23-29 October 2023 in Berlin, Germany
ECC is the European Championship for national champions. Each federation, sending one female and one male to participate (mainly their national champion of singles event).
The one female and one male athlete who won the ECC the year before, is also invited as a defending champion.
As of 2023 the ECC also included the Mixed Double event, so there will be 24 games in total divided into three blocks of eight games. One block of eight games divided into Male and Female, then a Mixed event of eight games and last a new block of eight games divided into Male and Female.
Kegel and EBF Technical Delegate, Chris Hillman has decided that the pattern for the ECC 2023 will be 43 feet.
The final length can be +/- 1 feet of the published length. Final pattern will be released at the team managers meeting
Online Scoring – Livestreaming – Latest Results
Latest news and results will appear on the Team England Facebook page here
2023 Team England athletes
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Reports
Even the casual bowling fan would be right in thinking Team England could be in the hunt for a medal in 2023. Two outstanding talents will wear the shirt in Germany in the new look ECC. Mixed doubles adds something new and exciting and our pair of Verity Crawley and Hadley Morgan are ready to fight for glory.
New Head of Team England Hadley Morgan could well be the first national team leader to lace up at ECC and already more than experienced as he took Bronze at ECC in 2016. Verity Crawley after another great PWBA season will be feared by the female field and certainly one to watch out for. Get ready for some excitement….
Men’s Singles – Block 1 (8 Games)
Play got underway on Tuesday at 8am with the first 8 game block for the men. Hadley Morgan starting steady with 208 and 191 before upping the gears to record games of 243 and 268. A slight stutter in game five with 166 but finding his mojo again to log games of 213, 236 and ending with 248 for 1773.
Women’s Singles – Block 1 (8 Games)
Next up on Tuesday afternoon it was Verity Crawley’s turn to attack the lanes in the first 8 game block and she opened well with 212 before a worrying 158. Us watching at home were worried but Verity calm as ever and working it all out with 198 then a run of 200 games and up to 2nd overall with two games to go. 180 then a nightmare 149 to finish with but a good 1583 and well placed for the next round in 7th.
Mixed Doubles (8 Games)
Wednesday saw our athletes team up for the new mixed doubles section at ECC23 and an 8 game shootout to the medals. What a rollercoaster of emotions for the England fans watching the live scoring as England started brightly with 416 but a 156 from Verity and 195 from Hadley in game two saw a dip which would need to be fixed quickly. That is exactly what the pair did, 449,455,417 then a massive 514 including a 215 from Verity and amazing 299 from Hadley. The score rocketed our pair up the standings into the Silver medal spot and just 20 pins behind the leaders from the Czech Republic with two games still to go. Game 7 and we were up to the top spot after a 415 then into a battle with Greece and the Czech Republic for the Gold. Into the 10th frame of the last game and still every strike counted as Verity ended with a string of strikes and Hadley was flying on a 280 pace. 203 and 1696 for Verity, Hadley ending with 259 and 1783 for a grand total of 3479 and the GOLD medal.
Women’s Singles – Block 3 (8 Games)
Waking up as a mixed Gold Medallist, Verity first up on Thursday to complete the 24 games qualifying with the final 8 game block. things were going well at the halfway stage and games of 233,170,229 and 225 and just 39 pins behind the leader from Finland, Roosa Lunden. Further games of 183, 218 and 205 saw Verity still within 41 pins with a game to go. It was looking good in the last game as the Finn was struggling and Verity needing a double near the end to take the top seed spot. Sadly the double did not come and 192 so second it was going into the Top 16 for the Masters with a total of 4934 and just two pins behind Roosa Lunden’s 4936.
Men’s Block 3
The men’s turn in the afternoon to complete the 24 qualifying games and Hadley opening with a fine 234 and adding 193,198 and 244 as we hit the halfway point and 11th in the squad but up a place into 9th in the overall with four to go. Two games later with 224 and 246 and Hadley was chasing down the top 6. Game seven and Hadley moves up a gear if that was possible to record a massive 290 and pulling a lot of pins back on the players still ahead of him. Front five in the last game and now on 15 in a row it sadly came to an end with a spare but a final good game was on. 248 at the end and a brilliant block for Hadley with 5433 in 6th place and just 27 pins behind 4th.
Masters
Men’s Round of 16
Up first on Friday were the Men at 9am (UK) and another 8 game block with a cut to the top eight. Hadley Morgan in 6th place and chasing the top four to be well placed for the next following round. things started ok with games of 211 and 197 but would need to step up. That’s exactly what happened as Hadley hit 257 and 259 to move up to fourth and just 45 pins off third place.
