Babylon, NY: George Williams, Bronx, NY won the prestigious LIGBT Tournament of Champions at AMF Babylon. George shot a 264 to win the $1,500 top prize plus a beautiful crystal trophy. Finishing tied for second with 238’s were Guy Sereno, W. Hempstead, NY and Diane Allen, Fleetwood Station, NY each earning $625. Rounding out the top 4 was Dexter Sapp, Valley Stream, NY with a 186 worth $300.
The final shootout was very exciting as there several lead changes and a surprise ending. Guy, who was giving everyone handicap, started off slow but grabbed the lead with a string of strikes in the middle of the game. George started out with 2 early opens but was within a few pins of Guy due to a late string of strikes and a handicap advantage. When Guy opened in the tenth with a split and George continued his string of strikes the TOC trophy was his!
The TOC had 80 champions compete representing title holders from all 11 seasons. The tournament started with 4 games of qualifying and advanced the top 16 to match play. The cut to make the finals was 928. All 16 finalists were guaranteed a minimum of $150 and after two rounds of matches the final shootout was bowled.
The TOC was a very special event as all 80 bowlers received a champion jersey as part of their entry. The LIGBT produced an event program which listed all of the participant’s titles. The lane pattern used was created by Kegel and was 42 feet in length and featured a 6 to 1 ratio. The total payout for the event was $5,050.