Rochester left-hander Dan Vick showed once again why he is arguably the best bowler in Western New York as he captured the 42nd annual Mount Morris Pepsi Open scratch singles tournament on Jan. 19 at Mount Morris Lanes.
The 33-year-old Vick, a former Rochester Institute of Technology bowling standout, made the flat 1:1 oil pattern look easy on his way to pocketing the $1,500 first prize.
In the four-game qualifying round, Vick posted a 910 total (227.5 average) to place second out of the 16 qualifiers – behind Rochester’s Mike Rose Jr.’s 917 – and went on to average over 200 in the finals, defeating Batavian Rich Wagner and Perry’s Brett Van Duser before topping Canada’s Dan McClelland, 219-187, in the title match.
Followers of the Professional Bowlers Association Tour may remember that McClelland, a former Canadian Bowler of the Year, finished fourth in the 2014 PBA Tournament of Champions.
Besides Wagner and Van Duser, Nathan Tackentien of Arcade also cashed at the tournament, which drew 87 entries.
In other tournament action:
-- Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia hosted the annual Curt Haight Memorial four-person handicap no-tap tournament on Jan. 18, drawing 29 teams. Proceeds from the event ($1,200) were donated to Genesee Cancer Assistance.
The team of Geoff Harloff, Tom McJury, Ed Doody and Scott Culp took the $600 top prize with a score of 3,291.
They were followed by the teams of Matt Balduf, Mike Johnson, Jim Pursel and George Beckman with 3,270 ($350); Jonnah and Tyler Whipple, Fred Blair and Judy Ward ($300); John Wolff, Steve Krna, Ron Lawrence and Bill Neubert ($250) and Sam Oddo, Alex Morris, Andrew Fowler and Chris Fowler ($200).
-- Le Roy Legion Lanes’ annual fundraiser – the Help-R-Hero’s four-person handicap no-tap tournament – attracted 37 teams last weekend and raised $3,000 for the cause, the most yet, according to Scott O’Neill, tourney director.
The top six teams cashed. The first three are as follows:
First place – Quiet Thunder (Blair, Ward, Whipple, Whipple), 3,282, $840. By the way, this combination has won and cashed in several tournaments this season.
Second place – Big Pocket (Mike Hackett, Ron Brown, Darleen Balduf, Sam Hilburger), 3,216, $580.
Third place – Sease (Rob Sease, Aaron Philp, Kai Clark, Dave Emler), 3,152, $320.
-- Two Genesee Region USBC bowlers – Bob Hodgson of Medina and Mike Pettinella of Batavia (this columnist) cashed at the Tommy Kress 60-and-Over Tour stop at Parkview Bowl in Rochester on Sunday afternoon.
Pettinella rolled 654 and Hodgson 641 during the qualifying round to advance but were eliminated in the first round of the finals, with Pettinella’s 205 missing out by four pins. Each earned $65.
Left-hander Gary Reynolds of Groton won three matches in the stepladder finals with games of 256, 246 and 233 to claim the $250 first prize.
The next event on the scratch singles tour schedule is the 3rd annual Super Senior Championship sponsored by A Better Choice Pro Shop at 1 p.m. Feb. 23 at AMF Gates Lanes in Rochester.
First prize is $1,000 guaranteed and the entry fee is $70. The top 16 after the three-game qualifying round, including leaders of four age groups (60-64, 65-69, 70-74 and 75 & over), will advance to the eliminator finals.
To enter, contact Kress at 595-739-3097 or Kevin Martin at 585-355-7590.
The remainder of the 60-and-Over Tour schedule:
-- March 15, Miller Lanes, Honeoye Falls;
-- April 6, Pleasure Lanes, Hilton;
-- May 3, Brad Angelo Lanes, Lockport;
-- May 17, Sunset Lanes, Rochester.
SUPER BULL HANDICAP SINGLES SET FOR THIS SUNDAY
The T.F. Brown’s Super Bull Handicap Singles tournament is scheduled for noon Sunday at Mancuso Bowling Center, offering a top prize of $500 based on 30 entries. The entry fee is $45.
