Yachio Kato captures the title in first JPBA Ladies event after the great earthquake

In the first tournament after the great earthquake, Yachio Kato (pictured left) of Tokyo captured her 13th career Japan Professional Bowlers Association women's title in the Miyazaki Pro-Am Open Tournament which was held in the Kyushu Region in South Japan from April 21-24, 2011.

The 59-year-old ended a five-year title draught with a 225-217 victory against Hiromi Matsunaga en route to earn the 1.200.000 Yen winner's check or approximately US$14,627.

Matsunaga (right), who was targeting for back-to-back JPBA titles after winning the season-opening Kansai Open Ladies Bowling Tournament, received 620.000 Yen ($7,557) for second place.

Matsunaga started the game with an open frame after failing to convert the 4-6-7 split followed by a spare before she reeled off a four-bagger to take a 30-pin lead. Kato alternated strikes and spares in the first four frames, spare a 10-pin in the fifth and countered with a four-bagger to regain the lead.

Working on a strike, Matsunaga was unable to connect for a double in the ninth frame, then struck in the tenth but left a 7-pin standing on her next shot failing to force Kato to strike on her first ball in the tenth frame. Needing to mar, Kato spared a 7-pin for the win before the left the 4-6-10 split on her fill ball.

The top 16 players were seeded into two pools (A and B) of eight players each to determine the finalist in single-elimination head-to-head matches. In the final of Pool A, Kato eliminated Tomoe Yoshikawa (left), 235-212, while Matsunaga topped Masami Abe (right) in the B Pool final, 203-195. Yoshikawa and Abe tied for third place worth 370.000 Yen ($4,510) apiece.

Junia Yoshida of Japan Bowling Promotion reports that the third stop of the 2011 JPBA Ladies Tour, the 2011 Pro Test originally scheduled for March/April, was postponed and is now scheduled for the beginning of May.

Russian girls, Dutch boys take the lead in EYC Team events after first 3-game block

The girls from Russia and the boys from the Netherlands are in the driver's seat after the first three-game block of the four-player Team events in the 24th European Youth Championships at Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring, Germany.

Russia's Kristina Kryl, Margarita Verkhova, Polina Kosiakova and Alena Korobkova r(pictured left) olled games of 709, 808 and 837 to lead the girls division with 2354 pinfall total and an average of 196.17.

Kosiakova (below left) leads the 67 girls from 21 countries in All Events after 9 of 18 games with 2072 and an average of 230.22 including a 689 series in the Team event. The Russian out averaged Boys All Events leader Daniels Vezis (below right), Latvia (2007, 223.00) by more than seven pins.

With the final three-game block to go on Thursday, the top five teams in the girls division are within 35 pins. England with Doubles champions Bethany Hedley and Hannah Frost was 14 pins behind Russia in second place with 2340 and was followed by Finland and Sweden in third and fourth place with 2324 and 2319.

Just outside the box looking in were the girls of the host country Germany, who were tied with Sweden at 2319 but had the lower last game, 761 to 804.

The Dutch boys battled it out for the spot with the German team. Kevin De Haan, Jord Van Weeren, Ramon Hilferink and Joshua Schuurman (pictured left) had games of 882, 891 and 845 to hold a slim one-pin lead with record 2618 and an average of 218.71. Schuurman (right) rolled the first 300 of the EYC in the first game.

Germany's Christian Birlinger, Dominic Buchmann, Steven Wiersema and Robin Menacher (below right) had games of 857, 911 and 849 to land in second place with 2617 (218.08).

Sweden was a distant third with 2503 with Norway further 47 pins behind in fourth place at 2454. Latvia with doubles champions Arturs Levikins and Daniels Vezis sit in fifth place with 2450.

Competition continues on Thursday, April 21, with the second block of the Boys and Girls four-player team event immediately followed by the semifinals and finals.

