25 October 2021 – 1 November in Chania, Crete
The first edition of the ECC was conducted in 1979 in s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands and named the European Cup Individuals with 14 federations taking part. Finland have won the most Golds in the mens division with 9 and Sweden have won the most Golds in the womens with 8. The also have the most medals at 46 overall.
Each ETBF member federation may enter the reigning national woman and man champion, or no. 2 or no. 3 etc. In addition the ECC champions of previous year are automatically qualified for participation.
Chania, Crete host the 2021 edition and 30 European federations taking part.
Romeo’s perfect start
We got underway on Wednesday with the first mens eight game block and right away Romanian Romeo Gagenoiu fired the first perfect 300 game in the very first game. It was a sign of the things to come as he continued on to lead by quite a bit at the end with 1915 and ahead of second placed Nicola Pongolini from Italy with 1829. Third was Dutchman Mike Bergmann with 1813 and a pin in front of fourth paced Gaetan Mouveroux from France with 1812.
The afternoon saw the women on the lanes and just two players breaking the 1700 barrier with Denmark’s Mika Guldaek leading with 1758 and Dutch star Nicole Sanders in second with 1703. Taking up third was Norway’s Andrea Hansen with 1696 and fourth was Sweden’s Victoria Johansson with 1683.
Chasing pack close in
Day two and the second squad of men for block one and the race to the finals. New entries in the top four included Israel’s Oren Cohen with 1893 and second overall behind Romania’s Romeo Gagenoiu. Into third went Sweden’s Mattias Wetterburg with 1834 and five pins ahead of Italy’s Nicola Pongolini in fourth.
Danish Delight
Despite placing second in the second block for the women, Denmark’s Mika Guldbaek held her lead at the top with 1755 for the block and 3513. Nicole Sanders from the Netherland’s was the one to lead the squad with 1769 and held second place overall with 3472. Into third overall was Sweden’s Victoria Johansson with 3275 and fourth was Norway’s Andrea Jansen with 3259. Safe inside the cut included Malta, Czech Republic, Russia, Slovenia, France, Austria, SPain, Latvia, Greece, Finland, Romania and Poland..
Here comes Sweden
Onto the second block on Friday and the first of two squads saw Sweden rise to the top after 16 games as Mattias Wetterberg hit 1898 and 3732 posted for all to chase. Second was Norway’s Jonas Dammen with 3595 and third going to Lithuania’s Laurynas Narusis with 3591. One more squad later would decide the top 16 to advance.
300 time
The chasing pack in the second squad threw a few fire fireworks as they closed in on the lead after 16 games. Leading that chase was Norway’s Glenn Morten Pedersen who fires a perfect game on the way to 2014 and up to 6th overall. Blasting in to win qualifying was Italian Nicola Pongolini who also rolled 300 and hit 3783 to push Swede Mattias Wetterberg into second on 3732 as Gaeton Mouveroux was third with 3684 and fourth was Dutchman Mike Bergman. Also inside the top 16 cut were Romania, Norway, Lithuania, Iceland, Isreal, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany and Denmark.
Final Step 1 – The Netherlands and Sweden head the fields
Finals time and the eight game race to the top 8 saw Dutch Star Nicole Sanders out in front with 1795 and 5267 overall. Second was Denmark’s Mika Guldbaek with 5166 and third was Sweden’s Victoria Johansson with 5027. Safely inside the cut were Malta, Norway, Russia, Austria and Slovenia.
For the men it was Mattias Wetterberg leading the way with 1891 and 5623 overall. Second was Italy’s Nicola Pongolini with 5528 and third was The Netherlands Mike Bergmann with 5430. Inside the top 8 were Lithuania, Finland, Norway, Iceland and France.
Final Step 2 – Top fours almost found
No changes to the top four after another four games in the final step 2 as Nicole Sanders continued to lead as Denmark’s Mika Guldbaelk was second, Victoria Johansson from Sweden third and taking the final spot was Malta’s Sue Abela.
No major changes in the top four again in the mens and Swededn’s Mattias Wetterberg tops with 6587 followed by The Netherlands Mike Bergmann in second, Italy’s Nicola Pongolini in third and Norway’s Glenn Moreten Pedersen in fourth.
