The weekend of Oct. 18-19 will bring three separate tournament events to Stark County, ranging from pro to amateur to team events.
Here is a rundown of the upcoming events:
PBA CENTRAL REGION: Park Centre Lanes in North Canton again will be sponsoring the PBA50-60 Park Centre Lanes Central Doubles Open on Oct. 18 and 19 at the center. In conjunction with the event, the Fred Smith- Dick Behra Pro-Am will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 17. Players will have the opportunity to bowl three games of 9-pin, no-tap with three different pros. This is a handicapped event. Entry fee is $30 per players, and it is open to high school, collegiate, adult, seniors (ages 50 and older).
The actual tournament will open with an eight-game qualifying round at 10 a.m. Oct. 18 before the field is cut to either the top eight or 12 teams (depending on entries) for the Oct. 19 round-robin match play starting at 9 a.m. There is no admission charge, with Michael Clark Jr. and Dean Billings returning as the defending champions.
Other players committed on the roster include Darryl Bower, Tom Carter, Dale Csuhta, Tim Elsass, Eddie Graham, Michael Haggitt, Don Hogue, John Marsala, Andrew Neuer, Andrew Rettig, Troy Stus and Larry Verble. The event is being contested on the PBA Monacelli 40-foot oil pattern.
COLLEGE BOWL TOURNAMENTS: The second event of the College Bowl Tournaments series — a 50-and-older and under-50 doubles — is set for 10 a.m. Oct. 18 at Eastbury Bowling Center with a $130 entry fee for the scratch event. Teams will bowl four qualifying games before the field is cut to the top four for single-game match-play elimination. The event will pay 1-in-3 on the house oil pattern. This is the second of eight events, with players having to bowl at least four events to qualifying for the season-ending CBT series singles event in May 2026. For information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1644683990301090/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22home%22%7D%2C%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22attachment%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22newsfeed%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D
SCHSBC ALUMNI TOURNAMENT: The Stark County High School Bowling Conference’s annual Alumni Tournament is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 19 at Eastbury Bowling Center. There currently are 13 teams in the field representing 10 schools. The event is limited to adult bowlers only with a $200 entry fee per team. Teams will bowl 12 Baker System games before the field is cut for best three-of-five match play by seed. See the entry form below for details.
OTHER EVENTS
HIT DEM POCKETS: HDP will hold the second in its series of handicap doubles events at 5 p.m. Oct. 12 at North Woods Lanes in Macedonia. Entry fee is $60, with teams rolling five games to determine a winner. There is no stepladder. The high team after each game also will bowl a bonus sixth game for a bonus prize with winner taking all. The team of Dell Ray Jr. and Mike King captured the last doubles event in the 12-team field with 2,486 total pinfall, with the team of Chris Steele and Tony Carson taking second with 2,483, and the team of Vicktor Varner and Dean Vargo finishing third 2,427. Ray and King also captured the one-game winner-take-all match. For information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/HitDemPockets
OHIO MATCHPLAY TOURNAMENTS: Ohio Matchplay Tournaments will hold the Inaugural HP Lanes Challenge Series Event No. 1 at 1 p.m. Oct. 11 at HP Lanes in Columbus. The scratch event is for bowlers ages 50 and older with a $120 entry fee. Bowlers will roll five qualifying games on a 42-foot OMT oil pattern with the field then being cut for single-game seeded match-play bracket play. First place will pay $1,200 based on 48 entries. For information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/360430239160799
MIXED MASTERS: The team of Dezman Wade and Kimari Jackson took honors during the Steel Valley Bowling Committee’s Mixed Masters, held last weekend at Champion Lanes in Warren with 15 teams in the field. The team of Alayna Wildman and Matt Angell took second. First place paid $500. See qualifying results below. The next event will be the Halloween Moonlight at Freeway Lanes on Oct. 24. For information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564429628412
SINGLES ELIMINATOR: Jody Boyd and James Dalton Hiles are teaming up for the $1,000 Singles Eliminator event, with the date being changed from the original one due to a conflict with an Ohio State football home game. The new date is 1 p.m. Oct. 25 at Sequoia Pro Bowl in Columbus. Entry fee is $80 on a house oil pattern, with as maximum field of 120. Bowlers will bowl either four or five games (to be announced) before the field is cut to the top 24 for eliminator rounds, with the top eight receiving a first-round bye. For information, go to:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1480891892928674?active_tab=about
PORTAGE USBC: The 79th annual Portage County Open, originally scheduled for October, has been postponed until April. For information go to: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063470113603
BARRON-SOMMERS MEMORIAL: The third annual Barron-Sommers Memorial doubles event is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 14 at Hunt Club Lanes in Salem with a $70 entry fee per team. Teams will bowl three qualifying games before the field is cut to the top four in the handicap and scratch divisions for modified bracket play. The event is limited to 44 teams. This is a fundraiser for youth bowling and the Salem High School bowling teams. For information, see the entry below:
PBA CENTRAL REGION
PBA50: Three Regional Players Invitational berths were secured during the PBA50 RPI Central Classic at Polkaing Woodman Lanes in Kettering recently. Kyle Bigelow earned his second career title with the win, finishing with 4,277 total pinfall. North Olmsted’s Michael Clark Jr. earned his third runner-up finish of the season (4,218), followed by super senior Darryl Bower (4,203), who earned the third RPI spot. Bower was the qualifying leader with 1,735 through eight games. See complete results here: https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=685abcf5702dda9011fe61a5
PBA: Graham Fach emerged with another Central Region title by topping the PBA Family Ford of Bluffton/Yergy’s BBQ/EZ Bowl Central Open in Bluffton, Ind. The Urbana left-hander stopped Zac Tackett 258-214 in the title match after defeating Cincinnati’s Richard McCormick 222-204 in the semifinals. There were four players who earned RPI spots from the event, including Tackett, McCormick, Jeff Mann and Zach Weidman. See complete results here: https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=685ac1c1a5288bb32dfd2368&fbclid=IwY2xjawNTfHpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF3N0lORUJWY3pETk5pZ2dtAR6NVfP4t7PsbsDV6s02iX9os_IA0Mez_EZWfsOpsx5Z-nO4UFYjLgh_xATpdw_aem_AUoW3OYrfljkah-cQB_mnQ