USA coasting after another big session win at Weber Cup XIX

16 June, 2018

Tournaments

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There was more joy for Team USA as they enjoyed another 5-2 session win to stretch their overall lead to six points with just two sessions played at the 21.co.uk Weber Cup.

The Americans (pictured above: Barnes, Jones and Simonsen) need just nine more points to win their first Weber since 2012 while Team Europe, on the other hand need 15 more wins to lift the trophy and on current form that looks to be a big ask.

Europe needed a strong start after Friday evening’s outcome but it went wrong quite quickly as Kyle Troup (left) bested Stu Williams and then returned to the lane in the company of Anthony Simonsen to take another point.

Simonsen then stayed out for a singles match as he beat Jesper Svensson (right) by 20 pins. That put the USA 8-2 to the good with the Europeans desperately needing something to steady the ship. That came from Williams and Martin Larsen who beat the Chris Barnes and Tommy Jones axis by a single pin.

Europe won the next as Dom Barrett (left) and Jones slugged it out to finish 267 apiece before the Euro skipper took the point in the second roll-off. With momentum on their side, Europe needed to capitalise but Troup and Jones put paid to that as they won the next match by a 35-pin margin.

The 21-year-old Simonsen (right) was back for the final match and he kept his winning streak going with a comfortable 56-pin win over Svensson to put his team in a dominating position.

Commented USA captain Chris Barnes (left), “I have been impressed with Anthony (Simonsen) for a long time – nobody in the world is hotter than he is right now. He has just won in Singapore, he wins often and he has proven in the last two days that nobody is bowling better than him right now.

“We want to win every session and when you get a 3-0 start you think we can really put a big one in but Europe are who they are and there is a reason they have been champions the last five years. They came back and it looked like we might be lucky to survive a one-point loss this session but Kyle and TJ pulled a great game and Anthony put the finishing touches on – he has been dominant.

“We have kept a lot of pressure on them and momentum is really funny in these things. They haven’t had a lot of free shots and we haven’t let them off the hook too much.”

Play continues Saturday at 18.00 with one Baker match and six singles matches.

Europe 4 – 10 USA
Stuart Williams 245 – 277 Kyle Troup
Williams & Svensson 234 – 266 Simonsen & Troup
Jesper Svensson 256 – 276 Anthony Simonsen
Williams & Larsen 246 – 245 Jones & Barnes
Dominic Barrett 267 – 267 Tommy Jones
(Barrett wins on second roll off 60-49 after first roll off ended 49-49)
Barrett & Svensson 220 – 255 Troup & Jones
Jesper Svensson 222 – 278 Anthony Simonsen

USA storm into early lead in Weber Cup XIX

Herbert Bickel