In his fourth season competing on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., broke through to win his first title Sunday in the PBA One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl.

In a battle of lefthanders in the championship match, the 24-year-old Ciminelli defeated Tour veteran and 13-time Tour titlist Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., 237-215, to win the $20,000 first prize.

Ciminelli's previous best Tour finishes were second in the 2009 PBA Cheetah and Viper Championships and third in the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Masters.

"Even though I didn't win last year I had a good year and just didn't want to go back into a slump," Ciminelli said. "Sometimes I think you have to go through the losing part first to prepare yourself to win."

As the top seed for the tournament, Ciminelli felt this was his best opportunity to win a title and as a result lost a lot of sleep the night before the finals.

"I probably only got four or five hours of sleep last night," he said. "But every time I closed my eyes I visualized a lot of scenarios and hoped this would be the outcome so I'm extremely relieved."

"I was bowling against one of my heroes in a tournament named after one of the greatest bowlers of all-time so it was even more than I could ask for."

In the semifinal match Allen defeated PBA Hall of Famer and 35-time Tour titlist Pete Weber who finished third, 212-206, to advance to the final.

Even though Allen had to settle for second he was encouraged by his finish.

"Ryan got off to a strong start and I just couldn't catch him," Allen said. "He bowled great and I'm happy for him."

"I haven't bowled well since late last year so this was a confidence booster for me. I bowled well against Tommy (Jones) in the first but was probably lucky to win against Pete but overall it was a good tournament for me."

In the opening match, Allen defeated another 13-time Tour winner, Tommy Jones of Greenville, S.C., who finished fourth, 226-223.

Looking for his first Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour title, Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y., earned the top seed for Sunday's stepladder finals of the PBA One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl.

The 24-year-old Ciminelli earned the top seed with an 11-6-1 overall match play record and 32-game 7,688 overall pinfall total Friday, topping PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., who had an 11-7 match play record and 7,572 overall pinfall to earn the No 2 seed.

Ciminelli's previous best Tour finishes were second in the 2009 Cheetah and Viper Championships and third in the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Masters. He's gained a lot of confidence after finishing 14th in last week's PBA Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas.

"For whatever reason I haven't matched up with the conditions well for a long time," said Ciminelli. "Things started to turn around at the Tournament of Champions where my physical game was sharp and my mental game was locked in."

"If I can win it will take a big load off my shoulders. There's a lot of pressure but I'm in the best position to be in so hopefully the pins will fall my way this time."

Weber, 48, will be trying for his 36th Tour title with his last title coming in the Lumber Liquidators Marathon Open last April. He's gotten off to a slow start this season with a best finish of 17th in both the Brunswick Pro Bowling Cheetah Championship and GEICO Shark Championship.

"It may be hard to believe but I feel I'm bowling well but just not scoring well," Weber said. "A lot of times it comes down to the breaks you get. You can throw it good but not get the breaks but when you do get the breaks you need to take advantage of them and I was able to do that."

Competing in the opening stepladder match that will be televised Sunday on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific) will be No. 3 seed Patrick Allen of Wesley Chapel, Fla., against No. 4 seed Tommy Jones of Greenville, S.C. Both players will be trying for a14th Tour title. Ironically, both of their last wins came in the DyDo Japan Cup---Jones in 2010 and Allen in 2009.

　

　　【PBA】　One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial Classic　【Round of 32】

Jones Retains Lead After First Match Play Round In PBA One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial: Koivuniemi in Third

Tommy Jones of Greenville, S.C., posted a 6-3 match play record and averaged 224.6 to maintain his lead after Friday's first match play round in the Professional Bowlers Association One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl.

Tommy Jones of Greenville, S.C. averaged 235 to take the lead after two rounds in the Professional Bowlers Association One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial Thursday at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl.

Jones, a 13-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour titlist, had a 3,290 14-game pinfall to hold a 49-pin lead over PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber in second with 3,241.

Jones had a 1,645 seven-game pinfall in Thursday's early round and followed that up with an identical pinfall in the second round on games of 198, 269, 235, 221, 299, 234 and 189.

