Weber Cup
Encyclopedia
The Weber Cup, named after bowling legend Dick Weber
, is the Ten-pin bowling
equivalent of Golf
's Ryder Cup
. It consists of two teams, Team Europe and Team USA competing over three days in a series of singles, doubles and team (baker) matches.
vs USA ten-pin bowling championships and is currently broadcast live from start to finish on Sky Sports
in the UK and in many other international channels around the world. It usually takes place in October every year.
For the first 7 events, from 2000 to 2006, 35 matches were played. Each match worth 1 point. The first team to 18 points won the tournament.
From 2007, the tournament was reduced slightly to 33 matches, again each match is worth 1 point so the first team to 17 will win.
All matches are played in a single lane arena, with banked spectators on both sides, which is specially constructed for the event.
After three barren years of total United States domination, Team Europe finally overcame the odds in November 2003 to lift the hallowed Weber Cup for the first time. It was a total triumph for captain Tomas Leandersson, who led from the front for all three days, putting in a sterling performance that saw his side over the line.
The final score line of 18–11 was a fair reflection as Team Europe pulled away on the final day after the Americans kept them pinned back to a one point lead at 11–10 after two days of play.
won the decisive point with a win over Team USAs Tony Manna Jr.
After the first days play, Team USA led 4-2 and Europe's Paul Moor
bowled the first perfect game in the Weber Cup to start the competition against Jason Couch
. The only other European win in the first session came from Tomas Leandersson
against Chris Barnes. Tommy Jones defeated Mika Koivuniemi
, Tim Mack
beat Tore Torgersen
, Bill Hoffman
triumphed over Jens Nickel
and the Baker system game was won by Team USA.
After day two Team USA led with what looked like an unassailable 12-6 lead. Europe took the final days first session 5-0 to get back into contention at 11-12, before leading 14-13 going into the final evening session.
Both teams were tied 17-17 going into the final decisive baker system game - at one point Team Europe led by over 30 pins, with Mack and Hoffman failing to strike. The game became close (11 pins) and then in the 9th frame Tore Torgersen
left a difficult split and missed, giving Tommy Jones the opportunity to step up and seal the victory for the Americans, and he duly obliged.
On Day 1, in the 5th match, Tommy Jones rolled the 2nd ever perfect game in the tournament's history, against Team Europe captain Tomas Leandersson
, and at close of play on day one, the scores were tied at 4 matches apiece.
Day 2 was a day for the Americans, who won the session 4-2 to take a 7-5 lead. Consolation for Team Europe came with the final Baker match, which they duly won. In the evening session, Team Europe fought back, to bring the scores back level at 9-9, again winning the final Baker match.
Team Europe started day 3 in blistering from, winning 5 of the 6 matches to take what looked like an unassailable 14-10 lead going into the final evening session, however Team USA had other ideas, and won 7 of the 8 games in the final session, with only Paul Moor
for Team Europe winning his singles match against Team USA's captain Tim Mack.
This win extended Team USA's overall lead to 5-3 in the series.
, from the 3rd to the 5th of October 2008.
Both teams had familiar line-ups, which featured several Weber Cup veterans, including Tore Torgersen (Norway
) for Team Europe, and Tim Mack for Team USA, who again captained his side.
Torgersen was joined by Paul Moor
(England
), who was playing in his 4th Weber Cup. Finland
’s Mika Koivuniemi
and Osku Palermaa
also returned, and making his debut in the competition was Dominic Barrett
from England
. Palermaa was given the captaincy for Team Europe for the first time, taking over from Sweden
's Tomas Leandersson
.
Team USA featured 4 stars of the PBA
tour, with Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones and Jason Couch
returning for more Weber Cup action. They were joined by Pete Weber
, who made his first appearance in the tournament named after his late father, legendary PBA
star Dick Weber
.