The EYC 2011 is divided in two divisions - boys and girls. Each team consists of maximum four male and four female players, who must not have reached the age of 19 before August 31st, 2011.

Players compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in Singles, Doubles, Teams, All Events (18 games) and Masters (top 24 in All Events, single-elimination, best-of-three games) on a 40-feet sport compliant oil pattern (pdf file). Competition ends on Sunday, April 24, with the Boys and Girls Masters match play.

Tom Baker leads first round of PBA Senior Don Carter Open

Boosted by opening games of 275 and 278, Hall of Famer Tom Baker (pictured left) of King, N.C., averaged 246.8 to lead after the first six-game round of the Professional Bowlers Association Senior Don Carter Open Monday at Carter Family Bowl.

Baker, a nine-time PBA Senior Tour champion and four-time Senior Player of the Year, had games of 275, 278, 204, 232, 256 and 236 for a 1,481 pinfall. He holds an 11-pin lead over two-time Senior Tour titlist Steve Ferraro (right) of Kingston, N.Y., in second with a 1,470 pinfall which included a 300 game.

"It feels good to get the season started," Baker said of the first tournament of the season. "After being off for several months you always wonder how you're going to do the first time out.

"The key today was to play straight down the lane because if you hooked the ball too much and got the ball too far outside on the lane you were going to be out of bounds and the ball just wouldn't come back."

Six-game qualifying continues Tuesday and Wednesday after which the 120-player field will be cut to the top 32 who will advance to match play on Thursday. Round of 8 and championship rounds will get underway Thursday at 7 p.m.

PBA.com's Xtra Frame Video service will provide comprehensive final-day coverage of the Senior Don Carter Open on April 21 with coverage beginning 10 minutes prior to the start of each round at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and the finals at 7 pm.

 

Walter Ray Williams Jr. looking for fresh start in 2011 PBA Senior Tour season

 

