23rd October, Toulon: Michael Schmidt of Canada upstaged top seed, Matt Miller of England to claim his second 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup men's title while Aumi Guerra beat Korean top seed, Gye Min-Young for the women's crown.

Michael Schmidt defeated Asia's sole survivor, Biboy Rivera of the Philippines, 2-0 over the best of three men's semi-finals to advance to the finals and a chance to win the men's title for the second time.

Schmidt suffered a temporary setback when he lost to top seed, Matt Miller of England, 205-245 in the first game of the finals. The Canadian bounched back with a narrow victory over Miller, 212-207 to force the decider.

The second seed claimed the title for the second time after running away in the final game, 224-188 with a 2-1 victory.

"Sometimes you get bad breaks but you learn never to give up and that's what I felt," said the 30-year-old Schmidt, who joined the elite group of winners who have won the World Cup twice.

"I'm actually lost for words and the thing hasn't sunk in yet. But I'm very happy to have become the first Canadian to win this event two times. Of course, Sandy Lowe and my dad, Alrick gave me all their encouragements.

Matt Miller, who was attempting to win the men's title since Bernie Caterer did it in 1973 in Singapore said: "I'm disappointed that I didn't bowl well during the finals."

"I should have shut my opponent out when I had the chance and I just didn't take it and that is extremely frustating. Well, at least I'm still young and I 'll be back. It has been a week of good bowling and I thoroughly enjoyed myself," added the 21-year-old who owns the London Proshop at Airport Bowl.

There was a big diappointment in the women's division for Korea's Gye Min-Young after leading the 46th World Cup almost the full distance and then losing the title in the stepladder.

Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic defeated Fiona Banks of England 2-0 in the semi-final match, the first game 237-223 then taking her advantage further by winding up the second, 246-188. The title match went the Korean's way, 226-203, but Guerra came back to take the second, 202-196, after Gye lost impetus with a 4-7-10 split in the tenth frame.

Spurred on by that victory, Guerra opened with a double then strung a six-bagger to win her first major international title, 240-196.

"To be the first-ever World Cup champion for Dominican Republic is indeed my biggest satisfation," said the 33-year-old Guerra, who has competed in the PBA Tour for just one year without much success.

"I'm very much like my father - very patriotic, so winning this title is what I had hoped for since I started bowling. I knew that if I kept my composure I could pulled it off and I really got a good break during the last frame of the second game."

"Aumi couldn't get the carry when the lanes were beginning to change, so we decided that a change of ball was necessary," said Criag Woodhouse, coach of the Dominican Republic national team.

"You know, Guerra means war and that was exactly what Aumi displayed - a true spirit of a fighter. I'm glad for her and I'm happy for the Dominican Republic as a whole. A lot of people in the federation has worked hard and this is probably one of the rewards well earned."

Mr John Walker together with key representatives from the French Riviera Toulon and Le Garde gave away the trophies witnessed by a packed house who were there to watch the finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

22nd October, Toulon: Top 24 round leaders, Matt Miller of England and Gye Min-Young of Korea advanced into the stepladder finals of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup as top seeds after the duo topped the Top 8 quarter-finals.

World Cup debutant and leader in the earlier Top 24 round, Matt Miller advanced into the stepladder finals as top seed despite winning three of the eight round-robin matchplay quarter-finals.

But armed with a total of 5426 pinfalls amassed from the preliminary rounds, the 21-year-old English youngster downed 1657 plus 90 pins bonus for winning the three matches for a grand total of 7173.

American John Szcerbinski, who was trailing Miller up to the halfway mark, fizzled off allowing Filipino Biboy Rivera and 2005 winner, Michael Schmidt of Canada fighting for second and third.

Schmidt finished stronger of the duo to claim second spot with 7074, winning five matches while Rivera made the stepladder cut in third with 7038, winning six matches. Finland's Joonas Jahi missed the cut by 30 pins in fourth with 7008.

