After making a thunderous debut appearance in Maine in 2015, the greatest names in professional bowling from around the world will return to Bayside Bowl in Portland April 1-6 for a second year of Professional Bowlers Association League and individual competition.

No one was quite sure what to expect from the PBA’s inaugural visit to quaint Bayside Bowl a year ago, but the bowling fans in Portland provided a sold-out, standing-room-only welcome and the stars of the PBA responded with performances that could only be categorized as “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Will history repeat? Probably, since tickets to attend the PBA League and bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout sessions have been sold out for weeks as Maine fans welcome back an international field of bowling stars including four of the five most successful bowlers in PBA history: 47-time title winner Walter Ray Williams Jr. (pictured left), 38-time winner Norm Duke, 37-time titlist Pete Weber (right) and 35-time champion Parker Bohn III.

Mark Roth, no. 6 on the all-time titles list with 34 victories, will be in attendance to award the Mark Roth MVP Award to the PBA League’s most valuable player.

Not only is the Elias Cup on the line in PBA League competition, but the 2016 PBA Player of the Year race will resume. The early leaders in the Player of the Year race are the Tour’s only two-time title winners thus far in 2016 – 21-year-old 2015 PBA Rookie of the Year Jesper Svensson (left) and 19-year-old Anthony Simonsen (right) of Princeton, Texas, also are one-two in earnings.

Svensson, with titles in the PBA FireLake Tournament of Champions and Brunswick Euro Challenge, has earned $74,670 thus far while Simonsen, the winner of the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship (with Connor Pickford) and United States Bowling Congress Masters has banked $72,418.

In PBA League competition, the two-time defending champion bowlingball.com Silver Lake Atom Splitters, managed by Mark Baker, will begin their title defense at noon on Saturday, April 2, when they meet the 2013 Elias Cup champion GEICO New York WTT KingPins in the first of four quarterfinal round matches.

The Atom Splitters return with team leader Chris Barnes, veteran Tom Daugherty and PBA League Mark Roth MVP Dick Allen along with newcomers Svensson and Matt McNiel. Svensson comes into the Maine Event on the heels of winning his fourth PBA Tour title in the Brunswick Euro Challenge in Munich, Germany, on March 20 – a win that made him the youngest player in PBA history to win four titles at the age of 21 years, 33 days. The previous holder of that distinction was PBA Hall of Famer Mike Aulby, who won his fourth title at age 21 years, 119 days.

The KingPins are led by PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber and tour veterans Scott Norton, Mike Fagan and John Szczerbinski, along with 2014 Rookie of the Year Marshall Kent.

Quarterfinal match no. 2, pitting the High 5 Gear Philadelphia Hitmen against the hometown favorite Shipyard Portland Lumberjacks, will immediately follow the Atom Splitters-KingPins match on Saturday.

The final two quarterfinal round matches begin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2, with BJ’s L.A. X meeting the Barbasol Motown Muscle followed by the Concrete Software Brooklyn Styles meeting the GoBowling.com Dallas Strikers.

Saturday’s early winner will meet in the first semifinal round match Sunday at noon, followed by Saturday’s late winners in the second semifinal match. All quarterfinal and semifinal round matches will be best-of-two-game Baker format team matches, in which each player in the lineup will bowl two frames per game.

The Elias Cup finale will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, and will include singles, doubles, trios and Baker team matches. All PBA League matches will air on ESPN on four consecutive Sundays at 1 p.m. ET, beginning April 17. The 2016 PBA League schedule, and complete rosters, are included below. For additional information, click here.

The PBA Maine Event will continue with the bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout, beginning with the player “draw party” at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 4, when the field of 64 players will draw for opponents.

The best-of-three-game single elimination match play competition begins Tuesday at 9 a.m., continuing with elimination rounds at 11 a.m., 1:30, 3:30, 6 and 8 p.m. reducing the field to 16 survivors.

