Three perfect games highlight week

November 23, 2008 12:35 am

— Three perfect games and several big 700 series highlight this week’s performances at the city’s pin-pounding centers.
Bobby Bearden, Zevin Betts and Dennis Selbe authored the 300 games at Bowl East. It was at least the second for Betts this season and the first for Selbe. Bearden’s perfecto was believed to be the second of his career.
Selbe rolled his 300 in the Tuesday Night’s Men’s Merchants League and was a long time coming. Dennis, who had a 209 average going into last week’s league competition, started bowling some 44 years ago at age six. Dennis, a pitcher, was a member of Missouri Southern’s NAIA national runner-up baseball team in 1978.
There were no fewer than 25 700-plus series recorded during the week, two of them by two of the outstanding women bowlers in the city.
Carol Dutton, bowling at Fourth Street Bowl, posted a 709 with a high line of 269. Candy Brown, competing in the Hilltop Rollers League on Thursday night at Bowl East, had games of 266, 201 and 255 for a 722 series, her first 700-plus set of the season.
Chuck Horner, who cranks out big series on a regular basis, topped the charts last week with a 790 on games of 279, 247 and 264 at Bowl East. David Fort had the high series at Fourth Street Bowl with a 766 that included a 278 game. Brenton Cox led the way at Crown Lanes with a 703 and high line of 257.
Other big games and series recorded last week include:
Men—Aaron Bard 700, Reuben Basaldua 715, Shawn Beeson 749, Randy Bell 720, Zevin Betts 708, Kyle Birkinsha 702, Brandon Derrick 278, Bill Dutton 279-721, Ronnie Hoffman 278, Chuck Horner 278, Mark Howerton 728, Danny Kallenbarger 287-757, Cory Kaughman 703, Art Lara 745, Lee Larimore 706, Marty Manning 277-279-716, Mark McCullum 278-717, Aaron Millsap 279, Darry Mingus 704, Dennis Selbe 763, B.J. Strickling 710-717, Bob Thompson 708, Jeremiah Tripp 279-737, Greg Walker 738.
Women—Crystal Beeson 233, Carol Dutton 608-269-672, Jean Jackson 231, Marsha Jennings 238-614, Renee Lisle 246-664, 600, Alisha Vaughan 268-637.
Senior men—Tom Fortson 267-618, 236-605, Charlie Kemp 245, William Rentchler 227-626, Steve Wiles 255-645,
Senior women—Bernice Cooke 202-559, Katrina Smith 572, Bev Zerkel 552.
Youth—Darrell Brisco 236-277-702, Sam Buening 207, Trevor Drake 219, Tyler Meyer 201-201-201-603, Tadd Nichols 206, Kenny Phillips 202.
Reno to host 2011 Open
The United States Bowling Congress, in a press release this week, announced that it has reached an agreement to bring the 2011 USBC Open Championships to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.
The 2011 Open was originally scheduled to be held in Osceola County, Fla., in a new 100-lane facility in the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex on land made available by Walt Disney World. Funding for that project has been delayed, jeopardizing the timeline for completion.
With the Open Championships now set to be held in 2010 and 2011 in Reno, the USBC and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority are providing some exciting incentives for bowlers who attend both tournaments.
At the 2010 tournament, one bowler will win a high performance bowling ball each day; every five weeks, one team captain will win a new car or truck, and team captains brining four or more teams will receive a VIP stay complete with limo service and luxury hotel accommodations.
According to the USBC, fewer cities have large enough venues to host the event. The Open requires 100,000 square feet of convention center floor space for seven consecutive months. The USBC Open is the largest participatory sporting event in the world with nearly 85,000 participants during a 140-day stretch from late February through early July. It is estimated that the Open generates $100 million toward the economy of the host cities.
ABC Hall of Fame member dies
John Bruce Pluckhahn, 84, died earlier this month at the Catholic Home in Milwaukee. He had been in a coma since Nov. 14.
A giant in the field of bowling public relations, he was elected to the ABC Hall of Fame in 1989. He joined the ABC public relations staff in 1953 after working for newspapers in Ohio and Wisconsin. He served as executive director of the ABC Hall of Fame board from 1957-76 and was the first curator of the Hall of Fame Museum in St. Louis.
This writer met Bruce while visiting the museum several years ago during a trip to St. Louis to watch the Cardinals. He was very gracious and gave me a personal tour of the museum.
Pluckhahn was a big supporter of the Professional Bowlers Association during its creation in 1959 and was close friends with many of the game’s stars, including St. Louisans Dick Weber and Don Carter.
Address correspondence to Wendell Redden, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, Mo. 64802, or e-mail sports@joplinglobe.com.