Schmidt will face Rivera in the best-of-3 semi-finals in which the winner will meet top seed, Matt Miller in the finals for the coveted men's title.

Meanwhile, Gye Min-Young was never threatened at any stage when the 24-year-old member of the Korean national team cruised to the end of the quarter-finals with a total of 7150. Gye won six out of the eighth matches played.

Dominican Republic's Aumi Guerra, who trailed the Korean most of the way, was edged by England's Fiona Banks into third spot. Banks won five matches and totaled 6865, 25 pins ahead of Guerra on 6840.

American favourite, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard finished fourth and missed the cut for the stepladder finals with 6780 despite winning six matches. Of the four Asian women in the quarter-finals, only Gye progressed to the championship round.

Banks face off with Guerra in the semi-finals and the winner will meet top seed Gye in the finals for the women's crown. With Miller and Banks in the finals, England wins the Bent Petersen trophy as top country.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

22nd October, Toulon: Matt Miller of England took center stage as he overcame a 164 pin deficit to overhaul overnight leader, John Szcerbinski of USA to claim pole position at the end of the Men's Top 24 round at the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup.

John Szcerbinski of United States continued where he left off to shoot 226, 226, 215 and 247 in the first half of the 8-game Top 24 round and still held a 152 pin advantage of England's Matt Miller in second.

A massive game of 279 in the 21st game from Miller allowed the youngster to narrow the gap to just 62 pins as Szcerbinski downed only 189. The American hit another lowly game of 177 as Miller further reduced the gap to just 12 pins.

Miller was on a mission when he fired 244 to take over the running while Szcerbinski again managed only 199 in the penultimate game. The new leader ended the round with 1880 for an 24-game aggregate of 5426.

"I feel really good today and my timing was great," said the 21-year-old Matt Miller. "I had two big games and that really settled me down nicely.

"This is my first World Cup and my goal was to make the top 8. Finishing in the lead is a bonus. You know there're a lot of world class bowlers here and to be able to compete with them is a privilege."

Szcerbinski settled for second with 5370 while sole left-haner, Mads Sandbaekken of Norway took third spot with 5250. Achim Grabowski of Germany and 2005 champion, Michael Schmidt of Canada rounded up the top 5.

Korea's Park Jong-Woo, Finland's Joonas Jahi and Filipno Biboy Rivera made the top 8 cut from sixth and eighth positions respectively. Rivera had tied with South Africa's Francois Louw with 5157 but broke a one-game tie-breaker, 267-191 to claim the final spot.

The top 8 advanced into the Round-Robin quarter-finals over 8 games to decide the top 3 proceeding to the stepladder finals on Satuday, October 23.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

21st October, Toulon: Qualifying round leader, Gye Min-Young inched much closer to the women's title of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup as the Korean remained in the lead at the end of the Top 24 finals.

Like clock-work precision, the 22-year-old Gye Min-Young reeled in lines of 211, 216, 223, 244, 208, 216, 188 and 278 for an 8-game round of 1784. Her 24 game total of 5340 which included the 16-games qualifying round put her 151 pins ahead of her nearest opponent.

Dominican Republic's Aumi Guerra settled for second with 5189 despite recording 1747 in this round while Team USA, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard put in a much improved performance to clinch third spot with 5069.

England's Fiona Banks finished ahead of three Asians and a Latvian for fourth position with 5044. Filipina Apple Posadas, Singapore's Daphne Tan and Malaysia's Wendy Chai advance into the next round from fifth to seventh positions.

Diana Zavjalova of Latvia shot the highest 8-game series of 1794 to haul herself up from 18th overnight to take up the eighth and final spot for the Top 8 quarter-finals with 4958. 2007 World Cup champion, Ann-Maree Putney of Australia missed the cut in ninth by 37 pins.

