Sports

WALTER RAY WILLIAMS JR., the all-time leader in victories on the Professional Bowlers Association national tour, reached another milestone last week at the PBA/PBA50/PBA60 Decker Appraisal Services Baker Trios tournament in Harrisonburg, Va.

“Deadeye,” as he is known by virtue of his bowling and horseshoe pitching skill, combined with Dennis Lane and Dick Allen to win the trios event for his 100^th overall PBA title.

Some of you may remember that Walter Ray put on a bowling and horseshoe pitching exhibition at Mancuso Bowling Center (then Mancuso Lanes) about 30 years ago at the invitation of Mike DiMartino. It was quite a show as Williams, a nine-time World Champion horseshoe pitcher, and DiMartino, at least a nine-time NYS horseshoe pitching champion, tossed ringer after ringer on portable pits set up in the parking lot outside the bowling center's east entrance.

Williams' latest bowling title is his 10^th as a PBA50 Regional competitor. He also has 47 wins on the regular PBA Tour, 32 PBA Regional crowns and 11 PBA50 Tour titles.

Fellow Hall of Famer Pete Weber has 99 combined Tour titles.

In other PBA news:

-- Mike Wolfe of New Albany, Ind., won his first PBA Tour title in eight years, defeating Darren Tang of San Francisco, 279-143, in the finals of the Cheetah Championship that was televised on Sunday on ESPN.

The win added $20,000 to Wolfe’s bank account, while Tang, a 21-year-old rookie, pocketed $10,000.

-- The finals of three more “animal pattern” tournaments from last month’s World Series of Bowling will be televised this weekend on ESPN – the Chameleon Championship at 1 p.m. Saturday, and a Christmas Day doubleheader on Sunday featuring the Scorpion Championship at 2:30 p.m. and the Shark Championship at 3:30 p.m.

-- Last month, I cast my vote for three people on the ballot for the PBA Hall of Fame and I am glad to announce that all three – Bryan Goebel, Steve Hoskins and Mike Scroggins – have been elected for superior performance.

All three were forces on the PBA Tour in the 1980s, ‘90s and 2000s. Goebel and Hoskins are 10-time champions with major tournament titles, and Scroggins has eight titles including the USBC Masters and U.S. Open.

Induction ceremonies will take place on Feb. 13 at Grand Casino Hotel & Resort in Shawnee, Okla.

GRAVANDA’S ‘BEAT THE CHAMP’ APPEARANCE IS SATURDAY

Fans of the “Beat The Champ” bowling show on WBBZ-TV (MeTV) were able to watch Batavian Rich Wagner win two matches before losing his third match on Dec. 10 – earning $250 for his efforts – and now will have the opportunity to see another Batavia resident this Saturday at 4 p.m. (with a repeat showing at 11 p.m. Sunday).

Fred Gravanda will take on current champion John Danielwicz of Sanborn in the first match. The winner will go up against Paul Tatone of St. Catharines, Ontario, and the winner of that match will take on Szczublewski of West Seneca.

The fourth and final show from Mancuso Bowling Center (taping took place on Nov. 30) will be televised on Dec. 31. It will be a mixed doubles event featuring four teams of Genesee Region bowlers – Rich and Jen Wagner, Chris and Jenn Bardol, Frank Jarkiewicz and Laurie Morgante, and Mark and Penny Brown.

GRAY SR. CASHES AT 60-AND-OVER EVENT IN ROCHESTER

Three days after undergoing surgery on his left thumb, Kevin Gray Sr. of Honeoye Falls was back on the lanes and found a measure of success at the 60-and-Over Tournament Bowlers Club event at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes in Rochester.

The 63-year-old right-hander, wearing a cast on his left hand, placed fourth out of 46 bowlers, just missing the three-bowler finals by a few pins.  Still, he won $125.

Gravanda and Joe Trigilio of Attica also cashed in the tournament by advancing to the top 12.

Bob Hodgson of Medina notched his second 800 series of the season while Scott Noble of Perry recorded his first United States Bowling Congress-certified 300 game in recent Genesee Region USBC league competition.

