Eight PBA Tour competitors earned their way into the Round1 Japan Cup qualifying field Wednesday in a pre-tournament qualifying event at Round1 Minami Suna in Tokyo.

Among the 45 players who advanced to the tournament proper in the eight-game preliminary event were: Jake Peters, Decatur, Ill.; John Furey, Freehold, N.J.; Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y.; E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind.; Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa; Humberto Vazquez, Mexico; Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., and Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind.

The photo shows Minami Suna Round1 Bowling Center in Tokyo. Photo JPBA

PBA fans can follow the qualifying and match play preliminary rounds from the Japan Cup on pba.com's "live scoring" Thursday and Friday.

The Round1 Japan Cup field includes 20 additional PBA stars, including 2012-13 Player of the Year contenders Parker Bohn III, Jason Belmonte, Pete Weber, Wes Malott, Dom Barrett, Mika Koivuniemi and Sean Rash.

The finals of the Japan Cup will air on ESPN on Sunday, Jan. 12 at 1 p.m. ET.

 

Blind bowling, blue oil and a girl on ESPN on Sunday?

The PBA returns to ESPN Sunday with the finals of the PBA Cheetah Championship, event no. 1 from the PBA World Series of Bowling V, and it'll be an historic television event featuring "blue oil," the appearance of long-time Colombian star Clara Guerrero and the first of four special "PBA League Challenge" events, showcasing the talents of the franchise players from each of the eight PBA League teams in unique skills competitions.

The first PBA League Challenge will be a "blind bowling" event in which a large curtain is suspended over the lanes and the eight PBA League franchise players (Weber, Mike Fagan, Bill O'Neill, Sean Rash, Norm Duke, Jason Belmonte, Chris Barnes and Osku Palermaa) will each bowl a ninth and 10th frame without being able to see the pins.

The Cheetah Championship finalists include Guerrero, the third woman ever to advance to a PBA Tour television final; seven-time PBA Tour titlist and 2013 U.S. Open champion Wes Malott; 37-time PBA Tour winner and PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber, and top qualifier Parker Bohn III, also a PBA Hall of Famer and a 33-time Tour champion.

The debut of "blue oil" is centered around a color additive used in the lane conditioning oil which will allow viewers – for the first time ever – to see the pattern of the oil application on the lane.

The Cheetah Championship begins at 1 p.m. ET. Additional WSOB V finals will air on each subsequent Sunday in December at 1 p.m. ET: the Viper Championship presented by PBA Bowling Challenge (featuring the PBA League Speed Bowling Challenge), the Chameleon Championship (featuring the PBA League Obstacle Course Challenge), and the Scorpion Championship (featuring the PBA League Terrell Owens Challenge). The PBA World Championship will air on Sunday, Dec. 29.

 

"The Bowling Center" Show debuts on Youtube

A new SportsCenter-style show called "The Bowling Center," featuring PBA Xtra Frame personalities Jason (The Bowling Guy) Thomas and Jef Goodger, made its debut on YouTube Monday, and will include new shows that will debut on Mondays for the next eight weeks.

The first episode is a PBA World Series of Bowling V preview featuring a Mike (Mike J. Laneside) Jakubowski interview with PBA Commissioner Tom Clark ("Having Beers with Bowlers"), a discussion session about "blue oil, Terrell Owens' appearance in the World Series and collegiate star Marshall Kent's performance in the World Series.

In addition, Goodger and Thomas will drill a Motiv Sigma Sting ball and bowl a three-game match. There also is a segment on Troll Bowling (where Thomas and Goodger take an "internet troll" to task) and a special Billy Hardwick tribute.

To view Episode One, click here.

On Monday, Dec. 2, a Cheetah Championship recap show will feature a "top 10 favorite bowling calls/bowler celebrations" segment, a Mike J. Laneside interview with Patrick Allen, a three-game match between Goodger and Thomas using a Roto Grip Totally Defiant, another "Troll Bowling" segment and a Viper Championship preview.

 

PBA Regional Roundup: Joe Findling pads PBA Southwest points lead

Joe Findling (pictured left) of Mesquite, Texas, defeated DJ Archer of Garland, Texas, 224-176, to win his fifth PBA Regional title Sunday in the 7th annual Dallas Orthopaedic Trauma Surgeons Southwest Open at Allen Bowl in Allen, Texas.

Findling's win was his second of the year and helped him build a comfortable lead on the PBA Southwest Region's 2013 competition points list.

Eddie VanDaniker Jr. (right) of Chatsworth, Calif., posted a 8-4 match play record and a 20-game total of 4,454 pins Sunday to win his third PBA Regional title of the year in the PBA Capital City West/Northwest Open at Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, Calif., Sunday. VanDaniker, who earned $2,500, defeated David Haynes of Las Vegas by 15 pins for the title.

In the companion PBA50 Open, Kent Wagner of Palmetto, Fla., posted a 7-1 match play record and a 16-game total of 3,655 pins to win $1,500 and his second regional title of the year by 217 pins over Don Blatchford of Santa Monica, Calif., by 217 pins.

Two events are on tap for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend: the Beaumont Southwest Open presented by Roto Grip at Crossroads Bowling Center in Beaumont, Texas, and the La-Z-Boy/Monroe Sport Center Non-Champions Open in Monroe, Mich.

For complete Regional tournament schedules and entry information, click here.

 

Quick Notes

PBA Tour competitor John Szczerbinski of North Tonawanda, N.Y., and Team USA teammate Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, N.Y., both finished fourth in their respective gender groups in the QubicaAMF World Cup, which concluded Sunday in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, but combined to win the World Cup award for the highest composite finish among national teammates. L-R McEwan, Team USA head coach Rod Ross and Szczerbinski.

 

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