The top 8 advanced into the Round-Robin quarter-finals over 8 games to decide the top 3 proceeding to the stepladder finals on Satuday, October 23.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

21st October, Toulon: American, John Szcerbinski gave a comanding performance to end the third qualifying block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in pole position, 127 pins ahead of his nearest rival.

Armed with 96 pins advantage from the second block going into the third and final block, John Szcerbinski set a cracking pace with a 237 opening 11th game. The 22-year-old continued his relentless pace with 219, 222, 231, 229 and ending on a high game of 237 for a 16-game aggregate of 3710.

Szcerbinski posted the highest 6-game series in the block with 1374. England's Matt Miller shot 1307 in his third block for a total of 3546 but ended 164 pins away. 2005 World Cup champion and last year's first runnerup, Michael Schmidt of Canada finished third with 3473.

Asia's best performers in this block were Korean youngster, Park Jong-Woo totaling 3442, 18 pins ahead of Mohammed Al Zaidan of Kuwait in sixth while Macau debutant, Lei Tak Man gave a strong showing to take up seventh with 3422.

"I'm extremely pleased with my performance today and was able to make good shots," Szczerbinski said. "I still have to go out there and continue to do that consistently. I did get lucky on several ocassions and when I did get breaks, I took advantage of them.".

The American led the earlier squad leader, Achim Grabowski of Germany, Mads Sandbaekken of Norway and the rest of the men who made the cut for tomorrow's Top 24 finals. Qatar's Mubarak Al Muraikhi squeezed in at 24th position with an average of 207.56..

Day 1 leader, Harn Chieh Kwan of Switzerland was second most unlucky competitor being edged out into 25th position by Catalonia's Marcial Ovide, who shot 254 in his final game to make the cut in 23rd..

Both the top 24 men and top 24 women would contest 8 games with pins carried from the qualifying rounds in the next stage when the field will be further cut down to top 8 men and top 8 women for another 8 game semi-finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

21st October, Toulon: World Championship Team bronze medalist, Achim Grabowski of Germany clinched a slim lead in the final game of Squad B third qualifying block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup on Thursday evening.

Overnight squad leader, Mads Sandbaekken got off to a slow start in his opening game of the third block which saw his lead reduced from 60 to 27 pins ahead of first block leader, Biboy Rivera in second.

Despite a 211 in his 12th game, the Norwegian's lead was reduced further to 13 pins followed by World Championship team silver medalist, Joonas Jahi of Finland making his bid for the lead.

The Finn took a brief lead in the third only to see the lead going to German, Achim Grabowski after a superb 260 in the 13th game with Sandbaekken recovering slightly to trail the German by 45 pins.

The Norwegian regain the lead at the 15th game after firing a sizzling 268, this time 7 pins ahead of Grabowski. Although Sandbaekken ended well with 229, Grabowski downed a higher game of 248 to snatch pole in the squad with 3583.

Grabowski, who has competed in the World Cup series for the ninth time in which his best performance was finishing second to the four-time champion, Paeng Nepomuceno in 1992.

Sandbaekken settled for second with 3571 ahead of Joonas Jahi third with 3506. Filipino, Biboy Rivera took fourth spot with 3492 while Costa Rica's Alejandro Reyna completed the top 5 with 3421.

Placed 24th after Squad B was Martin Williamson of Scotland with an average of 196.94. The cut off mark will most likely be around the 205 average which meant more than a dozen from Squad A had surpassed this mark before they bowl their final block.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

21st October, Toulon: Korea's Gye Min-Young worked her magic again after turning in a stupendous performance to end the Women's three blocks of qualifying rounds of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in pole position.

Gye Min-Young, a strong member of the Korean national team, first tasted international success when she won a gold and two silver medals at the 2008 Asian Championships in Hong Kong.

Although she was not picked for the all-important World Women's Championships in Las Vegas last year, the 24-year-old proved her strength by capturing two gold medals at the 2009 East Asian Games, one of which was the prestigious Masters event.