A 215 in game five was followed by another massive 299 game and oh so close to that perfect game for the second time this week.
Now up to third place and a 216 followed for 1438 over the block so far and just 21 pins off second. Whatever happened now, it had been a great block. A 235 to end with an block score of 1894 and overall total of 7327 and into the next round.
Women’s Round of 16
Sitting nicely in 2nd place after qualifying Verity Crawley was not going to just sit back and watch a place in the next round drift past. Opening with 216 then a dip to 183 but like any great lion, came roaring back with 12 in a row and a perfect game and now at the top of the tree. A 234 saw us hit the halfway point and beginning to pull away at the top. Further games of 268,212 and 179 extended the lead with a final game of 182 for 1774 and 6708 and into the next round.
Masters round of 8
Sitting nicely in 1st and 3rd, Verity and Hadley could not relax until the four game block was over. Verity opening with 186 and 215 as Hadley hit 245 and 237 with Hadley up to second place and Verity dropping to second with two to go but safely inside the cut. Game three and 233 for Hadley yet dropping a position and Verity with 190 holding her place with one more to go.
A fine 255 in the last game for verity saw her go back to the top seed position by just one pin with 7554 and block of 846 as Hadley ended with 221 for 936 block and 8263 total and up to second seed for the finals.
Semi Finals
Hadley would play Sweden’s Carl Eklund in the semi finals as Verity took on Georgia Sagona from Greece. Game 1 and a close one in the men as Hadley just lost out 258-269 and Verity was behind too losing 168-194.
Game two and Hadley was in trouble early on as the Swede was striking and a 258 gave Hadley no room for error. 183 in reply and a 2-0 win for the Swede but a fantastic Bronze for our man.
Verity with work to do, battled but the strikes not flowing for either of the athletes until the later frames when the Greek strung three together and the door was closing for Verity. She came back though with a double in the 8th and 9th as Sagona spared in the 9th. Verity then went off the sheet to level the match.
Game three saw Verity come out firing and the strikes were back and pacing a 290 after five frames before a split open then back on strike as Sagona opened then spared with one strike in the 5th. Verity seeing her chase struck a double to pull away and take the match 2-1 and last game win of 221-170.
Final
England vs Germany in the Women’s final at ECC23 and two fine bowlers that had battled hard all week to get to this position. Two possibly three games stood before both to the coverted Gold medal.
Things started off ok for Verity with a spare strike spare but an open in frame four raised the pressure as the German closed five frames with one double. Verity then up a gear with a spare and double but an open split in the 8th frame slowed things down again. An open for Nadine Meier in the 10th gave her 182 but Verity unable to go past with 175.
Split open each early in game two and signs this would be a tight match and less strikes being seen. Verity then catching a double in 5th frame but Meier also hitting a double a frame later. Verity adding three more for five in a row and alead opening as the german was pegged back with single pin spares.
A nightmare 6 split in the 9th for Verity as Meier spared and this one was going to the wire. The German hitting a double in the 10th and ending with 214, Verity hitting 219 and taking this one to a decider.
Game three and German Meier struggled with two opens and Verity opening with spare and turkey gave a good lead going into the second half of the game. The cond half saw the German fire back with a turkey as Verity hit nine spares. Another game going the the wire.
Excitement was mounting as Verity hit a double in the 9th and Gold was going to England. Final score 222 vs 188.
Results
Results will appear first on the official website here
Masters
Final
Semi Finals
Men’s Round of 8
Women’s Round of 8
Women’s Round of 16
Men’s Round of 16
Men’s Block 3
Women’s Block 3
Mixed Doubles
Women (after Block 1)
Men (after Block 1)
History of Great Britain and Team England at ECC
Great Britain
The European Champions Cup started in 1979 in s’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands with 14 men and 12 women and no Great Britain. By the 80’s this changed and we had a few players make attempts but no success. That was until UK Hall of Famer Shelagh Leonard took Gold in Boraas, Sweden in 1982 then returned in 85 and 88 to claim two Bronze with Del Delany winning our first mens medal with Bronze. Pauline Buck was next up for Gold in 1993 Silver in 94 and completing the set with Bronze in 95. As Great Britain then became separate Home Nations teams..
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Team England
England started a run of successes in the event over the years with medals of all colours and Golds from Lisa John, Wayne Greenall who took our first male ECC medal as England on 1996, Zara Glover, Nick Froggatt and Kirsten Penny. To date we have Seven Gold, Six Silver and Twelve Bronze with the last medals won by Adam Cairns with Silver and Laura Marcham with Bronze in 2019 in Ankara, Turkey.
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Complete list of medals
