The BEC Championships are contested each year by teams representing European companies. Most countries BEC committees organise a national competition to select the entrants to the European final. The European finals begin each year on Ascension day, this year the 26th finals were in Copenhagen, Denmark running from Wed 15th May to Sat 18th May.
The European final is run on a scratch basis and is open to ladies doubles teams and four person teams. The qualifying rule in Great Britain is that all players must be on the PAYE system for the company they are representing. A maximum of 12 places in the European final were reserved for GB teams. These are allocated to the top 12 teams playing in the GB BEC Finals who wish to attend the Euro Final. Although the Euro Finals are on a scratch basis, the GB National BEC Championships are held on a scratch and handicap basis for historical reasons. The countries represented this year were: Germany, Denmark, France, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Eire, Italy, Belgium and Great Britain.
The teams representing GB in the Euro Finals were:
Ladies Doubles: Barclays Bank PLC (East Midlands, London West) General Accident, Civil Service East Midlands.
Four Person: Barclays Bank PLC (London South, London North and London East), British Airways, RAF Logistics Command (1 and 2).
The format of the four person finals is; Qualifying - all teams play 3 sets of 3 games, SemiFinal (cut to top 24 teams) - 1 set of 3 games, Final (cut to top 12) - 1 set of 3 games. The format of the ladies doubles is the same number of games but the cuts are to the top 12 for the semi and the top 8 for the final. All scores carry forward.
As you can gather with 140 four person teams and 48 doubles teams, a total of 713 players (594 men and 119 ladies) because substitutes are allowed, a large bowling centre is needed to accomodate them. As usual on the continent, there are very few single bowling centres large enough and so it was staged at two bowling centres: 16 Lane Glostrup Bowling Center, Glostrup and 26 lane World Cup Hallen, Rodovre both a few miles west of the city centre. Qualifying would take place at both centres but the semis and finals would take place at World Cup Hallen. All the GB four person teams played once each day of qualifying, Wed, Thu and Fri, however the GB ladies doubles teams had to miss one day (good for sightseeing) and play twice on another.
Our party of 14 Barclays players (3 four person teams and 1 doubles team) met up at Gatwick, some having stayed overnight down south, and flew to Copenhagen. Somehow (as usual) we got away without paying for extra baggage, 14 bowlers with up to 4 balls each, and luggage, is a little over the allowance! It shows that a group book-in with all of us (nearly, Bob!) wearing Team Track-suits can have its advantages. On arrival we all piled onto a local bus to the centre of the city. We were booked into two hotels near the main station Hotel Astoria (which had a very useful, eat as much pizza as you like for 40Kr resturaunt beneath it) and Hotel Hebron. On arrival we immediately set out to find some food (and bars), it was after all, just about lunchtime! So first we hit the umbiquitous MacDonalds for a burger and fries. Then we tried Molly McGees, where beers (Carlsberg of course) were about 20Kr per 'pint' (half litres). Although you could have had handpump Cains from Liverpool. However I am not sure how well it travels, or the cost, so I did not try it! Later that afternoon the opening ceremony would take place, at World Cup Hallen. So the GB BEC representative, Jeff Davis set off to Rodovre whilst the rest of us had to get to Glostrup for our first set. Jeff would dash over on the courtesey coach after the ceremony. The Danish BEC committee had organised coachs to travel between the bowls, and the closest train stations (Glostrup and Rodovre) at the start and end of each days bowling but we decided to use taxis to get there the first day. After a relatively successful first days bowling, a few drinks were drunk with many old aquaintances being renewed. Eventually the bowling balls were stored in the ball park and the last coach from Glostrup was 'hijacked' back to the city centre and the aquaintances continued in the hotel, drinking a few new concoctions including liquorice and brandy. Ugh!