Hodgson, 69, a retired sixth-grade teacher for Medina Central School, rolled 279-279-258—816 in the Wednesday Community League at Medina Lanes on Dec. 7.

On Nov. 9, he posted 810, and this past January, he had two 300 games in the Thursday Firefighters League at Medina Lanes.

When it was mentioned to him that he’s on quite a roll, Hodgson said, “It’s been hot and cold. Some nights I’ve had it and some not so good.”

The right-hander said his new ball, the Storm Optimus, has worked very well on the center’s new synthetic lanes.

“I have to play a little wider because the lanes seem to hold the oil better,” Hodgson said. “They don’t dry out as quickly and the oil is longer. It’s easier to pick the 10-pins.”

That’s all Hodgson left in the first two games on lanes 17-18 – rolling nine straight strikes in each before leaving a 10-pin.  He struck on the final ball of each game for back-to-back 279s, and then added nine more strikes in the third game for 258.

He bowls on a team with his wife, Merry; daughter, Tricia, and son, Tim.

“It’s great bowling with the family, especially for Tim, who has Down syndrome,” Hodgson said. “He loves to bowl and he has a 145 average.”

Hodgson holds a 213 average in the Wednesday league. He now has seven 800 series and 10 perfect games.

At Perry Bowling Center, Noble shook off the effects of a mishap at work earlier in the day to roll 300-247-193—734 on lanes 7-8 on Dec. 8 in the Thursday Night League.

“I tire blew up on me and it kind of took the wind out of me,” said Noble, a 32-year-old righty who works for Sedam Tires in Perry. “I was pretty sore later on.”

Despite the accident and the fact that he didn’t get lined up in practice, Noble started with the first 18 strikes before breaking off in the middle of the second game.

“During practice, I couldn’t find anything … the ball wasn’t moving,” he said. “So I decided to throw a totally different shot than I normally throw.”

Noble said he moved back a foot on the approach and moved about eight boards to the right.

“I ended up shooting down the 10-board (second arrow),” said Noble, who used a year-old Hammer Dark Legend. “I usually don’t play that straight.”

He said he will be ordering a ring from USBC, which awards certified bowlers for their first 300 game or 800 series. 

In action at Mancuso Bowling Center, left-hander Rich Wagner (coming off a successful appearance on the "Beat The Champ" TV show) gave himself an early Christmas and birthday present – he will be 34 on Christmas Day – with a 300 game en route to a 781 series in the North Pole Restaurant/Family Affair Boat Repair Thursday night league on Dec. 8.

Jim Dommer of Batavia just missed perfection as he shot 299 in the first game of that night.

Honorable mention goes to Michele Larson of Batavia, who rolled 246-236-215—697 on Dec. 14 in the Wednesday Night Ladies League at Mancuso’s, and to Bobby Donovan, who recorded a 735 series (his first 700) in the Thursday Owls League at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen on Dec. 8.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs:

Shady City stuck to script with a strong come from behind effort to win the $9,500 Open pacing feature at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Dec. 17).

Foreign Officer (Shawn Gray) shot out for the lead quickly and gained that position without any opposition. Once there, he led the group in single file to the half in :57.2. When the race advanced past five-eighths, Shady City (Larry Stalbaum) pulled first up and brought Warrawee Qually (Kevin Cummings) with him as they proceeded to advance toward the leader.

Those positions remained unchanged around the far turn, but at the head of the stretch, Shady City put on another of his furious closing brushes. He went by the fading Foreign Officer, as well as Western Expression (Mike Whelan) who had tripped-out and snuck up the rail, to win by a head in 1:54.4.

It was the sixth win of the year for Shady City ($4.10) who has now earned $68,332 for 2016. The 6-year-old gelded son of Metropolitan is owned by his driver, Larry Stalbaum and is trained by Kim Asher.

In the $9,000 co-featured Open II pace, Rock The Dream (Ray Fisher Jr.) came from last at the half to go three-wide at three-quarters and win a narrow decision over Private Equity (Todd Cummings) in 1:55.1. It was the fourth win in five starts for Rock The Dream ($7.90) who is owned by Tessa Roland and trained by the Downs leading trainer, JD Perrin.

