20th April, Barnsley: South African Guy Caminsky came from behind to win the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters title in a thrilling final defeating 2006 champion, Chris Barnes of USA, 526-517 at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday evening.

Caminsky trailed by 258-249 at the halfway point but took the lead for the first time in the seventh frame of the second game and then held his nerve to clinch the victory. Each bowler spared three times in the first game in front of a capacity crowd at the Barnsley Metrodome.

Barnes led by nine pins at the end of the opening game and following a further four frames, the American extended his lead by one further pin. However, the turning point came in the seventh frame when the American spared.

Caminsky followed that up with a strike of his own as he went in front for the first time in the final and then showed what it meant to him by

screaming out to the crowd. Barnes maintained the pressure by continuing to hit strikes and it became a question of whether Caminsky could hold his nerve.

With three balls left, Caminsky needed two strikes and punched the air in delight as he got the first of them. A strike with his next ball would give him the title.

It was successful and Caminsky jumped for joy as he had achieved his ambition of winning a major bowling tournament. He lifted the trophy, claimed the title of World Tenpin Masters Champion and had also won £30,000.

"As a kid you dream about that moment when you strike out and win a tournament," said Caminsky. "It’s everyone's dream and when I struck it I was over the moon.

"This means the absolute world to me to get this title. It's going to be huge for the sport back home and hopefully more guys from there will come and travel overseas. For me I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life. "Not until the final shot in the second game did I think I could win the game.

"He (Barnes) left a wobbling fourth pin in one of the frames and if that had fallen he would have been the champion.

"He did not give it this victory to me I had to go out there and earn it. He's a true champion and unfortunately one of us has to lose. Before I went into the final I just thought 'I hope it's a good one' because I didn't want to go down as the worst finalist ever.

"The crowd were fantastic and they got me through it. "It's a great event and I had nothing to lose. I was used to losing here but what does winning feel like? It feels brilliant."

American Barnes had been the favourite to win after impressive performances throughout the three-day tournament, including the best individual score in the competition's 10-year history. But it was not to be for Barnes in the final, who admitted Caminsky deserved to win.

"I gave it everything I had but he threw a world-class double in the tenth frame and not many people could do that," said Barnes. "I made him show up and that’s all I wanted to do but he showed up like a champion. It feels terrible.

"We get to bowl in places all over the world but this tournament is the most fun. The crowd are so boisterous but it's a lot of fun and I hope to get back here again next year."

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

20th April, Barnsley: American Chris Barnes will meet South African Guy Caminsky in the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008 final after his triumph over Osku Palermaa of Finland, 521-462 in the second semifinals.

Barnes, the 2006 champion, starts as favourite after another impressive performance and victory over the Finn. For the second successive match Barnes, the 2007/08 PBA Player of the Year, registered a total of more than 500.

He will be up against fans favourite Caminksy, who had never made it past the quarter-finals in six previous attempts at the World Tenpin Masters. The second semi-final saw Palermaa make a bright start with four strikes but his advantage narrowed with three spares in the fifth, sixth and seventh frames.

Despite this, Palermaa still led at the end of the first game by 246-237. However, Barnes is regarded as the best player in the world and showed

why at the start of the second with nine successive strikes which changed the match completely.

He was helped by only six in the second frame from Palermaa and three further spares ended the match as a contest. Barnes registered 284 in the second game to win by 59 pins.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

20th April, Barnsley: Guy Caminsky hailed his 507-480 semifinal win over Paul Moor as the best of his Masters career which takes him into the South African into the finals of the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008.

Caminksy, who had never advanced past the quarterfinals of this event before this year, will be playing the winner of the other semifinal match between favourite, Chris Barnes of USA and Osku Palermaa of Finland.

"The monkey was off my back after winning the quarterfinal and I had no expectations coming into the match," said the South African. "I never thought of the final and I really did not expect to get past Paul.

"Before I said I would need to shoot 500 and I did so but I was twice as relaxed as in previous matches. "I did the commentary on Paul's last match and I knew he would come out well. But I was delighted with my opening game and that set me up so I just had to hang on.

