16th September, Mexico: Australia's Ann-Maree Putney will try to emulate her compatriot Jeanette Baker Finch and win back-to-back QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup titles when she competes at Hermosillo's superb new Bol 300 centre in Hermosillo, Mexico, in November.

Ann-Maree won this prestigious title last year in St. Petersburg, Russia and will be taking part for the seventh time when she comes to Mexico.

"We are delighted to have another returning champion in addition to Shannon Pluhowsky, our champion in 2002 and 2004," commented Anne-Marie Board, QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup Manager. "They are both wonderful champions and I'm looking forward to seeing them compete again."

Bol 300, the venue for the 2008 QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, opened for business in July, impressing all those present. The magnificent state of the art centre has 32 QubicaAMF lanes equipped with the very latest

scoring equipment. It is owned by the remarkable Fernando Gutierrez who hosted the event in 1994 and fell in love with the Bowling World Cup.

The centre will have ample opportunity to be put through its paces before the World Cup as it will host a number of tournaments before then and league play will get under way.

The local organisers have been working hard to encourage sponsorship and are pleased that Corona, the top selling beer in Mexico and popular in many other countries as well, has given its backing to the tournament.

Anne-Marie said: "We're always grateful to our local sponsors as without them the tournament would not be the great event it is, and we are delighted that a brand as big as Corona is backing the event."

There are now 93 countries confirmed as entering although not all have yet nominated their players.

Among the new names on the start list, Zara Glover of England stands out. She has won numerous international medals including gold medals in the World Championships and is a member of the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame, but, perhaps surprisingly, this will be her first Bowling World Cup.

Others of note in the women's event include Laura Rhoney of Scotland who finished fourth in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2006, and hit a 300 game to take the high game trophy, and Ann Louise Haugen, third in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2005. Germany's Tina Hulsch came third last year in St. Petersburg, Russia, and will be aiming to finish on top in Hermosillo, while Helen Johnsson of Sweden will be making her sixth appearance and has never finished lower than sixth.

Over with the men, Chris van Damme of Belgium will be competing. Chris came third in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2000 and fifth in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in 2003. Chris is so far the oldest male competitor registered, at 50 years old, but this is eclipsed by Antonieta Costa of the Azores who is 71.

Marin Tranier of New Caledonia will be making his 11th appearance in the event, though the record for appearances is still held by Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi of the UAE with 14. Jeanette Baker Finch won the title in 1982 in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, and 1983 in Mexico City.

QubicaAMF Worldwide is the founder, organiser and principal sponsor of the Bowling World Cup. Additional information on the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, including archives and bulletins for this year’s event can be found on www.qubicaamf.com.

QubicaAMF Worldwide is one of the largest bowling products companies in the world. With worldwide headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, USA and European Headquarters in Bologna, Italy, the company manufactures a complete line of high-quality, innovative solutions for new and existing bowling and entertainment centres. Please see the web site, www.qubicaamf.com, for further information.

Photos courtesy of QubicaAMF Worldwide.

23rd June, Mexico: QubicaAMF is delighted to announce that the 44th Bowling World Cup will be held in Hermosillo, Mexico, from 7th to 15th November 2008 at a brand new 32-lane centre, which will be opening in June.

Ian Holland, Vice President of QubicaAMF signed the contract with owner and manager of the centre, Fernando Gutierrez, who has great experience of the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup having hosted the event in 1994.

Fernando commented: "I always knew the Bowling World Cup was a great tournament, but when we hosted it in 1994, I fell in love with it. I dreamt then of hosting it again - and now that dream is coming true."

Hermosillo is a city of 800,000 and is known as 'The Sun City'. It lies in the state of Sonora in the north of Mexico just 250 kilometers from the border with the USA. The 2008 Bowling World Cup has the personal and governmental backing of the governor of Sonora, Eduardo Bours, and of the Mayor of Hermosillo, Ernesto Gandara.

Anne-Marie Board, QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup manager, said: "Hermosillo is a lovely city and the new centre will be superb. The Gutierrez family will make this a very special event indeed and I know that all our players, officials and guests will be warmly welcomed."

The 1994 event, its 30th edition, was won by Tore Torgerson of Norway in the men's division and Anne Jacobs of South Africa in the women's.

Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi from the UAE, who now holds the record for the most appearances in the tournament with 14, came second and Luis Javier Iserte, now QubicaAMF's manager in Mexico, came seventh.

The 1994 also saw the first-ever perfect game bowled in the tournament when Jack Guay of Canada hitting the magic 300 figure. QubicaAMF office in Mexico is responsible for sales and service in Central America and parts of Latin America. Contact: liserte@qubicaamf.us..

Last year's event was held in St Petersburg, Russia, and was won by Bill Hoffman (USA) and Ann Maree Putney (Australia). Bowlers from 88 countries took part.

QubicaAMF Worldwide is the founder, organiser and principal sponsor of the Bowling World Cup. Additional information on the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, including archives and bulletins for this year’s event can be found on www.qubicaamf.com.

QubicaAMF Worldwide is one of the largest bowling products companies in the world. With worldwide headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, USA and European Headquarters in Bologna, Italy, the company manufactures a complete line of high-quality, innovative solutions for new and existing bowling and entertainment centres. Please see the web site, www.qubicaamf.com, for further information.

Photos courtesy of QubicaAMF Worldwide.

Anne-Marie Board
QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup Manager
2 Cleveland Way, Hemel Hempstead,
Herts., HP2 7DY, UK
Tel: +44 1442 286515,
Mobile: +44 777 179 6660,
Fax: +44 1442 286530
Email: amboard@qubicaamf.nl

Judy Howlett
AMF Media Representative