THE QUBICAAMF WORLD CUP TURNS 50!!! Winners, Singapore's Shayna Ng and Malaysia’S Abdul Macek, Th Will Be on Hand in Wroclaw
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THE QUBICAAMF WORLD CUP TURNS 50!!! winners, Singapore's Shayna Ng and Malaysia’s Abdul Macek, th will be on hand in Wroclaw. If it follows the pattern of past Bowl- ing World Cups, however, the roster will probably include several past champs. Finland’s Lauri Ajanto, the fi rst champion, has When the 50th annual since passed away, but many former Bowling World Cup titlists QubicaAMF Bowling World are still active on the global tenpin stage. The bowlers and their Cup is conducted Nov. entourages will revel in the old-world charms of Wroclaw, Poland’s 50 1-9, in Wroclaw, Poland, it fourth largest city (population: 700,000). More than 100 bridges will be a far more robust affair than the inaugural event held in cross the city’s Odra River, leading to buildings that date back to Dublin, Ireland, in 1965. For starters, consider the size of the the 1600s. Famed as a center of culture, Wroclaw boasts several fi eld. Merely 20 men showed up for the 1965 debut. In vivid universities, classical music venues and galleries. contrast, the 2014 edition will likely attract the best male and Most of the competitors’ adventures, on the lanes and off, will female bowlers from nearly 100 nations. (Women fi rst entered be recorded by the Bowling World Cup’s longtime photographer, the tournament in 1972.) Hero Noda. The owner of a large bowling center near Tokyo, Noda Ireland’s fi rst tenpin center, 12-lane Stillorgan Bowl, was the and his state-of-the-art camera equipment have been a fi xture at venue for Opus One. A half-century later, Poland's opulent, 24- the tournament for 34 years. His photos adorn the Bowling World lane Sky Bowling Center will be the Cup stories that appear every year host. The 2014 grand fi nals will in this and many other publica- be staged on specially constructed tions. lanes in a public arena with ample French journalist Bernard Mora spectator seating. holds the record for the most The two-year-old bowling center appearances in the Bowling World is a major component in Sky Tower, Cup pressroom. Beginning with a multi-use complex which boasts the 1966 edition in Paris, he has the tallest edifi ce (more than 700 covered 39 events. England’s Judy feet) in Poland. Two escalators Howlett, the current Bowling World up from the main fl oor, the tenpin Cup press chief, has notched about lanes are adjacent to a gymnasium two dozen. London-based tourna- and luxurious spa. Even the name ment director, Anne-Marie Board, of the tournament has changed: has orchestrated the entire produc- fi rst christened the International tion for two decades. Masters, it was later re-branded It’s likely that several contes- the Bowling World Cup. tants, offi cials, journalists and The format has evolved, too. hangers-on from the last half cen- Contestants at the fi rst event tury will venture to Wroclaw. Once navigated a three-day PBA-style The fi rst champion, Lauri Ajanto, was from Helsinki, Finland. experienced, it is really hard to get test that included elements of the this tournament out of your blood. ancient and much-hated Petersen Point System. Today’s contes- The Bowling World Cup was created by AMF’s European pro- tants face a grueling week-long test that involves several rounds motions director, Victor Kalman, a World War II United Press cor- of total-pins qualifying and then a brutal series of head-to-head respondent, and Gordon (Jock) Caie, AMF’s promotions manager matches. in the UK. The tournament was originally called the International Wroclaw, one of the few cities to repeat as a Bowling World Masters until 1969, when the current name was fi rst adopted. Cup host, was the site just two years ago. The 25th anniversary The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup has travelled around the tournament celebrated with a return to Dublin. (Other repeat- globe—being held in a different country, on a different continent, ers: Singapore; Hermosillo, Mexico; Johannesburg, South Africa; each year. The following is a list of what we think were the top Guadalajara, Mexico; Pattaya, Thailand; Copenhagen, Denmark; tournaments in its 49-year history. You can get the information Caracas, Venezuela and London.) on the remaining years by visiting our website at bowlersjournal. It wasn’t known at this writing if last year’s champions, Caro- com. line Lagrange of Canada and Or Aviram of Israel, or the 2012 —Mort Luby Jr. Reprinted/Posted with permission from Bowlers Journal International. www.bowlersjournal.com September 2014 | Bowlers Journal International 21 WorldCup_0914.indd 21 10/2/14 