Ray Fisher Jr. had a driving grand slam while Larry Stalbaum got the hat trick and Shawn Gray doubled up. Trainer Kim Asher also had three wins on the night followed by JD Perrin with two.

As the 2016 meet came to a close, the leading driver and trainer were welcomed in front of the grandstand and presented with their winning hardware. Drew Monti was the leading dash driver with 116 wins and trainer JD Perrin was the top conditioner for the third straight year at the Batavia summer/fall meet with 47 wins.

RENO, Nev., DEC. 12, 2016 – E.J. Tackett of Huntington, Ind., one of the Professional Bowlers Association’s rising young stars, defeated veteran Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., 246-180, to win the PBA World Championship Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium.

Tackett, PBA’s 2013 Rookie of the Year, won his first major championship and his fourth title of the 2016 season with a closing string of six strikes after Smallwood lost his strike line on the left lane and suffered two open frames late in the match. Tackett, the top qualifier for the World Championship for the second year in a row, earned $60,000 along with his fifth career title.

“It was the greatest feeling in the world to have my dad here to watch,” Tackett said after a tearful embrace with his father, Ed Tackett.

“It was great to bowl a good game to win,” Tackett said. “Tom gave me some breaks, which you’d never expect from him, but to throw the last six strikes, to be able to perform like that on a stage like this is what you dream about. It’s been a huge breakout year for me. I just hope I can keep riding the wave. I don’t expect to win every time, but I just want to bowl well.”

With his win, the 5-foot-7, 130-pound right hander, put himself into the thick of the PBA Player of the Year race.

“Player of the Year is one of those things you strive for,” the 24-year-old Tackett said. “Now it’s a matter of what my peers think. With the kind of year I’ve had, I’d put myself in the top five in the world. Where, I’m not sure, but I grew up watching Tiger Woods, and I want to be the Tiger Woods of bowling.”

Smallwood earned his berth in the title match with three consecutive wins, including a 266-235 victory over England’s Dom Barrett in the semifinal match. Smallwood, who became a hero among America’s working class in early 2010, started the match against Barrett with eight strikes before leaving the 3-6-10 in the ninth frame.

Smallwood’s legacy began during the recession of 2009 when he lost his job with GMC and decided to pursue his dream of bowling professionally. He earned an exemption to bowl on the PBA Tour during the 2009-10 season, but more importantly, won the 2010 PBA World Championship for his first title and a $50,000 prize.

Smallwood, with key strikes when he needed them, eliminated 19-year-old Anthony Simonsen, who failed to carry strikes at critical opportunities, in the first match, 204-193. Simonsen, a two-handed player from Austin, Texas, was trying to become the youngest player to win two major titles in the same season after winning the United States Bowling Congress Masters in February.

In the second match, Smallwood rebounded from an open second frame with a string of five strikes, building a lead Australia’s Jason Belmonte couldn’t overcome. Belmonte, the three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year, saw his hopes for his first title in 2016 die when he left the 3-4-6-7 split in the ninth frame and failed to convert, losing to Smallwood, 224-185.

The PBA World Championship was the final event of the 2016 PBA Tour season. PBA competition resumes January 10-14 when a field of 16 PBA stars will join 16 Japanese players in the DHC PBA Japan Invitational in Osaka.

 PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

National Bowling Stadium, Reno, Nev., Sunday

Final Standings:

1, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., $60,000.

2, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., $30,000.

3, Dom Barrett, England, $25,000.

4, Jason Belmonte, Australia, $20,000.

5, Anthony Simonsen, Austin, Texas, $15,000.

Stepladder Results:

Match One – Smallwood def. Simonsen, 204-193.

Match Two – Smallwood def. Belmonte, 224-185.

Semifinal Match – Smallwood def. Barrett, 266-235.

Championship – Tackett def. Smallwood, 246-180.

The honor score list in the Genesee Region USBC this season continues to grow at a rapid pace as five more bowlers posted 300 games over the past couple weeks, with one of them making it a “daily double” by recording an 800 series as well.

Matt Slocum of Perry shot his eighth USBC-certified perfect game in the middle of a 267-300-248—815 effort on Nov. 21 in the Monday Napa 400 League at Perry Bowling Center.