"That was the best I've bowled in seven years of coming here. For the last six years I couldn't get past the quarter-final and you start to question your own ability and why I was being invited back."

Caminsky started well with seven strikes and had a 51-pin advantage at the end of the first game against Moor, the last English player left in the competition. Four strikes from Moor at the start of the second game reduced the deficit to 28 but an open frame in the fifth, only his third of the tournament, came at the worst possible time.

His next effort was a spare and that effectively ended his hopes of reaching the final for the fourth successive year. With victory already confirmed, Caminsky played to the crowd and bowled one ball wearing a supporter's moose hat and bowled another using both hands, imitating the style of friend Jason Belmonte.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

20th April, Barnsley: In the best game in World Tenpin Masters history, American Chris Barnes produced the highest total and Kirsten Penny was two pins away from a perfect game in the last quaterfinal match of the PartyCasino.com World Ranking Masters 2008.

A capacity crowd at the Barnsley Metrodome witnessed an incredible quarter-final tie as Barnes registered 20 successive strikes in his 569-546 triumph. But there was more late drama as Penny, who had already been beaten, had an opportunity to become the first female to register a perfect 300 game in this competition.

However, two pins were left tanding and her total of 546 was not enough for her to advance into the semi-final. The score of 569 from Barnes was the best in the ten-year history of the Masters, beating the previous record of 566, set by Jason Belmonte in the 2007 final.

A further record was also beaten as the collective total of 1,115 was 25 ahead of the previous best aggregate. "It was a lot of fun," said Barnes. "It's fantastic when you're striking a lot but Kirsten bowled unbelievably.

"I was probably very fortunate and that was the only way I could've bowled to have any chance against her. "It was a much better performance than last night (against Or Aviram).

"The crowd are very respectful to the players, both the favourites and non-favourites. I was not the crowd's favourite in that match but they are always tremendous and very animated.

"This is the fifth time I've bowled on this lane and every time the crowd has been fantastic and very appreciative of good performances." Barnes got a spare in the opening frame but then went on an incredible run of 20 strikes.

At one stage both bowlers were on course for perfect performances in their second games. Barnes' hopes ended when he threw a spare in the tenth but Penny still had a chance to claim her piece of bowling history.

Unfortunately, it did not end as she would have hoped but both competitors were still given a standing ovation in an absolutely unforgettable match.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

20th April, Barnsley: England'S Paul Moor rediscovered his form and produced a stunning performance to move into the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008 semifinals with victory over fellow-countrymen, Dominic Barrett.

Moor defeated countryman Dominic Barrett 516-473 and will now play South African Guy Caminsky in the first semifinal on Sunday evening. After disappointing results in the Brunswick Challenge in Paris and the Istanbul Open, Moor was delighted to be back at the top of his game.

"That's the best I've bowled this year," said Moor. "This was a big match against Dominic as he has been on fire recently. In a way I didn't feel any pressure because he was on form and I was the one struggling.

"I just wanted to go out there and throw each shot and I'm pretty confident when I get out there on the lane. "But I really wanted to prove something to myself - that I've still got it.

"I've not had really bad results but no real notable ones and it has got worse. "There has been a problem with my technique but it's about finding that problem. As a full time bowler I don't know when my next pay cheque is coming from and if I bowl badly I will not get paid.

"I want to be out there competing with the best bowlers week in, week out and in the last two events I haven't done so."

Five strikes with his first five balls of the match gave Moor the advantage as Barrett struggled to throw successive strikes. It was 257-225 in Moor's favour after the first game.

A further four strikes at the start of the second extended Moor's lead, although Barrett refused to give up and ended with four strikes of his own.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

20th April, Barnsley: Osku Palermaa of Finland, moved into the semifinals of the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008 at Barnsley Metrodome defeating Englishman Stuart Williams, 465-445 in the secomd quarterfinal match.

The capacity crowd at the Barnsley Metrodome saw Palermaa win by 467-445 to set up a match with either Kirsten Penny or Chris Barnes in the next round. Three strikes from his first three balls from Palermaa, compared to a strike and two spares from Williams gave the Finn the advantage.

However, it was a very exciting and close match as the lead changed hands and Williams stole a three-pin lead at the end of the first game.

