ENGLAND

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 25, 2001 – English bowling star Kirsten Penny, a semifinalist in the 2000 AMF Bowling World Cup in Lisbon, Portugal, will get another shot at the women’s championship trophy when the 37^th AMF Bowling World Cup commences November 4 at PS Bowl in Pattaya, Thailand. Penny, a 25-year-old member of Team England who hails from Stevenage, rolled a perfect game and averaged 218.24 during the 29-game English national qualifying tournament to slip past teammate Lisa John by 39 pins. Last year in Lisbon, she upset top-seeded Shalin Zulkifli of Malaysia in the quarterfinal round before falling to eventual champion Mel Isaac of Wales in the semifinals. “I’m looking forward to going to Thailand and improving on last year,” Penny told English bowling magazine Go Tenpin.

Kirsten Penny

Joining Penny on the Team England card is another World Cup veteran, Paul Moor, 23, who competed in Las Vegas in 1999. Moor also rolled a 300 game on his way to a 232.55 average and the English men’s championship. Penny and Moor will vie for this year’s titles with such veteran Bowling World Cup players as Diane Buchanan of Canada, who finished tied for third place with Penny in Lisbon; 1999 World Masters champion Ann Maree Putney of Australia, looking to better her quarterfinal finish last year; and 1999 champion Ahmed Shaheen of Qatar. However, the 2000 men’s champion and runner-up, Tomas Leandersson of Sweden and Tore Torgersen of Norway, respectively, will not be present to renew their long-time rivalry. Both men were defeated in their national qualifiers, Leandersson losing to Anders Ohman and Torgersen bowing to Kim Haugen. Haugen, like Moor, competed in the 1999 Las Vegas World Cup.

Other top players who have already won berths in Thailand include Germany’s Karl-Peter “Carlo” Greulich, the 2001 Swiss International champion, and Team USA members Scott Norton and Kristal Scott. Norton, the U.S. national amateur champion, and Scott will try to improve on last year’s showing, when the United States failed to place either a man or woman among the top eight.

The women’s 2000 champion, Mel Isaac, must requalify through the Welsh national rolloffs for a chance to defend her title. National qualifying tournaments around the globe continue through October.

In addition to individual honors, Bowling World Cup athletes compete together for the Best Country Award. The Bent Petersen Trophy, named after AMF’s longtime vice president of international sales, is presented to the nation whose male and female bowlers post the best overall combined performance. Kirsten Penny and Steve Thornton took the award for England last year, as Penny tied for third place and Thornton finished in the 5^th-to-8^th slot.

ENGLAND’S KIRSTEN PENNY QUALIFIES FOR 2001 BOWLING WORLD CUP