Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga led the qualifying in the PBA Cheetah Championship in Allen
Park, Mich.
Ciminelli finished qualifying with a 14-game pinfall of 3,477 (248.3 average). In Tuesday's
second seven-game qualifying block he rolled 1,682 with games of 267, 209, 248, 253, 223, 234
and 248 after bowling 1,795 -- including a 300 game -- in the first block.
Rounding out the top four who earned a first-round bye in match play were reigning PBA
Player of the Year Wes Malott (3,390), Hall of Famer Norm Duke (3,389) and one-time Lumber
Liquidators PBA Tour titlist Jack Jurek of Lackawanna (3,381).
Brad Angelo of Lockport and Joe Ciccone of Buffalo did not qualify for match play. Angelo
finished 30th with 3,192 total pins and earned $1,600 while Ciccone was 43rd with 3,151 for
$1,500.
Some details from pba.com (check the link for a big picture of Ciminelli):
The key for Ciminelli so far has been making minor adjustments and using less aggressive
urethane equipment.
"I love the Cheetah (lane condition) pattern and have a lot of confidence striking on it,"
said the 23-year-old Ciminelli, whose best Tour finish is seventh. "Right now I'm sticking
with a urethane ball and I'm throwing straight down the lane which is key for me to be able to
carry strikes.
"The second block was a little bit like a roller coaster," the left-hander added. "After
the first two games I had to increase my ball speed and rev rate to get to the pocket more
consistently."
The Cheetah Championship, conducted on PBA's Cheetah lane oil pattern, is the second
tournament of the PBA World Series of Bowling which runs through Sept. 6.
The 72-player field has been cut to the top 28 players who will advance to best-of-seven game match play beginning Wednesday at 9 a.m. Match play continues on Thursday, with the finals to be conducted at 7 p.m.
The entire Cheetah Championship is being taped with the highlight-style telecast airing on
ESPN Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. ET.
---Milt Northrop