The big 31-year-old right-hander, nicknamed Strapper, said he took a five-year-old Roto-Grip Nomad Dagger out of the closet recently and, despite it having “3,500 games on it,” as he said, crushed the 1-3 pocket on lanes 3-4.

He said he wasn’t trying to add up his score but knew he was approaching 800. When he struck on the first ball in the 10^th frame the honor score was secure.  His high series is 836.

An officer at Groveland Correction Facility in Sonyea, Slocum bowls on a team with his cousin, Ryan Smith; Brian and Brady Weber, and Don Parrott.

Slocum has enjoyed much tournament success over the years, but said he’s now devoting more time to teaching his stepdaughter, Allie Faryna, the finer points of the sport, and is excited to see his 4-year-old son, Gavin, stepping onto the lanes.

Nathan Wright of Batavia credited his parents for encouraging him to play sports in high school after rolling his second 300 game while substituting in the Realty USA/No Finer Diner Doubles League at Mancuso Bowling Center on Monday (Dec. 5).

The 27-year-old Wright, a 6-foot, 300-pound muscular NYS corrections officer, started with the 300 game on lanes 9-10, and finished with 247 and 202 for a 749 series. Last year, he had his other 300 in the same league.

A league bowler for only the past five years (he’s a regular in the Antique World Tuesday night league at Mancuso’s), Wright said he sees the game as an extension of a commitment to athletics that began while a student at Pembroke Central School.

“I was in wrestling, football, baseball and track (at Pembroke),” he said. “I’m thankful that my parents pushed me to stay in sports. They said I would stay out of trouble … and keep me off the streets. As it turned out, if I would have had any misdemeanors on my record, I wouldn't have been able to work for the State.”

Wright throws a high-revving ball, without placing his thumb into the hole, with a smooth delivery. Fellow bowler John Gerace rewarded him – and the other 16 members of the league -- by purchasing cheesy bread after the perfect game.

Thomas Friedl of Fillmore, better known as T.J., said the first-time experience of bowling a 300 “is just surreal” when talking about his perfect game on Nov. 27 in the Sunday Night Mixed A League at Letchworth Pines in Portageville.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” said the 37-year-old righty, a third shift supervisor at Morton Salt in Silver Springs. “Everything just came together.”

Friedl admitted he was a “little nervous” entering the 10^th frame of the third game on lanes 5-6, following games of 206 and 266.  He finished with the last seven strikes in the second game, giving him 16 in a row going into the final frame.

“I buried the first ball. The second ball was a bit wide, but came back (to strike). I thought I was going to leave the 10-pin,” he said.

His last delivery was solid in the 1-3 pocket and minutes later he was filling out the application to receive his ring from the United States Bowling Congress.

Friedl, who averages around 200, also has a 299 game to his credit. The 772 is his high series. He’s the patriarch of a bowling family that includes his wife, Erica, and daughters, Sage, 12, and Summer, 9.

Rob Sease of Brockport added to his lengthy list of honor scores with a 300 game while substituting in G&W Vending League at Rose Garden Bowl on Nov. 29.  The 38-year-old right finished with a 740 series.

Sease, who now has about a dozen perfect games to go with a handful of 800 sets, also had a 290 game in the same league on Oct. 18.

Jeff Baes of Gasport rolled his second 300 game of the season on Nov. 23 in the Wednesday Community League at Medina Lanes.  His first one came on Sept. 14.

His games were 203-256-300 for a 759 series, raising his average to 214.

Unofficially, there have been 16 perfect games and 11 800 series so far this season in the GRUSBC.

It came down to the last few minutes, and the Trojans could not hang on for the win.

Leading most of the game, Alexander put up some impressive stats:

Matt Genaway 21pts, 4 steals

Chris McClinic 10pts, 8 assists, 5 rebounds

Dustin Schmieder 12pts, 6 rebounds

Erik Scharlau 9pts, 12 rebounds

Alexander hosts Attica this Friday at 7pm.

More pictures from the game can be found here: http://francletography.photoshelter.com/gallery/Barker-v-Alexander-Varsity-11-30-16/G0000xr37sg7Tdf4/C0000f.aPItX_A7o