4th April, London: Tore Torgersen of Norway captured his third title of the Brunswick World Tenpin Masters 2004 crown in an amazingly close-fought finale defeating Tomas Leandersen of Sweden 435-415 at Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagengham.

It certainly looked as though the first game scores were going to be in the 250-279 range, but both bowlers suffered with open frames. Leandersson was 215 in the ninth and opened the tenth when he had a chance to go 15 pins or so into the lead. Torgersen hit 230 and that gave him just six pins in the lead over the Swede's 224.

The atmosphere in a standing room only arena can now be cut with a knife and the final game of the 2004 Masters is maybe going to be decided by the man who can keep the frames clean. That forecast was correct. Torgersen kept his viking nose in front in an amazingly close-fought finale and captured his third title, 206-191, and a 436-415 overall pinfall.

Winning his title and a nice prize of $30,000, Torgersen said, "This was unbelievable. I never thought it possible that I could win this title for the third

time. It was a tough final and I just tried to keep pace with Tomas and keep striking. I've beaten him twice, but he's beaten me eight times."

He added, "The lane was quite different in the final. In the semi final I had quite a good area to the left, but that disappeared and if I threw the ball out I left the 10-pin. But I felt confident and through the rounds I just played each game as it came." Torgersen had to strike with the first ball in the tenth frame to top Leandersson's 415 total. He did and nearly flipped a somersault. For good measure, he added another two strikes and so won by 21 pins.

The Norwegian and Leandersson are great friends, a partnership going back many years, so the Swede did not feel quite so bad at losing. "Of course, I'm really disappointed to lose," he commented. "This is a major title that is missing from my collection, but on this lane it is not possible to beat Tore. Now there's an open spot in the Weber Cup!"

The last joking remark followed a threat earlier that if Torgersen beat him he, as captain, would drop him from the upcoming Europe vs USA Weber Cup line-up. That remark did not really trouble Torgersen. "I will survive," he replied. "I've got a couple of months to talk Tomas out of that."

Semi Finals
An open frame from the Norwegian in the first frame, taking one pin from the 3-10 baby split, saw advantage Granger. The coach from the Philippines built on that and hit a 245 to hold a 35-point buffer over the 'Striking Viking's' 210.

Torgersen wasn't too pleased with that and put his foot deep down on the throttle in the second game. The line he was using seemed to carry the oil down into Granger's track and his ball stopped hooking so much. Torgersen's more aggressive ball and strength carried him through. A 255 second game gave him an aggregate pinfall of 465. Granger slumped to a 177 to come in with 422, 42 pins adrift. Torgersen now has the unique distinction of being in the World Tenpin Masters' final for the fifth time and is looking for his third title.

Torgersen now has the unique distinction of being in the World Tenpin Masters' final for the fifth time and is looking for his third title.

"I sanded my bowling ball in practice and moved three boards right tonight," said Granger. "The lanes were tighter and I had to make some adjustments. I feel that I made the right shots but I didn't get the breaks. I got an 8-10 split in the third frame and never really got back into the game after that. I let up on my speed a little, but that didn't help. I've had a great tournament. It was just one of those things."

Torgersen is, of course, very pleased to have qualified for his fifth final "This is amazing, I just can't believe it," he said, "but you play to beat the guy and not think about what happened before."

"I hit form at the right time," he added. "I was really confident in the second game. I squared up a little and went straighter. That made Purvis's shot a little harder, so it was good tactics. One thing about this tournament - the field is getting stronger every year."

Eight strikes in a row from the Swede saw him establish a 35-point lead in the first game, despite the fact that the Belgian had a total of seven strikes in his game. The 259-224 pace suggests that the early problems with the lane condition pattern have now been solved.

If Leandersson does qualify for tonight's final against Torgersen, it will be a replay of the final of the inaugural World Tenpin Masters in 1998 when the Norseman had a 432-395 victory. But that's jumping the gun right now.

The presumption was right, Leandersson held off the Belgian's challenge with a 236 in his second game, totalling 495, which equals the high score of the tournament set by Phil Scammell of England yesterday.

Verbruggen bravely strung the strikes towards the end of the second game, but his 226 was no match for the lithe Swede and he ended with 450, still a respectable score but not enough to take him through to the final.

Story by Keith Hale, Bowlers Journal. Photos courtesy of Mr Lawrence Lustig.

4th April, London: The semi finals of the Brunswick World Tenpin Masters 2004 is going to be Purvis Granger vs Tore Torgersen and Gery Verbryggen vs Tomas Leandersen as they made their way through to the next phase of the championship at Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagengham.

Granger put the heat on Hoffman with a superb 257 in the first game, taking a 59 pin advantage into the second, the 257 the same score as his opener against Nikki Woods in the first round.

Well, not only did Granger repeat the first game score from his first round, he did it again with the second, hitting 224 for a concise win over the 'Joker', 481-421, and become the first to book a place in the semi final on Sunday.

"The lanes were different tonight and I was still moving around right up until the end," said Hoffman. 'Never nervous' Purvis said: "When I practised today I worked on a few things. I scuffed my main bowling ball and that worked really well. I felt so good on the lanes today that I just didn't want to stop."

