Friday’s action at the Ballmaster Open ramped up the intensity as players aimed to secure a place in the finals, with the qualification cut already soaring past 1400 points. With only one qualification day remaining and two fully booked squads, competition at Tali Bowling Hall in Helsinki intensifies with every shot, setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the qualifying rounds tomorrow.
Dominic Barrett of England delivered an outstanding performance in the morning squad, scoring 1478. This score guaranteed him a squad win and placed him in sixth position in the overall rankings.
Last year's third-place winner, Sweden’s James Blomgren, won the afternoon Squad 16 with a total of 1443. However, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot in the top 16, who will bypass Final Step 1, as Blomgren currently sits in 18th position.
In the evening squad, Sweden’s Alex Joki delivered the best result of the day, scoring 1487 to propel himself into the top 5.
Mark Jacobs of the Netherlands added to the excitement by bowling a perfect 300 in his opening game of Squad 16. His overall score of 1416 placed him just above the projected qualifying cut.
Qualification squads did not end today's competition. After the Squad 17, no250eXtra and 250eXtra competitions took part at the 55th Brunswick ballmaster Open. Miikka Vaarala and Eliisa Hiltunen emerged victorious in these events and earned €1000 and €300 prize accordingly.
Saturday will see the final two qualification squads take place at 10 AM and 2 PM, followed by the Desperado round, a single-game showdown that will decide the last three spots in the finals.
A total of 48 bowlers will advance, with the top 16 moving directly to Sunday’s second stage, while other 32 will battle it out in the Final Step 1 starting on Saturday 7:30 PM.
Current Leaders of the 55th Brunswick Ballmaster Open:
Luukas Väänänen, 1566 total
Joonas Jähi, 1540 total
Markus Lahti, 1523 total
Jesse Kallio, 1505 total
Alex Joki, 1487 total
Fans of Ballmaster can catch all the action via live streams and stay updated through regular posts on BowlingLife, the tournament's official media partner, across their website and social media platforms. In addition, all pictures of the event can be found here. Don't forget to follow Ballmaster Open Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as to subscribe their YouTube channel. Live commentary and streaming from Tali Bowling Hall will begin on Saturday, offering fans an in-depth look at the final qualifying action.
Useful links:
