Go RVing Match Play Championship

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)’s all-time win leader Walter Ray Williams Jr. and
reigning PBA Player of the Year Chris Barnes are among four surviving players after Friday’s
elimination rounds in the Go RVing Match Play Championship at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment 
Center.

In a showdown between two of the PBA’s all-time greats, Williams, of Ocala, Fla., defeated Norm
Duke of Clermont, Fla., 4-0, in the best-of-seven games Round of 8 match. Williams, who entered
the eliminations as the No. 5 seed is PBA’s all-time win leader with 45 Tour victories and No. 4 seed
Duke ranks tied for fifth all-time with 32 victories.

In three other Round of 8 matches Friday, Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, defeated Andrew Cain of
Scottsdale, Ariz., 4-0, Mike Wolfe of New Albany, Ind., defeated Billy Oatman of Chicago, 4-0, and
Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio, defeated Brad Angelo of Lockport, N.Y., 4-2.

Williams, Barnes, Loschetter and Wolfe will now enter the semifinals which will take place on Saturday
beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern with coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s online video service. The live
ESPN-final match for the Go RVing Match Play Championship will be conducted Sunday at 1 p.m.
Eastern. Both the semifinals and the live ESPN finals will feature three-game total pinfall matches.

The final leg of the PBA Tour’s five-event “Extreme Swing” also involves the pressure of earning
points to qualify for the GEICO PBA Team Shootout hosted by Six Flags, scheduled for June in
Jackson, N.J. The top eight in Extreme Swing points will earn spots in that special event.

The winner earns a first prize of $25,000 and a one-year exemption on the Lumber 
Liquidators PBA Tour.


Go RVing Match Play Championship
Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center – Norwich, Conn.
Round of 8 – Losers Eliminated, Earnings
#5 Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., def. #4 Norm Duke ($4,100), Clermont, Fla., 4-0
#16 Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, def. #8 Brad Angelo ($4,100), Lockport, N.Y., 4-2
#23 Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., def. #15 Billy Oatman ($4,200), Chicago, 4-0
#3 Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, def. #11 Andrew Cain ($4,100), Scottsdale, Ariz., 4-0

USBC Women's Championships

Back to bowling's Mecca in 2009: The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Women's Championships kicks off on March 28 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

More than 8,200 teams of women from around the country will shoe up with their friends and teammates for competition in singles, doubles, team and all-events.

This is the last year the tournament will be conducted with five divisions, as the tournament moves to a new tournament structure in 2010 in El Paso, Texas. The 2010 Women's Championships will move to a handicap format and a new three-division structure. The event will also be held for the first time in a custom-built arena setting. For more information on these exciting changes, please click here.

2009 Intercollegiate Team Championships

Sectional qualifiers for the 2009 Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC) and 2009 Intercollegiate Singles Championships were held in four separate locations this past weekend: Allentown, Penn., Chattanooga, Tenn., Fairview Heights, Ill. and Las Vegas, Nev.

Qualifying for the ITC on the men's side: Pikeville, Rochester Institute of Technology, Webber International, Robert Morris (Pa.), Saginaw Valley, Robert Morris (Illinois), Purdue, Vincennes, Wichita State, Newman, Nebraska-Lincoln, Calumet, Lindenwood, Fresno State, Arizona State and North Dakota State.

Qualifying on the women's side: Maryland-Eastern Shore, Pikeville, Penn State, Erie Community College, Central Florida, Bellarmine, Robert Morris (Illinois), Ball State, Wichita State, Wright State, Newman, Calumet, McKendree, Lindenwood, Fresno State and Martin Methodist.

Bowl.com is your home for post-season college bowling. Log on for up-to-the-minute scoring during the ITC on April 15-18, and see if your favorite team will take home the Helmer Cup.

Go RVing Match Play Championships

The top four seeds survived the Round of 64 eliminations Thursday in the 
Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Go RVing Match Play Championship
at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center.