The Maine Shootout concludes Wednesday with Round of 16 matches at 10 and 11:30 a.m., quarterfinal matches at 2 p.m., semifinals at 6 p.m. and the championship match at 7:30 p.m. The entire bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout will be covered live, exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame online video-streaming service.

Of special interest, Maine fans will get to see a group of home-grown bowlers take on the PBA’s best in the bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout. (Editor’s Note: see preliminary roster below).

The bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout is the first of 10 Xtra Frame PBA Tour events on the 2016 PBA Tour schedule. The next event on the Xtra Frame PBA Tour schedule is the Xtra Frame PBA Storm Open which will be hosted by Liberty Lanes in Carpentersville, Ill., April 22-24.

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Silver Lake Atom Splitters repeat as PBA League Elias Cup champions
Silver Lake Atom Splitters win 2014 PBA League Elias Cup
New York City WTT KingPins win inaugural PBA League Elias Cup

2016 PBA League Rosters

1. GEICO New York City WTT Kingpins (manager Carolyn Dorin-Ballard): Pete Weber, Scott Norton, Mike Fagan, Marshall Kent, John Szczerbinski.
2. Barbasol Motown Muscle (manager Del Ballard Jr.): EJ Tackett, Ronnie Russell, Josh Blanchard, Anthony Simonsen, Danielle McEwan.
3. GoBowling.com Dallas Strikers (player-manager Norm Duke): Bill O’Neill, Tommy Jones, Duke, Shawn Maldonado, B.J. Moore.
4. High 5 Gear Philadelphia Hitmen (manager Jason Couch): Dom Barrett, Chris Loschetter, Rhino Page, Tom Smallwood, Dave Wodka.
5. Shipyard Portland Lumberjacks (manager Tim Mack): Bryon Smith, Wes Malott, Osku Palermaa, Ryan Ciminelli, Liz Johnson.
6. Concrete Software Brooklyn Styles (manager Johnny Petraglia): Sean Rash, Parker Bohn III, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Jason Sterner, Jon VanHees.
7. BJ’s L.A. X (manager Andrew Cain): Jason Belmonte, Stu Williams, Martin Larsen, Patrick Allen, Andres Gomez.
8. Bowlingball.com Silver Lake Atom Splitters (manager Mark Baker): Chris Barnes, Dick Allen, Tom Daugherty, Matt McNiel, Jesper Svensson.

2016 PBA League Elias Cup Schedule

Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine, USA (March 31 – April 3, 2016)

Thursday, March 31, 2016
4 p.m. – Invitational corporate pro-am
7 p.m. – Bayside Bowl pro-am squad

Friday, April 1, 2016
6:15 p.m. – Silver Lake Atom Splitters and New York WTT KingPins practice session
7 p.m. – Philadelphia Hitmen and Portland Lumberjacks practice session
7:45 p.m. – L.A. X and Motown Muscle practice session
8:30 p.m. – Brooklyn StYles and Dallas Strikers practice session

Saturday, April 2, 2016
(best of two games, Baker format; one-ball roll-off to break ties)
Noon – Quarterfinal Match One: Silver Lake Atom Splitters vs. New York City WTT KingPins
Quarterfinal Match Two: Philadelphia Hitmen vs. Portland Lumberjacks
(ESPN telecast: Sunday, April 17, 1 p.m. ET)
3:30 P.M. – Quarterfinal Match Three: L.A. X vs. Motown Muscle
Quarterfinal Match Four: Brooklyn STyLES vs. Dallas Strikers
(ESPN telecast: Sunday, April 24, 1 p.m. ET)

Sunday, April 3, 2016
(best of two games, Baker format; roll-off to break ties)
Noon – Semifinal Match One: Winner Match One vs. Winner Match Two
Semifinal Match Two: Winner Match Three vs. Winner Match Four
(ESPN telecast: Sunday, May 1, 1 p.m. ET)
3:30 p.m. – Elias Cup Finals: Winner Semifinal One vs. Winner Semifinal Two
total pinfall (singles, 1 point; alternate-shot doubles, 1 point; trios, 1 point; Baker team, 3 points)
(ESPN telecast: Sunday, May 8, 1 p.m. ET)

