Cox leads qualifying as Week 9 match play draws 32

The ninth week of head-to-head match play in New Athens drew 32 participants Jan. 12. All bowlers in the field made the cut for the week’s head-to-head match play. Glenn Cox was the high qualifier and received $30.

The high game jackpot paid $46. Winners were Steve Easterday with 243 in Game 1 and Cox with 247 in Game 2.

In the semifinals, Chris Emig defeated Cox 215-203, and Nathan Norris defeated Blaine Salisbury 259-192. In the finals, Norris defeated Emig.

The payout structure included $200 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 each for third and fourth.

Competition resumes Jan. 19 at 9 p.m. The goal is to qualify for the finals in Week 17. Participants who bowl at least seven weeks without securing a win in the previous 15 weeks will qualify for nonchampions week during Week 16. Names of those who have qualified for nonchampions week will be posted next Friday at the bowling alley.

“On behalf of JR Lanes, we continue to extend gratitude to all the participants and their guests for taking part in this week’s bowling competition,” said organizer Rayann Runevitch. “Also, all of us look forward to seeing everyone during the match play competition next week.

“In the way of competition news, the match play competition has now seen nearly 100 different bowlers in the alleys over the past nine weeks. That is a great accomplishment that can only be credited to the bowlers that have made this possible,” Runevitch said.