"It's quite a difference from bowling the Tournament of Champions last week which was about the worst I've bowled in a tournament," said Jones, who finished 91st in the Tournament of Champions. "But that tournament is over and it's time to move on and that's the mindset you have to have."

"Going into match play tomorrow the lanes will play differently but if I can get off to a good start I like my chances."

Jones won the DyDo Japan Cup to close out the 2009-10 season and his best finish this season was third in the Pepsi Viper Championship.

The field has been cut to 32 players for match play on Friday. After match play concludes the four players will be determined for the stepladder finals which will air live on ESPN2 Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern/11 a.m. Pacific.

Mika Koivuniemi, who won the Tournament of Champions and a record $250,000 first prize last week for his ninth PBA Tour title and third major, finished the day in 31st just making the cut with a 2,994 pinfall.

Earl Anthony Memorial defending champion Anthony LaCaze failed to advance to match play after finishing 45th.

PBA.com's Xtra Frame video service is providing live coverage of the Earl Anthony Memorial. For Xtra Frame subscription information click on the Xtra Frame logo on the homepage of pba.com.

　

　【PBA】　One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial Classic　【Round of 64 - Block 1】

The PBA inducted 13-time PBA Tour titlist Randy Pedersen, Senior Tour standout Dale Eagle and former PBA Tour lane maintenance director Len Nicholson into the PBA Hall of Fame during post-Tournament of Champions ceremonies Saturday evening at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa.

Pedersen, 48, is currently the color analyst for Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour telecasts on ESPN but he earned entry into the Hall based on his accomplishments on the lanes. The Clermont, Fla., resident had a break out year in 1987, winning the PBA National Championship and then winning the Fair Lanes Open the next week.

Called one of bowling's great clutch players by Hall of Fame emcee Nelson Burton Jr., Pedersen had 34 top-five finishes in 561 Tour tournaments during his career, finishing in the top 20 in earnings six times and the top 20 in average eight times. His accomplishments contributed to his ranking of 35th on the PBA's list of 50 greatest bowlers as part of the organization's 50th anniversary celebration in 2009.

"It’'s been a long time coming, but when you think about it, who would have thought a beach bum from southern California would end up here?" Pedersen said. "As a kid I spent a lot of time on the beach and played basketball, but bowling was always my first passion."

"I owe everything to the sport of bowling and to PBA. The friendships I made, my bowling accomplishments and announcing bowling on television are all thanks to the PBA and you can't put a price on that."

Eagle was the second player elected into the Senior section of the PBA Hall of Fame, following John Handegard, who was inducted in 2009. The Frisco, Texas, resident has 11 career Senior Tour titles which ranks tied for third all-time. Among his titles are four Senior majors - Reno PBA Senior World Invitational (1997); The Villages Senior World Championship (1999); PBA Senior National Championship (2001), and USBC Senior Masters (2003).

Eagle was the PBA Senior Rookie of the Year in 1996 and Senior Player of the Year in 1999. In 171 PBA Senior Tour tournaments he has finished in the top five 40 times. He also won 10 Senior Regional titles and three PBA Tour titles.

"I'd just like to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart. It's been quite a ride," said the 64-year-old Eagle. "Bowling and the PBA have been my life and to be recognized as a great player has made my dream a reality."

Inducted into the meritorious service category, Nicholson’'s career was devoted to the science of bowling lane maintenance and for more than 20 years the Tucson, Ariz., resident was the PBA Tour's lane maintenance director. Nicholson, 70, gained worldwide industry recognition as one of the foremost experts on the subject of lane maintenance.

Nicholson was instrumental in developing the PBA Lane Maintenance Program in 1971 which is still referred to today. He was a founding member of the Bowling Foundation which was created to find solutions to scoring issues in bowling. An instructor, author of several bowling publications and host of the popular Phantom Internet radio bowling program, he also has served on the technical committee of the World Tenpin Bowling Association. He was a recipient of the bowling industry’s Flowers for the Living Award and the John Davis Award in recognition for his contributions to the sport.

