Fast Lane

The Orange Tenpin Bowling Association Adult Masters was the highlight event in May, with victory going to David Rosser, Sharon Trudgett, Marie Rosser and Chris Fuller.

It was a great win for the much improved Rosser who finished the twelve game final with a 193 average, winning comfortably by 51 pins from Jason Osborne and David Hayward just five pins further back.

While Rosser finished strongly his rivals, including tournament favourite Mark Lijic, who finished fourth, crumbled over the last couple of games when in winning positions.

Sharon Trudgett scored a 69-pin win in the women's Open Masters ahead of Dianne Gee and Karen Sharp, averaging 182. It was yet another minor placing for Sharp who has always bowled consistently in the Masters but is still waiting for that breakthrough victory.

Chris Fuller scored a 34-pin victory in the men's Restricted Masters, averaging 175 to defeat Colin Edwards and Leo McKay with former winner Gary Johnson fourth.

The women's Restricted Masters saw a double to the Rosser family with Marie Rosser capturing her most important tournament win to date. She averaged 156 to score a narrow 17-pin victory from runner-up Leanne McKell with Brigitte Eden third.

In Bathurst the Mountain Skins were held with Orange cash winners being Tim Irwin $300, David Rosser $300, Jason Belmonte $280 and Mario Mastronardi $40.

Sharon Trudgett rolled a big 685 series while junior Melanie Brown also did well with 667/3 and 859/4 series. Mark Lijic continued his great form, posting a new centre league record of 224 after series of 701/3 and 1127/5 that included a 274 high game. Jason Belmonte had another good month with a 290 game plus series of 733/3, 1106/5, 1355/6 and 1364/6.

Other good efforts included David Rosser 666/3, Karen Sharp 268, Tim Irwin 268, Bruce Clements 264-278, Ken Wiseman 902/4 and Ian Hazzard who after an eleven-month break returned with 687/3 and 680/3.

Greg Carter competed in the 1999 Coachking National Super Tournament and finished first against a field of 535 bowlers, picking up prizemoney of $1,500. Bowlers from round Australia rolled three games, with handicap added, in their local centre to decide the winners. Carter, competing off an average of just 109 romped home after bowling games of 183-160-190 which converted to 796 with handicap, 58 pins clear of second place.

John Rapley scored a great win in the New South Wales State Veteran Masters at the Bankstown Bowl averaging an impressive 202 for the eight game final with a 252 high game.

Rapley was competing against some top class senior bowlers and got home by seven pins from Fred Jankowski with John Ford not far away in third place.

A number of Orange bowlers picked up titles at the New South Wales State Championships. Coming on top of his win in the State Veteran Masters, John Rapley also claimed first place in the B Grade Mixed Doubles with wife Margaret. Orange also claimed first place in the Ladies' A Grade Teams event thanks to a top effort from Clare Hodgson, Rhearne Trudgett, Debbie Seers and Sharon Trudgett on a score of 1927.

Jason Belmonte went from strength-to-strength during 1999 and June was a highpoint, rolling games of 266, 277,278 and 286 plus big series of 687/3, 719/3, 1121/5, 1127/5 and 1307/6. Mark Lijic wasn't far behind with games of 267-279 and series of 674/3, 694/3 and 1280/6.

Melanie Brown set a new junior record with a 923/4 series while Ian Hazzard broke Mark Lijic's month-old record, posting a 225 league average after a 680 series.

Also worth a mention were efforts by juniors Belinda Irwin 840/4, Tennille Smith 651/3 and Chris Lees 258 as well as adults John Rapley 711/3, Frank McGovern 265, Mick Moorby 266 and 669/3 and Jason Osborne 275.

Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and 1998 AMF World Cup Champion Maxine Nable conducted two Tenpin Clinics on Tuesday 6 July, with nominations closing on 2 July.

Bathurst's Liz Gray scored a great win in the inaugural Central West Ladies Cup at the Orange Tenpin Bowl.

