AMF World Cup

The AMF World Cup, now a joint partnership between Qubica and AMF (now called the Qubica/AMF World Cup), is an annual Ten-pin bowling championship, and one of the largest in terms of number of participating nations. Each nation chooses one male and one female bowler to represent them in the tournament, and in the majority of cases, this is done by running a qualifying tournament, the winners of which (male and female) are chosen.

History

1965 to 1968 'The International Masters'

1965

The Tenpin Bowling World Cup began with a tournament known as The International Masters. It was held at the 12-lane Stillorgan Bowl, Dublin, Ireland.

Male champions from 20 nations (women were not introduced until 1972) included a variety of talents and occupations ranging from the USA's Tom Hathaway, who was the American Bowling Congress (ABC) all-events champion that year, to Frank Duffy, Stillorgan's mechanic and winner of the Irish national roll off. (Unfortunately for Mr. Duffy, he overslept on the morning of the opening ceremonies, and not only lost his position in the tournament to rival Des Murphy, but his job at Stillorgan, too!)

The tournament's three-day format (later to become weeklong) was modelled loosely after that used by the Professional Bowlers Association. Contestants had to bowl a total of 38 games, including several rounds of medal play just to qualify for the match play semi-finals, in the format, which was based on the complicated Petersen Points system.

Hathaway, a crew-cut Californian, was the clear-cut favorite of the Irish bookmakers, as well as the European sportswriters that had been assigned to Stillorgan Bowl. Many of these writers continued to follow the tournament for years, even decades. Britain's Barry James, who was then the sports editor of the Birmingham Sunday Mercury, has covered it for Reuters and various other news services for 34 straight years. Mort Luby Jr., editor of Bowlers Journal and Associated Press correspondent, also topped the 30-year mark prior to retiring

Italy's Vittorio Noveletto and Australia's Richard Hall were also on the short-odds list to capture the first ever International Masters, but a dental technician from Helsinki, Finland, named Lauri Ajanto surprised everyone at the tape. Ajanto, one of the top four going into the final day of play, backed into the title largely because Hall defeated his buddy Hathaway in a critical match in the final round. At the same time, the Finn struck on his final ball to go over the top. As Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs president and fellow Finn Kauko Ahlstrom embraced the champion, Hall sank to the bowlers' bench and wept.

The Tournament continued under the name of The International Masters for 3 more years, with the event travelling to England, France and Mexico, before becoming known as the AMF World Cup in 1969.

1969 to 2004 'AMF World Cup'

1969

With the Japanese bowling boom just getting underway, it made sense to stage the fifth edition of this now-classic tournament in Tokyo.

West Germany's Fritz Blum was back to defend his title, but he'd been in a terrible automobile accident back home in which his ribs were crushed and his lungs punctured, and it showed. "For two days," he told sportswriters, "I was playing with the angels." Understandably, Blum bowed out early, making way for a new array of would-be contenders.

Thailand's Ut Lenevat averaged 208 for the closing two days of the first Bowling World Cup, marking the emergence of Asian bowlers as a force in international bowling. As silky and deadly as his style was, however, the title went to Canada's Graydon "Blondie" Robinson, a 41-year-old sheet metal worker who edged Lenevat 379- 373 in the last two games. Two easy, missed spares in the second game of the matchup cost Lenevat dearly, because "Blondie" was busy stringing a five-bagger at the same time.

The first staging of the tournament in Asia signaled the world that bowling, and particularly the Bowling World Cup, meant to make itself a name in the international sports movement.

1972

The Hamburg AMF Bowling World Cup is best remembered for taking "one giant step for womankind," so to speak. Women bowlers joined the men on the tournament lanes for the first time at St. Pauli's Astrid Bowl; and Mexico, which came so close in 1971 to claiming its first Bowling World Cup trophy, finally broke through with Irma Urrea. Urrea, a grandmotherly type from Mexico City, easily turned away second place winner Oy Sri-Saard (Thailand), 591-537, in the three-game women's finale. Third place went to British-born Anne Bailey, who represented Hong Kong in the tournament. [ [http://www.qubicaamf.com/Files/worldcup/ar/1972.htm/ AMF Bowling World Cup] ]

On the men's side, defending champion Roger Dalkin was back, but a heavy work schedule (he was now running the student union at Georgia Tech after graduating) had kept him from reaching the dominant form he displayed in Hong Kong. Honors instead fell to Canadian Ray Mitchell, a 40-year-old telephone company executive from Toronto. Mitchell, who averaged 207 over the final stages of the tournament, managed to eke out a 550-532 victory over Filipino police officer Loreto Maranan in the televised men's finals.

