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Duke takes PBA points lead to Indiana

By ERIC MUSKATEVC
Published December 2, 2005

The PBA heads to Hammond, Ind., for the 2005 BowlersParadise.com Classic. Norm Duke , from Clermont sits atop the 2005-06 PBA World Point Rankings thanks to four top-five finishes, and will be looking to make his fourth telecast of the season. The live televised finals on ESPN will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday with one bowler taking home the $40,000 top prize.

Last week, with his 12th career title in the 2005 Chicago Classic, Jason Couch , also of Clermont, snapped a 42-event winless streak and became the second straight left-hander to win this season. Duke, making his 20th career back-to-back televised finals appearance, lost to Couch in the semifinals, 235-202, and has now lost his last four matches against lefties on TV.

NABI: Pat Scanlon of Palm Harbor narrowly defeated Lori Lloyd of St. Petersburg 210-195 in a semifinal match in NABI Club 577's meeting last week. Scanlon lost to Michael Patterson , Lake Whales, by three pins and won $155 while averaging 173. Lloyd won $50 in third place. 577 will be at AMF Venice Sunday starting at 11 a.m. The jackpot is at $215 and the strike-pot is at $298. For more information on National Amateur Bowling, go to centralflorida.bowlnabi.com.

PCHSL: Pinellas Park faced Largo in the final round for the boys handicapped high school league. Jaise Rizzo 's 576 and Ben Miller 's 598, helped the Patriots take 15 of 21 points to finish first with 183.5 points. Largo had 179 points and Seminole finished third with 165 points. Lakewood won the girls league with Shannon O'Brien , Niki Kyro , Caitlin Frank , and Carly McDowell each bowling 50 pins over averages. Pinellas Park (182.5 points) and Dixie Hollins (172.5 points) finished second and third behind the Spartans' 214 points. In junior varsity play, Pinellas Park JV No. 2 won 18 points on the final day to beat Largo JV No. 2. Led by David Pruitt 's 227/605 series, 209 pins over his series average, and Tony Stillo's 175/451, 109 pins over, the Patriots had 211 points to Largo's 197.5 and Lakewood's 181.5.

UPCOMING: The fall high school league is now over and students are getting ready for the spring league. An organizational meeting for all coaches will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at Countryside Lanes. The league is open to all Pinellas County schools, with each team sporting three bowlers a game with a four-person co-ed roster. A handicapped league will operate using the scores bowled over the 10-week season. Questions can be directed to Ray Durbin at 727 796-5621 or ray@raydurbin.com

The Clearwater Traveling Turtle Club will be having its Christmas Tournament at AMF Clearwater on Dec. 11. It is a 9-pin, no-tap tournament complete with Christmas lunch. For more information call the center at (727) 461-2511.

DID YOU KNOW: Since the start of the current match play format in 2002-03, Walter Ray Williams Jr . leads all bowlers in single pin spare accuracy (at least 20 appearances), converting 1,370 of 1,378 attempts for a staggering 99.42 conversion percentage. Fellow PBA Hall of Famer Tom Baker (King, N.C.) is next with a 99.05 percent success rate, converting 731 of 738 single pin attempts. Williams is one of three bowlers perfect this season in single pin attempts, along with Duke and Mike Machuga of Erie, Pa., having made all 36 single pin attempts he has had in his three match play appearances. Duke is an impressive 163-163.

HIGH SCORES: At Dunedin Lanes, Jim Pierson bowled 289/804, Sean Peterson had a 300 game for a 690, and Sandy Grumblatt had a 269/740. Other good scores came from Pat Klotchko (280/771), Mark Swearingen (723), Rick Dean (723), Tom Palmer (714), Al Lee (712), Lenney Dawkins (709), Jim Weaver (701), Ron Cox (696), Paul Cameron (290/687), Tracy Ricci (661), and Danielle Carr (651). In senior play, Alan Hildebrand (697), Ed Carney (659), Stan Passer (655), Bob Hebrank (646), Ansley Cummins (640), Dave Malinowski (624), Bill Kelly (622), and Ron Strickhouser (605) made honors.

Good scores from AMF in Clearwater include Chris Truner (743), Jake Bilzing (715), Wayne Elliott (700), Bud Powles (690), Bob Taphouse (688), Mike Wetherell (681), Bud Marks (678), Robert Blais (668), Charlie Gruver (643), and Raymond Jung (637).

At Twedt's Lanes in Largo, Al Longgood (787), Tod Janssen (727), Bob Hubbard Jr . (702), Jeff Dyar (688), Bill Farren (683), Jim Christiansen (683), Alan Mooney (673), Joe Alore (665), Dannt Bolton (663), John Olton (657), Joe Bloink (638), Dave Lawson (637), Tab Borgh (634), and Jeff Berg (630) led the mens' scores. For the ladies it was Lynne Weaver (643), Donna Doyle (628), Mary Cook (586), Michelle Huff (570), Melissa Lawson (568), Donna Gunther (564), and Lee Reagan (563).

Ron Demillion led all scores at Seminole Lanes with a 297-844 last week. More good marks came from Jodi Gillispie (243/662), Jeanne Matheny (265/661), Brian Brown (660 with a 170 avg.), Drew Santo (268/656), Tricia Robbibs (227/656), Vicki Weber (650), Aimme Reed (231/649), Tricia McKee (618), Mike Sowers (255/602 with a 168 avg.), Renee Halstrom (220/600), Monique Dever (605), Richard Williams (289), Ziggy Podlas (279), and Steve Felsman (278).

At Ten Pin Lanes, Rich Desgrosiellier (682), Joe Dalton (681), Jeremy Lewandowski (679), Doug Miller (673), Mike Vitel Jr . (659), and Rick Maxey (648) led the mens scores. For the ladies it was Robin Hintz (592), B.J. Plank (570), Jen Layton (560), Ida Obrian (543), Carey Blackwelder (519), AnnMartine Rinker (514), and Deb Bailey (507). In senior action Ken Bayley (234/630), Jack McMeekin (568), Tom McKenzie (555), Mike Barile (530) led the men and Lorraine Klopp (514), Joan Hendrickson (492), Darlene Pruneau (491), Marion Morra (475), Marian Love (467), Mary Girourd (467), and Ruth Lenberger (438) led the women. For the youths, Billy Bartle (564), Dustin Morison (552), Evan Walker (539) and Ben Ray (524) bowled well.

--Times correspondent Eric Muskatevc can can be reached at emuskatevc@aol.com

[Last modified December 2, 2005, 01:14:18]