The format calls for a four-game qualifying round (just one round at noon) with one in four bowlers advancing to head-to-head match play (one game) until a winner is determined.
Handicap is based on 100 percent of 215, using last year’s highest average unless the current average is 10 or more pins higher.
To enter, contact Mark Brown at 716-474-7960.
GENESEE REGION’S 5-PERSON BAKER IS FEB. 8 IN GENESEO
With Batavian Paul Spiotta opting not to run the Masters scratch singles tournament this season, the Genesee Region USBC has replaced it with the first 5-Person Baker Scratch tourney, which is scheduled for Feb. 8 at Livingston Lanes in Geneseo.
A first-place prize of $1,000 is being offered, based on the maximum 32 teams. Entry fee is $100 per team.
Qualifying squads (max of 16 teams per squad) are set for noon and 2:30 p.m. Each team will roll five Baker-style games – where team members alternate frames – and one in four teams from each squad will advance to the finals.
It is important to note that the team average is capped at 1,075, using bowlers’ highest USBC average from either the 2017-18 or 2018-19 seasons.
For more information or to enter, send an email to mikep@bowlgr.com.
LETCHWORTH PINES TO HOST NUNDA FD NO-TAP EVENT
On Feb. 8-9, Letchworth Pines is hosting a three-person handicap no-tap tournament to benefit the Nunda Fire Department.
First place, based on 40 entries is $700 and one in 10 entries will cash. The entry fee is $75 per team.
Squad times are noon, 2 and 4 p.m. on Feb. 8 and 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. on Feb. 9.
Contact Dana Cotton at 585-261-5799 to enter.
ALBION YOUTH POSTS 700 SERIES IN GR TRAVEL LEAGUE
Gavin Baney of Albion, a member of the Oak Orchard Bowl youth program, is still looking for his first 600 series, but he’s not too concerned about it after recording his first United States Bowling Congress-certified 700 series last Sunday.
The 14-year-old right-hander exploded for games of 206, 257 and 245 for a 708 series while competing in the Genesee Region Youth Travel League at his home center.
Baney raised his average from 151 to 168 with the big series and helped his Oak Orchard Bowl II team defeat Mancuso’s Strike Force, 21-7. He now has the league’s high scratch and handicap series (867) and high handicap game (310).
First place Le Roy Legion Lanes defeated Oak Orchard Bowl I, 17-11, to stay on top but Mount Morris Lanes gained a lot of ground with a 25-3 win over Rose Garden Bowl I. Josh Morris and Trent Willis paced Mount Morris with 596 and 571, respectively, while Jillian Menzie rolled a 592 series for Rose Garden Bowl I.
The league bowls again on Feb. 9 at Perry Bowling Center.
PBA ROUNDUP: RASH WINS; T OF C FINALS ARE FEB. 9
Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., posted his 15th career title by winning four consecutive matches on Sunday, defeating top qualifier Ryan Ciminelli of Lancaster, S.C. (formerly of Cheektowaga), in the finale, 289-234, of the PBA Oklahoma Open.
The victory was worth $30,000 while Ciminelli took home $15,000.
The next stop on the 2020 Go Bowling PBA Tour is the PBA Jonesboro Open at Hijinx in Jonesboro, Ark. The finals will air live on FS1 Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EST. All preliminary rounds are being livestreamed by FloBowling.com.
AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio, will host the PBA Tournament of Champions from Feb. 3-9, with the finals of the major tournament airing live at 5 p.m. on Feb. 9 on FOX.
Australian Jason Belmonte will attempt to defend his title. He is the career leader in major titles with 11, having moved past PBA Hall of Famers Earl Anthony and Pete Weber, who each have 10 major tournament victories.
The winner of this year’s T of C will earn $100,000. In fact, three PBA majors are offering 100 grand on top with the World Championship and Playoffs being the others.