In addition to the Bowling World Cup's welcoming women for the first time, another noteworthy event happened at Hamburg. West Germany's Bernd Baule racked up the highest single-game score to date in the tournament, with his 297 game in qualifying. The mark would stand for more than 20 years.

1973

The man who won the 1973 AMF Bowling World Cup almost did not make it into the country, much less the tournament finals.

British entry Bernie Caterer was detained upon his arrival at the Singapore airport because his hair was too long. Singapore officials had previously decided that any male who wore his hair longer than the neckline was suspect, possibly a drug dealer or some other undesirable type, and Caterer's Mod-styled locks exceeded the limit. After extensive negotiations, Caterer and his hair were allowed to enter the country. Lucky for him; Caterer went on to become the first British bowler to win the Bowling World Cup. He inched past Canada's Glen Watson,643-642, by converting a 6-10 spare in the 10th frame of the final game, and filled the mark with a nine-count.
Kesinee Srivises of Thailand captured the women's division when she smothered Mele Anaya of Mexico, 569 to 495.

1975

The tenth anniversary of the AMF Bowling World Cup was a genuine thriller, from the police escorts of media and players to and from the airport, to trying to wrap up tournament activity each night before the government-imposed martial law curfews fell. Host proprietor Popit Puyat, a member of the Philippine senate, even managed to arrange a visit for World Cup visitors with then president Ferdinand Marcos. It was a special occasion and another milestone in the event's colourful history.

The athletes lived up to the expectations raised by the lavish receptions and media coverage. Canada's Cathy Townsend and Bermuda's Hattieanne Morrissette were slated to face off for the women's title, prompting Morrissette, a stunning black woman, to say, "This will be the chocolate-and-vanilla finals." "Vanilla" won, 540 to 509. Lorenzo Monti became the first-ever Italian champion when he defeated Carlos Lovera of Venezuela, 561-544.

1976

Steaming bazaars, screaming traffic, wondrous woven rugs, and the beginning of a bowling legend marked the 11th Bowling World Cup, held at the Persopelis Bowling Center in Tehran.

After placing second in 1975, Venezuela's Carlos Lovera was back for another run at the title. His unexpected opponent in the finals was a shy, 19-year-old lefty from the Philippines named Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno.

Paeng had been impressive all week long, but Lovera's experience made him the favorite. And it seemed from the start that it would be Lovera's tournament; he opened the final three-game set with a 200-181 victory over Paeng. That was all the motivation the novice needed; Paeng went on to win,571 to 567, in one of those cliffhangers that would become his trademark. The Tehran Bowling World Cup marked the first time that Nepomuceno's fortunes were intertwined with those of Bowling World Cup, but it was destined to be far from the last.

The women's title went to Lucy Giovinco, a university student from Florida who trashed Sweden's Doris Gradin, 620-504. Like Nepomuceno, Giovinco was only 19; but she made her own Bowling World Cup history by becoming the first in what would be a long line of U.S. female champions. Giovinco also set the women's high single-game mark at the time with a score of 266 during her three-game match with Gradin.

1981

Sixteen years after beginning life as the International Masters, the AMF Bowling World Cup finally alighted in the United States. Adding to the excitement was the fact that No. 17 was held in New York City's Madison Square Garden, the most famous sports citadel in the world at the time.

Bob Worrall, the U.S. men's representative, had actually witnessed the first World Cup in Dublin. His father, a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Army, had been stationed there at the time. The 7-year-old Bob watched virtually every frame of the tournament, adopting Tom Hathaway as his personal favorite and becoming a bowling fanatic in the process.

Worrall bowled in the 1980 AMF Bowling World Cup after winning the ACU-I that year, but he finished a distant 17th in Jakarta. He won the ACU title again in 1981, getting himself a rematch at Madison Square Garden. This time, the American qualified first and, in his first-ever appearance before TV cameras, crushed Manny Magno of the Philippines, 221-179. (TV required that the format change from three games to one to decide the championship.)

Pauline Smith's triumph in the women's division was the non-surprise of the year. She had just been named England's Bowler of the Year and was an established threat in every major international tournament. Seeded fourth at Madison Square Garden, Smith climbed the stepladder and finally defeated Japan's Miyuki Motoi, 203-195, for the crown.