"This is absolutely hard to believe and just awesome," said Nicholson. "I made a lot of friends in this sport who had a tremendous influence on me and for that I’m grateful."

"You need friends, family and good co-workers because without their support I would not be here tonight. This is something I never expected but will cherish forever."

Other awards presented during the ceremonies were the Bowlers Journal Person of the Year, Glenn Allison Hero Award and World Bowling Writers International Bowler of the Year awards to 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions winner Kelly Kulick. Norm Duke also was presented with his Glenn Allison Hero Award for winning a record three consecutive PBA major tournaments over the 2007-'08 and '08-'09 seasons. Bowling writer Bill Vint was the recipient of the World Bowling Writers Golden Quill Award for excellence in bowling journalism.

Finnish native Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., defeated top qualifier Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., 269-207, Saturday to win the $250,000 first prize in the $1 million Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions at Red Rock Lanes.

After rolling a 299 game against Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Fla., in the semifinal match, Koivuniemi threw another 10 strikes on 12 tries against Smallwood to become the first international player ever to win the PBA's signature tournament.

"I can't even say what this title means right now," Koivuniemi said. "It was my third major and I have nine titles now. I hope I can win a few more and secure a spot in the hall of fame. And my oldest daughter is starting college next year, so the money will help."

"It helped to get past my first match," he added. "I haven't had a lot of breaks on TV lately. Even after I shot the 299, I held myself back and stayed focused. It would have been nice to shoot 300, but it's more important to win the title."

Koivuniemi earned the nickname "Major Mika" after winning the 2000 United States Bowling Congress Masters and the 2001 U.S. Open - both major championships - for his first two PBA titles after a highly successful international career where he won titles in 15 different countries.

"Mika bowled great. He won," said Smallwood, who earned $100,000 as runner-up. "He out-bowled all of us. He had a great look at the lane condition and he made the shots. And winning $100,000 can make you a good loser."

In the semifinal match, Koivuniemi came within a wobbling 10 pin of becoming the first player in PBA history to shoot two nationally-televised 300 games. The 42-year-old right-hander rolled a perfect game against Jason Couch of Clermont, Fla., in Windsor Locks, Conn., in 2003.

Koivuniemi easily defeated Daugherty, 299-100, because Daugherty's television debut was a disaster. The 35-year-old Floridian left seven difficult - if not unmakeable - splits in rolling the lowest nationally-televised game in PBA history. Daugherty converted two pins after leaving the 4-6-7-10 split in the 10th frame to shoot an even 100, erasing the 129 bowled by Steve Jaros in Lake Zurich, Ill., in 1992. Despite his record low score, Daugherty took home $50,000 for third place.

"I destroyed Jaros' record," Daugherty grinned. "I would have been more upset if I'd shot 260 and lost. I really wasn't nervous. I just threw the wrong ball and made some bad shots. Once I was down 50 pins and threw another split, I was just trying to get out of Mika's way.

"But I still had the most fun I've ever had in my life this week, including today. I'd rather shoot 100 today than earlier in the week. I made $500 a pin today. That's more than Mika made, pin for pin."

Koivuniemi began his march to the title with a 224-220 win over Gomez in the opening match when Gomez failed to double in the 10th frame. Both players showed early jitters - Koivuniemi leaving a pocket 7-10 split on his first shot and Gomez missing a 7 pin in his second frame - but both recovered with strings of strikes. Gomez used his string of five in a row to take the lead heading into the ninth frame, but made his biggest mistake, leaving and missing the 3-4-6-7 split to hand the lead back to the Finnish native.

Koivuniemi had a chance to lock up the match with a strike on his first shot in the 10th frame, but left a 10 pin to give Gomez a chance. Gomez earned $40,000 for his fourth place finish.

The first prize and total prize fund were the richest in bowling history. The finals, which aired in high-definition for the first time in PBA history, returned to ABC for the first time in 14 years.

The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour's next event is the One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial which begins Wednesday at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl in Dublin, Calif.