwiler.

Joanne Allsebrook (left), England, is the top-ranked woman in second place with 1484 including 48 pins handicap, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour. Anja Ginge Jensen (right), Denmark, and Zara Glover, England, are in fourth and fifth place with 1430 and 1420, respectively, both including handicap.

Rounding out the top 6 is Thomas Larsen, Denmark, with, 1416. Ron van den Bogaard, Netherlands, moved holds the 16th and final place to earn one bye for the finals on Sunday with 1363 or an average of 227.17.

World Youth champion Tina Hulsch, Germany, who was on the bubble after Squad 17 with 1301 including handicap led Squad 18 with 1307, closely followed by Paul Moor. England, with 1306. However as 51st place Serge Frouvelle, France had 1310, Hulsch remained 52nd with Moor in 53rd place

31 players took on the lanes for the Midnight squad. Matt O'Grady had four games over 200 including high games of 257 and 247 to finish with 1327 pinfall total en route to leap into 40th place in the overall qualifying standings.

Matt Miller (left), who had a 278 in game five, was second in the squad with 1298, with Tim Mack (right), United States, in third at 1288.

In 2008, the first time that the BEC was staged at Le Plaza Bowling Saint Maximin, Larsen won the qualifying with 1448 (241.33) and the cutoff number for 52nd place was 1263 (210.50).

The Brunswick Euro Challenge is the fourth stop of the 2009 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's "majors". The total prize fund is 90,000 Euro (currently about US$114,000), and includes special prizes that will be given in categories such as youth encouragement, B Bowlers, and Women. In addition Brunswick offers up to $1,000 bonus for shooting a 300 game with the new Brunswick "Wilde Ride" bowling ball in the 2009 BEC.

The Brunswick Euro Challenge 2009 sponsored by Brunswick Bowling is organized by Brunswick distributor Valcke Bowling.

Qualifying ends Saturday, March 14, with four more squads (20-23). The final qualifying Squad 23 is scheduled for 8pm. Qualifying concludes with the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad at 11pm.

A total of 64 players will qualify for the finals on Sunday, March 15. The top 16 players will receive one bye and will seeded 1-16 in Round 2.

The following 48 players will qualify for Round 1:

• Players positioned 17th-52nd in qualifying
• the top 6 from a separate standing for the squads conducted March 6-8, 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 No. 1 seed will take on No. 32, No. 2 bowls No. 31, etc. The field will be cut to 16, 8 and then four, who will determine the champion in a stepladder final. The winner will receive the 16.000 Euro top prize.


Bowlingdigital will cover the event live from Le Plaza Bowling in Saint Maximin with results and updates after each round commencing March 12 all the way through to the finals on Sunday, March 15.