Though there were a few surprises as the qualifying round of the Power Rosenblum Cup came to an end it was very much a case of the favourites cruising into the knock out phase. That was certainly true in the case of two of the most powerful teams, Nickell's American squad and the Italian Lavazza combination. However the Burgay team who finished 34 points clear of their rivals posted the biggest winning margin.

Twenty-four countries are represented in the round of 64, the largest contingent coming from the USA with 18 teams, way ahead of France who have eight.

The unluckiest losers were the Engel team from Belgium who lost out on a split tie and the Swden's Morath whose total of 152 would have been good enough in seven of the other groups.

With two rounds to play in the McConnell Cup the main interest centers on Group S, where only 12 points cover the teams occupying places three through six.