Hi again Eric,
I'll try to write some small things about the matches at Weber. You might have to check, my english its not perfect.
Friday:
First match, Couch:
My first ever Weber Cup shot was a Strike, great feeling!!! It's not everyday you stand on a singel bowling lane with 500-600 people in the stands, so yes, offcourse my heart rate was a little high.
The pattern we bowled on was 41 feet and with all the TV lights and the crowed the lanes changed very fast. It didn't help that the match before was PDW against Dom Barret, they started very deep so of course i had to go even deeper. With that result it was really tuff to carry and easy to leave 2-10, i started off with Break Point and moved on to Break Point Pearl later in the game.
I didn't bowl great and after leaving 2-10 twice I only got to 173, the thing was that Couch had big problem too. He needed a mark in the 10th to win, guess the sound from the stands when couch almost left the 7-10. The 7 fell out and Jason could easily make the 10 to win, 173-180. Didn't feel good to start off my first Weber Cup like that, but 1-1 in the match is ok.
Baker game 1:
It's a really big team feeling to bowl 5 men baker and to do it for Europe against USA, it's so much fun and exiting!!
But the my first baker match was not too fun for us Europeans. The US guys bowled great, they shoot 290 and we only got to 214. Good thing for me was that i struck twice, but we're now down 4-2. Also in the match before that, Mr Jones shoot 300 against Osku. That was TJ's 3rd perfect game in the Weber Cup history, unreal!!!
Saturday:
Double Larsen/Moor - Couch/Weber:
The Us guys seem to be hard on the rookie (me), the tournament laneman changed the pattern to 39 feet, Pete and Jason looked ok on that. 280 against 203 for me and Paul. Time to wake up now Larsen!!!!
Standingds now 4-5 to US.
Baker game 2:
I didn't wake up, but the rest of the team did great, i made two marks while the rest of the team only shot strikes!!! 256-237 and we were up 7-5!!!
Singles vs. Couch:
So far I have been bowling the second and third match and i haven't done any good so captain Palermaa decided to let me bowl fresh. Good thinking!!
I bowled Couch again, but this time it was my turn. I left a ten pin the first shot, spared it and struck out!!! 290, can't tell you how great the feeling was, the crowd was so loud and my teammates were so happy to see that I was in the game now!! Break Point Pearl did the job!!! Couch got to 194 and Europe leads by 8-5.
Baker game 3:
Last game for the Saturday session and the game was tight and it all went down to our anchor guy, Mika!! He needed to step up and double to take us to 11-7, big difference between that and 10-8. Mika had been bowling great and he didn't do anything else that 10th frame!!! He threw it well and we won 221-218, going to bed with 11-7 overall and 9-3 for the day!! We were on a roll!!!
Sunday:
Double Larsen/Koivuniemi - Jones/Mack:
I got to bowl fresh again, this time together with Mika. On the other side, TJ and captian Mack. Guess that they wanted to get off to a good start being down 11-7?? The match was tight and going in to the 10th we needed 19 pins to seal the deal!! It was all up to me, the shot before i tripped the 4, so i moved a little and left a 2 pin. Mika shot the spare and i now needed to get 9 to win, i didn't move back. Good thing, cause i grabbed it little and it struck!!! Crowd went crazy seeing us take the lead to 12-7!!
Singles vs Barnes:
What a day in my bowling life, first bowl with Major Mika and win, then be able to bowl one the best there is right now, Mr Barnes!!
We got on the fresh lane and it felt good, didn't have anything to lose. The momentum was in the blue European shirt, my Break Point Pearl almost left a 7-10 but i carried them both. Shot after that Barnes hits the pocket and guess what he leaves?
Don't have to tell you.
This happend in the 7-8th frame and i could shut him out, did it!! What a feeling, the whole Barnsley Metrodome is boiling. Europe is up 15-7, we need 2 more games to get the Weber Cup title back home after it's been in the US for 3 years!
Baker game 3:
Standing 16-7, and we have a chance to close the match with the whole team on the lane, would be so nice. But the red guys didn't whant that to happen, they got the whole team going and we couldn't take them down. 243-267 and they are still alive. 16-8 going in to next session and singles matches coming up.
Singles vs Barnes:
As a rookie on the team, i can't tell you how big it would be to be the one who brings home the last point to the team. That and the absolutely packed venue of 600+, bowling Barnes again, guess it was too much. The feeling to stand on the appraoch trying to hit the strike everytime to satisfy yourself, the team, the crowd even the whole continent of Europe. I'm telling you, its tough to keep the heart rate down!!
I started off spare double, so did Barnes. So far so good, but I couldn't keep it up. Left a couple of pins and spared them, while CB kept on striking. Taking CB down two tims in one day turned out to be one too many, 190-258.
16-9 and Osku got the chance to seal it. But bowling Tommy Jones is not so easy. Osku lost and 16-10, time for the Big Finn!!
The lanes were getting really bad after TJ and Osku had been out there and we knew that it would be tough for Mika bowling Couch.
Jason had some carry problems and it all came down to Mika, needing 29 in the 10th. He didn't have a great look so sitting in the stands watching him throw the double was unreal, now we need 9 to win the Weber Cup 2009!! At this time it was so quite in the arena, i think everybody held there breath. But when the ball hit high and the 3-10 was standing, everyone went whoow, hooo, whaaaatt and more and more of those.
Roll-off, 9 and 10th frame. Couch’s carry problem was gone, spare triple to win the match and take US to 11-16.
Off course we had many more chances to take the last point, but when things are starting to get on your mind you never know what’s going to happen. Time for the lefty, Mr Paul Moor to get on Tim Mack.
And finally it happend, we got the big game we needed! Paul bowled great and shot 257, while Tim had a tough time (193). Well done Paul, you got us the 17th!!!
17-11 and we won the Weber Cup 2009, great for Europe to be able to get the trophy back after three years in the US!!
Cant describe the feeling, so much fun to be on the team. It's a great honor to bowl for Europe and to bowl with those guys, can't be better!!
Thanks alot to 900Global for the support during this event!!
Talk later!!
//martin
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900 Global/AMF Sales Manager