Semi Finals
Down to the last fours and soone to be last two in each division and it was Malta and Denmark celebrating Sue Abela went past Nicole Sanders 2-1 and Mika Guldbaek brushed aside Victoria Johansson 2-0 including a 279.
For the men it was The Netherlands and Sweden celebrating as Mike Bergmann finally won out against Nicola Pongolini 2-1 with a tied last game and 10-7 rolloff win. Mattias Wetterberg joining Mike in the final beating Glenn Moreten Pedersen 2-1.
Finals
Malta is only a small island but boy can they produce good players, not just good but great in the case of Sue Abela. Going a game down to Denmark’s Mika Gulbaek, the Queen of the Mediterranean as she is known fought back to level the match in a tight game 186-182 then dug deeper as both bowlers struggled to strike and recorded a famous win for the Island 182-169. She last won this went way back in 1999 and all these years later, just as good.
The men’s final was equally as epic as it went one way then the other. This time Dutch Star Mike Bergmann won the first and lost the second in a tight fought match. Into the last game the Dutchman managed to pull away at the end for a 2-1 win and Gold to the Netherlands.
Results
Results will appear first on the Official website here
Women
Final
| Seeding | Lane | Name | Fed | G1 | G2 | G3 | Point |
| 2 | 9 | Mika Guldbaek | DEN | 225 | 182 | 169 | 1 | |||
| 4 | 10 | Sue Abela | MLT | 188 | 186 | 182 | 2 |
Smi Final
| Seeding | Lane | Name | Fed | G1 | G2 | G3 | Point |
| 2 | 11 | Mika Guldbaek | DEN | 279 | 230 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 12 | Victoria Johansson | SWE | 236 | 224 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 14 | Nicole Sanders | NED | 247 | 202 | 175 | 1 | |||
| 4 | 13 | Sue Abela | MLT | 197 | 248 | 225 |
Final Step 2
| Pos | Name | Federation | Qual | G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | Step 2 | Total | Diff | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Nicole Sanders | Netherlands | 5267 | 280 | 203 | 234 | 269 | 986 | 6253 | +460 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mika Guldbaek | Denmark | 5166 | 235 | 231 | 194 | 189 | 849 | 6015 | +222 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Victoria Johansson | Sweden | 5027 | 217 | 203 | 237 | 236 | 893 | 5920 | +127 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Sue Abela | Malta | 4992 | 210 | 197 | 170 | 224 | 801 | 5793 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| 5 | Andrea E Hansen | Norway | 4917 | 227 | 168 | 195 | 196 | 786 | 5703 | -90 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Tamara Adler | Austria | 4723 | 246 | 185 | 185 | 230 | 846 | 5569 | -224 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Maria Koshel | Russia | 4849 | 182 | 208 | 118 | 212 | 720 | 5569 | -224 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Alja Bergauer | Slovenia | 4719 | 154 | 150 | 182 | 197 | 683 | 5402 | -391 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Final Step 1
Qualifying
| Pos | Athlete | Federation | Block 1 | Block 2 | Total | Diff | AVG | Games | |
| 1 | Mika Guldbaek | Denmark | 1758 | 1755 | 3513 | +599 | 219,6 | 16/16 | |
