Professional Bowlers Association

NORWICH, Conn. – The opening round of the PBA’s Go RVing Match Play Championship at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center Thursday may also include a “sneak preview” of Chris Barnes Challenge IV presented by Columbia 300.

That’s because the leading bidder for Saturday’s three-game, winner-take-all match will also be paired against Barnes in the Round of 64 as the Go RVing competition begins.

Alex Aguiar of Dartmouth, Mass., who finished fifth in the Go RVing Match Play Championship Tour Qualifying Round on Wednesday, also has posted a high bid of $1,500 to take on Barnes in the special challenge match that will be video-streamed live, exclusively on pba.com’s Xtra Frame, Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Ironically, by finishing No. 5 in the TQR, Aguiar also wound up as the 61st seed in the Round of 64, which mean he was paired against the fourth-seeded Barnes in the opening round where they will bowl a best-of-seven-game match Thursday.

Unless Aguiar is out-bid by 11 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, he will bowl Barnes again in a three-game, total pinfall match Saturday night for a $3,000 jackpot.

In three previous  Chris Barnes Challenge matches, Barnes has a 2-1 record.

NORWICH, Conn. – Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., led a field eight players who advanced out of the Professional Bowlers Association’s Tour Qualifying Round Wednesday and completed the field of 64 for the Go RVing Match Play Championship which gets underway Thursday at Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center.

Ciminelli, who has already advanced to the television finals three times during the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, averaged 226.57 to finish the seven-game qualifying round with a 1,586 pinfall total, 22 pins ahead of Jesse Buss of Wichita, Kan. Also advancing to complete the new PBA Bracket Battle field of 64 were Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill.; Matt O’Grady, South Amboy, N.J.; Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass.; Ryan Abel, Bel Aire, Kan.; David O’Sullivan, Orlando, Fla., and Justin Warhol, Sound Beach, N.Y.

Similar to the NCAA basketball championships’ play-in round, the eight TQR players will face an uphill battle as the Go RVing Match Play Championship enters its best-of-seven-game, single-elimination match play Round of 64 Thursday. Wednesday’s qualifiers will be seeded into the Go RVing bracket against the top eight Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour players on the 2009-10 Harry Smith Point Leader Award list:

Warhol, the No. 8 TQR qualifier, will be seeded 64th and paired against No. 1 seed Walter Ray Williams Jr. of Ocala, Fla., a two-time title winner this season.

No. 7 qualifier O’Sullivan is the No. 63 seed will bowl U.S. Open champion and No. 2 seed Bill O’Neill of Southampton, Pa.

No. 6 Abel will inherit the 62 seed and will face No. 3 Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas.

No. 5 Aguiar will be seeded 61st and will bowl defending champion Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, the No. 4 overall seed.

No. 4 O’Grady is the No. 60 seed and is paired against two-time 2009-10 winner and No. 5 seed Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas.

No. 3 LaCaze, who won the Earl Anthony Memorial in January, is seeded 59th and will meet Australia’s two-handed star, Jason Belmonte, the No. 6 seed.

No. 2 Buss will bowl No. 7 seed Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C.

Ciminelli, as the top TQR qualifier, becomes the 57th seed and will be matched up with No. 8 Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich.

Two seeded Exempt Tour players withdrew prior to the start of the event. San Diego’s Mike DeVaney stayed home as he and wife Carrie await the imminent arrival of their second child, and Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., is still nursing a back injury suffered in Columbus, Ohio. Because of their withdrawals, Eddie Van Daniker Jr. of Essex, Md. (Weber’s first-round opponent), and Canadian George Lambert IV (DeVaney’s pairing) were granted byes and automatically advance to the Round of 32.

With the complete field in place, bowling fans have until the start of Round of 64 matches Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern to complete their PBA Bracket Battle forms, which are available at no cost on the PBA’s official website, pba.com. The PBA Bracket Battle, like the NCAA basketball brackets played by millions of Americans, give PBA fans a chance to play along during the Go RVing Match Play Championship by picking the winner of each match throughout the tournament. Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday.

PBA fans will be able to follow the action live on pba.com’s live scoring service, and Xtra Frame subscribers will extra get round-by-round coverage of all of the match play action Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Thursday’s winners will continue competition in Friday’s best-of-seven-game Rounds of 32, 16 and 8. The four remaining survivors will be matched up for three-game, total pinfall matches Saturday evening to determine the two finalists who will square off for the $25,000 top prize in Sunday’s three-game finale on ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern.

LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR
GO RVING MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center, Norwich, Conn., March 17

PBA TOUR QUALIFYING ROUND

(After 7 games, top 8 advance to Round of 64)
1, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,586.
2, Jesse Buss, Wichita, Kan., 1,564.
3, (tie) Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., and Matthew O'Grady, South Amboy, N.J., 1,544.
5, Alex Aguiar, Dartmouth, Mass., 1,520.
6, Ryan Abel, Bel Aire, Kan., 1,518.
7, David O'Sullivan, Orlando, Fla, 1,514.
8, Justin Warhol, Sound Beach, N.Y, 1,500.
9, Stephen Haas, Enola, Pa., 1,496, $1,000.
10, Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., 1,491, $800.
11, Chris Viale, Westfield, Mass., 1,486, $600.
12, Don Lango Jr., New Britian, Conn., 1,483, $500.
13, Bobby Hall II, Landover, Md., 1,481, $400.
14, Edward Roberts, Braintree, Mass., 1,474, $380.
15, Todd Lathrop, Colchester, Conn., 1,468, $460.
16, (tie) Matt Freiberg, Somerset, N.J., and Scott Newell, Deland, Fla., 1,465, $335.
18, Scott Santos, Ledyard, Conn., 1,458, $320.
19, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 1,457, $310.
20, Stephen Fiume, Fiskdale, Mass., 1,450, $300.
21, Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 1,449.
22, Christopher Colella, Templeton, Mass., 1,430.
23, Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 1,427.
24, (tie) Mike Danielson, Portland, Ore., and Jason Utter, Stevensville, Mich., 1,423.
26, Jonathan Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., 1,411.
27, Michael Markis, Hawley, Pa, 1,402.
28, Chris Forry, Bridgeport, Conn., 1,398.
29, Sean McAuliffe, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,397.
30, (tie) Bill Holota, Bolton, Conn., and Tony Reynaud, Harwinton, Conn., 1,396.
32, Paul Pinto, Philadelphia, 1,390.
33, Vinny D'Ambrosio III, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,379.
34, Jeff Kubasak, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,376.
35, Billy Trudell, Coventry, R.I., 1,367.
36, Johnathan Bower, Middletown, Pa., 1,366.
37, Vic Marotto, Wallingford, Conn., 1,361.
38, Robert Eddy II, Saginaw, Mich., 1,355.
39, Geoff Wetzler, Tolland, Conn., 1,349.
40, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 1,346.
41, Chris Larsen, Norwich, Conn, 1,345.
42, Michael Tessier Jr., Woonsocket, R.I., 1,344.
43, Brandon Robertson, Clinton, Conn., 1,342.
44, Matthew Janas, Central Falls, R.I., 1,329.
45, Alex Cavagnaro, Lindenhurst, N.Y., 1,315.
46, Jason Payne, Niles, Mich., 1,311.
47, Joshua Shriver, Winchester, Va., 1,304.
48, Steven Black, Phoenix, 1,278.
49, Dan Furman, Amsterdam, N.Y., 1,272.
50, Bill DeHaas Jr., Andover, N.J., 1,270.
51, (tie) Jack Nealon, Bowie, Md., and Brian DiCicco, Agawam, Mass., 1,264.
53, Ryan Evans, Acton, Mass., 1,248.
54, Country Alfonso, Wallingford, Conn, 1,246.
55, Lydell Hickey, Bristol, Conn., 1,245.
56, Justin Feldman, Bradford, Pa., 1,241.
57, Justin Arnold, Groton, Conn, 1,235.
58, Joseph Costanzo, Plainview, N.Y., 1,203.
59, Craig Kleinman, North Windham, Conn., 1,200.
60, Ralph Ehrlich, North Massapequa, N.Y., 1,196.
61, Francis Mazzella, Staten Island, N.Y., 1,188.
62, Jason Mahon, East Haven, Conn., 1,187.
63, Joseph Truchan Jr., Ringwood, N.J., 1,178.
64, Steven Landry, Oakville, Conn., 1,176.
65, Christopher Sevick, Norwich, Conn, 1,165.
66, Jaime Tessier, Woonsocket, R.I., 1,164.
67, Robert Jette, Lisbon, Conn., 1,158.
68, Matthew Stewart, Niles, Mich., 1,157.
69, Neil Binder, Shelton, Conn., 1,152.
70, Jason Spanjers, Hamden, Conn., 1,135.
71, Larry Tryon, Peabody, Mass, 1,129.
72, Larry Wentz III, Bristol, Conn., 1,110.
73, Bryan Martinson, Lakeland, Fla., 1,096.
74, Brandon Joseph, Glastonbury, Conn., 1,079.
75, John Schaffer, Greentown, Pa., 1,070.
76, Aaron Graves, Danbury, Conn., 1,067.
77, Dominick Curra, Bedford Hills, N.Y., 1,065.
78, Vincent Carbone, Medford, N.Y., 1,061.
79, Andrew Nosar, Manassas, Va., 1,033.
80, Thomas Durand, West Haven, Conn., withdrew.