1983

Jeanette Baker arrived to defend her title in Mexico City after what can only be described as a horrific year. Following her victory in Scheveningen, Baker took an office job with AMF in Australia. The Australian Tenpin Bowling Congress took exception, saying that the paid employment with a bowling company made Baker a 'professional'. (Remember, these were still the days of Avery Brundage-inspired 'pure' amateurism.) An appeal to the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs, bowling's international governing body, restored Baker's amateur status but not before she had missed out on the 1983 FIQ World Championships.

So it's little wonder that Baker arrived in Mexico City hoping to make a point. She had embarked on a furious training program prior to winning Australia's BWC qualifier; once in Mexico City, she cloistered herself in her hotel room when not competing. Her asceticism and dedication were rewarded, as she trounced Gisela Lins of West Germany, 233-194, to win the women's crown, making it back-to-back Bowling World Cup championships. To date, Baker remains the only athlete, male or female, to successfully defend the title.

Yu-Tien Chu of Chinese Taipei became the first 'helicopter' spinner (so named because of the unique twist delivered to the ball) to win a major global bowling championship when he defeated Michael Chuah of Malaysia, 213-180.

1986

It was an all Swedish affair when the AMF Bowling World Cup made its second appearance in Copenhagen.

Annette Hagre, a 34-year-old secretary from Malmö, demolished just about every record en route to victory in the women's division. Peter Ljung, a 19-year-old rookie from northern Sweden, took the men's title.

Both champions had amazing stories to tell of their paths to victory. Hagre had endured a long and difficult operation to remove a ganglion in her bowling wrist a few months before the tournament. She didn't begin practicing until about a month before Copenhagen, but still managed to lead the field at Rodovre Bowling Center every day but one, with a 200-plus average. Hagre finally dispatched Rebecca Watanabe of the Philippines in the two-game title match, 405-393.

Ljung's story was even more astonishing. An out-of-work youngster from a bleak village, he learned to bowl without an instructor or even a how-to book. Who would have guessed that a floppy-haired Scandinavian would be the one to deny Paeng Nepomuceno his third Bowling World Cup crown, and by a score of 413-392? Ironically enough, Ljung was the same age - 19, as Nepomuceno when the Filipino star won his first World Cup.

1990

The balmy, exotic resort town of Pattaya, Thailand, on the Gulf of Siam was also the site of the World Cup's biggest controversy, and possibly its greatest international newsbreak.

The seeds had been sown several months earlier, when a mild-mannered electronics salesman named Guy Merhavy won Israel's national qualifying tournament. No Israeli had ever done very well in the international finals of the AMF Bowling World Cup, but Merhavy managed to advance to match play.

The bowlers from predominantly Muslim countries not only were amazed by Merhavy's performance, they were angered and frightened. They announced that they were going to withdraw from the tournament.

'The government will close down our [bowling] federation if we bowl head-to-head matches with the Israeli', said Qatar's Salem Al Monsouri, the defending champion. Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi of the United Arab Emirates, Sharif Mahmood of Bahrain, Rahman Yahya of Malaysia and Liu Joe Liang of Indonesia expressed similar sentiments. Eventually, three bowlers - Al-Monsuri, Khalifa and Mahmood did withdraw from the tournament.

This turned well for Ireland's Philip Dunne, Mexico's Carlos Denot and Singapore's Sam Goh. The Arab withdrawals rescued them from elimination. The situation also generated far more coverage than the tournament had ever enjoyed before.

Merhavy eventually placed 13th, and Dunne, one of the last-minute replacements, advanced to the stepladder and finished fourth. Hawaiian Adam Apo was the only man to average 200 for the tournament, but he tied Finland's Tom Hahl in the title game 190-190.

Hahl, then a Helsinki pro shop owner, won the two-frame rolloff, 48-39. He has since settled in Singapore, where he has a thriving career teaching bowling to European business people living abroad in that country.

Despite suffering a painful knee injury, Linda Graham made it three in a row for American women by defeating Sweden's Marie Holmqvist, 187-178. Graham's World Cup victory was a key factor in her being elected to the Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.

1992

A large contingent of expatriate Filipinos had driven down to Le Mans from Paris, several hours away, to see if their national sports hero, Paeng Nepomuceno, could possibly win a third World Cup. They need not have worried. Top-seeded Paeng ousted Germany's Achim Grabowski in one of the most up-and-down finales in the tournament's history, 210-185. This third victory put Paeng into the Guinness Book of World Records, as the only athlete to win a world championship in each of three consecutive decades.