9:53 AM DUBLIN, IRELAND Ireland’s only bowling center, 12-lane Stillorgan Bowl in 1965 Dublin, was selected to launch the International Masters with the male champions from just 20 nations. The U.S.’s Tom Hathaway, who was the American Bowling Congress all-events champion that year, was the favorite to win but was beaten by Lauri Ajanto, a dental technician from Helsinki, Finland. Ireland’s representative, Frank Duffy, Stillorgan’s mechanic and winner of the Irish national roll off, overslept the morning of the opening ceremony, and not only lost his position in the tournament to rival Des Murphy, but his job at Stillorgan! WEMBLEY, ENGLAND The 1966 International Masters was staged on the 1966 grounds of world-famous Wembley Stadium. The loca- tion ignited tremendous media interest, with reporters checking in from countries as far apart as Hong Kong and Mexico. British Minister of Sporto Dennis Howell, offi cially opened the tour- nament and U.S. pro Dick Weber gave one of his highly entertain- ing shot-making exhibitions. Dalkin’s victory led to a great deal of media coverage. 24 nations were represented in 1996. Australian Joe Velo had just rolled the fi rst-ever perfect game down under and was the international bowling years later, when he was elected executive darling of the press corps that year. But a 19-year-old American director of the world’s largest bowling membership group, the named John Wilcox, later elected to the American Bowling Con- American Bowling Congress. gress’s Hall of Fame, stole the show. Defending champion Lauri Ajanto fi nished 17th. As a fi tting fi nal touch, the late Bobby Moore, captain of the victorious English football team that won the FIFA HAMBURG, GERMANY World Cup in 1966, presented the Bowling World Cup trophy to the The Hamburg Bowling World Cup, held at St. Paulii’s As- champion. 1972 trid Bowl, is best remembered as the year when women bowlers joined the men on the tournament lanes for the fi rst time. 45-year-old civil servant Irma Urrea, from Mexico, was GUADALAJARA, MEXICO the fi rst female winner and still holds the record for being the old- Fears that U.S. bowlers might dominate the International est champion. 1968 Masters dissipated when the tournament crossed the At- On the men’s side, defending champion Roger Dalkin was back, lantic for the fi rst time and went to Guadalajara, Mexcio. but failed to achieve the dominant form he displayed in Hong From a fi eld of 35, Fritz Blum of West Germany came through to Kong. Canadian Ray Mitchell, a 40-year-old telephone company win the title. executive from Toronto, claimed the title. In addition to the Bowl- ing World Cup’s welcoming women for the fi rst time, another noteworthy event happened at Hamburg. West Germany’s Bernd TOKYO, JAPAN Baule racked up the highest single-game score, with a 297 game A record 35 countries took part in the 1969 tournament, in qualifying. The mark would stand for more than 20 years. 1969 now known as the Bowling World Cup. West Germany’s Fritz Blum was back to defend his title, but he’d been in a terrible automobile accident back home and understandably SINGAPORE bowed out early. The title went to Canada’s Graydon “Blondie” The man who won the 1973 Bowling World Cup almost Robinson, a 41-year-old sheet metal worker. The fi rst staging of 1973 didn’t make it into the country, much less the tournament the tournament in Asia signalled to the world that bowling was fi nals. Britisher Bernie Caterer was detained upon his truly an international sport. arrival at Singapore airport because his hair was too long. Eventu- ally, Caterer and his hair were allowed to enter the country and he went on to become the fi rst British bowler to win the Bowling HONG KONG World Cup. Kesinee Srivises of Thailand captured the women’s The 1971 Bowling World Cup was held at Four Seas division when she smothered Mele Anaya of Mexico, 569 to 495. 1971 Bowling Center in the midst of Hong Kong’s hubbub. The The 1973 tournament was held at Jackie’s Bowl, owned by Herbie 21-year-old Roger Dalkin, a student at Georgia Tech with Lim. Lim would become one of the most familiar faces on the a rifl e-shot delivery, won the event. Dalkin went on to infl uence Bowling World Cup scene, showing up at the host city with his Reprinted/Posted with permission from Bowlers Journal International. 22 Bowlers Journal International | September 2014 www.bowlersjournal.com WorldCup_0914.indd 22 8/27/14 10:13 AM wife, Doris, on one arm, and a bag of golf clubs on the other. Years job with AMF in Australia. The Australian Tenpin Bowling Congress earlier, Lim had escaped the Japanese when they invaded Singa- took exception, saying that the paid employment with a bowling pore in World War II.