PBA Elias Eight Bracket Contest Rules

Open only to legal U.S. residents, who are 21 years of age or older at time of entry. Employees of the Professional Bowlers Association (“PBA”) and the immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are NOT ELIGIBLE. Void where prohibited. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. No substitution or transfer of prize permitted except as provided herein. All federal, state and local taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of winner. Winner will be notified by phone/email. PBA reserves the right to substitute prize of equal or greater value if an advertised prize becomes unavailable. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for the PBA and to use winner’s name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising and trade worldwide without limitation and without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. By accepting prize, winner agrees to hold PBA, its directors, officers, employees and assigns, harmless against any and all claims or liability of any kind arising out of or in connection with, participation in this sweepstakes, the acceptance or use of prize, or participation in prize related activities. By participating in this promotion, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules. PBA not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the sweepstakes or in the announcement of the prize.

Bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout presented by Xtra Frame Schedule

Monday, April 4, 2016
6:30 p.m. – Match Play Draw Party (to determine Maine Shootout match play bracket positions), Bayside Bowl.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016
9 a.m. – Round of 64, round one (8 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 32)
11 a.m. – Round of 64, round two (8 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 32)
1:30 p.m. – Round of 64, round three (8 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 32)
3:30 p.m. – Round of 64, round four (8 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 32)
6 p.m. – Round of 32, round one (8 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 16)
8 p.m. – Round of 32, round two (8 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 16)

Wednesday, April 6, 2016
10 a.m. – Round of 16, round one (4 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 8)
11:30 a.m. – Round of 16, round two (4 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Round of 8)
2 p.m. – Round of 8 (4 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Semifinal Round)
6 p.m. – Semifinal Round (2 best-of-three-game matches; winners advance to Championship Match)
7:30 p.m. – Championship Match (best-of-three-games)

Preliminary Bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout Roster

n-Alex Aguiar, N. Dartmouth, Mass.; Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C.; Patrick Allen, South Salem, N.Y.; Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas; Dom Barrett, England; Jason Belmonte, Australia; Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz.; Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J.; Dan Buchman, Maple Shade, N.J.; Andrew Cain, Phoenix.

Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y.; n-Jimmy Clark, Topsham, Maine; n-Joseph Colcord, Portland, Maine; Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla.; Jeremy Domingo, Sewell, N.J.; Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla.; Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn.; Andres Gomez, Colombia; n-Robert Gotchall, Lincoln, Neb.; n-James Goulding, Lewiston, Maine.

Ryan Graywacz, Feeding Hills, Mass.; Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y.; A.J. Johnson, Oswego, Ill.; Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C.; Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash.; Martin Larsen, Sweden; Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio; Tim Mack, Indianapolis; Shawn Maldonado, Houston; Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas.

Michael Markis, Tafton, Pa.; Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y.; n-Charlie Mitchell, Portland, Maine; B.J. Moore III, Apex, N.C.; n-Scott Moore, Lewiston, Maine; Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif.; Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, Pa.; Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J.; n-Brian Owoc, Portland, Maine; Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla.; Osku Palermaa, Finland.

Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa.; Stephen Pavlinko Jr., Sewell, N.J.; n-Sarah Pelletier, Lewiston, Maine; Connor Pickford, Charlotte, N.C.; Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill.; n-Terrence Robinson, Gray, Maine; Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind.; Anthony Simonsen, Princeton, Texas; Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich.; Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore..

Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio; Jason Sterner, Cocoa, Fla.; Jesper Svensson, Sweden; John Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y.; E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind.; n-Aaron Thiboutot, Brunswick, Maine; Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C.; Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I.; Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y.; Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla.; Stuart Williams, England; Dave Wodka, Beavercreek, Ohio.