Stuart Williams wins qualifying in Bucharest International

    11/28/10

    Romania

    Leads 24 players into Sunday's finals at IDM Club in Bucharest

    2010BucharestStuartWilliams.jpg2010BucharestBrianVoss.jpgA pair of PBA exempt players finished the qualifying of the 2010 Bucharest International atop the leaderboard. 2007 World Ranking Masters champion Stuart Williams (pictured left), England, posted a 1333 six-game series Saturday at IDM Club in Bucharest, Romania, to lead the field of 81 players from 12 countries with an average of 222.17.

    Williams started his set with 247 and 269, the highest game in the tournament so far. He added 209 and 268 for 993 after four games (248.25 average). Despite finishing with 188 and 152 the Englishman overtook previous leader Brian Voss (right), United States, by 22 pins.

    Voss, a 25-time PBA champion and PBA Hall of Famer, had the only other 1300-plus series to land in second place with 1311 (218.50).

    2010BucharestAndreasChristoforou.jpg2010BucharestMattMiller.jpgPaul Stott, Ireland, was third with 1295 and was followed by Andreas Christoforou (left), Greece, who moved into fourth place on Saturday with 1282 including high games of 239 and 246. Matt Miller (right), England, slipped two spots to finish qualifying in fifth place with 1256.

    Viorel Simut was the best Romanian bowler in sixth place with 1254. Simut as well as Takis Karetsos, Greece (8th, 1246), Florian Mihailescu (11th, 1218) and Romeo Gagenoiu (12th, 1216), both Romania, had secured their spot in the finals by virtue of finishing 1-4 in a separate standing of the squads conducted Monday through Thursday.

    2010BucharestRyanPress.jpg2010BucharestZaraGiles.jpgRounding out the top 8, who will bypass the first round of the finals on Sunday morning was Ryan Press (left), Ireland, who jumped into seventh place behind a 1251 series that included 244 and 268 in games three and four,

    England's Zara Giles (née Glover; pictured left), a multiple world and European champion, was the best of eight women in the field and the only one who survived the first cut in 15th place with 1209 including 48 pins handicap.

    Marco Cesare, Italy took the 22nd and last place to advance with 1177 and an average of 196.17.

    Cristian Calagiu, Romania, and Kyriakos Hatzittofis, Cyprus, rolled games of 233 and 228 in the Desperado Squad, respectively, to capture the last two spots for the finals.

    The 2010 Bucharest International will be held from Nov. 22-28 at IDM Club, a 14-laner with Brunswick equipment, in Bucharest, Romania. The tournament offers total prize fund of 10.000 Euro with 2.000 Euro going to the winner.

    A total of 24 players from the qualifying (six games) will advance to the finals on Sunday, Nov. 28: the top 18 qualifiers and the top 4 from a separate standing of the squads conducted Nov. 22-25 plus the top 2 of the one-game Desperado Squad. The top 8 players will receive one bye.

    Qualifiers 9-24 will bowl six games from scratch. The top 8 meet the top 8 qualifiers in the second round. Those 16 will bowl another six-game series from scratch to cut to the top 8, who will advance to match play finals in best-of-three games format.

     


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    Standings after Qualifying and Desperado Squad


    The top 22 qualifiers including the top 4 from a separate standing of the squads conducted Nov. 22-25 (boldface) plus the top 2 of the one-game Desperado Squad will advance to the finals.

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