Pictured Above: Is The Team Bowling Dynamics. Com. Warren Eales Is In The Center Of Photo.
Xmas 2016 Came Early For Warren Eales, In The Form Of The Arizona State Senior Masters Title.
Chandler Right-Hander Leads Event Wire To Wire, To Claim Third Consecutive Championship.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg - Managing Editor - thetenpinexpress.com - Director Mesa Metro Association.
Photo Was Courtesy Of USBC Communications.
Chandler - - - Prior to the start of the Arizona State USBC Senior Masters Tournament on December 10, 2016, at AMF McRay Lanes in Chandler. Warren Eales had one other major goal he wanted to accomplish during the event, besides of course, winning it.
And that was putting enough separation between first and second place following the four game qualifying block on Saturday morning, to the point where he could relax going into the position round that followed. Needless to say, he easily accomplished both goals in route to his third straight Arizona State Senior Masters crown.
Mr. Eales, a Chandler native, opened the qualifying block with games of: 255, 242, and 299 for a 796 set on the Taj Mahal pattern that was chosen by the state for the event. He added a 213 in game four and completed the block with a 1009 total. That put him at +209 after the qualifying block, and quite comfortably in first place. John Cook, of Tucson, was in second place with an 811.
Little did either of them know at that time, both of them would end up bowling for the championship in the stepladder finals on Sunday.
"This was a very nice feeling. Very seldom are you able to lead a bowling tournament wire to wire, and be fortunate enough to win it," said Warren, who also won the Mesa Metro Senior Masters 34 days earlier at FlipSide Lanes in Gilbert. "I wanted to create enough distance between first and second place during qualifying, to where I could keep my arm swing nice and lose. I did not want to be at that number, +21, like I was at the MMA event. And get as far a way from it as possible."
In the Mesa Metro event, Mr. Eales, a Port Director for U.S. Customs in Las Vegas, was the last bowler to make the cut into the finals at +21. After losing the opening game of the double elimination finals to Tony Maresca, 242-206, game two would end up in a 237-237 tie thus setting up a third and decisive game. In the championship game, Warren would start out by throwing eight consecutive strikes en route to a 268-212 victory. 28 bowlers participated in the MMA event, and 21 in the Arizona State Senior Masters.
"Winning the Arizona State Senior Masters title once is a great accomplishment. It shows you have the ability to keep your game at a high level for a period of time," said Warren, whose two other Senior Masters titles came at Bell Lanes in 2014, and Lakeview Lanes in 2015. "I want to enjoy this ride for as long as I can. As we get older, you don't know how many years you have left to remain competitive in bowling."
At the MMA event, Warren's equipment choices were a Roto Grip No Rules, but switched to a Brunswick Stradegy following the third game of qualifying on the Abbey Road pattern. His Stradegy (no pun attended) paid off en route to the win. At AMF McRay Lanes, the Storm Alpha Crux was his ball of choice.
"I felt I made a really good adjustment after the third game of qualifying by switching balls at the MMA event. I was able to move further out on the lane, and stayed there the rest of the way," he said, of his win at FlipSide. "The Alpha Crux starts its roll down the lane earlier. While the Stradegy rolls longer down the lane, and finishes strong on the back end."
Warren further increased his lead to +246 following the position round on Saturday, by rolling games of 220 and 217.
"I liked it a lot. Quite a bit actually, compared to the Abbey Road pattern," he said, of the Taj Mahal. "I have a higher average on the Taj Mahal, and for me its a little more easier pattern to bowl on."
The Arizona State Senior Masters finals field of eight, featured five Hall of Fame members from through out Arizona. They were, from Tucson Metro: Scott Washburn, 2012; Dwight Burns, 2004; and John Cook, 1991. And Mesa Metro Hall of Fame members Warren Eales and Tony Maresca.
Following the three game position round on Sunday morning to cut the field from the top eight to the top five into the stepladder finals. Mr. Eales was the number one seed at +358. And John Cook was second at +75.
Dwight Burns was third at +65. Tony Maresca, fourth at +31. And Steve Roberts, fifth at +19. Mr. Eales was able to further increase his lead and get the number one seed into the finals, by rolling three more impressive games of:225, 252, and 235.
"I have been able to bowl a lot more the last two years," he said, on why he feels he has been successful in 2016. "By being able to bowl more, that has been the reason why I have been able to remain competitive.
"I also bowl in a lot of events. Some of them are like a sprint during qualifying, and I don't want to have a bad game. That would be devastating," he added. "I have been fortunate to overcome this, and did not have any bad games during the Arizona Senior Masters."
In the stepladder finals, Steve Roberts def Tony Maresca 206-178. Roberts lost to Dwight Burns in game two, 209-192. The semi-final game saw John Cook def Burns, 262-168. And in the championship match, Eales def Cook, 234-179.
At the USBC Nationals this past summer, Warren was a member of the Bowling Dynamics. Com team that led the all-events division for over a month with a 9,710.
Teammates included: Kelly Urrea, (1,940); Robert Lewis, (1,840); Steve Roberts, (1,769); and Dave Cirigliano, (2,097). Warren chipped in with a (2,064). Mr. Cirigliano, also rolled a perfect game at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno. Bowling Dynamics.Com was eventually knocked out of the top spot by Homswoggler S., of Stanton Island, New York with a 9,719.
"I have been bowling well all year," he said, of where he feels his game is to this point. "By bowling well at the: Nationals, winning the Mesa Senior Masters, and the Arizona State Senior Masters. 2016 has been a good year for me on the lanes from start to finish."
And how will his performance at the USBC Open sum up this year?
"That was one of the greatest experiences in the game of bowling, by leading the team all-events division," he said, of the Open. "We held the lead for over a month. I wish we could have held onto it for another month, and finish two places higher."
Warren does his league bowling at South Point in Las Vegas. The two leagues that he does bowl in there are the: Budweiser Four Man Almost Scratch League, and the Almost Scratch Trio. He carries an average of 237 and 231 respectively in the center.
"The great thing about South Point, is that its the Mecca of bowling right now," he said, of bowling there. "All of the top players in the country will be there at one point. Everybody knows about South Point. It is a great place to bowl out of."
Warren attended ASU from 1978-1982, and graduated with a BS degree in Criminal Justice.
"I did bowl for ASU and we won the Collegiate National Championship in 1981 in St. Louis. Ironically, we were not ranked number one that year, but our team was ranked number one in 1979 and 1982," he said, of his college career. "In 1981 when we won, I was also voted to the Collegiate Nationals All-Tournament Team."
Mike Matosich finished in sixth place, Scott Washburn in seventh, and Charlie Price in eighth to round out the finals field. No perfect games were rolled during the weekend, but Warren had the high game of the event, a 299.
Arizona State Bowling News - December 24, 2016