The crowd in the packed stands of the Goresbrook Leisure Center have become so used to high scores over the past couple of days that a 168 from Lasse Lintila in the opening game of the final day made him look a downright beginner. The slim Finn just could not find the strike pocket and it was the seventh frame before he bagged his first strike. Fortunately, he managed to strike out in the tenth frame, otherwise he could have set a new record low game for the year's of this event.

Rookie PBA pro bowler Tore Torgersen fared a little better. He, too, struck out in the tenth frame to grab a 210 and a lead of 42 pins going into the home straight. It does look as though the lane has been conditioned to a different pattern for the last day. But with the semi finals and finals yet to be played, that could be proved wrong.

The spirits in the house caused a twist of fortune in the second game as the pendulum swung in the favor of the flying Finn and he came out of the furnace with a 226 to total 394. But despite hitting just three strikes through the ten frames, the 'Striking Viking' managed to hold off Lintila's challenge and survived to fight on by the narrow margin of ten pins, 404-394, the lowest scoring of the tournament this year. Lintila, the man who set the records with scores well over 500 last year, did not even break 400 this time.

"It was an entirely different break point on the lane today and I had a lot of problems fishing around to find a good line," said Lintila. "I managed to strike out in the tenth frame of the first game so was able to relax a little in the last, but I still left a lot of 10-pins, which cost me the match."

Torgersen looked at it from a different perspective: "The lane wasn't all that different, but all of a sudden we couldn't strike," he commented. "At the beginning neither of us looked good, but when the lane breaks down like that it is very difficult to string the strikes. I thought I would need 500 to have a chance to beat Lasse, so that was a relief. I ended up using three different balls for the strike ball and moved my feet from two to ten boards."

The lane conditioning today really seem to have the players confused and confounded, the scoring down some 40-50 pins per game than that over the previous two days. Phil Scammell, the Shoreham accountant, hit a lowly 188 and pro shop manager Gery Verbruggen fared little better with a 203.

The situation certainly improved in the second game for the Belgian lefthander. He came back with a 238 to total 441, a respectable score under these circumstances. But that side of the lane was no help to Scammell as the righthander still suffered with the line. A missed 10-pin, which has seemed to have settled so many matches, was his downfall and a nightmare and put paid to any thoughts of a strong challenge he could muster. His 211 and 399 total pinfall over the two games saw him trail this match and return to the bleachers 42 pins adrift.

"For me, the lane was the same as yesterday," said the Belgian. "So I didn't have to make any major adjustments. It gave me confidence when I watched the previous match and saw the problems Lasse and Tore had with 10-pins. I said to myself 'just go out there and play your own game', and it worked."

"I had all the luck but it was all bad," said Scammell, wryly. "I moved my feet, my hand position and anything else I could think of. I carried everything yesterday but nothing today. I should have won, but was robbed of victory by all those 10-pins."

The ship seems to be sailing into calmer waters here or the players have sussed out what changes need to be made to get back to those impressive scores. Strikes were a'stringing in this match and the Filipina from Manila, the last surviving woman in this event, set a hot pace to have a 257 and a 30 point lead at the end of the first game. Lanky Leandersson, a bowling center and pro shop owner in Kristinehamn had a couple of unlucky shots but to be trailing by just 30 is not too serious.

Del Rosario gave us a little drama yesterday, when she hit her ankle with the bowling ball and rolled a gutter ball. Today she stuck on the approach around the sixth frame and fell heavily onto the lane, causing a foul. That might have been the watershed as Leandersson steamed ahead with a 243 to take the second game, well over the Filipina's 172, to take the match and advance to the semi final. The last woman now departing into the sunset.

Story by Keith Hale, Bowlers Journal. Photos courtesy of Mr Lawrence Lustig.

3rd April, London: Tore Torgersen of Norway made it through to the quarter finals of the Brunswick World Tenpin Masters at Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagengham as fovorites Tim Mack of USA and Malaysia's Shalin Zulkifli crashed out on Day 2.

The Norwegian 'Striking Viking' hit 222 in the opening game, whilst the Dutchman lagged behind on 196, the first sub-200 game of this year's event. It looked to be all over, but the gentle giant still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

But, unfortunately, those tricks did not work out as once again his score was below 200. His second game 194 gave him a total pinfall of 390, 58 pins less than Torgersen, who had a 226 for a 448 finish.

The just under seven foot tall Dutchman blamed himself for his defeat. "It was definitely me that was at fault," he explained. "The lanes were very different from the practice session so I had to change my bowling ball twice, but still couldn't find a line. This is my first time in this type of environment, so Tore had a great advantage over me."

Rookie American Pro Tour bowler Torgersen, 35, who was in the running for the PBA Rookie of the Year title right up until the last PBA Tour event, was not too enthusiastic about his performance. "It was a good outcome but I was not striking 100 per cent, more like 50, but I did manage the good shots when I needed them. I guess I will have to severely increase my strike rate when I come up against Lasse Lintila in the quarter final. Although this event is more relaxed than the PBA Tour, I still want to win."

