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Holiday Doubles sends good lanes cheer

Four accomplished bowlers took the top prizes at the annual Holiday Doubles tournament held during league play in the Marquette County U.S. Bowling Congress Association.

The three-week tourney, which wrapped up the weekend before Christmas, allows a bowler in county USBC leagues to pair up with any leaguemate for a doubles score. Because bowlers are using their league scores, the entire $10 collected per duo went into the prize fund.

And it was Jeff Miller and Scott Salminen bowling out of Superior Lanes who claimed the first-place prize of $250 in the handicap division with 1,594, just two pins ahead of two other duos – Dave Stevenson and Miller’s sister Hope Virch, and Matt Thiel and Greg Thiel II, who each won $143.

These are all high-average bowlers, but they had their work cut out for them with the 100 percent handicap figured from a 230 average.

In the scratch division, where no handicap was used, Justin Stephens and Greg Bisel won $80 with 1,435, just eight pins ahead of another Stephens duo when he paired with Northern Michigan University student Rene Filor.

Of the 289 handicap entries, 96 places were paid. And with further restrictions only allowing up to either three or four cashes per person (I don’t remember right off), MCUSBC President Pat Gingras estimated payouts went down to about 150th place in the division.

In the scratch division, there were 32 teams and 11 cashed, possibly more due to the duplicates.

The association has its annual association tournament coming up in February, and I’ll have more on that in the next week or two.

Now on to The Mining Journal Bowlers of the Week for Dec. 30 to Jan. 5:

No one apparently is taking a holiday from good bowling, with the men really having a competitive race.

Chrystian Thiel won this week after coming in second the previous week, both coming in the Friday 800 Mixed League at Superior Lanes.

This time, he shot 180 pins over his 132 average with 576 on games of 182, 205 and 189.

Tied for second at 152 over were Thiel’s leaguemate Branden McCormick, who used a 198 average and shot 746 with a 266 top game; and Kirk Guckenberg of the Wednesday Trio at Red Rock Lanes, coming in at 184 and shooting 704 with a 265 best.

A special mention goes to 88-year-old Gil Perry of the Monday Northern Electric Automotive Industrial League at Red Rock, who was 120 pins over his 173 average with a 639. How many guys even half his age can do that?

On the women’s side, Brenda Carlson rolled up a 135-pins-over-average effort in the Wednesday Balconi/UPS League she is secretary of at Red Rock. Using a 170 average, she shot 645 with a 221 top game.

Runner-up was leaguemate Bev Bennett, 112 over her 144 average with 544 and 192 best, and in third was Linde Marquess of the Tuesday Night Mixed at Superior, 92 over her 146 average with 530 and a 191 tops.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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