Despite with a margin of 107 pins after 11 games from two blocks, Gye went into the final block cautiously with 214, 224 and 204 in her first three games but was able to open up a gap of 113 to her nearest opponent, Wendy Chai of Malaysia.

The Korean eased off with 236 and 204 to end the block and the qualifying round with a 16-game total of 3556 averaging an impressive 222.25.

"I'm very happy first of all to be picked for this World Cup and I must not let my country down," confessed Gye Min-Young. "My team-mate Choi Yong-Kyu won the men's title last year on his first attempt. I hope I can carry on that historical feat."

Malaysia's Wendy Chai, who trailed Gye all the way, settled for second in the squad and third overall with 3415 behind the earlier squad leader, Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic.

Germany's Vanessa Timter maintained her strong form to finish third to both Asians and tenth overall. Fiona Banks of England and Apple Posadas of the Philippines completed the top 5.

The last spot, surprisingly was taken up by debutant, Prathima Hedge of India with an average of 193.19. Missing the cut disappointly was Canadian Felicia Wong by just 2 pins in 25th position.

The top 24 women will bowl 8 games in the next round with pins carried forward from the qualifying rounds. The top 8 at the end of this round will advance into the Top 8 round.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

21st October, Toulon: Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic snatched pole position at the end of the final qualifying block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup ahead of England's Fiona Banks and Philippines' Apple Posadas.

Overnight squad leader, Daphne Tan of Singapore continued her fine form where she left off to remain in the lead after getting off the blocks with 230 and 216 in the first two games. The Singaporean youngster looked set to end in the lead but a poor 162 in her 16th and final game let her down.

Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic, who was third overnight, posted 1107 for a 16-game total of 3442 to take pole position. Guerra, who has participated in three previous World Cups, finished 5th in Caracas 2006, 7th in St. Petersburg 2007 and 23rd in Hermosillo 2008.

England's Fiona Banks stormed home with a sizzling 268 to snatch second spot with 3409. Filipina, Apple Posadas, who also encountered a low game of 167 in the 15th, bounced back with 221 to finish third on 3400 ahead of Daphne Tan, who slipped down to fourth with 3360.

Helen Johnsson (SWE-3355), Natsumi Koizumi (JPN-3311), Carolyn Dorin-Ballad (USA-3310), Patcharin Torgersen (NOR-3287), Carolin Witvrouwen (BEL-3214) and Hannah Cullen (IRE-3176) completed the top 10.

With yesterday's cut at 24th position averaging a mere 182, more than a dozen from this squad would likely make the Top 24 cut into the next round. Squad B will end the women's qualifying rounds after lane maintenance.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

20th October, Toulon: John Szcerbinski of Team USA, took over the lead of the men's division at the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup after ending the second qualifying block at Bowling De Provence on Wednesday.

The American debutant was in awesome form reeling off 231, 253, 267, 256 and 227 for a 5-game total of 1234 to take his two blocks total to 2335 overtaking leader, Mads Sandbaekken of Norway.

Szcerbinski, who was seventh in the first block, immediately went into the lead of the second squad which resumed after it was postponed. Mexico's Roberto Silva trailed the American most of the way until England's Matt Miller stormed home to snatch second spot in the final game.

Miller ended the second block with 2239, 96 pins behind Szcerbinski while Harn Chieh Kwan of Switzerland recovered with a big game of 289 to finish third with 2218. Silva slipped down to fifth after a poor final game.

"I bowled well in the first block but wasn't good enough for a top 5 finish," said the 22-year-old from Bufalo, New York, who anchored Witchita University to win the Collegiate Championship twice in a row.

"I had decided how I was going to tackle the lanes today and it worked pretty well. We had to make a lot of adjustments througout the block and I'd say that I was lucky as well to shoot big games."

Sandbaekken settled for second with 2260 while Miller took third spot overall with 2239. Harn and Venezuela's William Ching completed the top 5 with 2218 and 2206 respectively.

