By BILL SNIER
COLUMBUS — After a successful 2023-24 PBA Tour season, including a 10th place finish in the PBA Playoffs and finishing eighth overall on the points list, Zach Wilkins needed a break.
“I bowled probably more than 500 games this season between practices and games on Tour,” the 31-year-old two-handed Canada right-hander and current Kansas City, Mo., resident said.
“It allowed my brain to relax. I was able to take about a month off. It gets you back in the cycle of kind of not thinking as hard, knowing how tough the Tour can be and how good those guys are.”
But his return to competitive bowling with good friend Fero Williams paid off big for the second year in a row at HP Lanes.
After winning the MEGA Doubles a year ago here, the pair teamed up for 2,136 total pinfall over the four-game event — 91 pins higher than a year ago — to defend their title Friday night and take home the $2,000 top check.
“Except for changing brands, there wasn’t much difference,” said Williams, a 43-year-old right-hander and California native who is in the process of moving his family to Baltimore, Md. “And there’s not really caring that much anymore.”
After sitting first after Game 1 with 529, the pair roared into the lead with 558 in Games 2 and 3 and then shot 491 the final game to earn a 91-pin victory over college bowlers Hayden Tarris and Brent Shroyer (2,045), with Simon Mote and Brandon Mooney taking third (1,989).
Tarris and Shroyer led by one pin (547) after Game 1.
“There have been some changes, but the team chemistry is still there,” said Wilkins, who threw the Track Cypher in Games 1 and 2 before shifting to the Columbia 300 Kaboom for the final two games. Williams threw his 900 Global Zen all four games.
“Even though we don’t bowl a heckuva lot of stuff together, we talk nearly every day whether we are bowling or not,” Wilkins added. “That’s what brings a doubles team together — chemistry.”
Individually, Williams finished with 1,070 after shooting 846 over his first three games. Wilkins, who finished at 1,066, shot 798 over his first three. But the latter outscored his friend 267-224 in Game 4.
Tarris, a Bettsville, Ohio, left-hander coming off a stellar freshman season at the University of Pikeville (Ky.), finished with 1,103 after shooting 826 over his first three games — a 275 average overall. His low games were a pair of 268s in Games 1 and 2. Shroyer finished with 942, but shot just 181 in Game 4.
For Wilkins, who bowled at Urbana (Ohio) University, and Williams, bowling in this event after the layoff was, as the latter said, “a no-brainer.”
“I’ve known (tournament promoter) Jody (Boyd) for awhile and I’ve always appreciated the time and effort he puts into his events,” Wilkins said. “He always has a good turnout and, obviously, the prize fund is good.
“Anytime you can bowl something close for a decent amount of money, it’s worth going.”
Now the pair shifts gears to prepare for Saturday’s MEGA Singles main event at HP Lanes. Bowlers will bowl eight qualifying games on either the 9 a.m. or 4 p.m. shifts, with the top one-in-five advancing to Sunday’s 9 a.m. cashers’ round. A field of over 160 bowlers is expected.
And what changes do the doubles champions plan for the main event?
“It’s the same … it’s just bowling,” Williams said. “You have one pattern today and another tomorrow. You just get in cue, practice and keep going. Just go to work.”
And, for the second year in a row, they go to work with one win under their belts.
NOTEBOOK: The event drew 41 total teams. … The top six teams all shot 1,900 or higher for the four games with 1,892 (Jeremy Saccone and Tyler Ring) being the final cash spot in eighth place. Saccone and Ring finished just two pins ahead of two teams — Michael Mossbarger-Zeke Bayt and Erin Lange-Nate Heaston 1,890). … Bryce Oliver and Tyrell Ingalls tied Wilkins and Williams with 558 as the high team game. … Tarris, who had 290 along with Ingalls, had the high individual series. Alex Sherman had the lone 300 in Game 3 and Andrew Amore also had 289. … The doubles was bowled on the house oil pattern while the MEGA Singles will be on a modified 39-foot pattern. … As usual, the night was capped by several “action” matches between individuals and teams. … For those interested in viewing the MEGA singles online, TMT Bowling is bringing the action live on YouTube. Go to:
https://youtube.com/@bowlerhq?feature=shared
… Ryan Liederbach, who topped PBA Playoffs champion David “Boog” Krol to win the title a year ago, is the defending Singles champion. He and partner Justin Knowles finished 23rd Friday night.
MEGA DOUBLES
(Friday, at HP Lanes, Columbus)
Final standings
(with four-game totals)
1, Zach Wilkins-Fero Williams 2,136 total pinfall, $2,000 earnings; 2, Brent Shroyer-Hayden Tarris 2,045, $1,200; 3, Simon Mote-Brandon Mooney 1,989, $1,000; 4, Chad Roberts-Nate Garcia 1,980, $800; 5, Korbin Wilson-Konnor Goodin 1,961, $600; 6, Ty McKinney-Ryan Ashby 1,941, $550; 7, Chris Watson-Ray Cook 1,894, $480; 8, Jeremy Saccone-Tyler Ring 1,892, $400.
