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Bowling News USA - January 23, 2013 Weber, Duke Make Sweet 16 at Roth Classic

 

Eight players used Storm and Roto Grip equipment to make the Sweet 16 at the 2013 PBA Mark Roth Classic Wednesday at Thunderbowl. After a big Tuesday in which the top two players in the Carmen Salvino Classic used Storm balls to make the ESPN final, almost have of the Roth finalists were using Utah equipment once again.

PBA Hall of Famers Pete Weber and Norm Duke were among them. Weber came out of the gates 257 - 300 with a Roto Grip Berserk, and Duke used a Disturbed to make a nice comeback after a tough go Tuesday.

Another PBA Hall of Famer, Roto Grip staffer Tom Baker, also made the cut.

Michigan native Tom Smallwood, who launched his Professional Bowlers Association career at Thunderbowl Lanes in 2009, helped his Motown Muscle team claim the top stepladder position in the Mark Roth PBA League qualifying round Wednesday.

Smallwood, a Saginaw resident who lost his job at General Motors during the auto industry’s economic downturn in 2009 and turned his unemployed status into a victory in the PBA World Championship later that same season, averaged 232.25 for an eight-game total of 1,858 pins to help the Motown Muscle team – owned by Detroit native and former Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Jerome Bettis – to the No. 1 berth in the Mark Roth round stepladder finals by 182 pins over Billie Jean King’s New York City WTT KingPins. The BROOKLYN STyLES, owned by actor Jesse Williams, and led by Mark Roth Classic qualifying leader Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., locked up the third team stepladder berth with 8,991 pins.

The other five teams will compete in a one-ball Clash Match eliminator round to determine the fourth team that will bowl in the Baker format television finals. In Baker team competition, each of the five players bowls two frames to complete a game.

The Roth PBA League stepladder finals and the Mark Roth Classic championship match will be contested on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Thunderbowl Lanes. The finals will air on ESPN on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. ET.

The Detroit Winter Swing features a unique combination of PBA individual and team competitions. A field of 135 players are competing for individual titles while eight teams of five players are also using their qualifying scores to help their teams qualify in inaugural PBA League competition.

In addition to Smallwood, Motown Muscle team leader Mike Fagan contributed 1,770 pins to the team total while Mike Scroggins added 1,888, Ronnie Russell 1,827 and Jesse Buss 1,875, including one of the two 300 games bowled in the qualifying round.

Rash, the PBA’s reigning Player of the Year, led the field of 16 players who advanced to the Mark Roth Classic match play finals Wednesday night, bowling at a 253.63 pace for a 2,029 total and a 108-pin lead over Finnish-American star Mika Koivuniemi, who makes his home in nearby Hartland, Mich. After nine games of round robin match play, the top two players after 17 games will advance to the Mark Roth Classic championship match.

The Detroit Winter Swing continues Thursday at Thunderbowl Lanes with qualifying and match play rounds in the Mark Roth Classic and the third day of PBA League competition.

All preliminary rounds of Winter Swing competition are being covered live, exclusively on PBA’s online bowling channel, Xtra Frame. To subscribe to Xtra Frame, visit pba.com and click on the Xtra Frame link.

 PBA MARK ROTH CLASSIC 

Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich., Jan. 23

Final Qualifying Standings (after 8 games; top 16 advance to round robin match play Wednesday night) 
1, Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., 2,029. 
2, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 1,921. 
3 (tie), Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., and Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 1,912. 
5, Michael Haugen Jr., Carefree, Ariz., 1,911. (Using Storm/Roto Grip)
6, Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 1,906. (Roto Grip)
7, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 1,897. 
8, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 1,888. (Using Storm/Roto Grip)
9, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., 1,875. 
10, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,860. 
11, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 1,858. 
12, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 1,852.  (Storm)
13, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 1,843.  (Storm)
14, Dom Barrett, England, 1,840. (Storm)
15, Ronnie Sparks Jr., Ecorse, Mich., 1,834. (Using Storm/Roto Grip)
16, Tom Baker, King, N.C., 1,833. (Roto Grip)

Other Cashers (after 8 games): 


17, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 1,832, $1,000. 
18, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 1,829, $950. 
19, Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., 1,827, $900. 
20 (tie), Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., and Brian Valenta, Lockport, Ill., 1,826, $835. 
22, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 1,823, $800. 
23, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 1,821, $790. 
24, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 1,816, $780. 
25, Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, 1,814, $770. 
26, B.J. Moore II, Apex, N.C., 1,813, $760. 
27, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 1,809, $750. 
28, Mark Milasinovich, Macomb, Mich., 1,804, $740. 
29, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 1,802, $730. 
30, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 1,801, $720. 
31, Harry Sullins, Chesterfield Twp., Mich., 1,799, $710. 
32, David Haynes, Las Vegas, 1,798, $700.

 

(courtesy: pba.com)

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January, 2013