The men will end the qualifying rounds with the third block over 6-games after the women had bowled their third block in the morning. The top 24 men and top 24 women will advance into the next round.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

20th October, Toulon: Asians put in another strong showing during the second squad of the women's second qualifying block at the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup when Daphne Tan of Singapore and Apple Posadas of the Philippines finished first and second.

Holly Fleming's overnight lead did not lasted when the second squad took to the lanes on Wednesday afternoon. Sweden's Helen Johnsson took a brief lead after the opening game but the lead went to Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of USA soon after.

The American too could not hold her lead and was overtaken by Singapore's Daphne Tan. Tan fired 247, 236, 211 and 256 to shoot into the lead, 11 pins ahead of Dorin-Ballard with Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic is a close third after a superb 278 in the ninth game.

A slightly lower game of 179 in the tenth allowed Guerra to grab the lead from the Singaporean but only on a 3 pin margin.

Tan recovered in the final game to regain the lead and ending the block with 1343. Her superb effort moved her up to third overall behind Korea's Gye Min-Young and Malaysia's Wendy Chai.

"I was very consistent throughout except in the tenth game," said the 20-year-old student, Daphne Tan. "My coach and I realized the lanes were beginning to dry up and I guess we reacted a bit too slow that's why I bowled a low game.

"I also made some bad shots but overall, I'm happy. The postponement yesterday gave me a chance to take a longer rest and it paid off. So I'll rest more today for the third block tomorrow."

Filipina, Apple Posadas finished second to Tan with 2336 to take fourth position overall while Guerra settled for a good fifth with 2335. Dorin-Ballard, who was amongst the top 3 in this squad slipped down to seventh overall with 2307.

The men second squad postponed from yesterday will resume with their second block over 5 games ending the third day of competition.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

20th October, Toulon: With the postponement of the men's second squad yesterday, the Asians continued to shine as the women resumed their second qualifying block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup with Gye Min-Young of Korea and Wendy Chai of Malaysia taking up the top two spots.

Due to some cracks noticed by the technical delegate during the lane maintenance and on the advise of the structural engineers, lanes 26 to 32 had to be closed. And with not enough lanes to accommodate the men's second squad, it had to be postponed.

The organizers re-adjusted the schedule and bowlers will now bowl a total of 16 games rather than 20. The women started off with their second block over 6 games which saw Korea's Gye Min-Young moving into the front to take a 12 pin lead over Malaysia's Wendy Chai in second.

While many bowlers had inconsistent scorelines, Gye was the most productive reeling in 212, 242, 225, 199, 223 and 259 for a record-breaking second block of 1360 to give herself a 11-game total of 2474.

The Malaysian completed Asia's continuing strong showing to finish second with 2367 after she shot 1247 in this block. Germany's Vanessa Timter surprised the field to snatch third spot with 2236.

World Youth bronze medalist, Darya Kovalova of Ukriane and Sarit Mizrachi of Israel rounded up the top 5 with 2232 and 2215 respectively. 2007 World Cup champion and runnerup in the following year, Ann-Maree Putney of Australia finished ninth in the block.

The second squad will contest their second block over 6 games followed by the postponed squad from yesterday's men's second squad later today.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

19th October, Toulon: Norwegian lefty, Mads Sandbaekken stormed into the lead after a scintillating 1207 series in the second block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in the first squad on Tuesday morning.

Apart from a poor opening game in yesterday's first block, Mads Sandbaekken of Norway turned in an awesome performance to record the highest 5-game series thus far and became the new leader of the men's division.

The 24-year-old Norwegian posted lines of 233, 206, 235, 290 and 243 for the 1207 scoreline to add to his first block of 1053 for a 10-game total of 2260. Alejandro Reyna of Costa Rica, who took a brief lead from overnight leader, Biboy Rivera of the Philippines, finished second with 2200.