The balance of the encounter swung again though as Palermaa booked his place in the semis with an incredible run of eight successive strikes.

Any hope of a perfect game disappeared in the ninth frame when he only hit nine but had still done enough for victory.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

19th April, Barnsley: South Africa's Guy Caminsky reached the semifinal of a major tournament for the first time in his career when he ended the hope of James Tidd of England in the quarterfinals of the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008.

Caminsky, who has competed in the World Tenpin Masters on six previous occasions, had never advanced past the quarterfinals. However, he ended that record as he gained a 449-428 victory over James Tidd on Saturday evening at the Barnsley Metrodome.

"I'm still trying to take it in," said a delighted Caminsky. "This is the fourth quarter-final of this I've been in and I've also been in the World Cup quarter-final once.

"To get the monkey off my back is brilliant. I'm really happy and I'm just going to enjoy myself tomorrow. "It was too close to call and I'm still shaking. James bowled so well and it could not have been any closer as it ebbed and flowed. I had the lead then he had it and so on.

"He had the match but luckily gave me a chance and I took it. The pressure was intensifying an my heartbeat was going crazy."

In a thrilling match, watched by a capacity crowd at the Barnsley Metrodome, Tidd was hoping to repeat his first round heroics when he defeated 2007 winner Jason Belmonte.

Tidd made a good start and took an early lead with two strikes, while Caminsky was left regretting an open frame in the first.

But the lead changed hands in the seventh as Tidd recorded his own open frame and Caminsky ended game one in style with six successive strikes.

Three spares from the same player in the middle of the second game made things interesting but an open frame in the ninth came at the worst possible time for Tidd and that effectively ended his hopes of advancing.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

19th April, Barnsley: Stuart Williams of England, scraped into the last eight of the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008 with a narrow win over American Diandra Asbaty in the last match of Saturday evening at Barnsley Metrodome.

Williams won by only five pins in the tightest match of the tournament so far and his total of 398 would have not been good enough to win in four of the five previous matches.

Both players struggled to find their top form in front of a capacity crowd at the Barnsley Metrodome but Asbaty's 393 was not enough and her involvement in the competition is now over.

"It was all about survival," said Williams. "In the last game I was just counting the pins. "She had an open one near the end and I thought that was my chance but then I followed it with a 7-10.

"After that it was difficult to know what was going to happen but the main thing is to get through to the next round." An open frame in the eighth frame of the first game gave Williams the lead, although a foul in the tenth for overstepping kept the score close.

Asbaty never had the lead but was never far behind and an open frame in the eighth of the second game from Williams looked like it could prove crucial. But Asbaty could not take advantage as she then spared the next and Williams held on for a five-pin triumph.

He will now meet Osku Palermaa, who produced the best performance of the tournament so far in his opening round 516-461 victory against Michael Schmidt.

"Hopefully Osku won't shoot as many as he did in his last round," added Williams. "After the first round he is the playere everyone is looking to beat so we will see what happens."

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

19th April, Barnsley: Osku Palermaa of Finland, produced the tenth highest total of World Tenpin Masters history sucuring a victory over Canada's Michael Schimdt at Barnsley Metrodome on Saturday afternoon.

He secured a thrilling 516-461 victory over Canada's Michael Schmidt in the second match of the Saturday afternoon session. The total of 977 pins was also the sixth best aggregate in this, the tenth staging of the tournament.

"I'm happy and could even try something at the end and still won by quite a bit. "I felt quite relaxed all the way through and for 16 frames I did not have to move at all.

"The lane is a fair bit drier than last time. I thought Michael would be better but he shot 460 and you always have to aim for that score. "I love it here. The bowling I had (in the match) was just phenomenal and I felt I couldn't miss."

Schmidt was behind from the start as the opening frame in the first game was an open one, while Palermaa produced seven strikes in a row to dominate proceedings.

His only error in the first game saw him spare the eighth but ten strikes saw him end the first game 276-227 ahead.

