Irish Open 2012 Review

American Brian Voss showed his experience and class to win the 2012 Irish Open Championships this past weekend and claim the €3,500 first prize.

The 25-time winner on the PBA Tour took complete control of the round robin final on Sunday to overtake number one qualifier, England’s Matt Hann, who eventually fell back to finish fourth.

England’s Steve Kay continued his good form after his perfect 300 game in the round of 32 to finish in second place, with the highest placed Irishman being Alan Gibbons in third. The other Irishman to make the top 8 final, Paul Stott, finished up in sixth place, but Stott will still remember the event fondly after he shot an Irish record 1114 pins for just four games in round one, which included a 298

In the women’s section, England’s Hayley White pipped Irish champion Hannah Cullen to first place by just 19 pins. White was the only woman to bowl a perfect 300 game in the tournament, and she had to use all her nerve to hold off a strong challenge from Cullen. Scotland’s former champion Laura Rhoney finished third, with Ireland’s two-time winner Kerena Dykes, Amanda McDermott and Aimee Kellegher finishing sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.

The event will be remembered for its incredibly high standard of scoring, with seven perfect 300 games bowled over the four days of play, and a qualifying average for the second round (top 64) of 206, and the top 32 qualifying average of a remarkable 217.  

Next year is bound to see the standard only improve again as more and more top bowlers make their way to the event, which will once again be sponsored by Columbia 300, one of the biggest companies in the world of tenpin bowling. And with the 2013 championships coinciding with the 50^th anniversary of tenpin bowling in Ireland, it certainly looks like onwards and upwards for Irish bowling.

24th Irish Open Championships

The 24^th Irish Open Tenpin Bowling Championships take place in Leisureplex Stillorgan this weekend, with a record number of bowlers making the trip from across the country and the world.

The championships are hosted in Stillorgan each year, but this year’s impressive entry can be put down to the introduction of a new top-of-the-range oiling machine which the centre purchased towards the end of 2011. The new machine allows the centre to create conditions which can match the European and American bowling tours, which has almost certainly caused the influx of entries from abroad.

The tournament has a history of attracting the world’s top bowlers, with previous winners ranging from EBT legends Tomas Leanderson and Tore Torgersen to Europe’s newest world star, England’s Dominic Barrett, who has won the tournament in three of the last four years.

There has never been an Irish male winner in the event, something that many of our bowlers are desperate to amend. And there is a glimmer of hope for the locals, with the dominant Barrett not making the trip to defend his 2011 title due to other commitments. Irish men have gone close before, no more so than Alan Gibbons’ runner-up finish last year. He will be looking to go one better when the action kicks off on Thursday January 19^th. Others to watch out for locally are Irish Champion Alan Bride and regular finalist Graham Turner. There are plenty of other contenders, including young talent such as Simon English and EBT winner this year Paul Stott. All-in-all there is reason for optimism going into the event. 

On the women’s side we have had some recent success, with Kerena Dykes winning in 2007 and again in 2009. Similar to the men’s section, the reigning female champion, Australia’s Cassie Staudinger, is not returning to defend her title this year.  Dykes will not be the only female hope for Ireland going into the event, either. Irish champion Hannah Cullen will certainly be hoping to go all the way this year, and others such as Caitriona Mulhall could also use international experience to her advantage when the pressure is on this weekend.

Overall 2012 is an exciting year for the Irish Open Championships, with the tournament being sponsored by American giants Columbia 300. Columbia are one of the biggest names in tenpin bowling, making equipment brands such as Ebonite and Hammer, along with their own signature equipment. The involvement of such a prestigious company has added some real credibility to an event which is already steeped in history, and the strength of the field making the trip from overseas backs this up. Former champion Tore  Torgersen is returning for the first time in several years to an event he has always excelled in, and former PBA American Tour bowler Brian Voss is making the long journey from the States to make his first appearance in the tournament.

To have a big name from the United States coming to the event speaks volumes for the reputation which this event has built up over the years, especially when you consider how small of a following tenpin bowling has at a competitive level in this country. It is the biggest event on the tenpin bowling calendar, and it always provides some world class action over the course of the weekend.

The event begins with the first squad at 14:30 on Thursday, January 19^th, and runs all weekend to the 8-player round robin finals on the Sunday afternoon. If you are involved in tenpin bowling, or whether you simply are interested in coming down for a taste of the electric atmosphere, this one is not to be missed.