Belmonte rides wins to title
Australia’s two-handed bowler, Jason Belmonte, in January was named PBA Player of the Year for the second year in a row. He is now tied with Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Earl Anthony with two titles. Mark Roth has the record with three POY awards.
Belmonte is the only two-handed bowler to ever win this award. Belmonte has set the bowling world on its ear after he set a record for winning the USBC Masters for the third consecutive time. In the final match he defeated youngster A.J. Johnson, a collegiate bowler from Oswego, Ill., 202 to 157. Belmonte earned $50,000 for the win.
There was a sold-out field of 336 of the top bowlers in the world rolling in the Masters. In the recent PBA’s Barasol 50th Tournament of Champions he was defending his title as he rolled against the top qualifier in Rhino Page of Orlando, Fla., and scored a 232 to 210 victory worth another $50,000.
In the past four seasons, Belmonte has advanced to the television finals in 10 of 12 PBA major championships, winning five of them. We have a two-handed bowler in the Wednesday Commercial Classic league in Mark Moua, who is rolling at a 194 pace. The PBA is on ESPN at 10 a.m. on Sundays.
A reader’s note
A reader of my column wrote in and said that “There is no USBC or PBA rule about placing your towel on a ball in the rack.” He said that was another way that “Jason Belmonte gets to his competitors. He is a master of mind games, and it looks like it pays off.”
NuBall deadline
Sunday is the last day to order your own personal oil extracting machine that extends the life of all your bowling balls. It removes oil from your mid-performance and high-performance reactive and proactive cover stocks. The association receives a great price from the NuBall Company, $135, which includes shipping to your home.
NuBall gives an even heat pattern as not to damage the ball. It circulates heat evenly around your ball. It takes about one hour for the unit to remove the oil from your ball. Call (971) 238-2695 to order it and mention that you are a member of the Merced County USBC. It will save you money in the long run by not buying a ball every year.
Jackson West Regional
A few of our scratch bowlers got tired of watching on TV and decided to join the pros and get a few tips. Neill Barcellos, Justin Decker and David King did just that by rolling in the PBA Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort Championship at Sutter Creek last weekend.
The top 16 out of 75 qualified for the roll-offs. Barcellos ended in 68th, Decker in 71st and King in 47th. They were rolling in their first PBA regional tournament on the Viper pattern. Modesto’s Will Garber ended up in 13th for $575. They were bowling with the best of the best from the West Coast Region. Nice try, guys, don’t give up.
69th championship tournament
The dates are set for the Merced County USBC Association’s annual team, doubles, singles and all-events tournament. The dates are March 7-8 at Bellevue Bowl. You can roll with your four-member team on March 7 at 11 a.m. or March 8 at 3 p.m.
The doubles and singles switch times on both days. Entry fee is $25 per event and $10 for scratch or handicap all events. There is a women’s division and an open category for men or mixed. Your book average is accepted as official. Check over the entry form to make sure you are in the right average category. Entry forms are now available.
500 Club results
The Merced/Atwater Women’s 500 Club Championship tournament results will be posted next week. There were a total of 32 club members rolling for a prize fund of $596 according to Julie Wescott, tournament director.
Don Surdich is a Sun-Star correspondent. He can be reached at (209) 777-1111 or via e-mail at desurdich@aol.com.
SCORING LEADERS: Connie Heil 181, Jess Ramirez 268, Kim Heller 191, Kathy Baker 184, Bill Hickman 220, Caren Thompson 233, Mike Robins 275, Roy Browning 201, Bruno Holte 246, Bo Petty 190, Kim Barcellos 185, Tom Ragsdale 180, Mary Walker 194, Kristen Weimer 179, Louis Cantaloube 190, John Krone 172, Joe Flores 212, Mary Ickes 174, Lynn George 160, Richard Snell 278, Ed Rowen 223, Vicki Lester 179, Victor Segoviano 192, Betty Stout 169, Ted Council 163, Tosh Kajioka 221.
SERIES LEADERS: Margaret Shaw 455, Mike Bond 528, Julie Egleston 536, Ernie Pinheiro 562, Bill Botwright 575, Jenny Avellar 584, Ray Mayfield 585, Rodney Alday 609, Richard Moore 616, Ronnie Heil 644, Jerry Hill 675, Courtney Dahlin 681, Gene Wallace 690, Larry Valenti Sr. 692, Jim Mullings 705, Gene Broussard 708, Eric Hickman 714, Sean McCulloch 718, Nathan Flanagan 719, Charles Mook 724, Larry Valenti Jr. 758, Mike Coe 772, Mark E. Thompson 795.
This story was originally published February 25, 2015 at 9:33 PM with the headline "Belmonte rides wins to title."