Wisconsin team challenges lead at 2010 OC

RENO, Nev. - With all eyes on Linds Limited of Milwaukee, the defending Regular Team and Team All-Events champion, Red Carpet Lanes of Greenfield, Wis., quietly put together three solid games and nearly took the team lead at the 2010 USBC Open Championships on Sunday.

The companion teams came into this year's event planning to work together to break the lanes down, and as the defending champions struggled, things got progressively better for Red Carpet Lanes, which posted games of 1,034, 1,090 and 1,126 for a 3,250 total. That places the team second behind Turbo 2-N-1 Grips 1 of Madison, Wis., which leads with 3,298.

"Those guys are a lot of fun to bowl with, and we really feed off of each other," said two-time Open Championships titlist Jeff Nimke, who led Red Carpet Lanes with a 689 series at the National Bowling Stadium on Sunday. "We definitely had fun tonight, but we also left a lot of pins out there. I, myself, wish I would've made a ball adjustment in the second game, but we did what we could do and got what we could get."

Linds Limited finished with 994, 1,023 and 987 for 3,004 and will not become the first team in tournament history to claim back-to-back Regular Team titles.

"I think we might've been trying a little too hard and pressed early with everyone watching and all," said Lennie Boresch Jr., who rolled a 300 game and lifted Linds Limited to the 2009 team title with a 3,449 effort. "We all struggled at some point tonight, and we made some bad equipment choices. Last year, some guys bowled well and we communicated, and this time, we were all kind of fishing and couldn't get anything going."

Two-time champion Steve Brinkman added 680 for Red Carpet Lanes and was followed by Chad Maas (677), Dave Beres (629) and Scott Helm (575).

Boresch led the way for Linds Limited with 642 and was followed by six-time champion Gary Daroszewski (608), four-time titlist and reigning USBC Senior Masters champion Dale Traber (595), four-time champion Gus Yannaras (580) and three-time winner Ryan Lever (579). All together, the group has combined for 20 titles in 146 years of Open Championships experience.

"It's been a great year for us, and a lot of people around town were truly excited about our wins last year," said Boresch, whose 2,223 all-events score last year helped Linds Limited to the third-highest Team All-Events score in tournament history (10,372). "Especially at our ages, it felt great to go out there and prove ourselves, and it's something we'll never forget. And now, every time we go out there, we'll have the confidence that we can do it again."

Nimke, the 1993 Regular All-Events champion and a member of the winning team in 1998, has enjoyed success on the tournament lanes and knows it's just a matter of time before things fall into place for his current team.

"I think this team has what it takes, and we've been close the last few years," said Nimke, who helped Red Carpet Lanes to top 10 finishes in 2006 and 2007. "Now, it's just a matter of getting a few breaks at the right time, and I really think we could get there."

Presenting sponsors for the 2010 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado and Silver Legacy Hotel/Casinos in Reno, Nev. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.