| 2 | Nicole Sanders | Netherlands | 1703 | 1769 | 3472 | +558 | 217 | 16/16 | |
| 3 | Victoria Johansson | Sweden | 1683 | 1592 | 3275 | +361 | 204,7 | 16/16 | |
| 4 | Andrea E Hansen | Norway | 1696 | 1563 | 3259 | +345 | 203,7 | 16/16 | |
| 5 | Sue Abela | Malta | 1583 | 1662 | 3245 | +331 | 202,8 | 16/16 | |
| 6 | Petra Otec Hanzlovska | Czech Republic | 1524 | 1628 | 3152 | +238 | 197 | 16/16 | |
| 7 | Maria Koshel | Russia | 1484 | 1658 | 3142 | +228 | 196,4 | 16/16 | |
| 8 | Alja Bergauer | Slovenia | 1497 | 1631 | 3128 | +214 | 195,5 | 16/16 | |
| 9 | Marilyn Planchard | France | 1529 | 1581 | 3110 | +196 | 194,4 | 16/16 | |
| 10 | Tamara Adler | Austria | 1480 | 1599 | 3079 | +165 | 192,4 | 16/16 | |
| 11 | Ingrid Julia | Spain | 1451 | 1576 | 3027 | +113 | 189,2 | 16/16 | |
| 12 | Veronika Hudiakova | Latvia | 1644 | 1366 | 3010 | +96 | 188,1 | 16/16 | |
| 13 | Tania Michailidou | Greece | 1525 | 1448 | 2973 | +59 | 185,8 | 16/16 | |
| 14 | Eliisa Hiltunen | Finland | 1476 | 1490 | 2966 | +52 | 185,4 | 16/16 | |
| 15 | Florentina Naghi | Romania | 1530 | 1390 | 2920 | +6 | 182,5 | 16/16 | |
| 16 | Zulfia Saetgareeva Misztal | Poland | 1568 | 1346 | 2914 | 0 | 182,1 | 16/16 | |
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| 17 | Kristina Vlkovicova | Slovakia | 1401 | 1506 | 2907 | -7 | 181,7 | 16/16 | |
| 18 | Monica Di Paolantonio | Italy | 1407 | 1421 | 2828 | -86 | 176,8 | 16/16 | |
| 19 | Ebru Ozogluuntur | Turkey | 1379 | 1443 | 2822 | -92 | 176,4 | 16/16 | |
| 20 | Daiva Perminiene | Lithuania | 1422 | 1400 | 2822 | -92 | 176,4 | 16/16 | |
| 21 | Niki Schiza | Cyprus | 1410 | 1410 | 2820 | -94 | 176,2 | 16/16 | |
| 22 | Oleksandra Levchuk | Ukraine | 1436 | 1332 | 2768 | -146 | 173 | 16/16 | |
| 23 | Hana Duanis | Israel | 1376 | 1318 | 2694 | -220 | 168,4 | 16/16 | |
| 24 | Marina Stefanova | Bulgaria | 1413 | 1262 | 2675 | -239 | 167,2 | 16/16 | |
| 25 | Andrea Abrok | Hungary | 1295 | 1346 | 2641 | -273 | 165,1 | 16/16 | |
| 26 | Ines Kuba | Germany | 1335 | 1281 | 2616 | -298 | 163,5 | 16/16 | |
Men
Final
| Seeding | Lane | Name | Fed | G1 | G2 | G3 | Point |
| 1 | 7 | Mattias Wetterberg | SWE | 225 | 213 | 180 | 1 | |||
| 2 | 8 | Mike Bergmann | NED | 247 | 204 | 225 | 2 |
Semi Final
| Seeding | Lane | Name | Fed | G1 | G2 | G3 | G3 Tie | Point |
| 2 | 4 | Mike Bergmann | NED | 267 | 226 | 193 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Nicola Pongolini | ITA | 212 | 259 | 193 | 7 | 1 |
| 1 | 5 | Mattias Wetterberg | SWE | 227 | 238 | 236 | 2 | |||
| 4 | 6 | Glenn Morten Pedersen | NOR | 224 | 279 | 223 | 1 |
Final Step 2
| Pos | Name | Federation | Qual | G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | Step 2 | Total | Diff | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Mattias Wetterberg | Sweden | 5623 | 227 | 248 | 222 | 267 | 964 | 6587 | +227 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mike Bergmann | Netherlands | 5430 | 248 | 236 | 279 | 279 | 1042 | 6472 | +112 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Nicola Pongolini | Italy | 5528 | 212 | 235 | 236 | 236 | 919 | 6447 | +87 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Glenn Morten Pedersen | Norway | 5400 | 259 | 279 | 205 | 217 | 960 | 6360 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| 5 | Gunnar Thor Asgeirsson | Iceland | 5390 | 237 | 205 | 268 | 233 | 943 | 6333 | -27 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Juho Rissanen | Finland | 5424 | 215 | 244 | 237 | 213 | 909 | 6333 | -27 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Gaetan Mouveroux | France | 5360 | 235 | 235 | 258 | 216 | 944 | 6304 | -56 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Laurynas Narusis | Lithuania | 5427 | 195 | 201 | 220 | 204 | 820 | 6247 | -113 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Final Step 1
Qualifying
| Pos | Athlete | Federation | Block 1 | Block 2 | Total | Diff | AVG | Games | |
| 1 | Nicola Pongolini | Italy | 1829 | 1954 | 3783 | +412 | 236,4 | 16/16 | |
| 2 | Mattias Wetterberg | Sweden | 1834 | 1898 | 3732 | +361 | 233,2 | 16/16 | |
| 3 | Gaetan Mouveroux | France | 1812 | 1872 | 3684 | +313 | 230,2 | 16/16 | |
| 4 | Mike Bergmann | Netherlands | 1813 | 1845 | 3658 | +287 | 228,6 | 16/16 | |
| 5 | Romeo Gagenoiu | Romania | 1915 | 1733 | 3648 | +277 | 228 | 16/16 | |
| 6 | Glenn Morten Pedersen  |
Norway | 1611 | 2014 | 3625 | +254 | 226,6 | 16/16 | |
| 7 | Jonas Dammen | Norway | 1722 | 1873 | 3595 | +224 | 224,7 | 16/16 | |
| 8 | Laurynas Narusis | Lithuania | 1775 | 1816 | 3591 | +220 | 224,4 | 16/16 | |
| 9 | Gunnar Thor Asgeirsson | Iceland | 1754 | 1834 | 3588 | +217 | 224,2 | 16/16 | |
| 10 | Oron Cohen | Israel | 1893 | 1676 | 3569 | +198 | 223,1 | 16/16 | |
| 11 | Juho Rissanen | Finland | 1728 | 1830 | 3558 | +187 | 222,4 | 16/16 | |
| 12 | Artemii Zubkov | Russia | 1701 | 1791 | 3492 | +121 | 218,2 | 16/16 | |
| 13 | Vladyslav Prysiazhnyi | Ukraine | 1672 | 1807 | 3479 | +108 | 217,4 | 16/16 | |
| 14 | Jaroslav Uher | Czech Republic | 1734 | 1699 | 3433 | +62 | 214,6 | 16/16 | |
| 15 | Andreas Hernitschek | Germany | 1653 | 1746 | 3399 | +28 | 212,4 | 16/16 | |
| 16 | Patrik Sörensen | Denmark | 1726 | 1645 | 3371 | 0 | 210,7 | 16/16 | |
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| 17 | Michal Jakobei | Slovakia | 1630 | 1729 | 3359 | -12 | 209,9 | 16/16 | |
| 18 | Plamen Stanchev | Bulgaria | 1658 | 1675 | 3333 | -38 | 208,3 | 16/16 | |
| 19 | Artemy Hudiakov | Latvia | 1633 | 1694 | 3327 | -44 | 207,9 | 16/16 | |
| 20 | Vaggelis Krizinis | Greece | 1574 | 1727 | 3301 | -70 | 206,3 | 16/16 | |
| 21 | Taygun Erkeskin | Turkey | 1685 | 1604 | 3289 | -82 | 205,6 | 16/16 | |
| 22 | Mauro Anastasi | Malta | 1639 | 1603 | 3242 | -129 | 202,6 | 16/16 | |
| 23 | Ettore Bacciocchi | San Marino | 1511 | 1718 | 3229 | -142 | 201,8 | 16/16 | |
| 24 | Jakob Marcel Del Piero | Slovenia | 1614 | 1599 | 3213 | -158 | 200,8 | 16/16 | |
| 25 | Raul Jimenez | Spain | 1533 | 1630 | 3163 | -208 | 197,7 | 16/16 | |
| 26 | Kyriakos Konstantinou | Cyprus | 1620 | 1512 | 3132 | -239 | 195,8 | 16/16 | |
| 27 | Pavel Sobolev | Belarus | 1516 | 1514 | 3030 | -341 | 189,4 | 16/16 | |
| 28 | Janusz Pietraszek | Poland | 1402 | 1469 | 2871 | -500 | 179,4 | 16/16 | |
| 29 | Alexander Rauscher | Austria | 1428 | 1408 | 2836 | -535 | 177,2 | 16/16 | |
| 30 | Zsolt Radvanszki | Hungary | 1358 | 1432 | 2790 | -581 | 174,4 | 16/16 | |
