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Get your own Free Home PageThe Open is worth a total of $5,870 in prizemoney, paying down to $100 for 20th place. There were 45 entrants at the time of writing.
Bowlers will roll ten games in today's qualifying round with the top 32 players returning tomorrow for a further six games.
The field will then be cut to the top ten who will shoot another four games before another cut to the top five. The top five then contest a stepladder final to decide the winner who will walk off with $1,000 cash, a trophy and shirt and free entry to the year 2000 tournament.
There is a good representation from Orange bowlers including Mark Lijic who currently holds the centre's highest average. He finished third in last year's event and should acquit himself well again.
Also expected to be fighting for a place in the top ten are Jason Belmonte (winner of the Country Masters back in February), Steve Reil (4th in this event last year), last year's leading qualifier David Hayward and a trio of 300-shooters in Jason Brown, Jason Osborne and June Reil who was a close 6th last year.
Out-of-town bowlers include William Hoole (4th in the recent Country Masters) and other well-credentialed bowlers including Mark Donaldson, Tony Murray, Shaun Cummings, Chris Groot (9th last year) and Donald McCrae.
Dubbo will be represented by Norm Organ and Robert Alston while Bathurst prospects include Gordon Common and Liz Gray.
Other local players contesting the event include Mick Moorby, Tim Irwin, Mario Mastronardi, Ken Wiseman and David Rosser.
John Leo, ball driller from Nu-Vision Bowl in Chester Hill, with 30 years experience will be in attendance over the weekend to answer any questions about your bowling equipment.
The "Fast Lane" prediction for the top 5 is:
1 Mark Lijic
2 Tony Murray
3 Mark Donaldson
4 Jason Belmonte
5 Shaun Cummings
Good luck to all contestants and may there be plenty of high games!
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The next local tournament will be the Anzac Day Singles on Monday 26 April. The fun tournament features four different formats over eight games, including seven and eight no-tap, 3-6-9 and 11th frame games.
For more information check out the entry forms at the Bowl.
The 1999 Super Classic will be held over the Anzac long weekend at the Manhattan Super Bowl at Mascot and is worth a cool $15,000 to the champion. There are some very lucrative bonus prizes up for grabs, namely a million dollars if anyone can bowl back-to-back 300 games or $200,000 for a 300 game in the finals.
Another upcoming event worth plenty of money is the 1999 Bathurst Mountain Skins on the weekend of 22-23 May.
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There were a limited number of leagues operating this week with the Easter break seeing many bowlers taking a week off. That didn't stop Rhearne Trudgett who shot a lane record 259 game in the Tuesday Ladies Singles. She also shot a 259 game last week.
Others to rate a mention from that league included Sharon Trudgett 209, Melanie Brown 211, Lyn Handel 202 and Dianne Gee 206-232.
Jonathan Thatcher did well in the Wednesday 10am league, firing games of 232-231 for a 622 series.
John Cooney was on fire in the Wednesday Doubles with games of 233-218-221 for a nice 672 block. Other high games this week were bowled by Glenn Robinson 212, Mick Moorby 208-203, Clare Hodgson 215, Henry Phillips 200, David Hayward 203-206, Marilyn Schwenke 223 and Dianne Gee 222.
Doing well in the following 7:30 league were John Rapley 222, Kevin Carr 203, Jason Brown 208, Will Harvey 214, Tim Irwin 224, Jason Osborne 214, Leo McKay 220 and Val Tilston with a personal best 230.
In the Doubles the previous week high games were bowled by Marilyn Schwenke 205-200, Leo McKay 200, Jason Belmonte 227-219-215 (661/3), John Rapley 204, Henry Phillips 206, Brian Dinsmore 224, Alan Collins 221, Jason Brown 204.
The Wednesday 7:30 league also provided high games from Allen Hudson 204, Jason Brown 247-222 and Bill Chappelow 202 while Chris Collins just missed a triplicate with 222-222-223 (667/3).
Some other late scores filtered through and included Frank McGovern 200 and a personal best 149 from Ben Perriman.
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The New South Wales Junior State Championships concluded at the Bankstown Bowl last weekend with Orange and other Central-West players winning a number of events.
Orange's Rebecca Belmonte broke State records in winning both the Classic Grade Singles and All Events titles while Melanie Brown and Maree Caltabiano took first place in the Open Trios.
Belinda Irwin won the C Grade Doubles with Nalinda George.
Emma Herring of Bathurst was in great form winning the Open Singles, Doubles, Trios and All Events while Lisa Patterson, also from Bathurst, won the Classic Doubles.
Toni Brasting of Bathurst won the Girls' Masters while Jamie Kyriacou, last year's Orange Open champion, won the Boys' Masters.
Orange's Jason Belmonte bowled well in the Masters, averaging 205 in winning four of six two-game rounds.
Central-West juniors competed as The Western Warriors in the Challenge Shield and did well with the girls finishing second and the boys fourth.
Those teams were:
Girls: Melanie Brown, Belinda Irwin, Rebecca Belmonte, Maree Caltabiano (Orange), Emma Herring, Lisa Patterson (Bathurst), Kelly Organ (Dubbo).
Boys: Jason Belmonte, Tim Irwin, Joel Wiseman, Greg Perry (Orange), Steven Patterson (Bathurst), Dane Williams, Dylan McKeown (Dubbo).
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