Rivera managed only 993 in his second block to slip down to third with 2174, just 1 pin ahead of Joonas Jahi of Finland on 2173.

"Except for my opening game yesterday, I bowled consistently and I'm very happy with my performance," said Mads Sandbaekken. "It's good to go into the next block in the lead. This way, I can be relaxed more.

World Championship Team bronze medalist, Achim Grabowski of Germany recorded the second highest 5-game series of 1134 to move up to fifth with 2150 while the second best Asian, Kazuyuki Sakamoto of Japan finished sixth with 2149.

1988 champion and overnight in second, Mohammed Khalifa Al Qubaisi of UAE bowled an identical 993 with Rivera to drop down to seventh position.

A major re-scheduling and the reduction of games to be played (20 to 16) during the qualifying rounds has been decided by the organizer. This is due to some cracks having appeared on the ceiling of the centre from lanes 28 to 32 in which the contruction structural engineers advised that section to be closed.

Hence, the women will resume October 19 with their third block of 6 games followed by the postponed second squad of the men bowling 6 games. Four squads will end the qualifying rounds on October 20 in which the field will then be cut down to the top 24 men and top 24 women.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

18th October, Toulon: Asians shone again after Wendy Chai of Malaysia topped the second squad for the overall lead in the opening block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup ahead of Korea's Gye Min-Young in second.

Wendy Chai, who finished second runnerup at the 2005 World Cup in Slovenia, did not have the best of starts as Venezuela's Patricia De Faria took the early lead with a superb opening game of 225 followed by Barbara Wilford of South Africa in second.

De Faria opened up a bigger margin after the second game but her lead did not last when Wendy Chai shot a brilliant 258 to become the new leader. Malta's Sue Abela moved up into second spot to trail the Malaysian by 25 pins.

Korea's Gye Min-Young mounted her challenge and reduced the gap to just 3 pins after the fourth game. Chai ended the block with a superb 254 for a total of 1126 to top the squad as well as overtaking first squad leader, Holly Fleming of Scotland.

The Korean also finished strongly to snatch second spot with 1114 while Fleming settled for third spot on 1090. Aumi Guerra of Dominican Republic slipped down to fourth with 1087 with Helen Johnsson of Sweden rounding up the top 5.

"This is my third attempt at this World Cup and I'm determined to do better than the last two," said the 33-year-old national squad member, Wendy Chai. "I used a brand new bowling ball and it worked well.

"This is only the first five games and there is still a long way to go. And I'll put in 110 percent if I want to make the top 8," added Chai, whose debuted her World Cup with a fifth place finish.

Bowlers will play a total of four blocks of 5 games each over four days. The field will be cut to top 24 for another 8 games. At the end of the 8 games, the field will be further cut down to top 8 for their final 8 games. The top 3 will then advance to the step-ladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

18th October, Toulon: Scotland's Holly Fleming raised quite a few eyebrows when she led the opening squad in the Women's first block qualifying rounds of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at Bowling De Provence on Monday afternoon.

With the likes of 2009 World Championship gold medalist, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of United States, twice European Tour ranked No. 1, Helen Johnsson of Sweden and 2005 World Cup first runner, Fiona Banks of England in the field, Holy Fleming of Scotland took her more experienced opponent to the task.

Banks started the strongest with 237 to lead Dominican Republic's Aumi Guerra in second by 2 pins in the opening game and Belgium's Carolin Witvrouwen third a further 7 pins away.

Guerra took over the running after strong games of 216 and 231 to open up a gap of 29 pins from Banks in second and World Youth bronze medalist, Diana Zavjalova of Latvia third. A sub-200 game of 181 from Guerra reduced the gap to only 7 pins after the fourth game.

But it was Fleming who finished the strongest with 234 to end the squad surprisingly in the lead with 1090. Guerra settled for second with 1087 despite a good 224 final game.

