News

Garden City, NY:  Elizabeth John, a 25 year old student from Astoria, NY, won her first LIGBT title with an amazing comeback. Elizabeth earned the $1,000 top prize with a 254 defeating second place finisher Ken Simpson, Shirley, NY by 11 pins (243 worth $500.) Third place went to another student, 15 year old Scott Kampf, Levittown, NY who earned $300 with a 217.

The early part of the shootout was dominated by Scott who started the match with 4 strikes in a row while Elizabeth began with 2 opens. But after her poor start Elizabeth stayed clean and finished with 4 strikes in a row while Scott has 3 late opens. Kenny, on the strength of two doubles, had a late one pin lead going into the final frame but Liz struck out to claim the victory.

The Garden City tournament drew a great summer crowd of 111 entries, advanced 20 bowlers to the finals, and paid out $4,200. Kegel’s 43 foot Dead Man’s Curve pattern was used and scoring was moderate (715 cut for both squads). High series of the tournament was shot by John Mienkiewicz, Plainview, NY with an 801 series in the 1pm squad.

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 3 day Labor Day Weekend Major at AMF Babylon. Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $3,000 & $1,500. One in 6 each squad advances to the finals and will cash for a minimum of $80. Entry fees for the 6-squad event are $65 per entry. For complete results of the AMF Garden City tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, and  CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Levittown, NY:  In one of the most amazing comebacks in LIGBT history Jim Walsh, Glen Cove, NY won his second LIGBT title (first in 5 years) by defeating Alan Seeley, Wantagh, NY 241-237 in the final shootout. Jim overcame a 41 pin deficit in the 5^th frame to earn the $1,000 top prize while Al earned $500 as the runner-up. Finishing third with a 224 and earning $350 was Preston Cheeks, Brooklyn, NY. Fourth went to Kevin Rabich, Ridge, NY with a 196 worth $300 and fifth was taken by Rich Patson, Lindenhurst, NY with a 190 worth $250.

Jim started the match with 3 opens in his first 5 frames. Preston, Al, and Kevin each had an early double and an open. Jim started his amazing comeback in the 6^th frame with a strike and kept the string going until his fill ball in the tenth frame. Al could have won his first title with a strike in the tenth but he left two pins giving him second place. 

The South Levittown tournament drew a great summer crowd of 99 entries, advanced 17 bowlers to the finals, and paid out $3,640. Kegel’s 43 foot Autobahn pattern was used and scoring was on the moderate side (710 cut at 1pm & 701 at 3pm). The high series of the tournament was shot by our champion Jim Walsh with an 805 series in the 3pm squad.

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad (1pm & 3pm) handicap event at AMF Garden City on Sunday, August 24th. Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000 & $500. One in 6 each squad advances to the finals and will cash for a minimum of $60. Entry fees for the AMF Garden City event are $60-1^st entry and $50 for a re-entry. For complete results of the South Levittown tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, and  CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Wantagh, NY: Anatoly Khodorkovsky, Brooklyn, NY, earned his second LIGBT title with a victory at AMF Wantagh on Sunday. Anatoly had to defeat two of LIGBT’s top bowlers; Bobby Wunsch and Rob Foerster both from East Meadow, NY and both LIGBT title holders. Anatoly earned the $1,000 top prize with a 241 while Bobby took second with a 234 worth $500 and Robb finished third with a 223 earning him $300. 

Anatoly’s road to victory got off to a slow start as he missed a one pin spare in the first frame while Rob and Bobby had at least a double in the first five frames. Anatoly moved ahead with a triple in frames 5 through 7. When Bobby doubled in the final frame it forced Anatoly to mark which he did successfully by converting a 6 pin which secured his victory.

The AMF Wantagh tournament drew a great summer crowd of 95 entries, advanced 17 bowlers to the finals, and paid out $3,540. Kegel’s 40 foot Abbey Road pattern was used and scoring was on the moderate side (693 cut at 1pm & 698 at 3pm). The high series of the tournament was shot by Sam Cooke, Patchogue, NY with a 805 series in the 3pm squad.

