Hamilton, Docherty lift the curtain

The Merced/Atwater Women’s 500 Club’s Behind the Curtain 9-pin no-tap tournament at Bellevue Bowl in Atwater was another success, according to tournament director Julie Wescott.

A total of 61 bowlers took to the lanes Sunday afternoon – 40 women and 21 men. Lifting the curtain for the women was Marnie Hamilton with a handicap score of 848 for first place and $96. Placing second was Marie Herrera with an 814 ($81). Rikki Cascia was third with an 805 ($72), Sandra Olivarez fourth with a 769 ($62) and Peggy Docherty fifth with a 768 ($52). Also, Lydia Sparks finished sixth (759, $48), Kathy La Fever seventh (753, $38) and Renee Magness eighth (750, $28).

The men’s side had Keith Docherty tearing down the curtain with a couple of 300 games for a handicap total of 905 for $80. In second place was Ed Huddleston with an 846 for $68, in third was Jim Hamilton with an 825 for $55, and in fourth was Casey McFarlin with an 810 for $47.

Up next for the club will be the 43rd annual Budweiser Invitational Tournament at the Bellevue Bowl on Nov. 1. Budweiser has guaranteed an additional $100 to the first-place winners in each of three divisions. A Bud tote bag will be given to the first 70 bowlers entering.

Hunter & Hamilton score at Yosemite – It looks like Keith Hunter is still on a roll, as last Friday he placed in two high-game pots with a 339 and a 349 for $18 at Yosemite Lanes in Modesto. He also had a second-place finish in the men’s series with a 914 for $24. Jim Hamilton placed in the second high-game pot with a 318 for $4. He also took third in the men’s series with an 883 for $17.

Up next for our seniors will be the summer’s end no-tap at McHenry Bowl on Friday. There will be a potluck at noon with sign-ups at 12:30 p.m. First ball rolls at 1 p.m. Entry fee is $15.

Valenti Sr. wins San Joaquin – The San Joaquin Bowling Club came up north to Yosemite Lanes last Saturday for its monthly singles tournament. A total of 25 bowlers were rolling. Merced’s Larry Valenti Sr. made a four-game sweep to win first place but had to wait for Dave Egleston to roll in the 10th frame. Egleston, needing a mark to win, rolled an 8-count and chopped a pin for the loss.

The win was worth $279 for Valenti, while Egleston got $200. Valenti rolled a couple of 740s during the day. President Jason Tehee rolled a 300 game during qualifying.

Mark Baker at Yosemite – There has been a change of plans for the two-day clinic that was going to feature PBA pro Chris Barnes and Mark Baker, coach of the pros. Barnes had to cancel due to being picked for Team USA.

Baker, author of “The Game Changer” and the CD “The System,” will be at Yosemite Lanes on Sept. 12-13 to offer one-hour private lessons. The fee is $100 for one hour of one-on-one instruction on the lanes, bowling techniques and lane analysis; equipment will be included. The lessons are limited and filling up fast. Call Jim or Wayne at 209-524-9161 to reserve a spot.

Super scratch league – Want some tough competition? Yosemite Lanes is introducing its Black Oak Classic trio league, which will roll on Monday nights. The trio league has a maximum entering average of 650 cased on your 2014-15 season-ending average. The league rolls at 7 p.m. and you bowl four games with a cost of $25 per person per week. The grand prize is $3,500 guaranteed. There are individual and team spots open. Call Wayne Garber at 209-524-9161.

Fall leagues starting – Fall leagues at Bellevue Bowl will start next week. There are still openings for men, women and full teams in all leagues. There also are openings in two senior leagues running Tuesday and Thursday starting at 1 p.m.

This story was originally published August 26, 2015 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Hamilton, Docherty lift the curtain."