"I'm over the moon!," exclaimed the 20-year-old student. "This is my first World Cup and it's indeed very pleasant to lead such a strong field. But I'm determine to continue doing my best and hopefully I can cause a few more surprises."

Helen Johnsson finished third with 1056 ahead of Asia's best finisher, Natsumi Koizumi of Japan taking up fourth with 1039. Banks and Dorin-Ballard finished fifth ans sixth positions.

The second women squad will take to the lanes for their first block after lane maintenance. Bowlers will play a total of four blocks of 5 games each over four days.

The field will be cut to top 24 for another 8 games. At the end of the 8 games, the field will be further cut down to top 8 for their final 8 games. The top 3 will then advance to the step-ladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

18th October, Toulon: Asians shone in the second squad after Filipino, Biboy Rivera and 1988 champion, Mohammed Khalifa Al Qubaisi of UAE ended the first block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup qualifying round in first and third overall.

Northern Ireland's Billy Nimick got off to a cracking start with a superb opening game of 277 but found himself only 8 pins ahead of 1988 World Cup champion, Mohammed Khalifa Al Qubaisi of UAE, who shot 269.

A 187 in Nimick's second game dropped him off the pace as Mohammed Khalifa surged ahead into the lead with 214 followed by Biboy Rivera of the Philippines in second, 20 pins adrift and Nimick dropping into third, 6 pins further away.

The Emirati continued his hot pace with 234 and 226 in his next two games and managed to stretch his lead to 21 pins with Rivera hot on his heels while the rest of the early front runners slipping away.

Despite a final game of 216, Mohammed Khalifa had to settle for second as Rivera stormed home with 256 to clinch top spot in the squad and overhauled first squad leader, Harn Chieh Kwan of Switzerland by 22 pins on a total of 1181.

Rivera, a 36-year-old businessman from Manila, had tried to get selected to represent his country for the past 16 years finally made the grade to compete here in Toulon for the first time.

"Coming back here to compete in the World Cup brings back a lot of good memories," said Mohammed Khalifa, who finished third with 1145. "I've won the cup in 1988 in my first attempt and finished second several times. So it's great to still be able to put in a good fight. And to have a former champion as a coach is even more satisfying," added Mohammed Khalifa.

"It's a privilege to work with such a talented bowler and a former champion," said Patrick Healey, who coaches the UAE national team and a 1995 World Cup champion.

"Mohammed Khalifa is extremely experienced and he knows what to do when the lanes changed and got a little difficult.

Alejandro Reyna of Costa Rica and William Ching of Venezuela rounded up the top 5 with 1107 and 1103 after the two squads were combined. Leonidas Maragkos of Greece is currently at position 24 with an average of 206 and MUbarak Al Muraikhi of Qatar was in 25th position.

Bowlers will play a total of four blocks of 5 games each over four days. The field will be cut to top 24 for another 8 games. At the end of the 8 games, the field will be further cut down to top 8 for their final 8 games. The top 3 will then advance to the step-ladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

18th October, Toulon: Harn Chieh Kwan of Switzerland had a brilliant start to lead the opening squad of the first block of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup underway at Bowling De Provence in the suburb of La Garde on Monday.

Israel's Or Aviram opened account with a sizzling 278 to lead Harn Chieh Kwan of Switzerland, who shot a superb 269 in second and Qatar's Mubarak Al Muraikhi third, a further 21 pins away.

A much better second game from the Harn gave the Swiss the lead as Mohammed Al Zaidan of Kuwait surged into second spot 12 pins behind and Or Aviram slipping down to third with England's Matt Miller making his bid in fourth.

Although the gap was narrowed down to just 3 pins by Mohammed Al Zaidan after the third game, Harn had everything under control as he began to quicken his pace and was able to stretch his lead to 48 pins by the fourth game.

Harn cruised to a comfortable lead at the end of the fifth game with 1159, 52 pins in front of the fast finshing William Cheng of Venezuela snatching second spot with 1107. American, John Szcerbinski took third spot with 1101, a further 6 pins away.

