Halifax wins World Team title

BREWER – Pelham Electric/Halifax Fairlanes of Halifax, Nova Scotia, defeated Maria’s Subs of Scituate, Mass., to win the Candlepin Bowling World Team Championship Sunday at the Bangor-Brewer Bowling Lanes.

Nate LeBlanc rolled a 424 series to boost Halifax Fairlanes to a final team score of 1996 and the $10,000 first-place prize. Maria’s Sub finished with a 1856 and a second-place award of $5,000.

Halifax Fairlanes never trailed even when Maria’s Sub pulled to within 18 pins after the second string. Matt LeBlanc and Matt McPhee rolled 143 and 134, respectively, in the third string to give Halifax Fairlanes a 64-point lead.

McPhee had the high score of the finals with a 171 in the second string to help counter Bob Whitcomb’s second-string 165. McPhee finished with a 422 series. Whitcomb led Maria’s Sub with a 416.

Halifax Fairlanes was the Holiday Inn Division No. 3 seed for the playoff round, beating MacLaughlin Truck & Trailer of Nova Scotia 1920-1900 in the Saturday morning quarterfinals. Halifax knocked off Varney GMC Division No. 1 Stateside, N.H., 1934-1865 in the semis.

Maria’s Sub, the Varney’s No. 3 seed, defeated the New Hampshire All-Stars 1889-1798 in the quarterfinals and then toppled the other top seed, U.S.A. East of Brewer, 1990-1881 in the semis.

Stateside and U.S.A. East each claimed a $2,500 prize for advancing to the semifinal round.

U.S.A. East had a bye in the quarterfinals. Shawn Morrison rolled a 390 series and Nate Nealey and Tim Matero each totaled 379 to lead the Brewer team in the semis.