Our recently crowned national champions, Brian Farrugia and Sue Abela travelled to Boeblingen (Germany) recently for this year’s European Championships for individuals (ECI), which are organised annually by a European National Federation, under the auspices of the European Tenpin Bowling Federation.
The ECI is only open to the individual national champions of each European National Federation, plus the two defending champions from the previous year’s ECI, assuring the very highest level of competition.
All participants in both the male and female competitions play a total of 24 qualifying games over a testing three day format, which is followed by the ‘knock-out’ final stages to ultimately decide the new European champions.
Moreover, each event was split over two completely different types of oil patterns – short oil and long oil, to make things even more difficult for the competitors. These patterns were made available to the participating federations beforehand, and so duplicated onto the Eden SuperBowl lanes so that our champions were able to go through an intensive training schedule on both conditions to prepare for the event.
Ladies event
The first day saw the ladies bowl six games on short-oil in the morning and another six games on long oil in the evening, with the men bowling six games on short oil in the afternoon.
During the ladies’ first session of six games, Sue Abela got off to a great start, bowling a good 1,245 set including high games of 215, 216 and a 235 to put her in fourth place. She fared even better in the evening session (long oil) when she managed a tally of 1,262 including games of 222, 235 and 227. This meant a 12-game total of 2,507 (208.9 ave), and Sue retained her position in the standings.
Sue started poorly in the next short-oil session, but rallied as the games progressed, finishing with a score of 1,218, enough for her to stay fourth. Then in the second long-oil session – the last of the four qualifying sessions, Sue again started off slowly, picked up, but then suffered a low 171. She managed a 1,163 total over the final six games, which meant an overall total of 4,888 (203.67 average) and a final fifth placing out of the 35 European national champions.
The top eight ladies went through to the finals, where bowlers are paired against each other depending on their qualifying position. Sue was drawn against the in-form Swedish national champion, Helen Johnsson, who had placed fourth. The Swede gave Sue no chance to even enter either game as she started both with three strikes in a row and although Sue had two clean games (no opens), she lost 189-228 and 182-245.
Sue Abela claimed the title of European champion in the 1999 edition of this tournament, and her excellent fifth placing in this year’s ECI proves once again that she is still capable of attaining success on the highest international levels, amongst some of the best tenpin bowlers in the world.
Men’s event
The men’s first session was also on short oil, and Malta’s Brian Farrugia got off to an unbelievable start with games of 243 and 253. He led the formidable and very tight men’s field through five of the six games, before rolling a 150 in the sixth game. His total of 1,277 (212.8 ave) left him in seventh place along side veritable giants of the bowling world.
Brian also played well during his first long-oil session, but a bad fourth game and just under-average sixth game, gave him a session total of 1,166. Overall, he had slipped to ninth place with a combined pinfall of 2,443 (203.58 average). His next session (on short oil) also started with a bad game, but progressed with play and even managed a 258 in the fifth game. His total for this session was 1,232 (205.33 average), giving him an overall pinfall of 3,675 (204.17 average), slipping a further three places to 12th, such was the awesome strength of the competition.
The final squad saw the men bowling on long oil and Brian could only manage a 1,101 score (183.50 average). His overall score was 4,776 (199 average) and his final placing was sixteenth. Nonetheless, this was a fine performance from one of our finest male bowlers, who was up against thirty seven other European national champions.
Sue and Brian were accompanied by team manager Leli Baldacchino, and MTBA President Julian Pace Bonello – a leading light in the world of Tenpin Bowling – who had the honour of being asked, and accepting, to form part of the ECI Jury of Appeal, the highest authority, during the championships.
The MTBA is greatly assisted by the Malta Olympic Committee, such assistance making it possible for the local bowlers to reach such high standards and compete in the international field.