Both players scored in the 230s in the second game to give Palermaa the victory by 516-461. He will now meet either Stuart Williams (England) or Diandra Asbaty (USA) in the quarterfinals.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

18th April, Barnsley: Dominic Barrett of England, produced a stunning comeback to book his place in the quarterfinal of the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008 and setting up an all-English quarterfinal.

Barrett trailed by 254-216 after the first game against Filipino Biboy Rivera and looked to be heading out of the tournament.

However, a fantastic second game, which included eight successive strikes, saw him keep his hopes alive to set up an all-English quarter-final against Paul Moor.

"I think it will be a good match and he played well in his first one," said Barrett. "But I feel pretty confident and if we both get settled in then it will be a high-scoring match.

"I've played him a couple of times before but nothing as big as this. I definitely beat him once and I think he won the other one."

At the end of the first game the score was 254-216 to Rivera but despite trailing, Barrett insisted he was confident he could recover. He added: "I made a bad decision to start off trying to stay in the middle of the lane. "But I corrected that in the second and that's what cost Biboy the match. A 38-pin deficit in this sort of format is not too much.

"The scores are always big in arenas like this and it only took a couple of mistakes from my opponent. "It wasn't easy to get back into it but it was in reach."

Barrett's quarterfinal with Moor, the runner-up in the last three years, will be played on Sunday, April 20 at 1pm. Rivera had produced a total better than the scores of the last two match winners but, on this occasion, it was not enough as his competition was over.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

18th April, Barnsley: England'S Paul Moor booked his place in the quarterfinals of the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008 at Barnsley Metrodome to set his sights on reaching another final.

Moor has been beaten in the last three finals but hopes to go one further this time around at the Barnsley Metrodome.

"Winning it would mean a lot to me," admitted Moor, who defeated Malaysia's Alex Liew 453-401 in the third match of the opening session. "I've always been sat there looking at the trophy thinking if I could lift it.

"Maybe after the first two finals I thought that I hadn't done myself justice but in the final last year I didn't put a foot wrong and Jason Belmonte) was just better than me. There was nothing else I could've done.

It's starting to become a habit and one I want to break this year but there are still three matches to go.

"Recently I haven't been bowling well so I was a bit apprehensive but I'm happy to get through the first round and be back here on Sunday.

"Alex played better than 400 but had a lot of bad luck. "My expectations were to try and make it through to Sunday and then take it from there and I've done that.

"I'm not saying everything else is a bonus as I would like to lift the trophy but I will think about that more when the time comes."

Moor had a 30-pin advantage after the first game but things went for Liew in the second as only one strike from the opening five frames left him with too much work to do. Moor then sealed the victory by a 453-401 scoreline and will now meet Dominic Barrett or Biboy Rivera in the next round.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.

18th April, Barnsley: Debutant James Tidd of England, caused a massive shock in the opening match of the PartyCasino.com World Tenpin Masters 2008 by defeating reigning champion Jason Belmonte of Australia.

Tidd, the only player out of the 16 competitors who qualified for the tournament after he won the PTBC Masters earlier this year, recorded a stunning victory by 43 pins.

"This is the highest point of my career, it can't get any higher than this," said a delighted Tidd.

"In my eyes this was the best draw I could've had as I had nothing to lose but I knew, on my day, I could give as good as anyone.

"I'm not big headed and I was nervous but when I got down the lane I was quite confident that I could take him out.

Englishman Tidd believes this victory will help put him on the bowling map. He added: "People will look at me in a different light after beating Jason Belmonte in a match situation. This will do me a power of good."

Australian Belmonte had won the 2007 event with a fantastic performance in the final, including a perfect game as he beat Paul Moor in the highest scoring match of the history of the tournament. However, an early shock looked on the cards as Tidd gained a 245-224 lead after the first game.

Both bowlers started with two strikes, two spares and four strikes before an open frame from Belmonte in the ninth gave Tidd an advantage. At the end of the first game the Englishman had a lead of 21 but that extended to 55 after four frames of the second game.

However, Tidd then threw two of his worst balls of the contest to give Belmonte a chance back into the contest. But two successive spares saw the balance again turn in Tidd's favour as he then completed an incredible victory in his first ever World Tenpin Masters.

Photos courtesy of Matchroom Sports.