SCHMIDT IS SITTING PRETTY, BUT CAN HANSEN KNOCK HIM OFF HIS PERCH?

Michael Schmidt of Canada has now completed his 24 game stint in the qualifying round and sits at the top of the leader board with the outstanding total pinfall of 5640. That is currently 288 pins ahead of European and World champion Gery Verbruggen of Belgium.

Of course, there is still one more squad to bowl right now and the talented Petter Hansen of Norway will be eager to get onto level terms with the Canadian. He leads the pack in the second squad momentarily and just over pins behind him is Sweden's Anders Ohman. The Norseman needs a six-game series of 1412 to take over pole position, not an impossible task.

One young man very pleased with himself is Tamas Szabo of Szentendre, Hungary, who shot the tournament's third 300 game this afternoon. For the bowling center proprietor, featuring two lanes with a restaurant and bar, this was a first-time perfect game. "I've reached the first eight strikes two or three times, but never hit the twelve," he told us. "I felt better than I thought I would up until the final ball of the frame, and then I trembled a bit."

Szabo has bowled quite well in a few tournaments in Hungary but never as well as he is playing here. "I am very happy to have reached this high a position," he said. "It would be marvellous if I got into the top eight."

That wish cannot be realized until the dust of battle has settled after the last squad has finished.

SCHMIDT SURVIVES THE VIKING ONSLAUGHT

Michael Schmidt's fourth squad series of 1332 and overall 24-game pinfall of 5640 topped the leader board for the first qualifying round. The 25-year-old university student has dominated all four squads and his 235 average far exceeds that of any other player in this year's talented field.

Now the youngster (pictured with father, Rick) leads the 24 qualifiers into the second round, a further eight games, and then the leading eight will survive to fight out the finals, a series of best of three game matches with the top seed playing the eighth, second versus the seventh, etc. This format also applies in the women's division. Those matches will be played in a special arena on Saturday and Sunday.

Marek Przezpolewski from Poland had a good run for a perfect game this evening but fell at the final hurdle. A stubborn 10-pin in the tenth frame robbed him of a 300 and he finished with a 277. He tried it again in the last game, this time failing to strike in the ninth frame, finishing with 268. Unfortunately, he didn't make the cut to the top 24 and ended his 2005 World Cup in 37th place.

The best performance of the evening came from Israel's Or Aviram who rolled a six-game set of 1471 and now has a comfortable seat in seventh place.

MEN'S STANDINGS AFTER 24 GAMES: