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Babylon, NY: Gary Paulsen, a semi-retired senior bowler, won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s sport shot event hosted at AMF Babylon. Gary, who is from Massapequa, NY, won his 4th LIGBT title by defeating Deon Taitte, Amityville, NY 270-249 in the final shootout. While Deon earned $600 for second, finishing third was John Sandano, Brooklyn, NY with a 220 earning $400. Rounding out the top 4 was Scott Kampf, Levittown, NY, with a 190 worth $300.

The 4 bowlers in the shootout had a wide difference in handicap. Scott was giving everyone pins with a handicap of 18. On the other hand, Gary had the most handicap with a ridiculous 71 pins. Gary started with a double and held the lead throughout the match. When Gary opened in frames 6 & 7 the match got tighter. Deon, who also opened in the 6^th frame, struck out the rest of the way to force Gary to mark in the final frame to win. Gary struck which gave him his 4^th title. John filled all frames except one but just couldn’t strike. Scott hit the pocket a lot but never carried the left lane.

The AMF Babylon event drew a great summer crowd of 110 entries, advanced 20 bowlers to the finals and paid out $4,500. The cut scores on the “Athens” pattern were moderate as the lower average division cut was 700 & 708 and the higher average division cut was 686 & 700. High series of the tournament was shot by Deon Taitte with a 759 in the 3pm squad. A total of 4 extra bowlers were added to the finals due to the “no division” insurance.  

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad sport shot event at AMF Wantagh; Sunday, August 19^th (1pm & 3pm.) Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000-1^st and $500-2^nd.  To view the final results of the AMF Babylon event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, Vietri Associates, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

New Hyde Park, NY:  Jin Hong, a 44 year old dental technician, won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s sport shot event hosted by Herrill Lanes. Jin, who is from Jamaica, NY won his first LIGBT title by defeating his good friend Jae Yi, Flushing, NY 266-228 in the final shootout. While Jae earned $500 for second, finishing third was 4-time champion James Hellen, Lindenhurst, NY with a 216 earning $300. Rounding out the top 4 was Jonathan Robles, Jamaica, NY, with a 202 worth $250.

The final shootout was dominated by Jin as he had the most handicap and bowled the highest scratch game in the shootout; 190. That’s an unbeatable combination! By the 5^th frame the battle was for second place and when Jae tripled in frames 6 through 8 he secured the runner up position. James bowled well but didn’t strike until frame #8 and had to settle for third. Jonathan just had too many open frames, and despite throwing a late double, finished fourth.

The Herrill Lanes event drew a nice summer crowd of 87 entries, advanced 17 bowlers to the finals (better than 1 in 5) and paid out $3,600. The cut scores on the PBA50 “Carmen Salvino” pattern were moderate; 730 & 696 for the lower average division and 731 & 701 for the higher average division. High series of the tournament was shot by Jason Fennell, Brooklyn, NY with a 781 in the 1pm squad.   

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad sport shot event at AMF Babylon; Sunday, August 12^th (1pm & 3pm.) Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000-1^st and $500-2^nd.  To view the final results of the Herrill Lanes event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, , Vietri Associates, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Astoria, NY:  James Dickerson, a 50 year old postal carrier from Norwalk, CT won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s house shot event at Astoria Bowl. James’ third LIGBT title came fairly easy as he defeated Joe Perez, Corona, NY 295-267 in the final shootout. While Joe earned $500 for second, Kameron Smith, Tobyhanna, PA finished third with a 239 worth $300 and fourth went to Greg Welch, Brooklyn, NY with a 229 earning him $250.

The final shootout started out with a lot of strikes as all of the finalists were zoned in for the cameras. But only James continued the string of strikes and wound up with 8 in a row from the 2^nd to the 9^th frame to lock up the title by the 10th. What made James’ victory even more impressive is he was giving everyone at least 20 pins in handicap in the shootout. Joe, who was bowling in front of his home crowd, started out hot but had to settle for second place in his first LIGBT event.