No. 1 seed and 2008-09 Player of the Year front-runner Wes Malott of
Pflugerville, Texas defeated Alex Aquiar of Dartmouth, Mass., 4-1 in the best-of-
seven game Round of 64 match. Malott is looking for his fourth win of the 
2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season.

Looking for his first career title, No. 2 seed Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa.,
No. 3 seed and reigning PBA Player of the Year Chris Barnes of Double Oak,
Texas, and No. 4 seed, PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla.., all
advanced to the Round of 32 by winning their matches 4-1.

Like the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Go RVing Match Play Championship
incorporates a win-or-go-home bracket elimination format that started with 64
competitors. Rounds of 32, 16 and 8 will be conducted on Friday.

The semifinals will take place on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern with
coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s online video service. The live ESPN-final
match for the Go RVing Match Play Championship will be conducted Sunday at 1
p.m. Eastern. Both the semifinals and the live ESPN finals will feature
three-game total pinfall matches.

The final leg of the PBA Tour’s five-event “Extreme Swing” also involves the
pressure of earning points to qualify for the GEICO PBA Team Shootout hosted
by Six Flags, scheduled for June in Jackson, N.J. The top eight in Extreme Swing
points will earn spots in that special event.

The Go RVing Match Play Championship is part of the PBA’s 50th Anniversary
season “Extreme Swing,” which also includes the Ultimate Scoring Championship, 
GEICO Plastic Ball Championship, Etonic Marathon Open, and the Don Johnson 
Buckeye State Eliminator. The creative format events are meant to test the
greatest bowlers in the world in different areas of the game, provide television
audiences with a fresh look while providing education on pertinent aspects of
the game.

Go RVing Match Play Championship
Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center – Norwich, Conn.
Round of 64 – Best of 7 Games, Losers Eliminated Earn $1,800

#1 Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, def. #64 Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass., 4-1
#2 Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., def. #63 Scott Santos, Ledyard, Conn., 4-1
#3 Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, def. #62 Joe Biscardi, Wantagh, N.Y., 4-1
#4 Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., def. #61 Joseph Costanzo, Plainview, N.Y., 4-1
#5 Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., def. #60 Vinny D'Ambrosio III, Staten Island, N.Y., 4-3
#7 Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, def. #58 Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N..Y., 4-0
#8 Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., def. #57 Terrance Reeves, Valrico, Fla., 4-1
#9 Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., def. #56 David Traber, Hebron, Ill., 4-1
#10 Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., def. #55 Brian LeClair, Athens, N.Y., 4-1
#12 Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., def. #53 Chester Rogers Jr., Milwaukie, Ore., 4-1
#13 Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., def. #52 Jason Lundquist, Delaware Water Gap, Pa, 4-1
#14 Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., def. #51 Mitch Beasley, Puyallup, Wash., 4-2
#16 Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, def. #49 Craig Tuholski, Washougal, Wash., 4-1
#17 Mike DeVaney, San Diego, def. #48 Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 4-1
#19 Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., def. #46 Chris Warren, Grants Pass, Ore., 4-3
#20 Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., def. #45 Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 4-1
#21 Danny Wiseman, Baltimore, def. #44 Tom Baker, King, N.C., 4-1
#22 Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., def. #43 Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., 4-3
#24 Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan., def. #41 Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, 4-1
#26 Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, def. #39 Todd Book, Wapakoneta, Ohio, 4-2
#27 Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, def. #38 Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 4-3
#28 Ronnie Russell, Indianapolis, def. #37 Ken Abner, Cincinnati, 4-1
#29 Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., def. #36 Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 4-3
#32 Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., def. #33 Robert Smith, Columbus, Ohio, 4-2
#34 Jason Couch, Clermont, Fla., def. #31 Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 4-2
#35 Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., def. #30 Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 4-3
#40 Mike Edwards, Tulsa, Okla., def. #25 Edward VanDaniker Jr., Essex, Md., 4-3
#42 Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., def. #23 Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 4-2
#47 Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, def. #18 Steve Harman, Indianapolis, 4-2
#50 Billy Oatman, Chicago, def. #15 Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 4-3
#59 Bobby Hall II, Landover, Md., def. #6 Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 4-2
#54 Andrew Cain, Scottsdale, Ariz., def. #11 Sean Rash, Wichita, Kan., 4-1

Go RVing Match Play Championship Field Set

In a tournament featuring an NCAA Basketball Tournament-style bracket competition, the field of 64 has been set for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Go RVing Match Play Championship at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center.

Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., topped 69 entrants in Wednesday’s PBA Tour Qualifying Round (TQR) with a 1,590 seven-game pinfall (227.14 average). He will face No. 7 seed Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, in Thursday’s Round of 64.

Like the NCAA Tournament, the Go RVing Match Play Championship will pit 64
contestants in a win-or-go-home bracket elimination competition. Fans of the
Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour can see the seedings and follow the bracket action on PBA.com. There’s also an opportunity for fans to enter their bracket picks to win an autographed PBA bowling pin autographed by the ESPN telecast
finalists.

Other bowlers moving on to the Round of 64 bracket are: Joe Biscardi, Wantagh,
N.Y., 1,562; Bobby Hall II, Landover, Md., 1,551; non-member qualifier Alex
Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass., 1,545; Vinny D’Ambrosio III, Staten Island, N.Y.,
1,519; Joseph Costanzo, Plainview, N.Y., 1,509 and Scott Santos, Ledyard, Conn.,
1,486. Former Professional Woman's Bowling Association (PWBA) star Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, NY, tied for 15th in the TQR. As the top non-member qualifier Aguiar will be seeded 64th and face No. 1 seed Wes Malott in Thursday’s Round of 64.

Already seeded into the field for the “best-of-seven games” eliminations were
the 36 players who have earned their rankings based upon the 2008-09 Lumber
Liquidators PBA Tour points standings. The remaining competitors, including the
top TQR finishers, are now seeded based upon their ranking on the season points standings list.

After today's (Thursday) Round of 64, Rounds of 32, 16 and 8 will be conducted on Friday.

The semifinals will take place on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern with
coverage on Xtra Frame, the PBA’s online video service. The live ESPN-final
match for the Go RVing Match Play Championship will be conducted Sunday March 22 at 1 p.m. Eastern. Both the semifinals and the live ESPN finals will feature three-game total pins matches.


Go RVing Match Play Championship
Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center – Norwich, Conn.
PBA Tour Qualifying Round (TQR) Results (7 games)
*Indicates top non-member advancing to Round of 64

1, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,590
2, Joe Biscardi, Wantagh, N.Y., 1,562
3, Bobby Hall II, Landover, Md., 1,551
4, *Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass., 1,545
5, Vinny D'Ambrosio III, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,519
6, Joseph Costanzo, Plainview, N.Y., 1,509
7, Scott Santos, Ledyard, Conn., 1,486
8, Lindsay Baker, Amherst, N.Y., 1,475, $900
9, Wayne Hedges, Plantsville, Conn., 1,472, $550
10, Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,464, $390
11, Russell Michaud, Hudson, N.H., 1,462, $350
12, Matt Freiberg, Somerset, N.J., 1,459, $207
12, Alex Medveditskov, Russia, 1,459, $207
14, David Simard, Canada, 1,458
15, PJ Haggerty, Clovis, Calif., 1,448
15, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,448
17, Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa, 1,446
18, Mike Centrone, Carmel, N.Y., 1,444
19, George Lambert IV, Canada, 1,436
20, Evan Rachbuch, E. Windsor, N.J., 1,431
21, Curtis Foss, Medina, N.Y., 1,430
22, Bill Holota, Bolton, Conn., 1,423
23, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,412
24, Chris Forry, Bridgeport, Conn., 1,411
25, Steve Wagoner, Broadalbin, N.Y., 1,406
26, Keith Laing, Oakdale, Conn., 1,405
27, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 1,403
28, Troy Wollenbecker, Miami, Fla., 1,395
29, Dan Furman, Amsterdam, N.Y., 1,382
30, Brandon Robertson, Clinton, Conn., 1,378
31, Chris Larsen, Norwich, Conn., 1,376
32, John Nolen, Waterford, Mich., 1,374
33, Jim Tomek Jr., Camp Hill, Pa., 1,373
34, Christopher Colella, Templeton, Mass., 1,367
35, Timothy West, Easton, Conn., 1,351
36, Jason Mahon, East Haven, Conn., 1,349
37, Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 1,345
38, Charles Anderson, Sloatsburg, N.Y., 1,338
39, Chris Ewen, Norwich, N.Y., 1,333
40, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,330
41, Thomas Durand, West Haven, Conn., 1,326
42, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 1,323
43, Skip Candler, Norwich, Conn., 1,304
44, Keith DeCambra, Quincy, Mass., 1,298
45, Robert Jette, Lisbon, Conn., 1,294
46, Dale Aivaz Jr., Yonkers, N.Y., 1,290
47, Bryan Martinson, Lakeland, Fla., 1,287
47, Eric Stangle, Ballston Spa, N.Y., 1,287
49, Skip Odiorne, Windsor Locks, Conn., 1,284
50, Michael Blakeney, Havertown, Pa., 1,280
51, Neil Binder, Shelton, Conn., 1,279
52, Ryan Abel, Bel Aire, Kan., 1,275
53, Mark Cise, Summit, N.J., 1,267
54, Ernie Bourque, Acushnet, Mass., 1,266
55, Brandon Joseph, Glastonbury, Conn., 1,260
56, Michael Markis, Hawley, Pa, 1,257
57, Jeff Bochese, Preston, Conn., 1,256
58, Bryan Easterbrooks, Lyndonville, Vt., 1,245
59, Christopher Sevick, Norwich, Conn., 1,225
60, Aaron Graves, Danbury, Conn., 1,220
61, Paul Christopher, Tonawanda, N.Y., 1,214
62, Gregory Green, Westerly, R.I., 1,210
63, Jack Nealon, Bowie, Md., 1,178
64, Ralph Ehrlich, N. Massapequa, N.Y., 1,170
65, Brian DiCicco, Agawam, Mass., 1,163
66, Larry Wentz III, Bristol, Conn., 1,149
67, Billy Trudell, Coventry, R.I., 1,139
68, Roy Cadoo Jr., Staten Island, N.Y., 1,078
69, David Thomas, Hadley, Mass., 1,077

Light Bowling Balls and Potential Effect

High tech balls don't have much inside when you get down below 14lbs (sometimes making them too costly for the effect they can provide). In a recent question from a customer about performance in a desired lighter ball, I addressed the dilemma of a light version of an expensive hign end ball.

If you want performance in the core, lighter balls don't give you much, I think, because the manufacturers expect the player is smaller in stature (woman, or kid, or older bowler) and the speed the ball is thrown (typically slower in lighter balls) needs to get a minimal amount of skid down the lane. A strong core in a 12 lb ball might get it hooking too much or too early when only thrown 10, 12, 14 mph.

Follow this link to specific info about the core in all the Twisted Fury balls down to 12lbs (look at the bottom of page 2 for examples of all the core shapes). The shape in 13 and 12 isn't bad.

The web link shows the cores in all the weights of the Twisted Fury. While the 14lb core is different than the 12lb version, the majority of effect is from the additional two pounds of ball weight impacting your ball speed, amount of rotation and consistency.

How you use a bowling ball provides most of the effect (you impart lift - rev rate, turn -axis tilt, rotation - axis rotation). I expect if you threw a 12lb Power Groove, 12 lb Avalanche, 12 lb Twisted Fury (and you'd find similar results from other manufacturers, I don't want to single out Brunswick), you would find a very similar reaction. So, is the expense for the higher end ball worth the money? When evaluating a lighter high end ball, look closely at the light products from the manufacturer and ask your bowling shop operator if another product can provide more benefits. I have found similar cores are available in significantly less expensive products.

Of course, the player will dictate what a ball can do. So, if you can't hit a golf ball, a $500 driver, won't help. If you can't throw a bowling ball, the most expensive one won't do much more than a basic one (no matter what the weight).