After the great success in the semi-final, the excitement reached its peak. There was little time for celebration, as everyone eagerly awaited October 14 – the day of the European Cup final. I had the impression that my roommate, Laslo Makra, had barely closed his eyes throughout the entire night.

A sunny morning greeted us, as a promising sign of what was about to happen that day.

According to the regulations of the NBC (National Bowling Council), the final tournament was played on a new six-lane bowling facility, specially installed for this occasion in the Universal Hall in Skopje. The sports venue could accommodate nearly one thousand spectators.

The results from the qualification round were not carried over into the final, meaning that all four teams started the decisive battle on equal terms, with the same chances of winning the prestigious European Cup trophy.

The host organization provided journalists with excellent working conditions. I had a telephone line available, which allowed me to report after every performance to the listeners of Radio Novi Bečej and bring them the latest news from Skopje.

During the final day, I made a total of eight extensive reports. This time, I am selecting those that recorded the most dramatic moments of this great sporting event.

October 14, 2000

First Report from the Final

"Dear listeners, warm greetings from Skopje.

First of all, I would like to say that simply reaching the final is already a remarkable achievement and the greatest success in the history of bowling in Novi Bečej, as well as in local sport in general. However, judging by the first performance, coach Laslo Makra’s team is not here merely to participate – they are ready to fight for a medal.

Our bowler Erika Kolarević started the final brilliantly. After the first 50 throws, she had knocked down 225 pins – 145 in the full set and 80 in the clearing phase, which was an excellent indication of a strong final score.

After changing lanes, Erika continued even better. In the full set she knocked down 151 pins and showed that she was ready for a great result.

However, in the final stage of the clearing game, a small moment of uncertainty appeared. Three consecutive misses on the back centre pin reduced her final score, and the scoreboard eventually showed 429 knocked-down pins.

Nevertheless, this was enough to secure a very important advantage. Her opponent from the Kvarner team, Velinka Pirst, finished with 422 pins, meaning that Jedinstvo had gained a seven-pin lead over the Croatian team after the first performance.

The best result of the opening performances was achieved by Hungarian bowler Kristina Lovaš with 451 pins, while Romanian competitor Limunita Vali Dobre was currently fourth with 411 pins.

Foto: Erika Kolarević