Surdich on Bowling: Senior Singles Championships on Jan. 16

Our Merced County USBC Association is hosting its annual Senior Singles Handicap Tournament Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. at Bellevue Bowl.

There will be a division for players 50-64 years old and another for those 65 and older. The men and women will compete together, and it will be regular bowling. You’ll use your April 15, 2015, book average.

Entry fee is $25 per person, and one out of five will cash. Walk-ins are welcome and must sign up by 12:30 p.m. According to Keith Hunter, our association manager, the tourney board will supply coffee and cookies. They also will run brackets during the tournament you can enter for $5 each.

League highlights – The Monday Night Merchants had Rico Monton, with a 119 average, rolling a great 194 game. Bruno Holte had a 256 game and 678 series. In the Central Valley Nisei league, Mike Robins shot a 277 game and a 704 set.

Scratch TOC finals at Yosemite Lanes – A total of 24 bowlers who qualified during the past year competed in the Tournament of Champions at Yosemite Lanes in Modesto. They rolled on six different Kegel Landmark patterns on six pairs of lanes.

Sacramento’s Noel Vasquez waited in the wings as the No. 1 seed with a 238 average over six games of qualifying. Vasquez took on Modesto PBA bowler Wayne Garber in the championship match on the Kegel Sphinx pattern and prevailed 226-206. Vasquez’s win was good for $400, and Garber earned $310.

To get to the title match, Garber defeated Fresno’s David Street 192-171, then beat Dublin’s Greg Thompson Jr. 224-202 to face Vasquez.

The next scheduled scratch 6-gamer is Jan. 24 at noon. The entry fee is $60, and one out of four will cash.

New for 2016 is that a sponsor might be in the works. Details should be finalized by the January tourney.

Black Oak senior handicap – Black Oak Lanes’ 11th annual senior handicap no-tap tournament will be held March 4 and 11. Squad times are at 1:30 p.m., and the cost is only $15 for three games of 9-pin no-tap. Men must be 55 and older and women 50 and older.

I have reserved 16 spots for the March 11 squad. Contact me if you’re interested in going up the hill. The March 4 squad is open. If you want to roll on that day, call tournament director Jeff Hurley at 209-928-9437.

High-game scores for men and women are paid out after every game, and checks for the final tournament winners are mailed out in 30 days. As usual, you receive coffee and cookies during the afternoon.

New 500 club officers – Our Merced/Atwater Women’s 500 Club held its annual election of officers and meeting Sunday at Bellevue. There are a few changes on the board. Elected as president was Debbie Taliaferro, and re-elected as board members were Patty Harrell and Marie Herrera, and Rikki Cascia as Sergeant at Arms. They’re on two-year terms.

HOF nominations are open – Nominations for the Merced County Bowling Hall of Fame end Jan. 31. Now is the time to submit the name of a man or woman you believe deserves to be recognized.

Nominees must have been a member of a Merced County Association for at least 20 years. Bowlers may be nominated for Meritorious Service or Superior Ability.

Nominations also are open for the Pioneer Award. Nominees must have supported bowling through service, sponsorship or participation for at least 30 years.

Hall of Fame nomination forms are available at Bellevue. The induction ceremony is April 16.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Surdich on Bowling: Senior Singles Championships on Jan. 16."