Team Europe (L-R) Dominic Barrett
- Cambridge, England Tore Torgersen
- Stavanger, Norway Paul Moor
- Beverley, England Osku Palermaa
- Espoo, Finland (Captain) Mika Koivuniemi
- Tampere, Finland
Team USA (L-R) Tommy Jones - Simpsonville, South Carolina Chris Barnes - Flower Mound, Texas Jason Couch
- Clermont, Florida Tim Mack - Garfield, New Jersey (Captain) Pete Weber
- St. Ann, Missouri
Before the tournament, the overall score stood at 5-3 in favour of Team USA, so the Europeans were hoping for a win to prevent the gap extending further, however Team USA continued the trend of 3 consecutive wins, to make it 3 wins on the trot once more, just as they did in the first 3 tournaments. Team USA ultimately won 17-13, the largest margin of victory for 5 years. The winning point was won on the final baker team game.
The first session on Friday evening was shared, with both team winning 3 points each, and on the Saturday afternoon, Team Europe took the lead 7-5, before collapsing 5-1 in the evening session to trail 10-8 after the end of day 2. Things did not improve for the Europeans on the Sunday, and they continued to trail 14-10 after the afternoon session. The final session started brightly for Team Europe, as they won the first 2 points, however a strong team effort from the Americans thwarted any comeback as they won 3 of the last 4 points, including the final baker team game, to claim victory once more.
Dick Weber
Dick Weber was a famous bowling professional and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association...
, is the Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
equivalent of Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
's Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
. It consists of two teams, Team Europe and Team USA competing over three days in a series of singles, doubles and team (baker) matches.
History/Background
The Weber Cup is the annual EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
vs USA ten-pin bowling championships and is currently broadcast live from start to finish on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
in the UK and in many other international channels around the world. It usually takes place in October every year.
For the first 7 events, from 2000 to 2006, 35 matches were played. Each match worth 1 point. The first team to 18 points won the tournament.
From 2007, the tournament was reduced slightly to 33 matches, again each match is worth 1 point so the first team to 17 will win.
All matches are played in a single lane arena, with banked spectators on both sides, which is specially constructed for the event.
2003
In 2003, missing their inspirational captain Tim Mack, and up against some vociferous northern support, Team USA were never in contention as the Europeans went into the lead early on day one and never relinquished it.After three barren years of total United States domination, Team Europe finally overcame the odds in November 2003 to lift the hallowed Weber Cup for the first time. It was a total triumph for captain Tomas Leandersson, who led from the front for all three days, putting in a sterling performance that saw his side over the line.
2004
Following on from Europe’s recent success in golf’s Ryder Cup earlier in the year, it was the tenpin bowlers’ turn as they defeated their American counterparts in what was ultimately a one-sided battle at the Altrincham Leisure Centre.The final score line of 18–11 was a fair reflection as Team Europe pulled away on the final day after the Americans kept them pinned back to a one point lead at 11–10 after two days of play.
2005
In 2005, the Europeans staged a dramatic comeback after falling 14-16 behind. In front of a packed audience and live TV cameras, they won the first 4 singles games in the final session of play and took the title for the 3rd successive year, 18-16. As in the previous year, Team Europe Captain, Tomas LeanderssonTomas Leandersson
Tomas Leandersson of Degerfors, Sweden, is a Swedish ten-pin bowler.- Career :TeamHe has been a member of Team Sweden for over ten years, and was a member of the team that won the gold-medal in the 1990 Nordic Championships, as well as 1999 FIQ/World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships,...
won the decisive point with a win over Team USAs Tony Manna Jr.
2006
In the closest tournament to date, Team USA won on the final evening of the contest, by 18-17.After the first days play, Team USA led 4-2 and Europe's Paul Moor
Paul Moor
Paul Moor, in Beverley, Hull, England, is one of the world's leading Ten-pin Bowlers. He is left-handed and is a full-time bowler.-Early years:...
bowled the first perfect game in the Weber Cup to start the competition against Jason Couch
Jason Couch
Jason Couch is one of the top bowlers on the Professional Bowlers Association tour. A left-handed cranker, he currently resides in Clermont, Florida.-PBA career:...
