Viper Champion Crowned
November 16, 2009
After a disappointing collapse in a position round match against Bill O'Neill that kept Rhino Page off of the Motor City Open telecast, the former PBA Rookie of the Year silenced any questions of his ability to perform in the clutch Sunday as he clinched the Men's Viper Championships title and an accompanying exemption next season on the Lumber Liquidators Professional Bowlers Association Tour, defeating fellow lefty Ryan Ciminelli 268-246 in a title match in which both competitors turned back the clock by resorting to urethane equipment.
Page unleashed a barrage of strikes on young upstart Ciminelli, a non-exempt 23-year-old former All-American at Erie Community College who also appeared on the 2009 PBA Cheetah Championship telecast. Ciminelli, who leaped onto the professional bowling scene when he won two TQRs while finishing second in another at the World Series of Bowling in Detroit, opened the match with a strike and a spare, but Page maintained a 280 pace into the second ball of the tenth frame for a title-clinching 268.
Page easily held off Steve Jaros in the semifinals with a 221-180 victory while Ciminelli scraped by Michael Haugen 238-236 with a clutch double in the tenth, setting the stage for an all-lefty title match.
In the Women's Series portion of the 2009 PBA Viper Championships, Lynda Barnes encountered carry problems that ultimately held her back in a title match against reigning USBC Queens Champion Liz Johnson, who defeated Barnes for the title by a score of 211-196.
The PBA and the United States Bowling Congress joined together to give Detroit-area USBC Youth members a chance to meet the pros, see what happens during a PBA Tour stop and have special seats to watch the final match that is televised on ESPN. Following the championship matches, the USBC Youth members had their picture taken with the winners of the tournament. Joining Viper champions Liz Johnson and Rhino Page in the photo above were USBC Youth members (from left): Corey Flick, Courtland Walters, Logan Tasic, and Joseph Phifer.
Page unleashed a barrage of strikes on young upstart Ciminelli, a non-exempt 23-year-old former All-American at Erie Community College who also appeared on the 2009 PBA Cheetah Championship telecast. Ciminelli, who leaped onto the professional bowling scene when he won two TQRs while finishing second in another at the World Series of Bowling in Detroit, opened the match with a strike and a spare, but Page maintained a 280 pace into the second ball of the tenth frame for a title-clinching 268.
Page easily held off Steve Jaros in the semifinals with a 221-180 victory while Ciminelli scraped by Michael Haugen 238-236 with a clutch double in the tenth, setting the stage for an all-lefty title match.
In the Women's Series portion of the 2009 PBA Viper Championships, Lynda Barnes encountered carry problems that ultimately held her back in a title match against reigning USBC Queens Champion Liz Johnson, who defeated Barnes for the title by a score of 211-196.
The PBA and the United States Bowling Congress joined together to give Detroit-area USBC Youth members a chance to meet the pros, see what happens during a PBA Tour stop and have special seats to watch the final match that is televised on ESPN. Following the championship matches, the USBC Youth members had their picture taken with the winners of the tournament. Joining Viper champions Liz Johnson and Rhino Page in the photo above were USBC Youth members (from left): Corey Flick, Courtland Walters, Logan Tasic, and Joseph Phifer.