The Astoria house shot event drew a nice crowd of 99 entries, advanced 20 bowlers to the finals and paid out $4,350. The cut scores on the house shot were not that high; 721 for the 49 & under age group and 723 for the seniors. High series of the tournament was shot by Harry Park, Bay Terrace, NY with an 804 in the 1pm squad. One woman was added to the finals; Hyo Jin Kim, Flushing, NY with a 703 as she was the top woman series. Two additional bowlers were added to the finals via the “no division” insurance; Ferrill McNeil, Bronx, NY at 3pm and Andrew Mienkiewicz, Massapequa, NY at 1pm   

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad sport shot event, August 5^th at Herrill Lanes. Top prizes at Herrill are guaranteed to pay; $1,000-$500-$300-$250 with 1 in 6 advancing to the finals. To view the final results of the Astoria Bowl event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, , Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Syosset, NY:  Damien Rodriguez, a 42 year old associate producer for the MLB Network, won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s sport shot event hosted by AMF Syosset. Damien, who resides in the Bronx, won his first LIGBT title by defeating Renato Hufana, Jamaica, NY 237-222 in the final shootout. While Renato earned $600 for second, finishing third was 2-time champion Eddie Eng, Flushing, NY with a 220 earning $400. Rounding out the top 4 was Rich Hengel, E. Meadow, NY, with a 197 worth $300.

The final shootout got off to a slow start as there were 9 opens in the first 5 frames. Eddie started quick with a triple but then followed it up with 3 open frames. Rich just couldn’t get comfortable and had to settle for fourth place. Damien and Renato were within 2 pins going into the last frame but when Renato left the 5-10 split, and Damien spared, his first LIGBT trophy became a reality.

The AMF Syosset event drew a great summer crowd of 113 entries, advanced 22 bowlers to the finals and paid out $4,700. The cut scores on the “Middle Road” pattern were moderate; 704 & 729 for the lower average division and 667 & 724 for the higher average division. High series of the tournament was shot by Eddie Cintron, Laurelton, NY with a 774 in the 3pm squad.   

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad house shot event at Astoria Bowl; Sunday, July 29^th (1pm & 3pm.) Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000-1^st and $500-2^nd.  To view the final results of the AMF Syosset event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, L. I. Bagel Café, CYA Action Fun Wear, Vietri Associates, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Levittown, NY:  Cameron Potts, a 35 year old professional photographer from Babylon, NY, won the $1,000 top prize at LIGBT’s 4-game house shot sweeper at Levittown Lanes. Cameron’s first LIGBT title was accomplished when he defeated Rich Hengel, East Meadow, NY and Nick Benischek, Levittown, NY 286-258. Rich and Nick both earn $400 for their second place tie. Rounding out the top 4 was Gary Paulsen, Massapequa, NY with a 225 worth $250.

The final 4 shootout was dominated by Cameron as he threw strikes in 8 of his first 9 frames. Rich unfortunately started with 2 opens but came on strong with 9 strikes in his last 11 shots to tie for second. Nick bowled well but missed a spare in the 3^rd frame hurting his title hopes. Both Nick and Rich struck out in the final frame to tie for second. Gary just couldn’t string strikes and had to settle for fourth place.

The Levittown Lanes event drew a Friday night crowd of 47 entries, advanced 8 bowlers to the finals and paid out $2,650. The 4-game cut scores on the house shot were 1038 for the 49 & under group and 1026 for the senior division. The two division squad leaders, both earning automatic spots in the final shootout, were Cameron Potts (49 & under division) with a 1080 and Rich Hengel (senior division) with an 1100. All finalists cashed for a minimum of $150.

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad sport shot event at AMF Syosset on Sunday, July 22^nd. Top prizes will pay $1,000 & $500 with 1 in 6 per division each squad advancing to the finals. To view the final results of the Levittown sweeper please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, and Billvee Electric, L.I. Bagel Café, CYA Action Fun Wear, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Garden City, NY:  Joe LaBargo, a 28 year old right hander from Bayside, NY, won the $3,000 top prize at LIGBT’s Firecracker Classic at AMF Garden City. Joe won his third LIGBT title by defeating Scott Kampf, Levittown, NY 253-238 in the final shootout. Scott earned $1,500 for second place. Rounding out the top 4 was third place finisher Brendan Delaney, Levittown, NY with a 206 earning $750 and fourth was Joe Scianna, Ronkonkoma, NY with a 194 worth $500.

The final shootout was a good one and featured four bowlers that earned byes in qualifying.  Joe LaBargo began his championship run with an early triple and only had one open frame. Scott stayed close to Joe with an early double and a triple in frames 6 through 8. Joe, who was on a strike in the 9^th frame, needed a strike on his first ball in the tenth to win. He threw a perfect shot to claim the $3,000 top prize. Brendan could not carry a strike and finished third while Joe Scianna, who was giving everyone handicap, could not get a string going and had to settle for fourth place.

