Richie Allen wins in Phoenix

from PBA.com


Ritchie Rules Phoenix
PHOENIX - January 22, 2006

It was a battle of youth against experience in the title match of the 2006 Motel 6 Phoenix Classic, and the fight wasn’t decided until the final frame.

Ritchie Allen, 27-years-old, defeated Del Ballard Jr., a PBA member since 1982, 232-207, to win his second career Denny’s PBA Tour title Sunday at AMF Christown Lanes.

Needing to mark in the 10th frame, Allen struck to cap an impressive comeback which found him behind through seven frames.

Allen, who had struck just once through the first six frames, credited the victory to a key ball change he made in the 6th frame.

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The top 4 finishers:

ProRankings
1st place: Richie Allen moves up from 40th to 15th.

2nd Place: Del Ballard Jr. moves up from 80th to 63rd. He has climbed 59 spots over the last two tournaments.

3rd place: Mike Devaney moves from 14th to 12th.

4th Place: Brian Kretzer moves from 33rd to 23rd.

Use the links on the right side of the page to view the complete ProRanking charts.

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Couch Wins Weber Open

pba.com

With his back against the wall, Jason Couch was clutch all day long.

Couch defeated 30-time Denny's PBA Tour title winner and fellow left-hander Parker Bohn III in the title match of the 2006 Dick Weber Open stepladder finals, 241-214, Sunday at Fountain Bowl.

The 13-time title winner almost never made it to the title match.

Couch needed a one ball, sudden death roll-off in the semifinal to defeat 22-time title winner Norm Duke after the two tied at 213-213. Duke left a 10-pin in his second shot in the 10th and Couch responded by striking out to force the tie.

Couch, who used an Ebonite The One strike ball, opened the roll-off with a strike which Duke couldn’t match, leaving the 10-pin on his shot.

“I said to [Duke], ‘just give me a chance to strike out and tie you,’ and he did,” said Couch, who earned $30,000 for the win. “I got a lucky break on the first one [in the 10th] and once I got through the second one, I knew I was going to strike on the third one.”

In the title match, Bohn opened in the 2nd frame, failing to convert a 1-3-6-9 spare. Couch took advantage of the miscue by converting the 2-4-7-10 split in the 3rd then striking in frames 4-8.

In the quarterfinal, Duke beat Mike Machuga 212-168, striking seven times while Machuga, searching for his second win of the season, opened three times.

Machuga defeated Chris Loschetter looking for his first career title, 236-154, in the opening match.

The Denny’s Professional Bowlers Association Tour moves to Phoenix, Ariz., for the 2006 Motel 6 Phoenix Classic at AMF Christown Lanes. The nationally televised ESPN finals take place Sunday, Jan. 22 at 11 a.m. MT.

Himmler Holds On

Medford, OR - Brian Himmler came through in the clutch, picking up a 3-6-10 spare in the 10th frame to defeat Mika Koivuniemi in the title match of the 2006 Professional Bowlers Association Earl Anthony Medford Classic, 214-204, Sunday at Lava Lanes.

The victory, which gave Himmler the $40,000 top prize and his fourth career Denny’s PBA Tour title, almost slipped through his hands.

The 13-season veteran opened in the 6th frame, failing to convert a 2-10 split, but Koivuniemi failed to strike in the 7th and 8th frames. After recovering with strikes in the 8th and 9th, Himmler needed to mark in the 10th to win his third title in his last four championship round appearances.

“Fortunately [the 3-6-10 spare] is makeable, but I almost blew it,” said Himmler. “I was lucky to make that spare. As they say, ‘all breaks are well earned’ and I’m a believer in that now.”

The Cincinnati native advanced to the title match after he defeated Tim Criss, who was looking to snap a 132-event winless streak, 259-242, in the semifinals. Himmler opened the match with six straight strikes and capitalized on a Criss open in the 11th frame by striking out in the 10th.

Koivuniemi defeated Ritchie Allen in their semifinal, 237-215. The 2004 PBA Player of the Year struck out in the 10th to shut out Allen, who was making his second career televised finals appearance.

Koivuniemi earned $20,000 for his 2nd place finish while Allen and Criss earned $10,000 apiece for their respective 3rd and 4th place finishes.