Surdich on Bowling: Senior Singles Tournament is Saturday

This Saturday the Merced County USBC Association is holding its yearly Senior Singles Tournament at Bellevue Bowl starting at 1 p.m. There are two divisions according to age. The A division is for 50 to 64-year-olds and the B division is 65 and up.

Men and women will be bowling in the same divisions. Bowlers will use their 2013-2014 book average in this handicap of three games of regular bowling. Entry fee is $25. Entries close at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday.

HOF nominations are open

Nominations for the Merced County Bowling Hall of Fame and Pioneer Award are now open for all men and women in the County of Merced. A living candidate must have been a sanctioned bowler in the Merced Bowling Association or the Merced/Atwater Women’s Bowling Association for more than 20 years.

There is not a year requirement for posthumous nominees. There are two categories: Meritorious Service and Ability. The Pioneer Award nominees must have been involved in bowling for 30 years or more, been a longtime league participant, a league officer, a sponsor, a team captain, or a bowler who has shown a life-long commitment to our sport. Forms are available at Bellevue Bowl.

Yosemite TOC results

A newcomer to Yosemite Lanes’ year-end Tournament of Champions ended up winning it. Cris Perreira of Visalia had a tough qualifying round with a six-game score of 1,226, a 204 average. Perreria waited for the stepladder winner to get to him. Modesto’s Wayne Garber rolled thorugh the ladder and met Perreira. Perreira defeated Garber, a PBA pro, 227 to 163 on the Don Carter pattern (50 feet).

Perreria took home a check for $400 and Garber received a check for $320.

The next scheduled scratch 6-gamer will be held this Sunday starting at noon with the PBA Viper pattern. I hear that Neill Barcellos and Sean McCulloch will try their luck this Sunday. I wonder if Mark E. Thompson will be making the trip to Modesto?

Rick Francis, a PBA regional and a regular 6-game bowler, was injured while helping a motorist who was in a ditch last month. While helping, another motorist hit Francis and sent him flying. He suffered a broken leg. We wish him our best.

New 500 club officers

The Merced/Atwater Women’s 500 Club chose the following officers to lead the club in the coming year: President LaDonna Stone, vice-president Kristin Weimer, club secretary Julie Egleston, treasurer Peggy Docherty, sergeant at arms Rikki Cascia, directors Mary Ickes, Marie Herrera, Patty Harrell, and Julie Wescott is the tournament director. Immediate past president Phyllis Wallbaum will be serving on the board until 2016.

In other action during the meeting, the club issued out $1,000 checks to the following organizations: Marge Casaletto accepted for the Helping Hands of the Salvation Army, Sharon Roper for the Merced County Bowling Hall of Fame scholarship fund, and Rae Coonce accepted for the Bowlers to Veterans Link (BVL) in past chairman Karen Tweed’s name. The club’s generosity is amazing. A club that was down to a few members several years ago has become the jewel of 500 Clubs in the valley.

Remember when?

In December 1997 Pete DeVries took home a first place trophy and $250 for his victory in the Central Valley Bowling Club’s tournament held at Century Bowl. DeVries was high qualifier for the match play roll-off and waited in the wings for Tony Osche to eliminate Gary Misenhimer of Hanford, Wayne Bauers of Fresno and George Condell of Merced.

In the final match, DeVries outlasted Osche for the championship. A field of 136 bowlers were rolling including Mike Hausmann in sixth place and Rabbit Cornejo in eighth place.

This story was originally published January 15, 2015 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Surdich on Bowling: Senior Singles Tournament is Saturday."