Morrison, Heat eye world title Nova Scotia to host top candlepin bowlers

Brewer’s Shawn Morrison is on a roll as he leads the Maine Heat into next week’s 21st World Team Candlepin Bowling Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Morrison is the defending Maine singles champ, captured the International Candlepin Bowling Association’s singles title in October, and has turned in strong performances in local tourneys over the last several weekends.

He knows he will have to be at his best in the world tourney, which features 12 teams from the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and 12 from the New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

The champ wins $10,000.

“I like the competition of the world tourney. You only bowl against these guys once or twice a year,” said the 24-year-old Morrison. “Billy Travers, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, bowls in this. Even he said there is nothing like this. We wait all year for this.”

Morrison leads a team of talented bowlers that features 23-time state singles champ Charlie Milan and his son, James Milan, as well as past state champ Chip Carson of Bangor, Tim Matero of Rockland and Nate Nealey of Westbrook. The Heat will also benefit from the games of Chris Sargent of Manchester, N.H., and Dick O’Connell of Brockton, Mass.

Charlie Milan said the Heat bowlers will have to average 125 a string to contend for the tourney title, which has been dominated by Nova Scotia team MacLaughlin Truck and Trailer, winner of three straight tourneys.

The tourney is split into two 12-team divisions that are drawn after Monday’s singles knockout, which offers approximately $3,000 to the winner. Bowlers compete in three three-string daily matches with the quarterfinal rounds beginning Friday, followed by the semifinals and final on Saturday.

“Since it’s luck of the draw, all the power teams can be in one division. Sometimes you can walk through the playoffs,” Morrison said.

Morrison is looking forward to the chance to bowl again at Halifax Fairlanes, site of the Maine Heat’s only world title in 2001. He sparked the team that year when he rolled a double strike in the seventh and eighth boxes in the final en route to a team-high 450 series.

Two years later, he rolled a 134 average in Halifax.

The tourney alternates each year between Nova Scotia and Bangor-Brewer Bowling Lanes, which are Morrison’s home lanes and where he also works. He prefers competing in Halifax.

“I feel very relaxed up there. You don’t hear that familiar voice that might throw you off a bit,” he said.

The 69-year-old Milan is also eager to compete and feels he can still contribute to the team. He said he averaged 130 a string during a recent seniors tourney in Canada.

“A 130 average is not too shabby. My arm feels good right now. The ligaments are fine,” said Milan, who has persevered despite ligament damage that plagued him two years ago.

Another Maine team that could vie for the title is Vacationland Bowling Center of Saco, which won the title in 2000. Other Maine teams competing are Mid-Coast Maine of Augusta (Ken Bickford, Rich Grasse, Gary Keating, Eric Denault, Jason Kaler, Paul Bickford and Orin Parker) and USA East of the Bangor area (Elbow Dority, Walt Bowden, Harold Brown, David Vigue, Scott Sirois, Roger White and Wayne Hand Jr.).