It was raining strikes in Bowl For Fun Open, the inaugural bowling event in Langen, Germany, but it was England's Ben Robinson who left the 18 Lane Bowl for Fun Centre with the EBT title and 7,500 € first-place check.
Robinson prevailed in the finals, defeating No. 1 seed Jesús Briceño from Spain 249-213.
Member of Team England bowled a total of 1455 (239.8 avg.) in qualification, to put himself in 8th place, which elevated him straight into Final Step 2.
With only 36 participants left, Robinson scored 958 total in four games (239.5 avg.) to lift into the 7th place of the standings.
In the Final Step 3, Englishman brought his A-game to score another 978 four-game total (244.5 avg.) which boosted him into second place before the Stepladder finals.
Some of the best European bowling players, who had a great season on the PBA Tour, also participated in the Bowl For Fun Open, but none of them was near Ben Robinson's strike show. England's bowling talent was happy about his masterclass performance, but admited he still needs to put some work to match the skill level of top-shelf bowling players in Europe.
'It feels very surreal to beat some of the best that Europe has to offer,' Ben Robinson said to BowlingLife.eu. 'I'm over the moon with my achievement, but I also respect that this is only one lane condition in one centre, I'm still not of the skill level of these guys!'
With only two games separating him from the title, the two-handed lefty met Sweden's Teodor Samuelsson, who recently defeated Carl Eklund in the Stepladder Match Two 233-258. The game could have gone either way, but Samuelsson's first shot in the 10th frame fell short, leaving a 3-9 combination, while Robinson struck out to claim his ticket to the final with a score of 248-234.
Walking into the final stage of the Bowl For Fun Open, Jesús Briceño was a clear favorite, scoring a 2013 total (251.62 avg.) through eight games in the Final Steps 2 & 3. Nevertheless, after a win against Samuelsson, Robinson had momentum and knowledge about the lane conditions, promising a great final for the spectators.
'Before the final match I was focussed on remembering what I had just seen from my ball in the first match I played and keeping myself cool and collected,' Robinson said.
Both players exchanged with a couple of strikes and spares in the first half of the match, but it all changed in Ben Robinson's favor when Jesús Briceño missed in the 7th and 8th frames. England's young bowling talent used the advantage and made seven strikes in a row to seal the 249-213 win.
When asked about the the key aspects to determine the ending in his favor, Robinson said that keeping his head clear and knowledge he gained form his coaches helped him a ton.
'I believe that not over analysing my shots and taking each shot as it comes was a key to helping me succeed, not letting my opponents game get to my head as at the end of the day i was playing the lanes not my opponent,' Robinson said. 'A lot of my success has come from my amazing coaches, Ray and Richie Teece, who have poured hours of knowledge and time into making me a better bowler, along with being two amazing friends.'
The Bowl for Fun Open was the fourth stop of the 2023 European Bowling Tour and a Silver-ranked event with a total prize fund of 45,000 €. Full results can be found here.
Stepladder results:
Match 1: Carl Eklund (SWE) 229 - 222 Paul Sullivan Purps (GER)
Match 2: Carl Eklund (SWE) 233 - 258 Teodor Samuelsson (SWE)
Match 3: Teodor Samuelsson (SWE) 234 - 248 Ben Robinson (ENG)
Match 4: Ben Robinson (ENG) 249 - 213 Jesús Briceño (ESP)
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