Pictured above: Weldon Drayton and daughter Brianna
Babylon, NY: Weldon Drayton Jr., a 33 year old police officer from Central Islip, NY won his second LIGBT title at AMF Babylon on Sunday. Weldon defeated left-hander David Ruiz, Whitestone, NY, 258-250 to earn the $1,000 top prize. While David earned $500 for second, third place went to Wayne Garvey, Manchester, CT with a 240 worth $350. Rounding out the top 4 was senior Frank Lunghi, Farmingdale, NY with a 212 worth $300.
The road to Weldon’s second title started slowly. When Weldon opened in the 4th frame he was behind 14 pins. But a triple in the middle of the game put Weldon ahead and he never relinquished the lead. David finished strong with a late triple but his 3 open frames in the middle of the game hurt his shot at his first LIGBT title. Wayne bowled a consistent game with only one open but couldn’t throw a double to make a shot at the title.
The AMF Babylon tournament drew an incredible crowd of 163 entries, advanced 32 bowlers to the finals and paid out $6,210. The tournament pattern was “Boardwalk” (35 feet) resulting in moderate cut scores: 710 at 1pm and 706 at 3:30pm. High series of the tournament was shot by Wayne Garvey with an 885 in the 1pm squad. The wildcard winner was Jin Hong, Jamaica, NY with a 1390. The high handicap series without bonus pins pot winners were Jason Nicholas with a 710 in the first squad and TJ Kim with a 669 in the second squad. Two women were added to the finals due to the women guarantee: Evelyn Arena (709) and Jennifer Bocchicchio (703). The no-tap jackpot was hit by third place finisher Wayne Garvey in the first squad and paid $634 giving him a total payout for the day of $984.
LIGBT’s next tournament is a house shot event at Astoria Lanes on Sunday, March 12th (1pm & 3:30pm.) The event features guaranteed prizes of $1,000 & $500 with 1 in 6 each squad advancing to the finals. Entry fees are $70 & $60 for members. To view the final results of the AMF Babylon event please visit www.ligbtour.com. The LIGBT is sponsored by Kegel, Randi Siegel Law Offices, Torch Bowling, and CLS Custom Upholsterers.