Martina Beckel, who lost to Patty Ann in the finals three years earlier, avenged both her earlier loss and teammate Grabowski's disappointment by dispatching Maria Laura Lanzavecchia of Argentina in the women's finale, 221-179.

1993

The opening ceremonies of the first AMF Bowling World Cup to be held on the African continent featured a traditional Zulu welcoming dance, replete withspears and shields. That, however, was the last thing that could be labeled "traditional" about the 29th edition of the tournament, held in South Africa.

The 1993 AMF Bowling World Cup, held at Gerald Paluzzi's Northcliff Bowl in suburban Johannesburg, featured the World Cup's first 'rain delay', when an exceptionally heavy downpour one day caused water to leak onto the lanes. Free-time activities included trips to nearby Sun City (a mini Las Vegas) and game parks, but only if the athletes had taken their precautionary malaria pills well ahead of time. (The U.S.'s Stacy Robards did but had a bad reaction, and she sweated buckets in the closing rounds.) Apartheid was in its death throes and security was tight, with armed police checking ID tags at the center entrance.

None of this affected Pauline Smith, winner of the 1981 BWC in New York City. Smith made a surprising comeback as she plowed through four straight stepladder foes and won her second crown with a 178-177 heart-stopper over Rosalind Greiner, a Dutch national player who had been born in Johannesburg. Nor did it matter to Germany's Rainer Puisis, who qualified second in the men's stepladder. He first ousted Paeng Nepomuceno, 227-174, and then devastated Sweden's Tomas Leandersson in the clincher, 258-184.

1994

For many years, Fernando Gutierrez was the best bowler in the host city of Hermosillo, in northwest Mexico. Whenever he went to the USA for business or on holiday, he visited every bowling center he could find. He finally decided to build his own center in his hometown, a beautiful edifice called Bol Satellite that would become the venue for the 30th AMF Bowling World Cup.

The 1994 AMF Bowling World Cup was marked with sadness, as both the mother of tournament director Bernard Gibbons and the founder of the tournament, Vic Kalman, died that week. But it spawned unparalleled joy, as well, when colorful Canadian Jack Guay rolled the first perfect game in the tournament's history. Dutch star Annemiek van den Boogaart put up the new women's single-game mark as well, with 280.

The surprise of the women's field that year was South African Anne Jacobs. The 40-year-old Johannesburg housewife not only won the qualifying round but also took the title by ousting former champion Lucy Giovinco, 226 to 206. Jacobs was the first South African athlete to win an international sports championship following the collapse of apartheid in her home country and returned home to ceaseless telephone and television interviews and guest appearances.

The men's title went to Norway's Tore Torgersen, who nipped 1988 champion Mohammed Khalifa Al-Qubaisi in the finale, 217 - 215.

1995

Sponsored by Pin 1, AMF's distributor in the northern half of South America, the 1995 AMF Bowling World Cup was held at 50-lane, bi-level Planet Bowl, Sao Paulo. The high-tech edifice was one of the favorite after-hours spots of Sao Paulo's newly rich, and it provided some remarkable scoring. Canada's Jack Guay and America's Patrick Healey, Jr. shot 300 games to set the scoring pace for the 57-nation field.

Healey, the U.S. national amateur champion, went on to win the pole position in the stepladder, from whence he defeated second-seeded Nobuyuki Takahama of Japan for the title. England's 17-year-old Gemma Burden, author of a record eight game series of 1,804 in the early going, became the youngest Bowling World Cup champion ever when she outlasted America's Kendra Cameron, 197-175, for the women's title.

1997

The first AMF Bowling World Cup staged in the Middle East racked up a lot of other 'firsts': the first perfect game in the World Cup by a woman (Malaysia's Shalin Zulkifli), the first World Cup to feature actor Omar Sharif in the opening ceremonies, the first World Cup to attract contestants from more than 80 nations (83, actually) and, finally, the first World Cup in which the finals were staged out-of-doors.

The setting for the 1997 finale in Cairo, Egypt could only be described as incredible. Two lanes were built about three feet off the desert floor, positioned so that the players faced the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx while bowling. Though a canopy provided some relief from the sun, the breeze constantly blew sand on to the synthetic surface. 'It's the first time I've seen a brown track on a ball', said Israel's Len Charney.