The leader, born in Zurich from a family which had come from Taiwan and runs a family restaurant, had taken part in the 2003 World Cup in Honduras when he was just 19 and made the top 24 rounds.

Roberto Silva of Mexico and Matt Miller completed the top 5 with 1090 and 1081 as both early pace-setters, Or Aviram and Mohammed Al Zaidan fizzled off to sixth and seventh respectively.

The second squad will take to the lanes for their first block after lane maintenance and the women will contest their first block, again divided into two squads. Bowlers will play a total of four blocks of 5 games each over four days.

The field will be cut to top 24 for another 8 games. At the end of the 8 games, the field will be further cut down to top 8 for their final 8 games. The top 3 will then advance to the step-ladder finals.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.

17th October, Toulon: Bowlers and officials took part at the grand opening ceremony of the 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at the historical Tour Royale castle in the beautiful Cote D'Azur on the French Riviera of Toulon on Sunday.

A total of 92 men and 76 women from 93 countries assembled at the Tour Royale castle to take part in the grand opening ceremony graced by the Honorable mayor of Toulon, Mr Hubert Falco and minister in the French Government and Mr Jean-Louis Masson, Mayor of La Garde.

Also at the opening were Mr Kelvin Dornburger, WTBA President, Mr John Walker, President and CEO of QubicaAMF Worldwide and Mr Michael Beltramone, Managing Director of Bowling De Provence, his partners and his able team of volunteers.

Mr Bernard Gibbons, Tournament Director kicked off procedings as emcee of the ceremonies which consisted of the march past by 93 participating countries down the stairs of the castle to the back of the main stage.

In his speech, Mr Beltramone thanked QubicaAMF for being given the opportunity to host such a prestigious event which has returned to France since 1992 which was first hoted by Le Manns.

The Bowling De Provence centre is one of Toulon's major sporting complexes which also house a billiard room, a swimming pool and a fitness centre. The bowling centre has been completely refurbished inside and out, and had its official launch last month.

It is a modern, state of the art facility, fully equipped with QubicaAMF exuipment, It has grown down the years, from 6 lanes at the beginning to 12, then 16, 20, 24, 28 and now 44 lanes, it is the biggest bowling centre in France.

Mr Beltramone also thanked his sponsors and partners and acknowledged the support from Mr Hubert Falco, Mayor of Toulon, minister in the French Government and Jean-Louis Masson, mayor of La Garde for theie help and contributions.

"As our sport works toward the future and attaining our place as part of the Olympic Games, events such as the World Cup increase in significance," said Mr Kevin Dornburger in his address. "Any event that showcase our best athletes is positive for bowling and helps our sport earn even more respect throughout the world."

"France has hosted the even twice before, once in the early days in 1967 at the stunning Bwling de Paris in the Bois de Boulogne," said Mr John Walker, President and CEO of QubicaAMF Worldwide.

"The we visited France again in 1992 when the World Cup went ot Le Manns. In 1967 just 30 countries took part. By 1992 that figure had risen to 50. This year it has equalled the record 95 countries."

Immediately after the athletes and officials oath taking ceremonies were completed, Mr Jean-Louis Masson officially declared the 46th edition of the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup opened with the unveiling of the Men's and Women's challenge trophy.

Earlier in the day, men and women participants went through their paces in the official practice spread over 4 sessions at the Bowling de Provence. Competition starts tomorrow with the first block of 5 games (two squads from men and two squads for women).

The bowlers will contest the 20 games qualifying round over four days when the field will be cut to top 24 men and top 24 women. They will bowl another 8 games to determine the top 8 men and top 8 women.

The top 8 men and top 8 women will play a final 8 games to determine the top 3 men and top 3 women who will advance to the stepladder finals on Saturday, October 23. Live scoring and video streaming will be featured throughout the event.

Photos by Terence Yaw in Toulon.