Ritchie Allen wins qualifying of Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship

    10/26/10

    2010-11 PBA Tour #1

    Two international bowlers make the cut to the match play round on Nov. 1

    200910PBARichieAllen.jpg200910PBALonnieWaliczek.jpgRitchie Allen's (pictured left) professional bowling career was hanging by a thread at the conclusion of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, but Monday, he was on top of the world as the Professional Bowlers Association's World Series of Bowling got underway at South Point Bowling Center.

    Allen, a 32-year-old two-time PBA Tour champion, averaged 252 for 12 games to top the field of 16 qualifiers who will advance to the Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship match play round next Monday.

    Allen finished with 3,020 total pins after firing games of 289, 279, 279, 248, 235 and 249 in his second six-game block for a 41-pin edge over Lonnie Waliczek (rght) of Wichita, Kan.

    Allen, who has a reputation of being one of the PBA's most high-strung, emotional players, was surprisingly in control in his first appearance since coming up short in the 2009-10 competition points race and almost losing his PBA Tour exemption for 2010-11.

    "I have a different mindset now," Allen said. "My wife (Sarah) got pregnant. It's our first and we just found out it's going to be a little girl. I have a lot more on my mind now than bowling. My priorities are different.

    "Things mean just as much from a bowling standpoint, but my mind accepts bad breaks differently," he added. "It's easier to accept a bad break. Don't get me wrong; I'm not going to lose the intensity. When I feel it, I'm going try to win. But I'm not going to beat myself up if I get a bad break. "The Cheetah is not one of my favorite lane conditions," he continued. "I'm not a fan. I like to hook the ball and normally you need to play straight on the Cheetah, but today I could hook it. You actually wanted to hook it. There were spots where you had to go around oil, and that's what I'm pretty good at.

    "I figured if I could get through Cheetah, and have a decent day on the Viper condition (Tuesday), maybe I'll hit my stride later in the week."

    2010EBT05MarkBuffa.jpg2010EBT16DominicBarrett.jpg Two players from the large international contingent made the cut to the top 16. Canada's Mark Buffa (left) had two consistent series of 1447 and 1446 to tie Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio for eighth place with 2893 or an average of 241.08.

    Europe's No. 1, Dominic Barrett (right), England, used series of 1418 and 1426 to beat out PBA and USBC Hall of Famer Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., for the 16th and final place to advance by four pins, 2844 to 2840.

    The Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship qualifying round was the opening event of the 2010-11 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, and the first leg in the PBA World Championship.

    All PBA World Series of Bowling competitors will bowl four more 12-game qualifying rounds on the PBA's Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark lane conditions over the next four days to complete the 60-game PBA World Championship standings.

    While accumulating pins toward the World Championship is a high priority, all players will face a fresh challenge over the next four days. Similar to stages in the Tour de France, the top 16 players each day will advance to the Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark Championship match play rounds next week.

    In week two, the top qualifiers on each pattern will bowl nine additional round-robin match play games with the top five based upon 21 total games advancing to the stepladder finals.

    Bowling fans around the world can follow the daily action live on Xtra Frame, the PBA's exclusive video-streaming service. Full-year, World Series only and one-day trial memberships are available by visiting www.xtraframe.tv.

     


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    Top 16 advance to round-robin match play Monday, Nov. 1.
    * indicates non-member bowler. INT = international. bowler.

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