Despite these formidable distractions, and the intense security presence necessitated by the Luxor tourist massacre that occurred earlier that week, the bowlers performed admirably. Germany's Christian Nokel, bedecked in baseball cap and sunglasses, beat Gery Verbruggen of Belgium, 212-178, and then edged Taiwanese 'helicopter pilot' Yung-Nein Peng, 210-200, to win the men's title. Korea's Lee Ji-Soon dropped Zulkifli in the women's opener, 203-190, but then lost the crown to Su-Fen Tseng, another spinner from Chinese Taipei, 236-225.

2005 to present 'QubicaAMF World Cup'

2005

From 2005, the Bowling World Cup officially became known as the QubicaAMF World Cup, following the joint partnership between Qubica and AMF. The 2005 tournament took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

For the first time since the introduction of knock-out quarter-finals, both the top seeds won the title. Michael Schmidt from Canada led the event from the very first squad. He averaged 232.5 in his 32 games of qualifying and round two to earn that top slot. Lynda Barnes of the USA averaged even higher – 235.2.

They both carried all before them in the knock out stages. It was the first time since 1972 that a Canadian man has won the tournament, when Ray Mitchell was the champion, while the USA kept hold of the title won last year by Shannon Pluhowsky in Singapore. The USA has now won the title 14 times and Canada 7.

2006

For the second year in a row, the winner of the men's QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup led the tournament wire to wire. Last year in Slovenia, it was Michael Schmidt of Canada.

This year, in Caracas, Venezuela it was the human pin-shredding machine, Osku Palermaa of Finland. Top-seeded Palermaa took the championship back to Finland after a year's absence by defeating third seed Petter Hansen of Norway, 2 games to 1 (258-182, 183-216, 221-204). Ironically, it was the second time Hansen has lost the championship match to a Finn. He fell to Kai Virtanen in Singapore two years ago.

The women's champion came in the form of Diandra Asbaty, (USA), who captured the one major international individual title that had eluded her. Her 2-0 victory over England's Lisa John in the championship match (232-214 and 226-199) made it three World Cup victories in a row for U.S. women. They have also taken four World Cup titles in the last five years.

Today

2007 press release

QubicaAMF has announced that the 43rd Bowling World Cup will be held in the historic and beautiful city of St. Petersburg, Russia.

The hosts for the tournament will be the Federation of Sports Bowling Russia (FSBR). "We are very pleased and proud to have been chosen to be QubicaAMF's partner for the 2007 Bowling World Cup", FSBR President Alexander Gogolev stated. "We are looking forward to welcoming players from all over the world to St. Petersburg."

The tournament, which will take place between November third and 11th, will be held in the 32-lane state-of-the-art 'Continent' bowling center, located in one of the biggest newly built shopping malls of St. Petersburg.

The bowling center main shareholder/partner Vladimir Markin and managing partner Igor Shubert were also overjoyed to be involved in this most prestigious event and said: "This is the first time that the QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup will come to Russia and we are sure that the players, coaches, officials and supporters will be impressed with our center and our city."

St Petersburg lies on the river Neva and was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great as his 'Window to the West'. It was the capital of the Russian Empire for 200 years and has also been known as Petrograd and Leningrad. It is Europe's eighth largest city and a major cultural center, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

World Cup visitors will be treated to dazzling palaces including the baroque Winter Palace, which now houses the Hermitage museum with its important collection of art, not to mention Faberge jewelry and the Russian imperial regalia. The city also boasts many churches, including the huge St Isaac's Cathedral.

Previous Winners

* [http://www.qubicaamf.com/Files/worldcup/ar/ar.htm AMF World Cup archive: 1965-2004]

Miscellaneous

AMF stands for American Machine and Foundry

AMF, or AMF Bowling Worldwide Inc., owns and operates the AMF Bowling Centers.

References

External links

* [http://www.qubicaamf.com/NewsEvents/Bowling%20World%20Cup.aspx Official Qubica/AMF World Cup website]
* [http://www.qubicaamf.com/Files/worldcup/ar/ar.htm Bowling World Cup Archives]
* [http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/ht/ht004276.htm AMF Bowling World Cup Internet Site Launched]
* [http://www.bowlingdigital.com bowlingdigital.com - Tenpin news website]
* [http://www.amfbowlingeurope.com/ Official AMF Europe]
* [http://www.amfbowling.co.uk/ Official AMF Bowling UK]
* [http://www.bowlinglinks.de Bowlinglinks all over the World, sorted by categories]