There was an epic battle between Gray and Orange pair June Reil and Melanie Brown during the eight game qualifying section where the lead swapped on a number of occasions. In the last game Gray grabbed top spot in the stepladder final by just seven pins and then beat Reil 216-186 to claim the trophy, a bowling shirt and first place prizemoney of $200.

Rounding out the top four in the stepladder final was Dianne Gee while finishing behind her were Toni Brastings, Tennille Smith, Leanne Everett, Sharon Trudgett and Belinda Irwin.

In the first stepladder game, Dianne Gee beat Melanie Brown 209-199 in a good game. Gee led all the way but Brown fought hard and could have won with a strike in the tenth frame. Gee started well against June Reil but missed spares proved costly as Reil stayed clean to seal a comfortable 199-156 victory.

That set up a clash with top seed Liz Gray and it was another top game. Reil started with a double but Gray did even better with strikes in the first three frames. She was always around the pocket after that, never getting less than a nine count, which made for easy spares as she went on to win 216-186.

In the handicap division Debbie Seers was top qualifier ahead of Carolyn Cox, Toni Brastings, Bernadette Turner and Brigitte Eden.

Game one of the playoffs saw Bernadette Turner crush Brigitte Eden 220-178 (with handicap). Carolyn Cox had the handicap advantage in the next game and proved too strong, winning 228-197. Debbie Seers was consistent in the decider, stringing together seven spares before a strike in frame nine which sealed a 215-196 victory.

Mark Lijic was again dominant during July as he shot a 269 high game plus series of 728/3, 688 twice and 1313/6. He also won the Scratch Singles league with a 209 average. Rival Jason Belmonte had a quite month but did roll an excellent 720 block.

Other good efforts during July were bowled by Jon Thatcher 860/4, Aldo Belmonte 673/3, Ian Hazzard 671/3, David Hayward 732 and 669/3, David Rosser 667/3 and 1295/6, Gwen Britt 866/4, Tony Richards 278 and 677/3, John Rapley 673 and 678/3 and Wally Price 694/3.

David Hayward competed in a Deaf Championship at Cannon Hill in Queensland, finishing a respectable fourth in the Mixed Individual section before being bundled out of the Masters in the third round.

Hayward set a new record 12 game tally of 2473 in the championships while he averaged 203 for the sixteen games of qualifying.

The 1999 Nu Vision International Open was held at Chester Hill with Jason Belmonte finishing fourth in a field of 44.

In the opening stepladder game, Belmonte vanquished Australian rep Andrew Frawley 217-169 before falling by the barest of margins to eventual winner Angelo Constantino 216-214. Constantino went on to beat Gil Ilagan 238-204 and top seed Amanda Bradley 205-186 and 228-182 in the repercharge.

Tim Irwin who went within a shot of a perfect game in the tournament, leaving a solid ten pin on the final shot for a brilliant 299 game.

Veteran Milton Davis converted the near impossible 7-10 split while good efforts came from Belinda Irwin 268, Jason Belmonte 266, Chris Collins 275, junior Ben Lees 240, Tony Richards 685, Ian Hazzard 720 and Jon Thatcher 258 and 656/3.

__________

All bowlers interested in competing in this year's Country Challenge series for Orange are requested to attend a meeting at the Bowl on January 13 at 7:30pm.

Qualifying is currently still underway for the Bob Jane T Mart and Harvey Norman no-tap tournament with Marie Rosser leading the pack after a perfect 1200 four game series using the seven no-tap format.

The final will be held on January 23.

The Western Warrior roll-offs will be held in Orange on January 16 while the 11^th annual New South Wales Country Championships start at the end of the month in Orange.

There are a number of leagues starting back next week including Tuesday Ladies Singles, Wednesday Autostyle Doubles and 7:30 teams, Thursday Doubles, Friday teams and triples.

Hopefully everyone saw the Coca-Cola Skins on Capital Television over the past two Sundays. The event continues over the next fortnight.

Last Sunday's match featured Orange's Jason Belmonte who won $500 and finished a respectable third, missing the final by a single pin with a split on his last shot proving extremely costly.