. The only other European win in the first session came from Tomas Leandersson
Tomas Leandersson
Tomas Leandersson of Degerfors, Sweden, is a Swedish ten-pin bowler.- Career :TeamHe has been a member of Team Sweden for over ten years, and was a member of the team that won the gold-medal in the 1990 Nordic Championships, as well as 1999 FIQ/World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships,...
against Chris Barnes. Tommy Jones defeated Mika Koivuniemi
Mika Koivuniemi
Mika Juhani Koivuniemi is a Finnish ten-pin bowler, currently on the Professional Bowlers Association tour in the United States, who has won bowling titles in 12 different countries in his career....
, Tim Mack
Tim Mack (ten-pin bowler)
Tim Mack, of New Jersey, USA, is one of the world's leading Ten-pin bowlers. He is right handed.Before he became a professional bowler, Mack was considered to one of the best amateur bowlers of the world...
beat Tore Torgersen
Tore Torgersen
Tore Torgersen, born 10 September 1968 in Stavanger, Norway, is one of the world's leading ten-pin bowlers. Although born in Stavanger, he now lives in Vänersborg in Sweden....
, Bill Hoffman
Bill Hoffman
William Joseph Hoffman was a professional baseball player. He pitched in three games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1939.-Statistics:-External links:* *...
triumphed over Jens Nickel
Jens Nickel
Jens Nickel is one of Germany's leading Ten-pin bowlers. He plays for the bowling team Strikees, Germany and any world championship events.Jens Nickel became the world champion in 2005 during the world famous bowling World Tenpin Masters, beating England's Paul Moor in the final and was...
and the Baker system game was won by Team USA.
After day two Team USA led with what looked like an unassailable 12-6 lead. Europe took the final days first session 5-0 to get back into contention at 11-12, before leading 14-13 going into the final evening session.
Both teams were tied 17-17 going into the final decisive baker system game - at one point Team Europe led by over 30 pins, with Mack and Hoffman failing to strike. The game became close (11 pins) and then in the 9th frame Tore Torgersen
Tore Torgersen
Tore Torgersen, born 10 September 1968 in Stavanger, Norway, is one of the world's leading ten-pin bowlers. Although born in Stavanger, he now lives in Vänersborg in Sweden....
left a difficult split and missed, giving Tommy Jones the opportunity to step up and seal the victory for the Americans, and he duly obliged.
2007
The 2007 Weber Cup, was again a close affair, with Team USA running out eventual winners 17-15, coming back from 14-10 before the start of the final session.On Day 1, in the 5th match, Tommy Jones rolled the 2nd ever perfect game in the tournament's history, against Team Europe captain Tomas Leandersson
Tomas Leandersson
Tomas Leandersson of Degerfors, Sweden, is a Swedish ten-pin bowler.- Career :TeamHe has been a member of Team Sweden for over ten years, and was a member of the team that won the gold-medal in the 1990 Nordic Championships, as well as 1999 FIQ/World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships,...
, and at close of play on day one, the scores were tied at 4 matches apiece.
Day 2 was a day for the Americans, who won the session 4-2 to take a 7-5 lead. Consolation for Team Europe came with the final Baker match, which they duly won. In the evening session, Team Europe fought back, to bring the scores back level at 9-9, again winning the final Baker match.
Team Europe started day 3 in blistering from, winning 5 of the 6 matches to take what looked like an unassailable 14-10 lead going into the final evening session, however Team USA had other ideas, and won 7 of the 8 games in the final session, with only Paul Moor
Paul Moor
Paul Moor, in Beverley, Hull, England, is one of the world's leading Ten-pin Bowlers. He is left-handed and is a full-time bowler.-Early years:...
for Team Europe winning his singles match against Team USA's captain Tim Mack.
This win extended Team USA's overall lead to 5-3 in the series.
2008
The 2008 Weber Cup took place once again at the Barnsley MetrodomeBarnsley Metrodome
The Barnsley Metrodome is one of the UK's premier sports facilities. It is located along Queens Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in England...
, from the 3rd to the 5th of October 2008.
Both teams had familiar line-ups, which featured several Weber Cup veterans, including Tore Torgersen (Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) for Team Europe, and Tim Mack for Team USA, who again captained his side.
Torgersen was joined by Paul Moor
Paul Moor
Paul Moor, in Beverley, Hull, England, is one of the world's leading Ten-pin Bowlers. He is left-handed and is a full-time bowler.-Early years:...
