Denmark beats defending champion Finland to win the prestigious Team gold at MEC

    06/18/11

    2011 MEC

    Sandbækken, Rudshagen claim gold and silver for Norway in All Events

    2011MECDenmark.jpgDanes Thomas Larsen, Anders Lousdal, Jimmy Mortensen, Mik Stampe, Jesper Agerbo and Frederik Øhrgaard (pictured left) defeated defending champion Finland featuring Perttu Jussila, Joonas Jähi, Jari Ratia, Osku Palermaa and Kimmo Lehtonen, 1039-977, to win the gold medal in the prestigious Team event in the Men's European Championships at Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring, Germany.

    The number 3 turned out to be the lucky number in the MEC finals. In all three finals, Doubles, Trios and Team, the No. 3 seed cruised to the title. The Danes eliminated No. 2 seed Norway with Björn Einar Rudshagen, Pal Selvnes, Glenn Morten Pedersen, Mads Sandbækken and Tore Torgersen in the semifinals, 1017-963.

    2011MECSweden.jpgThe Finns, who fired 1183 (236.6 average) in the last game of the preliminaries to jump from ninth to fourth place, stunned top-seeded Sweden in the other semifinal, 1068-1007. The Swedes, Robert Andersson, Dennis Eklund, Karl Wahlgren, Martin Paulsson, Martin Larsen and Johan Helldén (pictured right), were by far the best team in the preliminaries leading both blocks on short oil (3314; 220.93) and on long oil (3242; 216.13) including the high games in each block with 1189 (short) and 1250 (long).

    However, Sweden and Norway had to settle for the bronze medal, while Denmark and Finland battled it out for the title. While the Finnish team suffered four sub-par games (based on a 200 average) and only shooting star Jussila managed 224, Danes Larsen, Stampe and Agerbo had games of 232, 218 and 226 to help grab the gold medal. Finland took silver.

    2011MECTop3AllEvents.jpgNorway, the only country which has medaled in all three events, Doubles (silver), Trios (gold) and Team (bronze), added gold and silver in All Events (combined results in Doubles, Trios and Team preliminaries - 24 games overall). Mads Sandbækken (center) averaged 221.50 and toppled 5316 pins to capture the coveted title. The biggest surprise was his team mate and newcomer on the Norwegian national team: Bjorn Einar Rudshagen, Rudshagen (left), who was the key player in the Trios victory on Thursday, posted the highest three-game series in the entire team event on long oil, 765, to leap from 11th to second place to earn silver with 5269.

    Robert Andersson (right) maintained a three-pin lead over PBA champion Osku Palermaa to win the bronze medal, 5242 to 5239.

    The Men's European Championships will conclude on Saturday with the Masters finals. The top 24 players in All Events advanced to single-elimination match play in best of-three games format. The top 8 earned one bye.

    Sweden brought all but one player into the Masters finals, Norway is represented by four players while Denmark and Finland captured three spots. France, Greece and Lithuania got two spots and rounding out the field are one player each from England, Italy and the host country Germany.

    Round of 24 match-ups:
    #9 John Wells, England vs. #24, Tomas Cibinskas, Lithuania
    #10 Martin Larsen, Sweden vs. #23 Francois Sacco, France
    #11 Dennis Eklund, Sweden vs. #22 Tore Torgersen, Norway
    #12 Marco Reviglio, Italy vs. #21 Pal Selvnes, Norway
    #13 Perttu Jussila, Finland vs. #20 Jerome Durupt, France
    #14 Stavros Parasakis, Greece vs. #19 David Canady, Germany
    #15 Kristijonas Sergejevas, Lithuania vs. #18 Jesper Agerbo, Denmark
    #16 Mik Stampe, Denmark vs. #17 Leonidas Maragkos, Greece

    Photos and results courtesy of Deutsche Bowling Union (DBU).

     


    2011 Men's European Championships - Team Finals


    2011MECTEamTop4.jpgChampionship Round:
    1. Denmark - Thomas Larsen, Anders Lousdal, Jimmy Mortensen, Mik Stampe, Jesper Agerbo, Frederik Øhrgaard (Coach: Christer Backe)
    2. Finland - Perttu Jussila, Joonas Jähi, Jari Ratia, Petteri Salonen, Osku Palermaa, Kimmo Lehtonen (Coach: Teemu Raatikainen)
    3. Sweden - Robert Andersson, Dennis Eklund, Karl Wahlgren, Martin Paulsson, Martin Larsen, Johan Helldén (Coach: Tomas Leandersson) and
    Norway - Björn Einar Rudshagen, Pal Selvnes, Glenn Morten Pedersen, Mads Sandbækken, Tore Torgersen, Svein Ake Ek (Coach: Mats Karlsson)

    Playoff Results:
    Semifinal Match 1: #4 Finland (Jussila 192, Jähi 257, Ratia 234, Palermaa 202, Lehtonen 183) def.
    #1 Sweden (Andersson 234, Eklund 183, Wahlgren 181, Paulsson 174, Larsen 235), 1068-1007
    Semifinal Match 2: #3 Denmark (Larsen 190, Lousdal 188, Mortensen 216, Stampe 231, Agerbo 192) def.
    #2 Norway (Rudshagen 233, Selvnes 157, Pedersen 180, Sandbækken 196, Torgersen 197), 1017-963
    Championship: #3 Denmark (Larsen 232, Lousdal 192, Mortensen 171, Stampe 218, Agerbo 226) def.
    #4 Finland (Jussila 224, Jähi 192, Ratia 193, Palermaa 190, Lehtonen 178) , 1039-977

     


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    Team event - Standings after 6 games Preliminaries


    First three-game block on short, second block on long oil. The top 4 advance to the finals.



    Individual High Scores
    1 Game: Kert Truus, Estonia, 300
    3 Games: Björn Einar Rudshagen, Norway, 765
    6 Games: Kristijonas Sergejevas, Lithuania, 1434

    Team High Scores
    1 Game: Sweden - Robert Andersson, Dennis Eklund, Karl Wahlgren, Martin Paulsson and Martin Larsen, 1189
    3 Games: Sweden - Robert Andersson, Dennis Eklund, Karl Wahlgren, Martin Paulsson and Martin Larsen, 1250
    6 Games: Sweden - Robert Andersson, Dennis Eklund, Karl Wahlgren, Martin Paulsson and Martin Larsen, 6556

     


    All Events - Final Standings


    24 games- combined results in Doubles (12 games), Trios and Team (six games each). The top 24 players advance to the Masters finals.

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