BOWLING SCENE

A group of young bowlers from the Bangor-Brewer Bowling Lanes could be the sleeper team in the Worlds Invitational Bowling Teams Tourney which begins Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the B-B Lanes in Brewer

The past five candlepin tourneys have been dominated by Massachusetts bowlers. The first four events were won by a group of talented Boston-area bowlers, Marjam Supply. Last year, O’Loughlin’s Construction of Norfolk, Mass., won the tourney and its $10,000 first prize.

It may be time for youth to dominate, according to veteran Maine champion, Charlie Milan III of Brewer.

“They’ve got a powerhouse team. They’re all young guys who can bowl 100-miles-an hour. They could be real tough,” said Milan, who owns the B-B Lanes and started the Teams tourney with Kansas Snow of Sydney, Nova Scotia.

The young team is Bangor-Brewer II and features Chip Carson and Jeff Roach of Bangor, James Milan and Steve Jameson of Brewer, Mark Smith of Lewiston, and Al Nelson of Gardiner.

The issue for the young bowlers may be how well they stand up against the pressure of facing top competition and long bowling days.

The tourney is still lacking three teams, but Milan III is confident a top tourney will still be held.

The event – which opens with a knockout tourney on Monday – usually has 24 teams, but now has only 21 because three Canadian teams are not competing.

Milan is hoping to get another team, but said the event is still attracting the best bowlers from the New England states and Canadian provinces.

“We’ll have all the top guns. This thing could really go to 16 to 18 teams, then the teams could really load up more and it could be even more competitive,” Milan said.

This year’s event, however, will probaby have 22, with two, 11-team divisions. Each divisional team will bowl 10, three-string matches beginning on Tuesday until the playoffs begin on Friday. The semifinal and championship rounds are on Saturday. Each team receives two points for each string won and another two points for winning a three-string match based on pinfall.

Both past champions, O’Loughlin’s and Marjam, are back. Each team features perhaps one of the best two bowlers in Massachusetts. Fireballing lefty Peter Flynn leads Marjam, while hard-throwing righty Tom Olszta sparks O’Loughlin’s.

Milan still thinks his team of veteran bowlers has a chance of winning, also. He will be competing with Massachusetts bowlers Bob Kelley, Fran Onoarato, and Tom O’Brien and Phil Rob of Woodland. – – –

Two Biddeford bowlers, Ray Dube and Paula Truman are the men’s and women’s leaders, respectively, after two tourneys on the Maine Candlepin Pro Tour.

Dube has knocked down 2,649 pins over 20 strings while Truman has rolled up a 2,344 total.

The Tour is experiencing a bit of a tough time as its numbers have decreased from last year. Seventy-one men are competing compared to 96 last year, while the women participants have decreased from 30 to 22.

“I think economy has a lot to do with it. Things are tough with the high cost of gas and traveling,” said Sharon Fogg, the Tour’s secretary and treasurer.

“I just like the competition and love to bowl,” said Fogg, explaining why she and the other bowlers still decided to participate in the Tour.

Three of the five tourneys remain and the total pinfall after the five determine the Maine Pro Bowlers of the Year. Russ Nealey of South Paris is trying for his fourth straight championship while Val Joy of Westbrook is back to defend her title.

Rounding out the top five in each division are: men – Carson, 2,648; Nealey, 2,622; Al Joy, Westbrook, 2,561; and Francis Beaulieu, Biddeford, 2546; women – Joy, 2,319; Judy Barry, Waterboro, 2,295; Fogg, 2,268; and Betty Snowman, Norway, 2,252.

The next three tourneys are: Dec. 1-2, Rocket Lanes, Lincoln; Jan. 5-6, Vacationland Lanes, Saco; and March 2-3, Old Town Bowling Center.

The Tour also features a Pro-Am on Feb. 2-3 at the Bowlarama in Sanford. It replaces the mixed doubles tourney and is an attempt to attract more bowlers to the Tour, Fogg explained. – – –

SPARE NOTES: The Eastern Maine Senior Team Championships were held Monday at the B-B Lanes for those ages 60 and over. The B-B Lanes team of Arlene Mayo, Rita Comer, Dot Pullen, Arlene Nadeau, and Marge Nadeau won the women’s tourney with a total handicap score of 1,824. A B-B Lanes team also won the men’s tourney. Rolling a handicap total of 1,874 were Phil Frost, Andy Ivers, Gene Mayo, Paul Colvin, and Ernie Moss. Teams from Old Town, Pittsfield, Ellsworth and Brewer competed…. A Can-Am tourney was also recently held at the B-B Lanes featuring bowlers from Maine and Canada. Bud Gray of Brewer and Ellen Lessor combined to capture top honors in the 48-team event. Nealey and Fogg hooked up to win the event’s Odd-Box Tourney….

A strong final finish helped Milan, Carson, Susan Crawford of Bangor, and Mayo of Hampden capture the recent Maine State Open Mixed Teams championship in Lincoln. The team was trailing by 117 pins entering the last string, but Milan came back with a 163, Carson, 153; Mayo, 143; and Crawford, 129…. Bowlers attempting to win some money on WPXT’s (Channel 51, Portland) bowling show can qualify in a 10-string rolloff Nov. 10-11 at the Old Town Bowling Center. The top four qualify and after another rolloff, two bowlers go head-to-head on the hour-long TV program….