(England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), who was playing in his 4th Weber Cup. Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
’s Mika Koivuniemi
Mika Koivuniemi
Mika Juhani Koivuniemi is a Finnish ten-pin bowler, currently on the Professional Bowlers Association tour in the United States, who has won bowling titles in 12 different countries in his career....
and Osku Palermaa
Osku Palermaa
Osku Palermaa in Espoo, Finland is a Finnish Ten-pin bowler.-Today:Palermaa has 8 EBT titles to his name, and was the EBT ranking champion for three consecutive years from 2007 to 2009. Palermaa was also joint runner up in the 2005 EBT rankings, and runner up in the 2006 EBT rankings.Osku won his...
also returned, and making his debut in the competition was Dominic Barrett
Dominic Barrett
Dominic Barrett is one of England's leading Ten-pin bowlers. He finished sixth at the 2006 AMF World Cup in both the finals and the combined rankings.-External links:* * -2008:...
from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Palermaa was given the captaincy for Team Europe for the first time, taking over from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's Tomas Leandersson
Tomas Leandersson
Tomas Leandersson of Degerfors, Sweden, is a Swedish ten-pin bowler.- Career :TeamHe has been a member of Team Sweden for over ten years, and was a member of the team that won the gold-medal in the 1990 Nordic Championships, as well as 1999 FIQ/World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships,...
.
Team USA featured 4 stars of the PBA
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
tour, with Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones and Jason Couch
Jason Couch
Jason Couch is one of the top bowlers on the Professional Bowlers Association tour. A left-handed cranker, he currently resides in Clermont, Florida.-PBA career:...
returning for more Weber Cup action. They were joined by Pete Weber
Pete Weber
Peter David "Pete" Weber, nicknamed “PDW”, , is a famous bowling professional on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Weber is one of the sport's most popular active players and is well known for his maverick, rebellious personality...
, who made his first appearance in the tournament named after his late father, legendary PBA
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
star Dick Weber
Dick Weber
Dick Weber was a famous bowling professional and a founding member of the Professional Bowlers Association...
.
Team Europe (L-R) Dominic Barrett
Dominic Barrett
Dominic Barrett is one of England's leading Ten-pin bowlers. He finished sixth at the 2006 AMF World Cup in both the finals and the combined rankings.-External links:* * -2008:...
- Cambridge, England Tore Torgersen
Tore Torgersen
Tore Torgersen, born 10 September 1968 in Stavanger, Norway, is one of the world's leading ten-pin bowlers. Although born in Stavanger, he now lives in Vänersborg in Sweden....
- Stavanger, Norway Paul Moor
Paul Moor
Paul Moor, in Beverley, Hull, England, is one of the world's leading Ten-pin Bowlers. He is left-handed and is a full-time bowler.-Early years:...
- Beverley, England Osku Palermaa
Osku Palermaa
Osku Palermaa in Espoo, Finland is a Finnish Ten-pin bowler.-Today:Palermaa has 8 EBT titles to his name, and was the EBT ranking champion for three consecutive years from 2007 to 2009. Palermaa was also joint runner up in the 2005 EBT rankings, and runner up in the 2006 EBT rankings.Osku won his...
- Espoo, Finland (Captain) Mika Koivuniemi
Mika Koivuniemi
Mika Juhani Koivuniemi is a Finnish ten-pin bowler, currently on the Professional Bowlers Association tour in the United States, who has won bowling titles in 12 different countries in his career....
- Tampere, Finland
Team USA (L-R) Tommy Jones - Simpsonville, South Carolina Chris Barnes - Flower Mound, Texas Jason Couch
Jason Couch
Jason Couch is one of the top bowlers on the Professional Bowlers Association tour. A left-handed cranker, he currently resides in Clermont, Florida.-PBA career:...
- Clermont, Florida Tim Mack - Garfield, New Jersey (Captain) Pete Weber
Pete Weber
Peter David "Pete" Weber, nicknamed “PDW”, , is a famous bowling professional on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. Weber is one of the sport's most popular active players and is well known for his maverick, rebellious personality...
