$3,000 prize at upcoming Modesto Masters

Local scratch bowlers have been invited to roll in the 19th annual City Masters Tournament to be held at McHenry Bowl in Modesto on March 28 and 29.

Qualifying rounds will be held at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. March 28. The rounds will consist of seven games across 14 lanes.

If there are fewer than 96 entries, the top 16 bowlers, based on total pin-fall, will qualify for the finals. If there are 96 or more entries, the top 24 will qualify for the finals. The finals will be held at 9 a.m. March 29.

The tournament is a double-elimination format with two-game matches. In addition to position money, there will be bonus money for each match won. Check your entry form on the dress code for this tournament.

Entry fee is $125 with guaranteed first-place money of $3,000 and one cash prize for every four entries. If you are interested in rolling the Masters, contact Wayne Garber to register at (209) 524-9161.

Mother Lode doubles

I received the results of the Mother Lode 500 Club’s Scotch Doubles tournament held at Black Oak Lanes in Tuolumne, and the club had a very successful tournament, with 500 club bowlers from the foothills and the Valley.

A total of 46 doubles teams were competing last month with a prize fund of over $750. A couple of local teams from the Tuolumne area were in the top three places. Dennis and Larry Carrillo took first place with a handicap score of 1,170 for $126. In second place were Natalie Achinski and Ashley Stepherson from Plymouth with a score of 1,138 for $110, and in third place were Mitchell and Becky Ford from Tuolumne with a 1,127 for $96.

Local 500 club members who competed were Mary Hamilton, Mary Ickes, Christina Perez, LaDonna Stone and Julie Egleston.

Inductees and scholarship winners

On March 19 our association will announce the latest Hall of Fame inductees and student scholarship winners. There were two women nominated for the hall this year, and for the first time there were no male bowlers nominated this year. The winners will be awarded at the annual Hall of Fame and Scholarship Dinner on April 11 at the Atwater Community Center, sponsored by the Merced County Bowling Hall of Fame committee.

Garber’s win in PBA Sands Regency Classic

The father-and-son duo of Wayne and Will Garber placed in the recent PBA Sands Regency West/Northwest Winter Classic presented by Storm. Darren Tang of San Francisco took the top money of $2,000. Wayne Garber finished in fifth for $750, and son Will “The Thrill” Garber finished in sixth for $650.

They were rolling on the PBA regional tournament Chameleon pattern, which measures 43 feet. There were three perfect games rolled last weekend by Kristin Warzinski, Darren Tang and Will Garber.

City tournament results

I heard that a 300 game and a 290 were rolled in our City Championships last weekend. Results will be out next Thursday.

On a sad note

We lost another bowler who would have been great in his time. Lloyd Hill, 75, passed away March 2. Hill rolled his only 300 game 49 years ago, in 1966.

From what I heard, Lloyd was late getting to the lanes, and picked up a rubber house ball, slipped on a pair of house shoes and rolled his perfecto.

I wasn’t there, but word quickly spread around town about what he did that night. His 300 game was sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress. He was rolling at the old Trailways bus depot on N Street, which was called Continental Bowl.

He might have been late because he was working late as a plumber. Hill never got into bowling at that time like a bunch of us did. He could have been a rising star in bowling. Who knows? I know that he always had a great smile on his face, and he was one of the good guys. Services were private.

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 10:50 PM with the headline "$3,000 prize at upcoming Modesto Masters."