Brunswick News
2011 Brunswick Euro Challenge Delivers Exciting Results
Saint Maximin, FRANCE, March 21, 2011 – The 2011 edition of the Brunswick Euro Challenge (BEC) is in the books and as the fourth stop of the newly launched World Bowling Tour (WBT) and the European Bowling Tour (EBT), it once again underlined the tournament’s position as the leading bowling event in Europe.
The eighth annual BEC attracted almost 400 bowlers from 37 countries including aspiring amateurs, as well as elite bowlers from Asia, Europe and the Americas, all competing for a piece of the total tournament prize fund of €106.000 (approx. U.S. $143.000). In the end, it was Columbia’s Clara Guerrero who defeated Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (USA), 229-204, to take home the top prize of €15.000. Team Malaysia’s Syafiq Ridhwan was ultimately seeded No. 3, with Brunswick Staff Player Mai Ginge Jenssen (DEN) finishing fourth overall.
Jenssen also captured the title of best female player of the tournament. Second best woman was He Kar Yen, Team Malaysia, with Krista Pöllänen (FIN) coming in third. Brunswick European Staff players, Nina Flack (SWE) and Wendy Kok (NL), came in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Over the course of the tournament, fans in the bowling center and those watching live streams on-line, witnessed exciting bowling and superb individual performances. Notable performances included a perfect game scored by Osku Palermaa (FIN) as well as the overall outing of Team Malaysia, which saw five of its eight competing players advance to the finals.
The BEC tournament delivered a new finals format this year where three players advanced to the stepladder final. The 2011 edition was also the first time where two women faced each other in the final match. Because the prize fund was over €100.000, the BEC 2011 became one of only two Platinum status tournaments on the EBT.
The finals were broadcast live on the premier bowling internet platform, Bowlingdigital.com. The stepladder finals will be shown in a one-hour time slot on Eurosport 2 television channel, with the first broadcast scheduled for 22:00 (CET) on April 14, 2011. Eurosport 2 can be viewed in 47 countries and reaches well over 40 million homes.
For the third consecutive year, Brunswick’s on-line scoring once again proved to be an extremely popular source of information for BEC fans around the world. The system recorded over 28.000 visits from bowling enthusiasts following the real-time scores, a 40 percent increase from last year.
As in previous years, the 2011 Brunswick Euro Challenge allowed young bowlers to received valuable bowling lessons during a special coaching clinic under the supervision of the Brunswick coaches and Pros. Instructors included Brunswick lane care specialist, Pat Mitchell, Brunswick marketing director, Brian Graham, and several Brunswick Europe Staff players including Gery Verbruggen (BEL), Nina Flack (SWE), and David Canady (GER).
The tournament was held for the fourth time in the state-of-the-art Plaza Bowling Center in St. Maximin (Paris), France. The Brunswick Euro Challenge is organized by Plaza Saint Maximin with the support of exclusive Brunswick distributor, Valcke Services, and Brunswick Bowling.