Jesper Agerbo, Or Aviram add their names to the leaderboard in Catalonia Open

    03/18/11

    2011 European Bowling Tour #5

    Dane and Israeli lead Thursday's qualifying squads to advance to the finals on Sunday

    2011EBT05OrAviram.jpg2011EBT04JesperAgerbo.jpgDane Jesper Agerbo (pictured left) and Or Aviram (right), Israel led the third and fourth qualifying squad of the 9th Catalonia Open - Trofeu Galasa Thursday at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain en route to qualify for the finals on Sunday.

    Agerbo, who has won the silver Medal in Masters at the 2008 Men's World Championships, started Squad 4 on Thursday night with back-to-back 248 games and added 192, 236, 278 and 201 to become the first player this year who reached the 1400-mark. Agerbo's 1403 total, an average of 233.83, propelled him into first place in the overall qualifying standings.

    2010MWCBrianVoss.jpg2010EBT11YoanAlix.jpgAgerbo, however, is automatically qualified for the finals as one of the 12 squad leaders. The Dane is seeking for his first European Bowling Tour title. PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (left), United States, was 16 pins behind Agerbo to overtake second place with 1387. The 25-time PBA champion, who owns one EBT title (2005 Barcelona Int'l here at Bowling Pedralbes) had six games between 254 and 204.

    Joining Agerbo in the finals is former European Champions Cup winner Aviram, who used a 1357 series to win Squad 3 and to finish the third qualifying day in Barcelona in third position. Aviram started his six-game series with 225, 182, 222 and 236, followed by a 279 game, the highest in the tournament thus far.

    2011EBT04AndersLousdal.jpg2011EBT05JoonasJehkinen.jpgAviram closed out his set with 213 to beat out Yoan Alix (above right), France, for the top spot by 18 pins. The French international had high games of 256 and 258 but also suffered two sub-par games (based on a 200 average) to chalk up 1339 pins, good for fourth place overall.

    Dane Anders Lousdal (left) had 1330 in Squad 4 to leap into fifth place. Previous leaders Joonas Jehkinen (right), Finland, and Vincent Cayez, France, slipped to sixth and seventh place but both are already qualified for the finals as Squad 1 and 2 leaders.

    Eighth place belonged to Clara Juliana Guerrero (below right) of Colombia, who is top woman in the 66-player field from 16 countries/territories with 1312 including 48 pins handicap. The two-time world champion has won her first EBT title in the Brunswick Euro Challenge last Sunday.

    Rounding out the top 10 were Swedens Rebecka Larsen Jr. and Peder Grimsen with 1311 and 1304, respectively. Qualifying continues on Friday, March 18 with Squads 5-8 scheduled for 9 a.m., 1, 5 and 9 p.m. CET.

    2011EBT04ClaraGuerrero4.jpgThe 9th Catalonia Open - Trofeu Galasa is the fifth tournament on the 2011 European Bowling Tour schedule and the second of total seven "Silver" events this season.

    The Catalonia Open, which will be held from March 15-20, 2011 at 14-laner Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain, offers total prize money of 44.700 Euro (approx. US $62,345) with 6.000 Euro going to the winner, 3.000 to the runner-up and 2.000 to the third place finisher.

    2010EBT15ThomasLarsen_small.jpg2011EBT04LuzAdrianaLeal_small.jpg Thomas Larsen, Denmark (left) is the defending champion, while Luz Adriana Leal (right), Colombia, who finished third, has won the women's rankings.

    Since the Viborg International in Viborg, Denmark originally scheduled for July 30-Aug. 7, 2011 has been cancelled, the 2011 European Bowling Tour consists of 21 tour stops in 17 countries including two Platinum, six Gold, seven Silver and six Satellite tournaments.

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event receive ranking points. The winner of a Platinum tournament receives 250 ranking points, the winner of a Gold tournament gets 150, the winner of a Silver tournament such as the Catalonia Open earns 100, and the winner of a Satellite tournament gets 50 ranking points.

    The top 16 men and the top 16 women at the end of the 2011 season qualify for the 5th EBT Masters to be held at Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring near Munich, Germany on April 30 and May 1, 2012. The event will become the first EBT Masters to be contested on single lane condition.

    Qualifying runs from Tuesday March 15 and runs through Saturday, March. 19 with the final Squad 12 slated for 9 p.m. CET. Women will receive 8 pins handicap each game throughout the entire event, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    A total of 48 players, the top 42 qualifiers including all squad leaders plus the next six women will advance to the finals and carry forward 50 per cent of their respective qualifying total into Final Round One.

    Those 48 players will bowl four games to cut to the top 24 with the pinfall total being carried forward into Final Round Two. Those 24 will determine the top three players for the stepladder finals in another four-game block.

    In the semifinal, the No. 3 seed takes on No. 2 for the right to bowl the top seeded player for the title and the 6.000 Euro top prize.

     


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    Joonas Jehkinen leads Squad 1 in the 9th Catalonia Open - Trofeu Galasa

     


    Qualifying Standings after Squad 4/12


    Squad leaders (boldface) are automatically qualified for the finals on Sunday, March 20