- St. Ann, Missouri
Before the tournament, the overall score stood at 5-3 in favour of Team USA, so the Europeans were hoping for a win to prevent the gap extending further, however Team USA continued the trend of 3 consecutive wins, to make it 3 wins on the trot once more, just as they did in the first 3 tournaments. Team USA ultimately won 17-13, the largest margin of victory for 5 years. The winning point was won on the final baker team game.
The first session on Friday evening was shared, with both team winning 3 points each, and on the Saturday afternoon, Team Europe took the lead 7-5, before collapsing 5-1 in the evening session to trail 10-8 after the end of day 2. Things did not improve for the Europeans on the Sunday, and they continued to trail 14-10 after the afternoon session. The final session started brightly for Team Europe, as they won the first 2 points, however a strong team effort from the Americans thwarted any comeback as they won 3 of the last 4 points, including the final baker team game, to claim victory once more.
2009
A close faught contest between the 2 teams, with the debut of Martin Laarsen into the european team, team Europe started to pull away from the USA towards the end. Tommy Jones completed his hat-trick of 300 games with 3 in 3 years at the Weber Cup2010
The Contest was full of drama with a baker game consisting of a european victory 157 - 155. One of the lowest scores in Weber Cup history. The teams were formed up of 4 players on each team meaning the dropping of Martin Larsen from Europe and Jason Couch for the USA. The tournament was won by the Europeans, captained once again by Osku PalermaaResults table
| Year | Venue | Winners | Losers | ||
| 2000 | Warsaw, Poland |  USA | 18 |  Europe | 11 |
| 2001 | Dagenham, England | USA | 18 | Europe | 12 |
| 2002 | Sheffield, England | USA | 18 | Europe | 13 |
| 2003 | Greater Manchester, England | Europe | 18 | USA | 14 |
| 2004 | Greater Manchester, England | Europe | 18 | USA | 11 |
| 2005 | Barnsley, England | Europe | 18 | USA | 16 |
| 2006 | Barnsley, England | USA | 18 | Europe | 17 |
| 2007 | Barnsley, England | USA | 17 | Europe | 15 |
| 2008 | Barnsley, England | USA | 17 | Europe | 13 |
| 2009 | Barnsley, England |  Europe | 17 | USA | 11 |
| 2010 | Barnsley, England | Europe | 17 | USA | 13 |
Past events
- 2008 Weber Cup - Team USA Win, Barnsley MetrodomeBarnsley MetrodomeThe Barnsley Metrodome is one of the UK's premier sports facilities. It is located along Queens Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in England...
. - 2007 Weber Cup2007 Weber CupThe 2007 Weber Cup, took place from October 19 to 21 at the Barnsley Metrodome.With the overall score standing at 4-3 to the Americans, there was everything to play for following the previous year’s nail-biting epic which saw the destiny of the trophy decided in the final few frames of the deciding...
- Team USA Win, Barnsley MetrodomeBarnsley MetrodomeThe Barnsley Metrodome is one of the UK's premier sports facilities. It is located along Queens Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in England...
. - 2006 Weber Cup - Team USA Win, Barnsley MetrodomeBarnsley MetrodomeThe Barnsley Metrodome is one of the UK's premier sports facilities. It is located along Queens Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in England...
. - 2005 Weber Cup http://www.matchroomsport.com/tenpin1_frieve.htm - Team Europe win, Barnsley MetrodomeBarnsley MetrodomeThe Barnsley Metrodome is one of the UK's premier sports facilities. It is located along Queens Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in England...
. - 2004 Weber Cup http://www.bowlersjournal.com/tournaments/webercup2004/open_2.htm - Team Europe win, Altrincham Leisure Centre, Greater Manchester, England.
- 2003 Weber Cup - Team Europe win, Altrincham Leisure Centre, Greater Manchester, England.
- 2002 Weber Cup - Team USA win, Ponds Forge International Center, Sheffield, England.
- 2001 Weber Cup - Team USA win, Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham, England
- 2000 Weber Cup - Team USA win, Inaugural event in Warsaw, Poland.