Thoughts of domination by the American pro-bowler and a strong 'Mack Attack' were dispelled when 'Scam' started to string the strikes. The Englishman failed to strike just once in the first game, hitting a seven-spare, so set the pace with a 276 against Mack's 199. So the limey rules, going into the second game with a 77 buffer over the American.

As Scammell continued with his strikefest through the second game, ace TV commentator Nick Halling described the tall Englishman as red hot. Hitting the high set of the tournament so far by adding a 219 to his previous 276, Scammell outpointed the popular American by 95 pins overall, 495-400 stood on the scoreboard after the dust had settled.

As for Mack, Halling said: "It just hasn't been his day." Mack's comments were: "Last year I had 487 thrown at me by Remy Ong, now I had to face a

495. It's tough having to bowl against scores like that. I carried terrible and lost some shots to the right. I searched for a line but was 100 pins down in the middle of the second game. There's nothing you can do in that position and not many people could beat those scores. It's a long way to come from New Jersey to bowl two games."

Accountant Scammell, 41, was exceptionally pleased with his efforts. "I've worked hard for this. I've practised hard, behaved myself and prepared mentally to be very strong. Tim just didn't get the breaks. This was a good win and I'm pleased." So he should be, the scalp of an American pro bowler is quite an achievement.

Three open frames in a row, all missed 10-pins, put young Shalin Zulkifli into the position of being 73 pins in arrears, 245-172, at the end of the first game. Although the plucky Malaysian improved to a 224 in the second game, the Belgian equalled that score and came out of the affray 73 pins better off, 469-396.

"I wanted a much closer match and I tried to keep it tight," said Zulkifli. "But when I left six 10-pins and missed three of them I was mentally sick. I just didn't have enough angle to carry. I moved my feet and changed balls, to no avail. I switched back to the first ball in the second game and also moved right, but it was too little, too late."

Coming back to competitive bowling after a six month break after the World

Championships in Malaysia, Verbruggen, the four-time European ranked number one was pleased with his scores. "The lanes were a little quicker than I thought they would be and maybe that was to my advantage. My next match will be against Phil Scammell and that should be a very good match."

Story by Keith Hale, Bowlers Journal. Photos courtesy of Mr Lawrence Lustig.

2nd April, London: Bill Hoffman of USA narrowly defeated Nick Froggatt of England 469-461 over two games in Round 1 of the Brunswick World Tenpin Masters 2004 at Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagengham.

Froggatt, the Commonwealth Championship two Gold mdealist opened his account with a win over Hoffman in the first game 234-224. The slim English southpaw tournament debutant then lost the second game and the match as the American came back with 245-227 to win 469-461 to qualify for the quarter finals.

"It was all OK," mused Hoffman after the match. "I was quite comfortable with this one-lane environment. You really have to be on your best game immediately and you're on your own. It's a lot different to bowling in the Weber Cup where it is mainly teamwork."

Froggatt, 33, was, of course, disappointed at being eliminated on his debut. "I snatched a few shots, and I should not have done that," he commented. "It looked as though I was unlucky when I left the 8-pin in the ninth frame of the

second game, that lost me the match, but really I didn't throw the ball well. Somehow I lost the feel of the ball in the second game. Maybe it was the effect of the TV lights. I feel that I didn't lose the match, I got beat."

In the second match, Purvis Granger was giving defending champion Nikki (Harvey) Woods a mountain to climb to advance to the next round, hitting 257-200 in the first of the two games. The total pinfall over two games decides the match and it was all in favor of the American from the Philippines.

Although Woods fought magnificently through the second game, hitting a 245 against Granger's 224, the pin advantage from the first game carried him through for a 481-445 victory, his first scalp and it was that of the defending champion.

"I made just the one mistake, hooking a bit too much and leaving the 10-pin," said the American ex-pro. "Then I bowled soft and easy and hit six strikes in

a row to finish the first game and establish a good lead. But I knew that I had to stay on top. In two-game matches you can't relax."

Nikki Woods philosophical in defeat. "I've only got myself to blame," she said. I threw a bad shot early on and then overcompensated. You can't win matches doing that. Purvis was good but it was still all there for me to take, but you can't take anything away from Purvis, he was good."

The high scoring strikefest continued as Lintila, who lost to Nikki Woods in last year's final, shot 259 as an opener to hold a 12 point lead going into the second game. The Bournemouth lass Zara Glover, who won three gold and a silver medal in the WTBA World Championships in Malaysia last year and was eight in the 27th Malaysian Open two weeks ago, looked really comfortable in this tough environment and looks set to even out the scores over the final lap.

Jokingly asked if he was determined not to be beaten by a woman again in this prestigious event, Lintila replied: "Absolutely. But I'm very pleased that this lane is good. I moved my line inside after the first four frames and after that I was locked in. That line was much, much better."

Glover said: "I was really happy with my first-time performance on this lane as I have never bowled in this sort of condition before. I've got to be pleased with hitting the 'pocket' with every ball. I did make a mistake by making a move after leaving so many 10-pins, but then I left the 7-pin, so that didn't help." The unfortunate situation that of the three matches, all three English bowlers have lost.

Story by Keith Hale, Bowlers Journal. Photos courtesy of Mr Lawrence Lustig.