Chris Sloan averages over 250 to shoot into the lead in 27th Irish Open Championships

    01/16/15

    2015 European Bowling Tour #2

    Irish two-hander shoots 1517 six-game series to lead 97-player field from 12 countries as qualifying has surpassed the halfway mark; score to make the cut in 80th place is currently 1101 (183.50 average)

    2015EBT02ChristopherSloan.jpg2015EBT02AmandaLarkin.jpgChris Sloan (pictured left), a two-handed player from Ireland, fired high games of 255, 279 and four games between 244 and 247 to shoot in to the lead in the qualifying of the 27th Irish Open Championships by Seismic Wednesday afternoon at Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland with 1517 total and an average of 252.83.

    The third day of the tournament was affected by bad weather. Many flights scheduled for Dublin airport were redirected to Belfast and Shannon in Northern Ireland. 14 players alone from huge Norwegian contingent of more than 40 players missed their squads and had problems to get any spots as the remaining squads are almost sold out.

    Amanda Larkin (above right), Ireland, who led the field since the first squad is the best of 18 women in the 97-player field from 12 countries in second place with 1449 including 48 pins handicap, a standard for women on the European Bowling Tour.

    2015EBT02AlanMcDonnell.jpg2015EBT02PaddyDunneKarlDoherty.jpgWith eight of 15 qualifying squads in the books, another four players have cracked the 1400-mark.

    Alan McDonnell (left), Ireland, led the morning squad 6 with 1411, an average of 235.17, including five games between 223 and 268 and a low game of 168 to leap into third place.

    Paddy Dunne and Karl Doherty (right, r-l) slipped to fourth and fifth place, both on 1406, and were immediately followed by Paul Green of Wales, who sits in sixth place with 1404 (234.00).

    2015EBT02GlennMartenPedersen.jpgNorwegian Glenn Morten Pedersen (left) is the best international player in seventh position with 1395. Craig McArthur of England was second to Sloan in Squad 7 with 1373 including a high game of 256 and four games in the 230s to move into eighth place with 1373.

    Squad 8 leader Rasmus Bering of Denmark positioned himself in ninth place with 1371 boosted by a 289 in game five. Rounding out the top 10 was Ryan Press of Northern Ireland with 1370.

    Dutchman Michael Baars currently holds the 80th and last place to advance to the finals with 1101 and an average of 183.50. Qualifying continues on Friday, January 16 with Squads 10-13 scheduled to start at 8.15, 12.15, 16.15 and 20.15 local time (CET -1).

    2014ITBALogo_small.jpg The 27th Irish Open Championships by Seismic is the second event of the 2015 European Bowling Tour and the first of eleven "EBT Satellite" events this season, the lowest of the four EBT categories.

    The Irish Open, which will be held from January 11-18 at 18-lane Leisureplex Stillorgan in Dublin, Ireland, is back on the EBT after an eight-year hiatus after being part of the Tour in the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

    Players will compete for total prize money of 20.000 Euro with 5.000 Euro going to the winner, 2.500 to the runner-up and 1.500 and 1.250 to the third and fourth place finishers, respectively. Low to cash is 32nd place, worth 100 Euro. The top 8 women are guaranteed extra prizes (from 1.000 to 100 Euro) which will be awarded no matter what place they finish in.

    Qualifying (six games, unlimited re-entries) runs from Sunday, January 11, through Saturday, January 17, and ends with Squad 15 followed by the ultimate one-game Desperado Squad slated for 15.45 Greenwich Mean Time (CET -1).

    Women will receive 8 pins handicap each game (up to 292 - maximum score is 300), an equality handicap provided to women in all EBT events.

    Total 92 players - the top 80 from the overall qualifying standings, the top 4 from a separate standing of squads 6-10, the top 4 from a separate standing of squads 1-5, plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad - qualify for the finals.

    The top six qualifiers receive two byes and qualifiers 7-12 and the top four players each of squads 1-5 and squads 6-10 earn a first-round bye.

    The remaining 72 finalists bowl four games scratch with the top 31 advancing to another four-game block scratch to cut to the top 26. Those 26 and the top six qualifiers bowl six games scratch with the top 16 advancing to the single-elimination match play finals with the two-game total determining the winner.

    The highest seeded player will meet the lowest seeded player, the second highest seeded player will meet the second lowest seeded player, etc.

    The field will be trimmed to eight, four and then two players who bowl for the title and the 5.000 Euro top prize (6.000 Euro if won by a woman).

    2015EBTLogo_small.jpg The 2015 European Bowling Tour currently consists of 21 tournaments in 15 countries featuring three "Platinum" events, four "Gold", three "Silver" and eleven "Satellite" events. All 21 tournaments together offer total prize fund of roughly 1 million Euro (approx. 1.22 million U.S. Dollar).

    The top 50 men and the top 50 women in each event receive ranking points. Those points will be tabulated throughout the season to determine the top 12 men and top 12 women, who will compete in the 9th EBT Masters July 25, 2016 at Rose'n Bowl in Serravalle, San Marino following the San Marino Open.

     


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    Ireland's Amanda Larkin takes the early lead in 27th Irish Open Championships by Seismic
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    2015 EBT Point Rankings by Bowlingdigital - Men and Women

     


    2015 Irish Open - Qualifying Standings after Squad 8 (by Bowlingdigital)


    Top 80 from the overall qualifying standings, the top 4 from a separate standing of squads 6-10, the top 4 from a separate standing of squads 1-5, plus the top 4 from the Desperado Squad will advance to the finals.

     


    Tie Rules (Qualifying)
    In case of a tie in the qualifying, "the highest positioned player will be the player scoring the highest total of all counting qualification games minus the score of the lowest game. If a tie still exists, the highest positioned player will be the player with the highest total of all counting qualification games minus the score of the two lowest games, etc."

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