Bowling: Scratch bowlers get their time to shine

Apr. 17—Rewarding performance and precision, the Bowling Proprietors Association of Greater Dayton has introduced a new scratch tournament.

With a $1,000 guaranteed first-place prize, the Buckeye Scratch Singles — sponsored by the BPA of Greater Dayton and Buckeye Vodka — is open to bowlers 18 and older and will be held on Saturday, May 2 at Poelking Lanes South in Centerville.

"There is so much talent in our area, I think this will be a fantastic event for bowlers who travel all over the state and the country to have a competitive tournament right here in town," said Jenny Clarke, Bowling Centers Association of Ohio executive director. "And with a house shot being used, it will also give more bowlers an opportunity to be competitive."

While most city and state tournaments have scratch divisions, they are primarily handicap events. The Greater Dayton USBC added the Joe Mrenak Memorial Tournament — a scratch event — to its slate of tournaments in 2020 but there are few other scratch events in the area. The BPA of Greater Dayton sponsors several local handicap tournaments, including Pins over Average and Pot of Gold, but nothing like the Buckeye Scratch Singles.

"All of the other BPAGD events are handicapped tournaments," Clarke said. "We wanted to host a tournament to give the scratch bowlers in the area their opportunity to show their talent and bring home some of the tournament winnings."

Longtime local professional bowler Brian Kretzer has been working with the BPAGD as tournament advisor, determining a fair format and payout for the inaugural tournament. One in four bowlers will cash and organizers hope to livestream the finals on social media.

"It's great that the proprietors are giving back to the sport and that we were able to get a sponsor for added prize money," Kretzer said. "It's so important to support local scratch bowling."

While sponsored by the local proprietors, the BPAGD is opening entries to anyone in the area who would like to compete with a reduced entry fee for the association's league bowlers.

"With so many handicap tournaments around, we're excited to create an event for the scratch competitors," Clarke said.

Entries are available at local bowling centers or visit Go Bowl Dayton on Facebook for information.