Mika Koivuniemi wins qualifying in 33rd Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona

    07/17/11

    2011 European Bowling Tour #12

    Leads 29 men and 19 women into the finals on Sunday, July 17th

    2011EBT08MikaKoivuniemi2.jpg2010EBT10MarcusBerndt.jpgMika Koivuniemi (pictured left) of Finland won the qualifying in the 33rd Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona which concluded Saturday night with the 15th qualifying squad at Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain.

    The two-time PBA Player of the Year (2003-04 and 2010-11) and nine-time PBA champion including three "majors" (Masters, U.S. Open, Tournament of Champions) led the field of 167 players from 27 countries - 107 men and 60 women - with 1433 six-game total and an average of 238.83.

    Another four players surpassed the 1400-mark, Zulmazran Zulkifli, Malaysia (2nd, 1430), Marcus Berndt (right), Sweden (3rd, 1424), Mats Maggi, Belgium (4th, 1405) and Syafiq Ridhwan, Malaysia (5th, 1404).

    2011EBT11DominicBarrett.jpg201011PBAMartinLarsen.jpgDefending European Bowling Tour ranking champion Dominic Barrett (left), England, was one of four squad leaders on Saturday, who earned automatic spots into Sunday's finals. Barrett led Squad 13 with 1383 total, a 230.50 average, behind games of 243, 213, 278, 225, 231 and 193.

    Multiple world champion Martin Larsen (right) of Sweden won Squad 14 with 1368 including high games of 257 and 256. Larsen's compatriot Johan Helldén started the day by leading Squad 12 with 1340 including six games between 190 and 244. The trio finished qualifying in 8th, 11th and 18th place, respectively.

    201011PBABrianVoss.jpg2011EBT11AmletoMonacellit.jpgPBA Hall of Famers, Brian Voss (left, 1362), United States and Amleto Monacelli (rigth, 1350), Venezuela, made the first cut in 12th and 17th place. Zandra Aziela, Malaysia, was the best of 60 women in 15th place with 1351 including 48 pins handicap, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    Current EBT women's and men's ranking leader, Mai Ginge Jensen (1336), Denmark, and Osku Palermaa (23rd), Finland, landed in 20th and 23rd place. Defending champion Gery Verbruggen of Belgium took 38th place with 1304.

    While the first 14 out of 15 squad leaders finished among the top 42, scores in the 15th and last qualifying squad were below the cut line which kicked 42nd place Alexander Medveditskov (1290) Russia, out of the tournament.

    2010EBT15OrAviram.jpgIMG 2011EBT04WendyKok12.jpgRoosa Lundén, a member of the Finnish youth national team, finished her series with 226 game (scratch) to tie Kim Bolleby, Sweden, at 1268 for the squad lead. As the tie was broken by the higher last game, Lundén earned a spot in the finals as the squad leader while Bolleby (189 in the last game) missed the cut in 59th place.

    With Lundén below the cut line, the cut fell to 41st place Or Aviram (left) of Israel with 1301 or an average of 216.83. Besides the top 41 plus Lundén, the next six women earned wild cards for the finals bringing the total number of female finalists to 19.

    2011USWODianaZavjalova.jpg2010EBT15JaninRibguth2.jpgThe wild cards went to Sharon Koh, Malaysia (42nd, 1293), Siti Shazwani, Malaysia (43rd, 1292), Wendy Kok, Netherlands (above right, 44th, 1292), Jenny Johansson, Sweden (45th, 1291), Diana Zavjalova, Latvia (left, 47th, 1286) and Janin Ribguth, Germany (right, 52nd, 1274).

    Two-time Word Champion and Brunswick Euro Challenge winner Clara Guerrero, Colombia, missed a wild card by one pin in 54th place.

      The 33rd Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona is the 12th stop of the 2011 European Bowling Tour and the fifth and penultimate EBT "Gold" tournaments this season.

    The tournament will be held from July 12-17, 2011 at 14-lane Bowling Pedralbes in Barcelona, Spain and offers total prize fund of 60.000 Euro with 12.000 Euro going to the winner, 6.000 to the runner-up and 3.000 to the third place finisher.

    Since the Viborg International in Viborg in Denmark 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 such as the Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona gets 150, the winner of a Silver tournament 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 fifth 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.

    The Trofeu Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona features a 41 feet Kegel lane conditioning pattern with 24.6ml volume oil total.

    Qualifying ran from Tuesday, July 12th through Saturday, July 16th featuring 15 squads. A total of 48 players advanced to the finals on Sunday - the top 42 qualifiers including all squad leaders 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 with the Round One total being carried forward. The top 3 players after Round Two qualify for the stepladder finals.

    The No. 3 seed bowls No. 2 and the winner takes on No. 1 to determine the champion in one-game matches.

     


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    Standings after Qualifying (15 Squads)


    A total of 42 players including all squad leaders (bold face) plus an additional six women (places 42-45, 47 and 52) advance to the finals.