The AMF Garden City event drew a crowd of 223 entries (including the desperado), advanced 36 bowlers to the finals and paid out $10,120. The cut scores on the “Boardwalk” pattern ranged from 656 to 706. High series of the tournament was shot by Joe Scianna with a 765 in the Friday, 8pm squad. There were 2 wildcard bonuses: The Friday night wildcard was won by Hilton Nunoz, New York City, with a 1329 six-game series and the Sunday wildcard was won by George Williams, Briarwood, NY with a 1288.

LIGBT’s next tournament is Friday night 4-game house shot sweeper at Levittown Lanes on July 13th. To view the final results of the AMF Garden City Firecracker Classic please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, Billvee Electric, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Garden City, NY:  James Hellen, a 35 year old right handed bowler from Lindenhurst, NY, won the $800 top prize at LIGBT’s 4-game house shot sweeper at AMF Garden City. James’ fourth LIGBT title was accomplished when he defeated senior bowler Joe Scianna, Ronkonkoma, NY 252-245 in the final shootout. While Joe earned $500 for second, senior bowler Pak Wong, New York, NY took third with a 223 earning $300. Rounding out the top 4 was Scott Kampf, Levittown NY, with a 203 worth $250.

The final 4 shootout was a tight match early but wound up being a 2 man race at the end. Pak and Scott had several open frames that hurt their title hopes. James got off to an early start with four strikes in a row while Joe kept getting 9 counts. Both bowlers stayed cleaned for all 10 frames but the difference in the match was the 27 pin handicap advantage James enjoyed. When Joe finished his game with a 4 bagger it forced James to mark in the 10^th frame. James easily converted a one pin spare to secure the match and his fourth title.

The AMF Garden City event drew a Friday night crowd of 38 entries, advanced 6 bowlers to the finals and paid out $2,100. The cut scores on the house shot were 1026 for the 49 & under group and 1027 for the senior division. The two division squad leaders, both earning automatic spots in the final shootout, were Scott Kampf (49 & under division) with a 1041 and Pak Wong (senior division) with a 1054. 

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad sport shot event at Herrill Lanes on Sunday, June 24^th. Top prizes will pay $1,000 & $500 with 1 in 6 per division each squad advancing to the finals. To view the final results of the AMF Garden City sweeper please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Knockout Ball Cleaner, Torch Bowling, and Billvee Electric, L.I. Bagel Café, CYA Action Fun Wear, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Levittown, NY:  Hector Diaz Jr., a 39 year old IT Director from the Bronx, NY won the $5,000 top prize at Levittown Lanes where LIGBT’s Super Tournament #4 was held. Hector defeated Hilton Nunoz, New York, NY 253-214 to win his third LIGBT title. Hilton earned $2,500 for his runner-up position. Finishing in third was Scott Kampf, Levittown, NY with a 211 worth $1,500. Fourth place went to Maniram Basdeo, Bronx NY with a 209 worth $1,250. Rounding out the top 5 was 5^th place finisher William Tudy, Brooklyn, NY with a 183 worth $1,000.

The Super Tournament final shootout was a pressure packed match with over $11,000 up for grabs. The match started out slow as everyone had at least one open by the 4^th frame and Scott threw the only double. Hector started his championship run with 4 strikes in a row in the middle of the game and never looked back. By the 8^th frame the competition was for second place with Hilton hanging on to the runner-up position.

Hector joins a prestigious list of $5,000 Super Tournament champions; Tommy Grunwald, Astoria, NY was the first Super champion at Farmingdale Lanes (February, 2016), Cynthia Cooke, Patchogue, NY won the second Super at AMF Plainview (May 2017) and Pak Wong, New York, NY won the 3^rd Super also at AMF Plainview (August, 2017.) The 5^th Super Champion will be crowned later this summer.

The Super Tournament drew an amazing crowd of 394 entries plus 53 desperado entries. There were 71 finalists (better than 1 out of 3 entrants) who shared in a $23,680 prize fund. Cut scores on the custom pattern ranged from 673-733. High series was shot by Gary Paulsen, Massapequa, NY with an 811 in the Sunday 2pm squad. Twenty-one Brunswick Kingpin Max balls were won in the high game pots, and another $24,000 was paid out in side action. Total payout for the weekend exceeded $50,000!

LIGBT’s next tournament is a special 4-game house shot sweeper at AMF E. Meadow on Friday night (8pm) June 15th. For complete results of Super Tournament #4 please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Torch Bowling, L.I. Bagel Café, Vietri Associates, Billvee Electric, Knockout Ball Cleaner, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.