Apparently, to top the qualification rounds at the European Championship of Champions 2024, you either need to win the Mixed Doubles event, or to be from England.. Or both. Mixed Doubles gold medalists Hadley Morgan and Verity Crawley have held onto their top spots in the Men’s and Women’s divisions at the Bowling National Center in Bratislava, Slovakia. They, along with 11 other male and female competitors, are still in the running with hopes of going all the way.
In the men’s category, England’s Hadley Morgan led the qualification round with a total of 5,476 pins (228.2 avg.) over 24 games, narrowly beating France’s Maxime Dubois, who finished just 14 pins behind with 5,462 (227.6 avg.). Sweden’s Adam Andersson claimed third place with 5,454 (227.2 avg.). Also advancing are Romania’s Mihai Alin Dragnia, Ireland’s Taylor Williams, Belgium’s Clément Dubus, Slovenia’s Tim Cerkvenik Muzafirovic, David Barak from host country Slovakia, Spain’s Jesús D. Briceño, Jord Van Weeren from the Netherlands, and Poland’s Alessandro Silletti. Israel’s Liav Yehene secured the final 12th qualifying spot with 5,269 (219.5 avg.).
In the women’s category, England’s Verity Crawley maintained her top position with a 70-pin margin over the nearest contender, finishing with a total of 5,183 pins (216 avg.). Germany’s Franziska Czech was closest to Crawley with 5,113 pins (213 avg.), while Ireland’s Hannah Masterson, who led after the initial 8-game block, ended in third with 5,040 pins (210 avg.). Also advancing are Eva Krafogel of Slovenia, Sweden’s Jenny Wegner, Denmark’s Camilla Keller, Austria’s Tamara Adler, Norway’s Emilie Marie Aas, Elisa Primavera from Italy, Greece’s Georgia Sagona, and Kristína Šramková from Slovakia. Mónica Jiménez of Spain jumped into the passing train in twelfth position with a total of 4,664 pins, surpassing France’s Solene Goron by just 2 pins.
Tomorrow, the top 12 bowlers in each category will play another 8-game block to determine the semifinalists. During the semifinals and finals, match play will follow a best-of-three format to crown this year's champions.
Upcoming ECC 2024 Schedule:
Saturday, October 26th
10:00-13:00: Women and Men Top 12 – 8 games
14:00-15:15: Men and Women Semi Finals, best of 3 games
15:15-16:30: Men and Women Final, best of 3 games
