By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — One area player opted to go with a more international flavor when forming his doubles team for the PBA50-60 Doubles-Park Centre Central Open.
It worked out well for both the Akron right-hander and his former partner, a New York City righty.
Glenn Smith, who had bowled with North Star Pro Shop owner-operator Don Hogue the past few seasons in this event, had a successful debut with his new partner, 53-year-old Greenwood, Ind., righty Ron Hurt as they emerged as Saturday’s qualifying leaders heading into Sunday’s round-robin match play.
The 65-year-old Smith, who caught fire early with 259 and 235 out of the gate, and Hurt, who finished with 256 and 238, finished with 3,502 total pinfall to top the eight teams advancing to the finals by 91 pins.
“Don came to me and asked me if it would be OK to change it up,” said Smith, in his best Canadian accent. “We just bowled well all day and made the adjustments we had to make.
“Some pairs weren’t as playable as others, but we were able to dial it in pretty quick.”
Smith finished with 1,749 (218.6 average) while Hurt was at 1,753 (219.1).
“Glenn started off strong and I just kind of rode his coattails,” Hurt said. “But in the end, we were right there with each other as doubles partners should be, holding each other up like you’re supposed to.”
Hogue, a native Canadian, teamed with a fellow countryman — Hamilton, Ontario, right-hander Bill Rowe — to end up fourth after qualifying with 3,384 to also make the cut.
“Bill rolled the ball really well today. I had a great partner, thank God,” said Hogue, who finished with 1,573 while Rowe had 1,811 (226.3). “I usually bowled with Glenn and he usually bowls really well in this. Well, he picked a partner that was better.
“If I can’t match up, the timing’s a little off, confidence gets a little worn and you don’t execute and whiff a spare. The ball just starts going down the hill wrong. But when you have a partner that is whacking them, you just hold on for dear life.”
Rowe, who turned 60 in July and owns three career PBA titles, said it took him until the middle of Game 1 to figure out his problems.
“It didn’t go well in practice either (Friday) or today,” Rowe said. “I figured out in the middle of Game 1 that I was in the wrong zone and I had to move right. Then I just had to guess. But then I was able to see the lane and it broke down the way it should.”
Hogue was able to rally after 195 and 179 to shoot 235 the final game.
“If I learned anything bowling on (PBA50) Tour was if you’re patient and just keep trying things, eventually you will figure it out,” said Hogue, who still is looking for his first PBA title. “Luckily, (Rowe) kept scoring.”
Other teams making the cut to Sunday are Mitch Sacks and Andrew Neuer with 3,411 after Neuer finished with a high tournament set of 1,828 (228.5); defending champions Dean Billings and Michael Clark Jr. (3,392); Bo Goergen and PBA Hall of Famer Mika Koivuniemi (3,383); Jack Jurek and Dan Knowlton (3,382); 2023 champion Larry Verble (with Dan Herrington) and Troy Stus (3,366); and the final qualifiers, Charles Lupica III and John Shreve Jr. (3,302), who earned the final spot by 27 pins.
OVERCOMING EMOTIONS
Billings, a 61-year-old Rootstown right-hander, and Clark, a 53-year-old North Olmsted right-hander who owns two regional titles and has four runner-up finishes this year, were the No. 1 qualifiers a year ago when they marched to the title.
But that was under a different format — bracket match-play style. Today’s eight match-play games will be round-robin, Baker System style, with bonus pins for victories and pins carrying over. They currently are 110 pins behind Smith and Hurt.
Both players shot over 420 to start the day before Billings took over with consecutive games of 256, 270 and 226 to lead the charge.
“I just got to the bottom of the swing and they were really hooking especially in the middle and I was just like, ‘don’t touch it … don’t hit it.’ Just keep everything really smooth,” Billings said. “I got out of rhythm a little bit in the seventh game and made it look harder than it was (he shot 160), but I got back into it in Game 8.”
Clark received an early call from his wife that the family dog had died.
“It took me some time to get back into it. I was talking with my family while bowling, which was probably not the best move, but my mom and dad were here and that made it a little better for me,” Clark said. “I had a decent look, but I made bad ball changes and bad moves and chased it left when I shouldn’t have. I should have stayed more on top of it.
“But Dean got me back into the ball I needed to get into.”
“And, for a change,” Billlings added, “he actually listened.”
Billings finished with 1,786 (223.2) while Clark had 1,606. The pair combined for 507 in Game 8 to move up to third after dropping to a tie for eighth after shooting just 345 in Game 7.
THE FINAL SPOT
While Shreve, a 55-year-old Vermillon right-hander, had games of 269, 257 and 268 during his set, Lupica didn’t have a game above 203 all day as the former shot 1,800 to his partner’s 1,502.
“I just threw the ball really bad today … it was just one of those days,” said Lupica, a 60-year-old Brunswick Hills righty. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t throw the ball two times the same.
“It was just me … even rolling the ball at spares was really hard.”
Shreve admitted he had a good look on the PBA Monacelli 40-foot oil pattern.
“I played in farther than I thought I had to and it really evened out the shot for me,” Shreve said. “If I missed a little bit either way, I would either have a flat-10 or a 4-pin. Luckily, the tournament director put us on a pair by ourselves for the first couple of games so no one was bothering my line.”
As for his partner, Shreve said, “he just couldn’t get comfortable … he was just not releasing the ball the same each time.”
But Sunday is a new day — with new challenges.
“If I can get lined up quicker and come in with a better head space and Dean continues doing what he’s doing, we have as good a chance as any,” Clark said.
NOTEBOOK: A total of 12 teams in the 21-team field averaged over 400 per game (average of 200 per man). … Billings said his USBC Open Championships team of Clark, Jason Johnson, James Nolan and Brian Thompson helps to keep him loose as he prepares for what lies ahead. “We are all sports enthusiasts and will be watching football and baseball,” Billings said. “But you can bet there will be a lot text exchanges.” … Only three players — Neuer (1,828), Rowe (1,811) and Shreve (1,800) — shot over 1,800, a 225 average, overall. Koivuniemi had the high game with 277 in Game 5. Billings also shot 270. … Friday’s pro-am drew 62 participants. Results will be announced later. … Sunday’s match-play finals begin at 9 a.m. … Jurek and Knowlton led the first three games before falling back, but still making the cut. … Wadsworth’s Dale Csuhta and Painesville’s Butch Ferrell finished ninth with 3,275, missing the cut by 27 pins. They combined to shoot 396 in Game 8. … Former North Canton resident Tim Elsass, now living in Connecticut, and Uniontown’s Mark Herdlick finished 14th with 3,157, missing the cut by 145 pins. Herdlick was the only Stark County bowler in the field.
See complete results here: https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=685ac79649844150539bdc53