Players with position, hometown and 6-game total

1, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,481
2, Steve Ferraro, Kingston, N.Y., 1,470
3, Steve Neff, Homosassa Springs, Fla., 1,461
4, Dave Patchen, Oregon, Ohio, 1,414
5, Don Blatchford, Santa Monica, Calif., 1,411
6, Brian Brazeau, Ocala, Fla., 1,398
7, Dave Flemming, Fairborn, Ohio, 1,395
8, Tom Howison, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1,392
9, Russ Freeman, Antioch, Ill., 1,382
10, Dave Soutar, Bradenton, Fla., 1,378
11, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 1,376
12, Christopher Keane, New City, N.Y., 1,373
13, John Petraglia, Jackson, N.J., 1,368
14, Garry Blanton, Owensboro, Ky., 1,363
15, Ron Mohr, Eagle River, Alaska, 1,352
16, (tie) Bob Handley, Winter Park, Fla.,
Kenny Parks, Hammond, Ind., 1,346
18, Dave Bernhardt, Shelby Twp., Mich., 1,338
19, Michael Henry, Brunswick, Ohio, 1,337
20, Henry Gonzalez, Colorado Springs, Colo., 1,334
21, Terry Metzner, Kentwood, Mich., 1,333
22, Billy Block, Pembroke Pines, Fla., 1,329
23, Keith Glasgow, St. Petersburg, Fla., 1,317
24, Gary Morgan, Marietta, Ga., 1,313
25, Ernie Schlegel, Vancouver, Wash., 1,307
26, Ron Garr, Ridgedale, Mo., 1,306
27, (tie) Keith Sharp, Orlando, Fla., George Gomez, Orlando, Fla., 1,305
29, Mark Scime, Winter Garden, Fla, 1,303
30, (tie) Tommy Brodowski, New Hyde Park, N.Y., Don Sylvia, Reno, Nev., 1,300
32, Bob Brady, Santa Monica, Calif., 1,292
33, Jim Price, Harrrisburg, N.C., 1,291
34, Pete Couture, Titusville, Fla., 1,289
35, Dale Eagle, Frisco, Texas, 1,285
36, Dennis Psaropoulos, Lake Worth, Fla., 1,282
37, (tie) David Goldenberg, Selden, N.Y., Ken Gibson, Greenville, S.C., Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 1,281
40, Randy Niehaus, Rockford, Ill., 1,280
41, Emilio Mora Sr., Defiance, Ohio, 1,270
42, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Township, Mich., 1,266
43, Mitchell Jabczenski, Novi, Mich., 1,264
44, Steve Bova, Massapequa, N.Y., 1,254
45, (tie) Kerry Painter, Henderson, Nev., Kevin Schofield, Canada, 1,251
47, (tie) Phil Gessner, Spring, Texas, Lee Rucker, Fort Myers, Fla., 1,247
49, Mark Williams, Beaumont, Texas, 1,245
50, Bruce Himschoot, Sanford, Fla., 1,243
51, (tie) Larry Popp, Marion, Ohio, Walter Sova Sr., South Daytona, Fla., 1,238
53, Ed Marzka, Orlando, Fla., 1,237
54, John Shreve Sr., Elyria, Ohio, 1,235
55, Roger Kossert, Lithia, Fla., 1,234
56, Gregory Waldon, Manhattan, Mont., 1,225
57, Steven Boxerman, University City, Mo., 1,222
58, Kevin Croucher, Grants Pass, Ore., 1,221
59, Ron Profitt, Brookville, Ohio, 1,220
60, Tom Carter, Rockford, Ill., 1,219
61, Gary Lambert, Orlando, Fla., 1,216
62, Bill Argenbright, Fisherville, Va., 1,215
63, Dale Traber, Cedarburg, Wis., 1,214
64, Dave Sill, Rockledge, Fla., 1,207
65, Patrick King, Yankton, S.D., 1,206
66, Peter Knopp, Germany, 1,204
67, Michael Tryniski, Fulton, N.Y., 1,203
68, Mike Dias, Lafayette, Colo., 1,201
69, Warren Blankenship, Ardmore, Okla., 1,200
70, Don Hicks, West Babylon, N.Y., 1,197
71, (tie) Robert Callari, Bloomfield, N.Y., Bob Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 1,191
73, Bob Pazur, Venice, Fla, 1,190
74, Danny Gould, Palm Bay, Fla, 1,189
75, Harley Trumbull, New Boston, Mich., 1,187
76, (tie) Daniel Miner, East Moline, Ill., Chuck Gardner, Charlotte, N.C., Guppy Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., 1,186
79, Dan Clausse, Reno, Nev., 1,183
80, Richard Felten, Rockville, Md., 1,180
81, Sam Perrotta, Lincoln Park, N.J., 1,179
82, Frank Tuccitto Jr., Southington, Conn., 1,177
83, (tie) Robert Teeters, Lapel, Ind., Robert Harvey, Boise, Idaho, 1,172
85, Sal Bongiorno, Hollywood, Fla., 1,168
86, Larry Williams, St. Augustine, Fla., 1,162
87, Steve Stein, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,158
88, (tie) Ronald Brick, Ormond Beach, Fla., George Lord, Lakeland, Fla., 1,155
90, Timothy Banks, Hanscom AFB, Bedford, Mass., 1,154
91, Andy Ippolito, Forest Hills, N.Y., 1,145
92, (tie) Ray Randall, Dearborn, Mich., Gary Hiday, Indianapolis, 1,144
94, (tie) Thomas Ream, Tampa, Fla., Leo Plaia, New Orleans, 1,143
96, (tie) Timothy Regan, East Northport, N.Y., Paul Franzetti, N Venice, Fla., 1,140
98, Dennis Amato, Pine Brook, N.J., 1,125
99, David Martin, Chesapeake, Va., 1,124
100, Timothy Kauble, Marion, Ohio, 1,122
101, Mike Hastings, Millsboro, Del., 1,119
102, Ken Waters, Kingsport, Tenn., 1,117
103, Bob Chamberlain, The Villages, Fla., 1,109
104, Douglas Weese, Carson City, Mich., 1,107
105, Marty Berke, Allentown, Pa., 1,106
106, Glen Nakagawa, Highland Village, Texas, 1,105
107, Bobby Dunn, Augusta, Ga., 1,101
108, Donald Breihan, Columbia, S.C., 1,097
109, Fred Baldwin, Sturgis, Mich., 1,087
110, Andy Anderson, Falls Church, Va., 1,084
111, Donna Tuttle, King, N.C., 1,080
112, Mike Broussard, Houma, La., 1,079
113, Fred Kouri, Castle Rock, Colo., 1,071
114, Joseph Venezio, Linden, N.J., 1,067
115, Frank Gallo Jr., Newport News, Va., 1,036
116, Rick Bucceri, Deltona, Fla., 1,010
117, Rod Michael, Florissant, Mo., 1,003
118, Lindell Woolard, Tallahassee, Fla., 999
119, Peter Brainard, Tampa, Fla., 971
120, J. Wayne Shank, Winter Park, Fla., 941

