FANTASY LANES

champs Devin Bidwell & Jeremy Davis

Devin Bidwell and Jeremy Davis captured Junior Bowlers Tour titles in exciting Southern California Conference action at Indio's Fantasy Lanes.

The PBA Shark pattern really challenged the field, as it took only a 170 average to qualify for the semifinals.  The semis used our low-man-out Survivor format, adding extra pressure on everyone, since they could be eliminated in any game, no matter how high they qualified.

This format can often be brutal on top seeds, but Bidwell had the answer all day long in the scratch division, leading the 5-game qualifier at +121.  The 21 semifinalists were eventually whittled to four, and in those semifinal matches Bidwell defeated Joey Chuo, who nonetheless enjoyed his high finish in a JBT event, and Forrest Holland beat Bear Wiltfang, to set up the title match.

Devin and Forrest are two of the best JBT bowlers without a JBT singles title, though Devin has a doubles title.  That anomaly had to change for one of them, and Bidwell's opening five-bagger left no doubt as to who it would be, as he rolled the high game of the tournament en route to a 253-162 win over Holland for the title.  A good day in brackets and an extra $100 from Ebonite for using their brand new Complete NV ball resulted in a big $465 scholarship payday for the talented righty.

San Diego's Kirk Chui led the handicap division qualifier, and survived as 21 semifinalists were whittled to eight before losing in that round.  In the round of four, Jeremy Davis edged Wesley Low 202-197, while newcomer John Wright got past veteran Drew Stern 234-187, setting up the finale.

In the title match, Wright struggled early, allowing Davis the space he needed to claim his first JBT title with a 221-188 victory.

Big thanks to Mr. Doug Schmidt and everyone at Fantasy for another great job hosting us.  Over $2,000 in scholarships were awarded to bowlers of all ages and averages.  Want in on the fun?  Come on down to the next JBT event, it's as simple as that!   Approximately $300,000 is expected to be awarded this season alone, and much more information can be found at the best website in junior bowling, www.bowljbt.com.