CORNER BROOK Gord Davis expects youth bowlers from the city will be up against some keen competition, but he expects several of his bowlers will be among the cream of the crop at the end of the day.
Davis is coach of the women’s team representing the Corner Brook Centre Bowl at the 2013 Pepsi Cola youth five-pin bowling challenge Saturday at Paradise Bowl. The Corner Brook Centre Bowl will also have a men’s team and a mixed team competing against the top budding bowlers from the host Paradise Bowl, Plaza Bowl in St. John’s, St. Pat’s Lanes in St. John’s, Holiday Lanes in St. John’s and Exploit’s Lanes in Grand Falls-Windsor.
All bowlers will hit the hardwood for five games Saturday at the Paradise Bowl with the top three male and female bowlers with the top averages at the end of the day earning the right to wear their province’s colours at the 2013 National five-pin youth bowling challenge March 21-24 in Gatineau, Que. The challenge is open to male and female bowlers in the 13-18 age bracket.
Three city bowlers heading to Paradise as part of the 15-member contingent from the Centre Bowl — Samantha Davis (women), Brittany Penney (women) and Christopher Dobbin (men) — represented the province at the 2012 national event held in Winnipeg, Man.
Coach Davis, father of Samantha and Meghan Davis, who is a member of the mixed team, has high expectations from the bowlers making the trip east.
“For the quality of the bowlers we got going out there are at least eight to 10 of them who are capable of winning, and you never know what can happen on the hardwood that day. Basically anybody can pull it out of th air.”
While he beams with confidence after seeing Corner Brook send three keglers to the national challenge for the past two years, Davis knows it won’t be a walk in the park because the top bowlers from across the province will undoubtedly be gunning for the same prize.
“Oh yes, it wil be tough competition,” he said. “Meghan, Samantha, Christopher Dobbin ... quite a few of them are going out with over 200 averages and they will meet the same competition out there. There’s going to be good stiff competition.”
The women’s team also includes Stephanie Mauger, Keisha Brown and Samantha Cooke.
The men’s team, coached by Chris Rumboldt, is comprised of Dobbin, Albert Robertson, Stephen Rumboldt, Philip Hillier and Jason Penney.
Shawn Penney will coach the mixed team comprised of Meghan Davis, Leah Andrews, Ryan Hickey, Brandon Keeping and Jonandrew Evans.
The contingent represents the top 15 performers at a roll-off held last month at the Centre Bowl. The top five female bowlers formed the women’s team and the top five male bowlers formed the men’s squad, while the next best five averages from the local roll-off comprised the mixed team.
