500 Club hosting 45th annual 9-pin, no-tap invitational

The Merced/Atwater Women’s 500 Club will be holding their 45th Annual 9-pin, no-tap invitational on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1:30 p.m. at Bellevue Bowl.

This club is doing wonders after being doormat for a few years. The closing of Century Bowl in Merced caused them to lose club members. They lost some of their leaders as in Hazel Rufer and Evelyn Reese with their passing. Barbara Chance and Barbara McLane led the club for years, but, the membership dwindled over the years.

Kristin Weimer got it rolling and put the finishing touches on the club, which is now one of the best in the Valley. Taking over in the last few years has been LaDonna Stone, Julie Egleston, and Debbie Taliaferro as they have continued the tradition of the club.

It has grown in the past several years with their leadership with great tournaments featuring great lunches, super payouts, great raffles, big money 50/50 drawing, and gifts given to all the women who enter the Invitational.

The invitational is the crown of the club as it is an exciting tournament for the women who come to Atwater. This year the club will be giving out tote bags and a surprise gift to all 500 club members who enter the tournament courtesy of Delta-Sierra Beverage of Modesto.

Entry forms are now available at Bellevue Bowl and the entry fee is $25. You will be using your 2016-17 composite averages, if none, then summer 2017. Come out and celebrate the club's 45th Invitational.

High rollers

In the Commercial Classic Adam Barden rolled a 277 in his third game and almost rolled a magical 800 series with a super 799 series. Larry Valenti 247, Steve Mead 245, Esther Plantilles 134, Larry Valenti Jr. 744, Corey Phillips 233, William Woods 215, Matt Pimentel 188, Bill Helms 220, Monty Stone 720, Sherman Kishi 180, Alice Stover 133, Minda Krone 174, Darren Alexander 199, Bill Hickman 673, Robert Whitford 633, Sean Kucius 255, Dave Porter 257, Dan Erreca 676, Gene Broussard 277, Cam Clemens 721, Gene Wallace 712, Kenny Davis 204, and Dawn Fernandez a 594.

Join the 500 Club

Any women bowlers who have rolled a 500 series in any USBC sanctioned league can join the Merced/Atwater Women's 500 Club. The cost is $20 for first year, which includes your 500 Club shirt.

Your yearly fee is $10 which is due in January. Applications to join the club are available at Bellevue Bowl. The cut off to join the club and verity your 500 score and roll in the Invitational Tournament is Friday, Nov. 10.

McBrides take first in no-tap doubles

The father and son duo of Tom and Joe McBride rolled a 1,664 for first place last Saturday night at Bellevue Bowl’s monthly no-tap doubles in a packed house. They split the first place pot of $180. Taking second place and just missing first place with a 1,663 was Michael Steward and Mike Robins. Coming in third was Greg Bennett and Don Surdich with a 1,644 set.

Rolling 300 games during the evening were Robins and Cam Clemens. The November jackpot has jumped to $4,839 for the team rolling two 300 games in the same game.

Bellevue Bowl recap sheets

I was writing down the scores in the Commercial Classic league on Wednesday night, and normally when we are finished for the night you give a copy to the other team and you keep one, and the bowling center gets one.

Wednesday night I was surprised that there was only one sheet. I had to have the desk make me a copy. Did Bellevue Bowl run out of recap sheets, or is this the way it is now.

I asked Sean McCulloch about it and he said it was a cost saving idea. How much do they save? Don’t they want their league bowlers to feel good at their center? It seemed like no one at the desk could answer my questions.

As most of your know, I’ve been bowling a very long time and this is the first time I’ve seen this at Bellevue Bowl or any bowl? I asked Will Garber who was on the desk at Yosemite Lanes and he told me that they get their recap sheets in a large box full, put them in the printer and they print out the league name, team names, bowlers name with their averages and total handicap. Garber said that the lanes has had three copies for years.

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 2:56 PM with the headline "500 Club hosting 45th annual 9-pin, no-tap invitational."