Troy captures its first bowling championship

It wasn’t quick or easy but the Trojans did what they set out to do – win a state championship.
It took five games for Troy to top Wapakoneta and claim its first title at the boys state bowling championship at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl on Saturday. Troy took the first game, 206-201, and won every other game in the best-of-five final match.
In their first round Troy went five games against Perry Massillon including a roll-off.
Troy got off to a good start Saturday. Sparked by strong individual performances by sophomore A.J. Bigelow and junior Jared Sierra, who were fifth and seventh, respectively, in the individual standings, the Trojans were third after qualifying rounds. Wapakoneta and Fairmont were first and second.
Troy placed fourth in the girls state tourney Friday.
Solo success: His 674 was the second highest series among all of the bowlers in the competitive tournament field but it was little consolation to Fairmont bowler Ryan Wolfe.
“Yea, it’s an accomplishment for me but this is a team sport and I wanted us to do well as a team,” the Firebirds junior said.
Fairmont was second after the Baker qualifying rounds, but quickly bowed out in match play, losing in three straight games to Struthers and placing fifth.
“We beat ourselves,” Ryan said. “We averaged 214 in Baker qualifying and we couldn’t do better than the 170s in match play.”
While the sting of the Firebirds state performance is still fresh, head coach Rex Wolfe thinks it will be a learning experience for the Fairmont team that will lose only one bowler to graduation.
“I tell the boys, ‘Let this one burn and then learn and move on,’ ” Wolfe said.
Air time: SportsTime Ohio will broadcast the OHSAA Bowling Championships on tape delay on Monday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m.

Seaman girls win first state bowling title

Seaman coach Geoff Poston sat by himself at the south end of Northrock Lanes on Thursday morning, nervously fiddling with a cell phone.

The Vikings’ girls bowling team opted for group therapy, huddling and holding hands as team scores from the Class 5-1A state meet were read over the public-address system in ascending order.

When eighth through second places were announced with no mention of Seaman, junior Alexis Hackler closed her eyes tight and squeezed two teammates’ hands tightly to launch her celebration. With a three-game team pinfall total of 2,423, the Vikings edged Buhler by eight pins to capture their first state bowling title.

Hackler’s 643 series, highlighted by a team-best 243 in the second game, set the pace for Seaman. With a new postseason scoring format in place in which the top four individual scores from a team counted in each game, Seaman sandwiched Game 1 and 3 scores of 796 around an 831 in the middle game.

Hackler finished fourth individually. Senior Shelby Shaw (621), a ninth-place finisher, and junior Courtney Bigger (576), who was 15th, also earned individual medals.

“Our parents started adding it up, and we knew it was really close,” Hackler said. “We got really nervous there toward the end right before they announced the scores.”

