Joe Ciccone sets the tone in GEICO Shark Championship Qualifier

    10/30/10

    2010-11 PBA Tour #5

    Finland's Osku Palermaa sits in second place after 6 of 12 games

    201011PBAJoeCiccone.jpg201011PBAOskuPalermaa.jpgJoe Ciccone (pictured left) of Buffalo, N.Y. had a six-game total of 1,467 pins to take the lead in the GEICO Shark Championship qualifying round after 236 players have completed the first of two six-game blocks. Ciccone averaged 244.50 for the block including games of 255, 226, 258, 246, 246 and 236.

    Finland's Osku Palermaa (right) is making a bid to become the third international player behind Kimmo Lehtonen, Finland (Viper) and Jason Belmonte, Australia (Scorpion) to win one of the five "animal pattern" stages as the PBA World Series of Bowling entered its final day of qualifying for the PBA World Championship Friday at South Point Bowling Center.

    Palermaa, Europe's premier two-handed player, was 37 pins behind Ciccone with a six-game total of 1,430 pins despite finishing with a 168 game.

    "Yesterday evening wasn't good, but today the ball rolled perfect," Palermaa said. "I kept making good shots and threw strikes. I never would have seen that coming. I wouldn't have guessed I'd shot my best on the Shark lane condition. It's tough for everyone."

    201011PBATomSmallwood.jpg201011PBAWalterRayWilliams.jpgPalermaa, who averaged 238.33, held a 15-pin lead over another two-handed competitor, Brian Valenta of Lockport, Ill., who was fourth with 1,415.

    Sandwiched between the two-handers was defending PBA World Champion Tom Smallwood (left), Saginaw, Mich., who sits in third place with 1,421. with 48 of the 60 qualifying games for the PBA World Championship in the books, Smallwood holds 30th place with 10,587 pinfall total and an average of 220.56, 200 pins off the pace for eighth place.

    Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., the sole woman who is exempt for the 2010-11 PBA Tour season, was fifth with 1,413. Walter Ray Williams Jr. (above right) of Ocala, Fla., the PBA's reigning Player of the Year and a 47-time PBA Tour champion, who a non-factor for the first four days of the PBA World Series of Bowling, was tenth with 1382.

    201011PBADanMacLelland.jpg201011PBAMartinLarsen.jpgAnother three international bowlers finished the first block among the top 16 who will advance to round robin match play scheduled for Wednesday Nov. 3rd. Dan MacLelland (left), Canada and Martin Larsen (right) , Sweden, who made the cut in the Scorpion Championship on Thursday were in 13th and 14th place with 1,366 and 1,351, respectively.

    Dane Jesper Agerbo (below left) was 15th also with 1,351. Cheetah Championship qualifying leader Ritchie Allen (below right), Columbia, S.C., who fell out of the top 8 to 11th place for the PBA World Championship yesterday after finishing 80th on the Scorpion pattern is currently the man on the bubble in 16th place with 1,344 and an average of 224.00.

    201011PBAJesperAgerbo.jpg201011PBARitchieAllen.jpgThe top 16 players at the end of Friday's GEICO Shark Championship qualifying will advance to a nine-game match play round next Wednesday. After a total of 21 games, the top five will advance to the stepladder finals on Saturday, Nov. 6, at South Point.

    The Shark round is also the final 12-game qualifying stage in the PBA World Championship, which is based on a combined pinfall total for 60 games bowled on all five lane conditions this week.

    The top 63 players will cash and the top eight will advance to the live ESPN/ESPN2 stepladder finals which will take place Jan. 14, 15 and 16 at South Point. Through 54 games, Bill O'Neill of Southampton, Pa., remained the early World Championship leader with a total of 12,284 pins.

     


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    Shark Championship - Round 1 (six games)


    The top 16 after 12 games advance to round-robin match play Wednesday, Nov. 3.
    * indicates non-member bowler. INT = international. bowler.


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