The 14th annual edition of the Mediterranean Challenge Cup is to be held at the end of March, by the Catalonian Tenpin Bowling Federation, in the Pedralbes Bowling Centre, Barcelona. A qualifying tournament has been held by the MTBA at the Eden SuperBowl to decide which four local bowlers would make up the team of four to represent Malta.
After a total of 24 games the honours went to in-form Neil Sullivan and Mark Spiteri in the male division, with Sue Abela and Tiziana Carannante topping ladies stakes.
Men’s Division
Based on recent winning form, Neil Sullivan was clear favourite in the men’s event, although after eight games on day one he was second to Ray Falzon Reale’s 1,635 total, by just eleven pins on 1,624. However, it was National Champion Sullivan who best maintained his form on day two, his 1,637 set putting him top on 3,261, ahead of Mark Spiteri on 3,191, while Falzon Reale dropped to third with 3,158 pins.
The third and final session saw Sullivan make sure of the top spot as he rolled of his best session of the tournament, adding a solid 1690 to his tally for a final total of 4921 (206.2 ave). He achieved this by shooting 200+ in six of the eight games, with highs of 232, 246 and 221 among those. Mark Spiteri stayed second to earn his place in the Barcelona championships with a 4,816 total (200.6 ave), and Ray Falzon Reale stayed back in third on 4,700.
Ladies’ Division
In the ladies’ competition it was once again a question of who would claim the second qualifying position, with first place inevitably going to Sue Abela, known as ‘Queen of the Med’ in Mediterranean Challenge Cup circles.
Abela settled in the top spot on day one, 120 clear on 1536 in spite of some low games of 144 and 152. Second was Tiziana Carannante on 1,416, followed by Joanna Attard in third with 1,409 pins.
Abela found better form on day two, bowling over 200 in four of her eight games, with a ‘low’ of 180. A 1,607 count put her on 3,143, well above Carannante’s 2,926. A flurry of poor games for Joanna Attard effectively put her out of the running on 2,795 pins in third place. Confirmation of Abela’s victory was a formality on day three when she shot a 1,595 set with top games of 224, 226 and 236, to finish on 4,738 (197.4 ave). Tiziana Carannante secured second place with a 4,365 total (181.8 ave).
Malta’s bowlers have consistently excelled throughout the history of the Mediterranean Challenge Cup, participating in all previous editions, and currently at the top of the medals standings, with no fewer than 26 gold medals from13 events, ahead of nearest rivals Greece on 23 top awards.
The XIV MCC in Barcelona will be held between 29 March and 3 April, and to date the participation of ten Mediterranean bowling federations has been confirmed, namely: Host federation Catalonia, Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Slovenia and Turkey.
The championships will be held over three separate qualifying events, those being Singles, Doubles (male and female), and four-man team.
The achievements from those three competitions will then govern the ‘Masters’ event, wherein the top eight bowlers from the male and female divisions will play in a knock-out final, to decide the highest championship honours.