The next day, Thursday, we went back to Glostrup via the train, and walked from the station. After we had supported our ladies doubles teams we boarded one of the courtesey coaches and travelled to World Cup Hallen for the first time. This bowl is underneath a very large shopping centre, and as usual for a continental bowl contained loads of ball lockers with enormous changing rooms and lots of showers, and, a well stocked pro-shop and numerous meeting rooms. However by now it was lunchtime and I was getting hungry, and then I spotted the find of the tournament! The buffet! I must at this point congratulate the Danish BEC committee for the best buffet I have ever seen. It was also extremely good value at 30Kr for all you could eat. Apparently the Danish love seafood and this buffet had seafood with everything! Herrings with chilli, herrings with lemon, herrings with mustard. OK, they love herrings! Also included was prawn, tuna, pizza, lasagne, beef and ham and lots more. With gateaux and strawberries for pudding! Give me more! Pity we had to bowl. After, once again hijacking the last bus back to the city centre, we all decided to visit the pizza resturaunt under the Astoria, to eat all we could for 40Kr.
Friday, last day of qualifying, we were not due to bowl until 4:15 so we decided to see some of the city by taking walk and a canal trip. This takes you round some very scenic parts of Copenhagen, its very similar to Amsterdam in some places, and takes you to see the 'Little Mermaid' and she really is little! After bowling we all decided to visit Tivoli Gardens, albeit in two groups, (the later group had a few drinks first!) The closest description I can give to Tivoli is like a mini Alton Towers, it has lots of rides (some of them quite good) and lots of resturaunts and bars. We stayed till closing at midnight and walked back to the hotel.
Saturday was Semi and Finals day, and the buffet at World Cup Hallen had to be sampled again! Tonight was also the end of tournament banquet so after getting back to the hotel we all met up and walked across the city centre to the Vin and Olgod Bier Keller. It was quite a surprise walking into the building as it opened up into a large hall (below ground level) filled with long tables and benches, a bit like being outdoors in a small square with houses overlooking. About 400 players and officials from the tournament attended the banquet covering all the nationalities involved. Much eating and singing were done, far too much singing because we all had hoarse voices the next day. All of the singing taking place whilst stood on the benches, and, much of it not in english, luckily a song-book was supplied although I am sure the prounciation we used was not correct! Not much drinking was done though because it was £5 a pint! Luckily a couple of us sneaked in a few bottles from the supply at the hotel, and for some reason we were very popular, at least until the supply ran out! Jock Caie and Gerry Mitchell were also here for the event and Jock was (not!) very accurate at throwing Union Jack flags from the upstairs bar! Eventually we managed to get away and walking back through the city center at 1:30 seeing queues four deep outside the bars made me appreciate how civilised my part of Cheshire is (or is that quiet and boring!). Anyway a good night was had by all, and the friendliness of the Danes (and everyone else involved in the tournament) made it a great social occasion.
Anyhow, on to the bowling. At the end of 3 days qualifying in the fours section: 1st Pori Town (Finland) 6974 pins (average 193.7) - 686 from Martti Laminen, 2nd PTT Paris - 6971 (average 193.6) - 667 from Jacky Bloudeau, 3rd Sanoma Osakeyhtio (Finland) - 6960 (average 193.3) - 751 for Jussi Turtiainen, BBPLC London South were in 7th place - 6886 (average 191), BBPLC London North - 18th place - 6712 (average 186), RAF Logistics 1 - 37th - 6527 (average 181), BBPLC London East - 39th - 709 from Frank Brown - 6505 (average 180), British Airways - 41st - 651 from Maurice Teece - 6464 (average 179), RAF Logistics 2 - 72nd - 6232 (average 173).
In the doubles section: 1st - Banque de France - 3435 pins (average 190), 2nd Unibank 1 (Denmark) 3347 (average 185), 3rd Academie (France) 3337 (average 185), BBPLC East Midlands - 7th - 3259 (average 181), General Accident - 17th - 3148 (average 174), Civil Service East Midlands - 23rd - 3120 (average 173) with Sandie Wilkin hitting 664 in her first set, BBPLC - London West - 32nd - 3003 (average 166).
