June/July 2016 -
7
SERVING THE BOWLING INDUSTRY SINCE 1967
Brett Barnhill Wins His First
Central Valley Masters
By: Bette Addington, California Bowling Writers
Visalia, CA--The youngest of the bowling Barnhill
clan, Brett Barnhill, 25, won the Central Valley
Masters tournament held on Sun., June 12, at
AMF Visalia Lanes. For his win he received a
beautiful CVM trophy plus $1,000. Only in his
third year of bowling, Barnhill now has five career
tournament wins!
But competing at this level can be rough at times
as Brett has discovered as he has been battling
being in a recent slump. “This tournament meant
a great deal because I had been in a deep slump
for the past six months or so,” said Barnhill. “I
was too bent over at the foul line and was failing
to project the ball down the lane. One day about
two weeks before the tournament, my brother
Robert, told me about it and everything started to
come back from there!” Robert is Brett’s older
brother. The entire family bowls. Mom and Dad
(Sandi and Barney), who live in Tulare, bowl
there. His other brother, Tim, lives is Visalia and
is six years older than Brett. And, then, Robert,
who is nine years older, lives in Cayucos. And
Brett just moved to Las Vegas, but is from Bakers-
field which he reflects “I would like to attribute that
Bakersfield is a great bowling community.” Al-
though both brothers support Brett, he added,
“they were not too happy when little brother beat
them scratch in this tournament!”
Brett’s future plans are “to just keep on trying to
get better and better. I have a great deal to learn
and improve on still, but I have a lot of great peo-
ple helping me along the way.” “I always have to
thank my Mom and Dad, and two brothers for all
their support. Greg Geering from Dynamic Bowl-
ing in Clovis for drilling all my equipment and all
the time that he has spent helping me with my
game. And last, but not least, CVM Tournament
Club for putting on some of the best tournaments!”
Brett used his Hammer Bad Intentions and Bruns-
wick gold Rhino Pro for quali-
fying at this event and then the
gold Rhino Pro and his Ham-
mer First Blood for the Finals.
His high career game to date
is a 299 (shot about a year
and a half ago), and his high-
est series is a 736 (bowled in
the CVM Classic league this
past winter season at Regency
Lanes).
This CVM Singles tourna-
ment drew 103 entries be-
tween the two qualifying
squads. They paid out (18)
spots with a total of $3,768.00
in prize fund money. Their
Optional Scratch Side paid (3)
spots for a total of $580.00. They had a total of
(84) brackets for the day and paid out $2,940.00.
Total prize fund for the day was $7,288.00.
The CVM Directors would like to thank AMF
Visalia Lanes for hosting this tournament as well
as thank all the bowlers, again, for their continued
support they have given Central Valley Masters.
For more information on CVM, email them at
Central Valley Masters Directors are: John Curtis,
President; Chris Gregory, Vice-President; Greg
Barraza, Jr., Secretary/Treasurer; Ian Byers; Zack
Newman; Ron Andrews; Mike Curtis; Charles
Gabriel; Kelsey Curtis and Rick Mathews.
Central Valley Masters One-Day Singles Tour-
nament Results
Sun., June 12, 2016 @ AMF Visalia Lanes
1
st
– Brett Barnhill, Bakersfield
- $1,000
2
nd
– Robert Fox, Bakersfield
- $500
3
rd
– JoJo Barcelona, Lemoore
- $300
4
th
– Justin Lavinder, Visalia
- $240
5
th
– Steve Florer, Tulare
- $230
6
th
– Robby Britton, Fresno
- $200
7
th
– Zack Long, Taft
- $180*
8
th
– Tim Barnhill, Visalia
- $170
9
th
– Jeff Ellington, Bakersfield
- $150
10
th
– Brandon Bates, Modesto
- $130
11
th
– Robert Nelson, Fresno
- $120
12
th
– Stephanie Sanders, Bakersfield - $105
13
th
– Ryan Singh, Fresno
- $95
14
th
– Kelsey Curtis, Bakersfield - $83
15
th
– Jeff Regan, Bakersfield
- $75
16
th
– Zarcoff Boutell, Newberry Park - $70
17
th
– John Curtis, Bakersfield
- $60
18
th
– Kevin Hale, Bakersfield
- $60
*Paid in Scholarship money.
Optional Scratch
1
st
– Brandon Bates, Modesto - $300
2
nd
– Steve Florer, Tulare - $200
3
rd
– Robby Britton, Fresno - $80
Bernice Lim Wins 2016 USBC Queens
Lim started the championship match, live on CBS Sports Net-
work, with six consecutive strikes, before a 10 pin ended her run
at perfection. She needed just three pins on the first shot of her
final frame to secure the victory. The Queens is the first major of
the 2016 PWBA Tour season.
The 24-year-old right-hander is the first bowler from Singapore to
win the coveted tiara, previously claimed by bowlers from Japan
(two), Australia, Latvia and Colombia.
"This was my first TV show in the United States, so it's a big deal
for me, and I'm very proud," said Lim, who earned $20,000 for the
win, but as an amateur, will not get credit for an official PWBA title
and does not qualify for the season-ending Smithfield PWBA Tour
Championship. "It also means so much to be the first one from
Singapore to win. I'm just happy to do my country proud."
In order to stay relaxed and focused during competition, Lim
works with a Rubik's Cube, which she solved twice during the
semifinal before proving her dominance of the 40-foot oil pattern
used at USBC Queens this week.
"It helps keep my mind off things, so I don't think too much when
my opponent is bowling," Lim said. "It's a puzzle, just like bowling,
and it represents the game well."
The title tilt was a rematch of the final winners' bracket match, in
which Andersson defeated Lim, 712-646 to earn the top seed for
the stepladder.
"I am so proud of myself," said Andersson, who now will head
home to prepare for the European Women's Championships in
June. "I've been struggling a lot lately with my mental game, and
this week just proves I'm back. It's truly amazing."
As the No. 2 seed for TV, Lim used her opening match against
Team USA's Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, to get
comfortable in her first appearance under the television lights.
She earned her spot in the championship match with a 238-221
win over McEwan.
Lim responded to a fourth-frame split from by McEwan with four
consecutive strikes to pull ahead, and she tossed three more
strikes in the 10th frame advance. McEwan took home $6,000 for
the third-place finish.
Five countries were represented in the stepladder, while this
week's event featured 63 international players from 20 countries
outside of the United States. There were 29 international bowlers
among the 64 players in the double-elimination match-play
bracket. Lim was one of eight players Singapore entered in the
2016 Queens, and all eight made match play this week.
(Continued on page 12)
