Mira Mesa Bowl

champs Mark Myers and Michael Ma

        It was all about MM & MM at MMB, as Mark Myers and Michael Ma captured JBT titles at Mira Mesa Bowl in San Diego.

        The field bowled on the PBA's Tournament of Champions lane condition, a low-volume but 50-foot long pattern that really challenged the bowlers, producing a very low cut in both divisions.  Carol Chui snuck into the #5 position for the handicap finals, and then went on a 3-game tear, beginning with a 229-209 win over Alex Zwingmann, following with a 213-206 squeaker over Alyssa Okuniewicz, and then taking down Leann Kampley 230-209 to reach the title match.

        Top seed Michael Ma took over the lead in game five, and didn't look back en route to grabbing the top seed.  Carol was looking to join big brother Kirk as a JBT champion, but Ma had other ideas, finishing off his best JBT event ever with a 224-193 win to grab the first title of his JBT career.

        The scratch division finals opened with a math indicative of just how tough the pattern was, as Mark Myers edged Riley Dempsey 156-155.  Mark then caught some momentum, beating Wesley Low 192-179, and following with a 223-186 win over DeeRonn Booker to reach the title match.

        Top seed Travis Hewitt made the trip from Northern California a success by leading the event (at -27) after five games and hanging on through matchplay for the top seed.  Then, disaster struck as his arm cramped up during his warm-up shots, and got progressively worse.  It was tough to watch, but a million times tougher for Hewitt of course, in severe pain but still right in the match after eight games.  In the end, though, Mark had enough pins in the tenth to shut out Travis, who understandably didn't finish the game, and Myers finished the ladder-climb and earned his second career JBT title.  Hats off to both Mark for the grindout bowling, and Travis for one of the gutsiest performances I've ever seen live.

        Thanks as always to Mira Mesa for hosting our event, which awarded over $1,600 in scholarships to under-22 bowlers of all ages and averages.  Want in on the fun?  Come on out to the next JBT event, it's that simple!