Awards for honour scores during the qualifying rounds to GB players were: Sandie Wilkin - 1st Ladies High Set - 664 and Frank Brown - 2nd Mens High Set - 709.
So onto Saturday and the Semi finals, we still had quite a bit of GB interest, all Barclays mind you, 2 fours teams and 1 doubles team. The men were first on, a 9 am start. The London South team held on to 7th place, total 9115 (average 189) helped no doubt by Jeff Davis' set of 689 (now averaging 203), London North did not fare so well and dropped to 21st on 8816 (average 183). Meanwhile PTT Paris moved into 1st place - 9328 (average 194) with good consistent team bowling (low set 562, high 602), Sanoma moved into 2nd - 9291 (average 193) with 683 from Jussi Turtiainen, now averaging 209. Third place was now taken by E de F/G de F - Paris (I have no idea what it stands for!) on 9219 (average 192) with Frederic Albinet top average on 215.7. The family team of Ailec (Finland) consisting of Hannele, Harri, Pasi and Ailo Uotila (mother, father and two sons) moved from 14th to 10th place helped no doubt by Pasi's game of 286 (686 set).
In the doubles semifinal later that morning once again (like the four person team) the Barclays East Midland team held onto 7th place with a total 4267 (average 177). The top 3 places did not change though with Banque de Paris on 4540, Unibank 1 on 4408 and Academie on 4397.
The finals for both four person and doubles are played at the same time, with the doubles finishing earlier, of course, and we still had a team in each section to support! In the doubles, as in the previous round, no change was made to the finishing order; Banque de Paris had 530 and 567, giving 5637 (average 187), Unibank 1 - 516 and 673 - 5597 (average 183) and Acadamie - 524 and 593 - 5514 (average 183). The Barclays East Midlands team (Doreen Morris and Sue Portsmouth) unfortunately dropped a place finishing 8th on 5258 (average 175). Well played ladies!
In the fours things started to hot up, and get a lot louder! I am afraid the Intercounties has nothing on the BEC! You have not seen (or heard) real cow bells until you have played in this! PS. Has anyone got a football rattle they are willing to sell (or give away!)
In the first game the Barclays London South team started with 876 (Jeff Davis 257, Dave Gibbens, 218, Ian Taylor 212 and Stuart Copeman 189) pulling 100+ pins back on everyone and hauling themselves from 7th to 3rd. A 771 (223 from Jeff Davis) in the second pulled another 10 pins back on second place team Sanoma, but PTT - Paris bowled 813. That put Barclays 142 pins behind PTT and 83 behind Sanoma before the final game. A 791 third game saw them pull 40+ pins back on Sanoma and 90 pins back on PTT although not enough to alter their finishing position 3rd. The best GB finish for 12 years. While all this was going on Gregoire Duchemin of RATP 1 (France) hit 290 with a spare then 11 strikes, (as opposed to 11 strikes miss!) to hit the high game of the tournament.
Final fours result: 1st PTT Paris 11605 (193.4), 2nd Sanoma Osakeyhtio (Finland) 11580 (193.0), 3rd Barclays Bank London South (GB) 11553 (192.5).
Well done men, especially to Jeff Davis, his last six games of 244, 237, 208, 257, 223 and 193 (finishing 3rd in the averages over 15 games with 207.33, Jussin Turtiainen was 2nd on 208.2 with Frederic Albinet 1st on 212.2) were an inspiration to the team, and he had the weight of being the GB BEC Representative on his shoulders as well!
The 27th BEC European Championships are to be held at the AMF City Bowl, Nottingham on the 8th, 9th and 10th May 1997. The BEC GB National Qualifying Competition will be held on ??. Details will be posted by AMF the organisers for 1997. If you want to enjoy the camaraderie of this event make sure you get your entries in.
Terry Webb