Josh Blanchard achieves perfection en route to win qualifying in Barcelona

    07/19/09

    2009 European Bowling Tour #9

    Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain (July 14-19, 2009)

    2009EBT09JoshBlanchard.jpgJosh Blanchard (pictured left), United States, waited until the 15th and last qualifying squad before he rolled the sole 1500-plus series to win the qualifying of the 31st Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona Saturday night at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain.

    Blanchard, a former Junior Team USA member, had a slow start into the last six-game block with 192. He rebounded with 288 and 246 before he posted the third 300 game of this year's event. The American closed out his series with 224 and 267 to shoot into the lead with 1517 total or an average of 252.83.

    Blanchard and the other 47 players, who advanced to the finals, will carry forward 50 per cent of their qualifying total.

    2009EBT09BrianVoss.jpg2009EBT09VeronicaLantto.jpgPlaces 2 and 3 belonged to PBA super stars Mika Koivuniemi, Finland and Brian Voss (left), United States. Koivuniemi, who led the field since Thursday's Squad 5, slipped to second place with 1484. Voss posted a 1429 series (238.17) in Squad 14 to finish in third place.

    Veronica Lantto (right), who is on the Swedish national team for the Women's World Championships in Las Vegas next week, was the top-ranked female bowler in the 162 player field in fourth place with 1422 including 48 pins handicap, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    2009EBT09MarcoBaade.jpg2009EBT09StruartWilliams.jpgMarco Baade (left), Germany, and Stuart Williams (right), England, secured their spots for the finals by winning squads 12 and 13 with 1393 total (232.17). The German national team member was seeded 11th, while Williams, who earned an exemption for the 2009-10 PBA Tour through the Tour Trials, finished 12th, due to Baade's higher last game, 243 to 228.

    A total of 48 players advanced to the finals on Sunday: The 15 squad leaders plus the top 27 from the overall qualifying standings and an additional six women.

    Those 48 players will carry forward 50 per cent of their qualifying total and bowl four games to cut to the top 24, who will bowl another four games to cut to the top 3 for the stepladder finals. The No. 3 seed bowls No. 2 and the winner takes on No. 1 to determine the champion. All stepladder matches are one-game matches.

    The 31st Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona is the 9th stop of the 2009 European Bowling Tour and one of the Tour's "Majors". The tournament will be held at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain from July 14-19, 2009.

    The total prize fund is minimum 55.000 Euro with 12.000 Euro going to the winner. Women receive 8 pins handicap each game. As an EBT Major, there are 100 ranking points at stake for the winner of the men's and women's rankings, respectively.

     


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    Standings after Qualifying


    The top 42 including the 15 squad leaders (in boldface) plus the next six women (places 43, 54, 58, 60, 62 and 64) advanced to the finals.