Attention all PBA Bracket Battle players: Pete Weber and Mike DeVaney have withdrawn from the Go RVing Match Play Championship. Weber is still nursing a back injury and DeVaney stayed home in San Diego while he and wife Carrie await the birth of their second child.

In both cases, their opponents have been granted byes and automatic berths in the Round of 32, so if you have already submitted your PBA bracket, you have until 11 a.m. Eastern on Thursday to update it. Eddie Van Daniker Jr. (Weber’s first-round opponent) and George Lambert IV (DeVaney’s opponent) should be inserted into your Round of 32 (the bracket does not automatically make these changes for you).

FULTON, N.Y. - Over the past few weeks, the intensity and desire that carried Mark Roth to 34 Professional Bowlers Association Tour titles has started to return. The 58-year-old hall of famer – the bowler who was recognized as the fifth-best in PBA history just a year ago – has been working harder than he has in years, trying to get ready for his next tournament.

But when Mark Roth makes his appearance at the GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship at AMF Babylon Lanes in West Babylon, N.Y., March 24-28, it will be dramatically different than any he has ever made before. He will arrive at the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour event named in his honor in a wheelchair.

The fact of the matter is, since suffering a severe stroke on May 31 that paralyzed the entire left side of his body, Mark Roth has been in a battle for his life, his wife, Denise Roth, disclosed today. The stroke was bad enough, but Roth also suffers from diabetes and heart disease, and complications that seemed to arise on an almost daily basis.

But about six weeks ago, she said, Mark suddenly began to arise from the frustration and despair, and it’s all because he wants to attend his own tournament.

“I have some great news,” Denise said last Friday. “Mark has not had to go into the emergency room or anything in about six weeks. He seems to be much stronger. He still has very little use of his left arm, leg, ankle and hand, but he has gained some weight and looks more like the old Mark Roth.

“Most of his facial paralysis is gone. Most of his speech is back and pretty clear. He’s had a lot of problem with his left shoulder, hand, arm, but he’s going to get a Botox treatment that will help him make the trip to Long Island. He has been working so diligently just to get to that tournament. He doesn’t want to miss it.

“Oh, boy, at this point I’m just so happy to see him making some progress. That’s good medicine for me, too. It’s something that’s keeping him working hard. For a while, I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to make the trip. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he’ll hold up.”

In the weeks following his stroke, Denise said she did her best to maintain a positive outlook, for herself and for Mark, but things had not been going well. He was in and out of hospital with all kind of complications. I honestly thought things were going to end. But over the last six weeks, everything has all of a sudden started to come together for him.

“He can walk a short distance now – not real good, but he can use a quad cane (Roth is unable to use a walker because he has no use of his left hand). He has all of his long-term memory, but he has some short-term difficulty,” she continued. “He is probably going have to rest quite a bit, but this is such good medicine for him. He needs something like this to up-lift him.

“I think people will be surprised to see how well he does look at this point. About six weeks ago, it seemed pretty hopeless.”

Denise Roth also said Mark’s drive to make the trip to Long Island is also fueled by the couple’s desire to say “thank you” to the incredible out-pouring of support they have received.

“Wow, I believe in the power of prayer more than I did before,” she said. “I want to thank everyone we can. The prayers and donations have been incredible. Because of the donations we have received, the extra rehab he has been able to get has been astronomical. From now on, it’s rehab, rehab, rehab, just to get back as much function as he can.

“We’ve heard from people in Afghanistan, Israel, from all over the world,” she continued. “There actually is a guy named Jeffrey – he’s in the U.S. Air Force – who sent Mark a coin he kept in his pocket for good luck while flying missions over Afghanistan. He sent that coin to Mark.

“We got a letter from a cute elderly lady named Lula with a card and $10. She asked how I was doing, and said she knows the wife usually gets overlooked, and that she’d send me a million dollars if she could. All of the cards and letters have been so touching…”

In another week, Mark and Denise Roth will arrive in West Babylon, where they will try to set aside the stress and anxieties of the past 10 months. Rather than bowling for a 35th career title, to try to break his tie for third place on the all-time list with Pete Weber, Mark Roth will watch today’s stars – young and old – try to weave the same kind of magic he produced when his radical grip-it-and-rip-it technique with low-tech plastic bowling balls revolutionized the sport back in the 1970s.

“We both need to have a little fun, and nothing could be better than for him to have a chance to spend some time with his second family,” she smiled. “After all, Mark Roth is bowling, and bowling is Mark Roth.”

The GEICO Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship is a unique event in which 64 PBA members will use identical plastic bowling balls bearing Mark Roth’s likeness. The special limited-edition bowling balls, created by OnTheBallBowling.com, are available through the company’s website for $100. A portion of the proceeds benefit a Mark Roth medical assistance fund.