With Centennial League and regional champion Shawnee Heights experiencing a rare off day in defense of its 2010 team title, Seaman capitalized. The Vikings were in fourth place — 63 pins behind leader Buhler — after the first game. But behind Hackler’s 243 and Bigger’s series-best 204, Seaman sliced its deficit to 18 pins heading in to the final game.

“We stressed spares and filling frames,” said Poston, whose entire team finished in the top half of the 72-bowler field. “We told them if you have a bad game, shake it off and someone will pick you up.”

Bowling in the same lanes with Buhler, Seaman competed amid the cheers of a large contingent of Crusader fans throughout the meet. There were plenty of roars in the final game. But with Hackler (227), Shaw (215), Britni Thoman (178) and Katie Brazda (176) contributing, Seaman’s 796 pinfall total in the final game was 26 better than Buhler.

“One thing you really learn to do is block things out,” Shaw said. “You’ve really got to focus when you’re up there, so you just learn not to listen to all of it.”

There was plenty of yelling for Carroll freshman Hollyann Johansen, who won the individual title with a 756 series and led the Eagles to a third-place finish. Johansen rolled a 289 in the second game, opening with 10 consecutive strikes before leaving a 10-pin with her second attempt in the 10th frame. That matched Garden Plain’s Elizabeth May for the tournament’s high game.

Shawnee Heights finished sixth with a 2,216 pinfall score. Junior Jessica Thompson, last year’s individual champion, rolled a 635 series to finish sixth. She was the T-Birds’ lone individual medalist. Junior Kristi Renyer, the 2009 state champion, rolled a 537 and was 26th.

“The girls have had a fantastic year,” Shawnee Heights coach Nick Harris said. “Every now and then, you have one of those days where somebody else has a better day.

“Congratulations to Topeka Seaman. When I’ve said our league is one of the better ones In the state, I meant it. And that held true today.”

Topeka West junior Rachel Barber, who won last week’s regional meet, finished 21st with a 553 series.

TEAM SCORES

Topeka Seaman 2,423; Buhler 2,415; Carroll 2,370; Andover Central 2,306; Lansing 2,267; Shawnee Heights 2,216; Great Bend 2,181; KC Turner 1,978.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

1. Johansen, Carroll, 221-289-246 – 756; 2. Ladigo, Andover Central, 233-203-247 – 683; 3. Carter, KC Sumner, 189-237-236 – 662; 4. Hackler, Seaman, 173-243-227 – 643; 5. Allan, Buhler, 234-203-206 – 643; 6. Thompson, Shawnee Heights, 233-198-204 – 635; 7. Angello, Lansing, 222-246-157 – 625; 8. Mason, Andover Central, 226-152-246 – 624; 9. Shaw, Seaman, 233-173-215 – 621; 10. Bartel, Buhler, 226-177-205 – 608.

11. Reed, KC Sumner, 162-208-233 – 603; 12. May, Garden Plain, 161-289-137 – 587; 13. Kirmer, Great Bend, 192-156-235 – 583; 14. Eckert, Lansing, 177-180-224 – 581; 15. Bigger, Seaman, 200-204-172 – 576; 16. Kuckelman, Carroll, 208-189-178 – 575; 17. Bailey, Buhler, 199-204-172 – 575; 18. Hejny, Great Bend, 170-225-176 – 571; 19. Gulick, Circle, 157-223-184 – 564; 20. Hunt, Buhler, 200-202-161 – 563.

Other Seaman — 25. Thoman 170-194-178 – 542; 30. Ross 190-190-145 – 525; 34. Brazda 153-188-176 – 517.

Other Heights — 26. Renyer 176-185-176 – 537; 31. Breitkreutz 186-142-194 – 522; 40. Crawford 126-181-187 — 494; 57. Welch 154-138-164 – 456; 67. Oliva 150-139-109 – 398.

West results — 21. Barber 167-187-199 – 553; 32. Wolfley 177-184-158 – 519.