By Ed Townsend
KIAMESHA LAKE — March 23, 2007 — Twenty-nine doubles teams consisting of 58 bowlers from New York State and Pennsylvania competed last Sunday in the fourth annual Sullivan County Democrat Men’s Scratch Bowling Challenge tournament at Kiamesha Lanes.
The snowstorm on Friday and Saturday forced the tournament to become a one-day event. Therefore, the competition on Sunday consisted of both the qualifying round and three head-to-head elimination rounds that determined the champions in four divisions.
The inclement weather also forced the tournament committee, Matt Kleiner and Brian Starr, to reduce each round to two games instead of three.
This event grows each year and more than $2,400 in prize money was paid out on Sunday.
At the end of the competition, Kleiner and Starr gave special thanks to the tournament sponsors: Bank of America, Charlie Barbuti Furniture, Callicoon Lanes, Kiamesha Lanes, Kohler Lumber, Kristt Company, Roche’s Garage and the Sullivan County Democrat for $1,200 of sponsorship money that goes directly into the prize fund.
The tournament moves each year between Callicoon Lanes and Kiamesha Lanes. The only eligibility rules are that each team member must be at least 16 years of age and USBC rules do not apply to this event.
The team of JoJo Van Keuren and Todd Van Keuren recorded the top qualifying score of 945. The team of Eddie Lake and Jaryl Scott posted the second highest qualifying score of 931.
After qualifying, the teams were seeded into four divisions. The first and second place team in each division received prize money.
Lake, a Monticello resident, and Scott, who resides in South Fallsburg, won the 2007 Championship Division when they defeated Walt Edwards of Neversink and Mark Wegener of Woodridge, 892 to 858. Lake scored single games of 235 and 183, while Scott added scores of 230 and 244. Edwards rolled games of 167 and 239, while Wegener scored 247 and 205.
Jack Ziegler and Gary Eisenhower of Newfoundland, Pa. defeated Jack Moylan of Liberty and James Ratner of Liberty for the Division 2 championship. The only scores available in this match were in the first game of the two-game match, with Moylan scoring 257, Ratner 203, Ziegler 234 and Eisenhower 202.
Kevin Stackhouse of Rock Hill and Roy Sweeney of Monticello defeated Matt Kleiner of Callicoon and Brian Starr of Cochecton, 831-699, for the championship in Division 3. Stackhouse rolled games of 215 and 182, Sweeney scored 224 and 210, Kleiner scored 197 and 171 and Starr had a 150 and a 181.
Mark Hawley and Joe Gager from Western Sullivan County defeated Roger Miller and Ed LeRoy, also from Western Sullivan County, 854-751, for the Division 4 title. Individual scores were Hawley with a 185 and a 213, Gager with a 228 and a 228, Miller with a 225 and a 192 and LeRoy with a 169 and a 165.