Rafael Medina comes from behind to win Boys Masters title at American Zone Youth Championships
06/16/06
Third-seeded Rafael Medina (center), Venezuela, climbed the ladder to end the 11th American Zone Youth Championships at Bol La Noria Pro in Puebla, Mexico with victory in the Boys Masters final.
In the semi-final match, Medina sidelined Steven Uchikata (right), Canada, 215-199, for the right to meet leader Dan Vick (left), United States, in the title match.
Medina took a huge 46-pin lead after the first of two games and never looked back to cruise to the title with a 407-371 victory. Overnight leader Daniel Farish, United States, missed the stepladder by 40 pins to finish fourth.
Facing the challenging short oil pattern at the 2006 American Zone Youth Championships for the third time in competition this week, Junior Team USA's Daniel Farish took the Masters lead in the boys division after six of 12 round robin match play games.
For Farish, playing the channel worked Wednesday, as he totaled 1,348, including 50 bonus pins via a 5-1 match play record (216.33 scratch average). Competitors are awarded 10 points for each match play victory and five for a tie.
"With fewer bowlers out there, there's less chance for the lane to break down," said Farish, who was playing the No. 3 board Wednesday. "That's where I'm best. I kept my feet in the same spot and my eyes in the same spot except for lanes 5 and 6, which played different all week."
Farish wasn't the only one to find success on the Junior Team USA boys' side. Dan Vick is currently second with 1,316 (5-1 record) and Matt O'Grady is fourth at 1,288 (4-2). Venezuela's Rafael Medina is in third place with 1,288. Three-time gold medalist Josh Blanchard, United States, is ninth with 1,122 (1-5).
Competition concludes Thursday with the final six games of the 12-game, round-robin portion of the Masters event, after which the field is trimmed to the top three in each division for the stepladder finals. The No. 3 seed will bowl the No. 2 seed in a one-game match with the winner advancing to face the No. 1 seed in a two-game, total-pins match for the gold medal.
Mexico
Junior Team USA holds three of top four boys division spots heading into final day
Third-seeded Rafael Medina (center), Venezuela, climbed the ladder to end the 11th American Zone Youth Championships at Bol La Noria Pro in Puebla, Mexico with victory in the Boys Masters final.
In the semi-final match, Medina sidelined Steven Uchikata (right), Canada, 215-199, for the right to meet leader Dan Vick (left), United States, in the title match.
Medina took a huge 46-pin lead after the first of two games and never looked back to cruise to the title with a 407-371 victory. Overnight leader Daniel Farish, United States, missed the stepladder by 40 pins to finish fourth.
11th American Zone Youth Championships - Boys Masters
Bol La Noria Pro in Puebla, Mexico (June 9-16, 2006)
Championship Round:
1. Rafael Medina, Venezuela, 622 (3 games)
2. Dan Vick, United States, 407 (2 games)
3. Steven Uchikata, Canada, 199 (1 game)
Playoff Results:
Semifinal Match: Medina def. Uchikata, 215-199
Championship Match: Medina (237-170) def. Vick (191-180), 407-371.
Boys Masters - Standings after the second block of match play
Players with position, country, 12-game total, average, won-loss-tie record, bonus (10 pins per victory, 5 for tie) and grand total
1. Daniel Vick, United States, 2516, 209,67, 11-1, 110, 2626
2. Steven Uchikata, Canadá, 2421, 201,75, 8-4, 80, 2501
3. Rafael Medina, Venezuela, 2425, 202,08, 7-5, 70, 2495
The top 3 advanced to the Masters finals.
Missed Cut:
4. Daniel Farish, United States, 2375, 197,92, 8-4, 80, 2455
5. Matthew O'Grady, United States, 2387, 198,92, 6-6, 60, 2447
6. Josh Blanchard, United States, 2392, 199,33, 5-7, 50, 2442
7. Juan Gonzalez Alarcon, MĂ©xico, 2327, 193,92, 7-5, 70, 2397
8. Darren Klassen, Canadá, 2240, 186,67, 7-5, 70, 2310
9. Jose Salinas Villarreal, MĂ©xico, 2235, 186,25, 4-8, 40, 2275
10. Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela, 2175, 181,25, 5-7, 50, 2225
11. Isi Eskenazi Yaakovsky, MĂ©xico, 2141, 178,42, 1-10, 10, 2151
(tie) Christopher Bunnage, Canadá, 2121, 176,75, 3-9, 30, 2151
Download the game-by-game results here (pdf file)....
Daniel Farish leads halfway through masters at American Zone Youth Championships
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Facing the challenging short oil pattern at the 2006 American Zone Youth Championships for the third time in competition this week, Junior Team USA's Daniel Farish took the Masters lead in the boys division after six of 12 round robin match play games.
For Farish, playing the channel worked Wednesday, as he totaled 1,348, including 50 bonus pins via a 5-1 match play record (216.33 scratch average). Competitors are awarded 10 points for each match play victory and five for a tie.
"With fewer bowlers out there, there's less chance for the lane to break down," said Farish, who was playing the No. 3 board Wednesday. "That's where I'm best. I kept my feet in the same spot and my eyes in the same spot except for lanes 5 and 6, which played different all week."
Farish wasn't the only one to find success on the Junior Team USA boys' side. Dan Vick is currently second with 1,316 (5-1 record) and Matt O'Grady is fourth at 1,288 (4-2). Venezuela's Rafael Medina is in third place with 1,288. Three-time gold medalist Josh Blanchard, United States, is ninth with 1,122 (1-5).
Competition concludes Thursday with the final six games of the 12-game, round-robin portion of the Masters event, after which the field is trimmed to the top three in each division for the stepladder finals. The No. 3 seed will bowl the No. 2 seed in a one-game match with the winner advancing to face the No. 1 seed in a two-game, total-pins match for the gold medal.
Boys Masters - Standings after the first block of match play
Players with position, country, six-game total, average, bonus and grand total
1. Daniel Farish, USA, 1298, 216,33, 50, 1348
2. Daniel Vick, USA, 1266, 211,00, 50, 1316
3. Rafael Medina, VEN, 1248, 208,00, 40, 1288
4. Matthew O'Grady, USA, 1224, 204,00, 30, 1254
5. Darren Klassen, CAN, 1180, 196,67, 50, 1230
6. Jose Salinas Villarreal, MEX, 1176, 196,00, 40, 1216
7. Steven Uchikata, CAN, 1174, 195,67, 40, 1214
8. Juan Gonzalez Alarcon, MEX, 1128, 188,00, 20, 1148
9. Josh Blanchard, USA, 1112, 185,33, 10, 1122
10. Christopher Bunnage, CAN, 1054, 175,67, 20, 1074
11. Ildemaro Ruiz, VEN, 1051, 175,17, 10, 1061
12. Isi Eskenazi Yaakovsky, MEX, 1044, 174,00, 0, 1044