Kurtatsch at the European Cup in Croatia. Front from left: Roberto Endrizzi, Clemens Sanoll, Ivan Mayr, Andreas Dalvai. Back from left: Meinrad Thurner, Tobias Gruber, Norbert Schgraffer, Mandred Amegg, Aaron Peer Pratzer.

South Tyrol's bowlers make a good impression

South Tyrolean bowlers weren't just in action at the World Cup in Bolzano last week. The local athletes also performed well outside of the country's borders: Kurtatsch at the European Cup in Croatia, and Sarnthein, Naturns, and Algund at the NBC Cup in Munich.

22 October 2025

From: fs

While the World Cup was taking place in Bolzano, the European Cup and the NBC Cup, the second and third cup divisions in bowling, were taking place in Osijek (Croatia) and Munich, respectively. Fugger Sterzing, as the reigning men's runner-up, was actually scheduled to compete in the European Cup, but the Wipptal team withdrew, and Kurtatsch had to step up.

The cup interlude in Croatia didn't go quite according to plan for the Kurtatsch team. Facing very strong competition, the Unterland team finished in 12th place, second to last. In total, they knocked down 3387 pins, although none of them cracked the 600-pin mark – a rare feat when you observe their performances in the A1 class week after week. Nevertheless, Kurtatsch gained valuable experience at the top international level, with Clemens Sanoll's "international debut" being notable.

Three South Tyrolean teams in Munich

The NBC Bowling Cup took place in Munich, home to an impressive 28-lane bowling facility. Three South Tyrolean teams were invited: the women from Sarnthein and the men from Naturno and Algund. All of them put on a satisfactory performance.

Starting with the women, who were even on course for the semifinals after the first four of a total of six qualifiers. In the end, however, they failed to advance to the next round. Adele Ainhauser and her team knocked down 3185 pins, placing them in 15th place.

In the men's competition, Algund was particularly impressive across the board. Although they also failed to make the semifinals, finishing 13th, their total of 3576 pins was just two pins short of their team record, demonstrating their strong performance. Four of their bowlers, Christian Mair (608 pins), Martin Kienzl (617 pins), Michael Ladurner (614 pins), and Lukas Kuen (601 pins), also broke the 600-pin mark.

Naturns also returned from Munich satisfied. They finished 19th in the final standings, achieving their personal goal of a combined 3500 pins. They knocked down 3505 pins. Three of their bowlers, Werner Gruber (602 pins), Wolfgang Blaas (611 pins), and Kurt Fliri (601 pins), also broke the magic mark.