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad (1pm & 3pm) handicap event at South Levittown Lanes on Sunday, August 3rd. Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000 & $500. One in 6 each squad advances to the finals and will cash for a minimum of $60. Entry fees for the South Levittown event are $60-1^st entry and $50 for a re-entry. For complete results of the AMF Wantagh tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, and  CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Babylon, NY: “Gwen” Ganus, Brooklyn, NY won her second LIGBT title in one of the closest shootouts in LIGBT history. Gwen struck out in the final frame to defeat second place finisher George Williams, Jamaica, NY 244-236. Gwen’s second LIGBT title was worth $2,000 while George earned $1,000 for his runner-up position. Finishing third and earning $700 was Justin Kampf, Levittown, NY with a 224 and fourth place went to Gary Paulsen, Massapequa, NY with a 215 worth $400.

Gwen’s victory was the result of an amazing comeback. While all three of her competitors doubled in the first five frames she had 3 opens and was trailing by 33 pins halfway through the match. But Gwen’s last 5 frames included a double, 2 spares, and a triple in the tenth to finish her comeback. Amazingly, all 4 competitors were separated by only 11 pins going into the final frame.

The AMF Babylon tournament drew a 2-day crowd of 174 entries, advanced 34 bowlers to the finals, and paid out $7,810 plus 8 Brunswick balls. Kegel’s 39 foot Middle Road pattern was used and cut scores ranged from 704 to 730. The high series of the tournament was shot by Joe Freeman, Ridgewood, NY with a 787 series in the Sunday 1pm squad.

LIGBT’s next tournament is a one day handicap event at AMF Wantagh on Sunday, July 27^th. Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000 & $500. One in 6 each squad advances to the finals and cash for a minimum of $60. Entry fees for the Wantagh event are $60-1^st entry and $50 for a re-entry. For complete results of the AMF Babylon tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

E. Meadow, NY: Joe Freeman, a 37 year old left-hander from Ridgewood, NY, earned his second LIGBT title at AMF East Meadow with a thrilling one pin victory. Joe defeated Chris Bonomo, a 21 year old right-hander from East Meadow, 231-230. Joe earned $1,000 while Chris took home $500 for second. Finishing third, with a 219, was Jonathan Corda, Williston Park, NY, earning $300.

The early frames of the shootout saw some great bowling as all 3 competitors were clean heading into the 5^th frame. By the 7^th frame Chris held a 21 pin lead over Joe as he had a couple of opens. But when Chris left a 7 count on his fill ball in the tenth frame Joe knew he needed to fill 29 pins to secure the victory. Two perfect tenth frame strikes plus a 9 count gave Joe the title.

The AMF East Meadow tournament drew a great crowd of 125 entries, advanced 22 bowlers to the finals, and paid out $4,450. Kegel’s 42 foot Autobahn pattern was used and scoring was on the moderate side (718 cut at 1pm & 715 at 3pm). High series of the day was shot by Bobby Wunsch, East Meadow, NY in the 1pm squad with a 799.

LIGBT’s next tournament is the July 4^th weekend major at AMF Babylon. The July 5-6 tournament will pay prizes of $2,000 & $1,000. One in 6 each squad advances to the finals and will cash for a minimum of $80. All entries for the 2-day major are $65 per squad. For complete results of the AMF East Meadow tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Knockout Ball Cleaner and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Garden City, NY: Darryl Freeman has been waiting five long years to place an LIGBT trophy on his mantel. His $1,000 dream came true at AMF Garden City as he defeated two other LIGBT champions with a great performance. Darryl, who resides in Forest Hills, NY, shot a 223 to defeat second place finisher, and 3-time champion, Dexter Sapp, Valley Stream, NY by 8 pins. Dexter shot a 215 to earn $500 while third place finisher Dave Martorella, Meriden, CT earned $300 with a 201.

The shootout was well bowled by all three competitors with only one open each through the first seven frames. It looked like Dexter was going to get his 4^th title as he had a 24 pin lead through 7 frames. But when Dexter opened his last 3 frames and Darryl doubled in the 8^th and 9^th frames the 10th became a formality as Darryl claimed the $1,000 victory.

The AMF Garden City tournament drew a great crowd of 117 entries, advanced 20 bowlers to the finals, and paid out $3,930. Kegel’s 39 foot Winding Road pattern was used and scoring was on the moderate side (680 cut at 1pm & 698 at 3pm). The high series of the tournament was shot by Robert Smith, Flushing, NY with a 760 series in the 3pm squad.

LIGBT’s next tournament is a 2-squad (1pm & 3pm) handicap event at AMF East Meadow on Sunday, June 22nd. Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000 & $500. One in 6 each squad advances to the finals and will cash for a minimum of $60. Entry fees for the East Meadow event are $60-1^st entry and $50 for a re-entry. For complete results of the AMF Garden City tournament please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Knockout Ball Cleaner and CLS Custom Upholsterers.

Syosset, NY: The Long Island Generations Bowling Tour (LIGBT) has completed three of four swings in its sixth season. LIGBT has run 26 events this year throughout Long Island bowling centers. The LIGBT Summer Swing is now underway and will consist of 7 events including 2 majors.

The LIGBT has attracted 3,845 entries including the Desperado Shootouts. That’s an amazing 148 entries per tournament! Total payouts this season are over $250,000. In addition to the prize money Brunswick has distributed 48 of their high-end balls to LIGBT bowlers.

There have been three multiple champions this year with Dexter Sapp, Valley Stream, NY leading with 3 titles. The two other bowlers with multiple titles (2 each) are Daniel Goldberg, Douglaston, NY and Cary Fishman, New York, NY. There have been a total of 22 different champions in Season 6 which indicates just how difficult it is to repeat.

More than a quarter-million in prize money has been distributed with Daniel Goldberg leading the earnings category with $4,375. Not surprisingly, in second place is Dexter Sapp with $3,745 and Cary Fishman in third with $3,445. Thirteen different bowlers have cashed for at least $2,000 and 203 different bowlers have cashed at least once.

The most consistent casher at LIGBT events is Jason Nicholas, Wantagh, NY who cashes 77% of the time (10 out of 13). There are 4 bowlers that have cashed in 12 events this year: Gary Paulsen, Massapequa, NY, Daniel Goldberg, Maniram Basdeo, Bronx, NY, and Eddie Eng, Flushing, NY.

The LIGBT puts down tough lane conditions at most of their events. The high average leader in the club is Rob Foerster, East Meadow, NY with a 192.75. There are only 5 bowlers that are averaging above 190 and 12 that are above 185. The club average is 167.8 for all of the members.

The LIGBT will complete its sixth season this summer and finish with a total of 33 events. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, CLS Custom Upholsterers, and Randi Siegel Law Offices. Additional information on the LIGBT is available at www.ligbtour.com. 

Babylon, NY:  David Kuperszmid, a 30 year old right-hander from Brooklyn, NY, won his first LIGBT title worth $3,000. David defeated Mike Milazzo, a 35 year old right-hander from Bellrose, NY, 264-255 in the final shootout. Mike, who was also looking for his first title, earned $1,500 for second while 4-time LIGBT champion Cary Fishman, New York, NY finished third with a 215 worth $750.  

The final shootout was a battle of the two young guns. Both bowlers had never cashed in an LIGBT event despite being members for over a year. Neither was nervous as both started the match with triples. The first open was left by Mike in the 5^th frame which gave David a 30 pin lead after 7 frames due to the fact he was getting 17 pins more in handicap. Mike doubled in the 8^th and 9^th frames to make it close but failed to strike in the tenth giving David the victory.

The AMF Babylon Memorial Day Major drew a great holiday crowd of 282 entries plus another 77 Desperado Shootout entries and paid out more than $13,000 in prizes. A total of 54 bowlers advanced to the finals (better than a 1 in 3) earning a minimum of $80. There were 8 bowlers who cashed more than once earning an additional $70 each. Brunswick gave away 12 MasterMind Genius balls during the tournament.

Kegel’s 41 foot Turnpike pattern was used for the 7 qualifying squads and scoring was low. Cut scores were consistent all weekend ranging from 676 to 702. Only one bowler shot an 800 handicap series and it was the second place finisher Mike Milazzo with an 806 series in the Friday 7pm squad.  

LIGBT’s next tournament is a special 2-squad handicap event at AMF Garden City (squad times 1pm & 3pm) Sunday, June 1st. ALL BOWLERS RECEIVE AN EMBROIDERED LIGBT POLO SHIRT WITH THEIR FIRST ENTRY! Top prizes are guaranteed to pay $1,000 & $500. One in 6 each squad advances to the finals and will cash for a minimum of $70. Entry fees for the AMF Garden City event are $65 & $55 prepaid. For complete results of the AMF Babylon Major please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Brunswick, Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Knockout Ball Cleaner and CLS Custom Upholsterers.