SECOND CHANCE SALOON

Petter Hansen, 37, (pictured) from the outskirts of Norway's capital Oslo, dominated the opening squad of the 41st QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup at the Gladiator Bowl in Ljubljana, Slovenia Monday morning. Runner-up in Singapore in last year's excellent World Cup, Hansen is very determined to lift the trophy when the dust of battle settles on Sunday evening.

There was no guarantee for Hansen to represent Norway again this year, he had to finish in high positions in five out of seven qualifying tournaments and found himself in the unfortunate position of having to win the last two. He managed to do just that and is here to do his best.

Opening his account today on the lanes of the superb Gladiator Bowl with a 269, he set a hot pace for the first of the two men's squads to follow.
"I started off well but my scores were lower when the lanes  were drier. The middle disappeared," he commented. "I changed to my weakest ball for the last three games and got some good scores."

Hansen was in the unfortunate position in last year's final of leaving the 2-8-10 split in the final frame when he just needed a spare to clinch the title. "That's history now," he added. "Now I'm concentrating on getting into the last eight at the weekend."

CANADA TAKES OVER POLE

The first day of competition is now over for the men and all have completed their first six of the initial 24 qualifying games. The man now in the spotlight is Michael Schmidt of Winnipeg, Canada (pictured), a 25-year-old student at university taking business studies. The first man to break the 1400 barrier over six games in this year's event has won TSM and CBC events but is not currently a member of the Canadian national squad. "He certainly has the potential," commented Canadain coach Sandy Lowe. "He's young and has plenty of time to make it."

Schmidt had no preconception of staking his name at the top of the leader board MOnday afternoon. "I was just looking at staying in the top twenty," he remarked. Although he started off his six-game run with 236 and 261, he changed his bowling ball going into the third game. "I felt I needed something more aggressive as I wanted to bowl a much deeper line."

Asked how he was enjoying his first international trip outside North America, Schmidt said: "Slovenia is just fantastic. Despite the dull weather, we've taken over a hundred pictures in just two days. I'm just amazed at the fantastic hospitality and I can't believe the number of people who speak English here. I'm looking forward to getting out and about on some tours."

The way he's bowling right now, he's not going to have much time for those!

FIRST PERFECT GAME

The honor of shooting the 41st World Cup's first 300 fell to Steve Thornton of England on Monday afternoon. After a slow start, Thornton saved his epic perfecto until the final game. "I felt really good through the game and maybe had a little luck in the ninth frame when the 9-pin was the last to fall," he commented. "I had split my finger in the fourth game and it was bleeding badly but that settled down by the sixth. "The way these lanes are playing right now the ball has to come off the hand really cleanly. I'm really happy to be seventh right now as I didn't think I would get into the top eight, but that 300 game came to my rescue.

"I used to put a lot of pressure on myself, but I think I am more mature now so my goals are more mental," he added.

STANDINGS - SQUADS A & B - FIRST 6 OF 24 QUALIFYING GAMES: