Lotthe leads Squad 10 in Singles and Doubles at 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open

Xavier Lotthe (pictured left) from France rolled the sole 1400-series in the fourth squad on Friday evening, 10th squad overall, to lead the squad in singles and doubles in the 5th Columbia 300 Vienna Open.

Lotthe had five games over 200 including a 279 in game two, but a 188 in game five cost him a better position. He finished with 1413 six-game total, an average of 235.50, to overtake the 8th place of 290 players - thus far.

Lotthe teamed with Mathieu Berges (right), Switzerland, to lead Squad 10 in Doubles 2727 six-game total and an average of 228.58. With 264 doubles in the books, the French-Swiss duo sits in seventh place.

Petteri Salonen (left) from Finland leads both disciplines, singles and doubles after posting an outstanding 1547 series this morning, an average of 257.83 for six games.

The Finn has a comfortable 99-pin cushion in singles over second-placed Dennis Eklund (right) from Sweden and leads in Doubles with Sami Konsteri with 2886 pinfall total and an average of 240.50.

Eklund and Austria's Thomas Gross are second at 2820.

Photos: Lars Müller/larsmueller.com

With the final four squads to go on Saturday, the cut for 56th place is currently 1328. Richard Klug Sr. from Austria is the "man on the bubble".

According to Austrian national coach and Vienna Open treasurer, Helmut Amstätter (left), there are at least 20 to 30 players outside the box who are able to beat this score and to make it to the finals.

The qualifying for the Vienna Open finals is contested as a unique doubles tournament. 10.230 Euro or approx. US$ 14,510 from the overall prize fund of 60.530 Euro ($85,850) will be given to the top 20 teams.

Each team rolls one six-game block. Unlimited re-entries with different partners are possible but each player can only cash once with the same partner. The team with the highest total pinfall including handicap will be declared the winner (no finals will be played).

The winners of the Doubles event will split 1.600 Euro or approx. US$2,270. World champions Martin Larsen and Robert Andersson, Sweden, are the defending champions.

Qualifying runs from Wednesday through Saturday and ends with the ultimate Desperado Squad on Saturday evening, Oct. 20.

A total of 68 players from the qualifying will advance to the finals starting on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 8am:

• The eight players with the highest six-game blocks will earn one bye and will be seeded 1-8 in the match play round of 32
• players positioned 9th to 56th after qualifying
• the six leaders of Squad 1 through 6 not among the top 56 and
• the top 6 from the Desperado Squad.

All but the top 8 qualifiers will bowl 6 games starting from scratch to cut to the top 24. Those 24 will be seeded 9-32 in the match play round of 32.

Match play rounds of 32, 16 and 8 are single-elimination, best-of-three games. The highest seeded player bowls the lowest seeded player, the second-highest seeded player vs. the second-lowest seeded player, etc.

The semi-finals and the championship match will be decided in one game. A major on the European Bowling Tour, bowlers will be competing for a top prize of 7.000 Euro ($9,930) and an overall prize fund of 60.530 Euro ($85,850).


Bowlingdigital will cover the event live from Vienna with updates after each round commencing October 17 all the way through to the finals on Sunday, October 21.