On Wednesday and Thursday, the Boys & Girls Team events took off. Team events are famous for their atmosphere, and the crowd was absolutely wild today at the Plus Bowling Center in the Austrian capital Vienna.
Four teams of four bowlers advanced to the semi-finals after the two three-game qualification blocks.
In the Girls event, the Great Danes performed best all the way through two blocks of qualification. Karen Kærgaard Nielsen, Sofie Kærgaard Nielsen, Milla Patricia Hansen & Hanne Boros Antonsen finished in the top spot with 4849 total pinfall, keeping their closest competitors at a safe distance. The Girls Team of Sweden went second with 4562 pinfall, England finished third with 4519, and Frace took the last spot with 4511.
In the semi-finals, 'Les Bleus' Julie Perrier, Justine Raynaud, Lizea Bergamino & Yvanna Lerevenu made a stunning surprise, overcoming Denmark 748-734, while Swedes Maja Engberg, Elissa Mehmet, Elin Bergqvist & Kajsa Samuelsson left no chances for England 852-738.
In a gold match, Swedes took an early lead and did not look back. Maja Engberg, Elissa Mehmet, Elin Bergqvist & Kajsa Samuelsson clinched the final game 802-715 against France to win another set of gold medals for Sweden.
Gold medals - Sweden
Silver medals - France
Bronze medals - Denmark and England
In the Boys event, Finland made a little surprise, finishing first at the qualification after the tremendous sixth game (232.25 avg). Roni Leskinen, Markus Lahti, Jussi Laine & Luukas Väänänen collected 5436 total, and it was just enough to outrun the Swedes (5433). Denmark went third with 5187 total, while England took the remaining spot in the top 4 with 5053.
In the semi-finals, Finland stood against England, and Sweden confronted Denmark in a one-game decisive match play.
Finns Jussi Laine, Roni Leskinen, Markus Lahti and Luukas Väänänen stood their grounds with a convincing 891-845 victory against England and advanced to the finals, while in the other semi-final game Swedes Robin Noberg, Emil Svensson, Kevin Melin & Carl Eklund overcame the Great Danes by only two pins (812-810) with a huge support from their crowd. If you ever thought about Swedes as calm people with cold nerves, you should watch them bowl.
In a Boys Team gold match, Finland proved that success in a qualification found was not just a coincidence. Finns Jussi Laine, Roni Leskinen, Markus Lahti, and Luukas Väänänen took an early lead against Sweden and kept the advantage until the last shot of the game. Finns won 833-806 and were awarded gold medals.
Gold medals - Finland
Silver medals - Sweden
Bronze medals - Denmark and England
The Boys Team event was marked with another two perfect games on Wednesday. Robin Noberg of Sweden scored 300 at the first Team's qualification game, while Nicolas Carter of Denmark made it in his second qualification game.
Girls and Boys Team semi-final games are scheduled at 17:30 CET. Whach it live here.
Twenty-four best performers will advance to the next round of the All-Event category after 18 qualification games. Here are the top 8 performers after twelve games in the Girls & Boys All-Event.
Full standings can be found here.
All championship activities will be held from the 2nd of April to the 9th of April 2023. A total of 30 European bowling federations and 168 youth athletes participate in the event.
