The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net After more than a decade of inactivity due to the closure of the Village Bowling Lane, Leonardo 'Lee' Davis and Driskell Rolle re-emerged as the top male and female bowlers in the country. Davis, a three-time Rothmans national men's champion during the bowling era at Village Lanes, captured the first Nassau Open Bowling Championships title with a 226-205 victory over Sonith Lockhart at Mario's Bowling & Entertainment Centre on Sunday. Tyrone Knowles finished third. Rolle, who won back-to-back titles in the junior division just before the Village Lanes was closed down, emerged as the female champion with a 180-166 decision over Monique Miller. Janice Hoyte was the third place finisher. The Tenpin Bowling Association's championship featured a total of 69 competitors who competed for more than $3,500 in cash prizes through the sponsorship of Scotiabank, Mario's Bowling, Fidelity Bank and Leno Corporate Services. For Davis, the victory was a gratifying one, considering the fact that he only just started bowling again. "To come back and still find yourself in the same form is just great," Davis said. "It feels pretty good to be able to win the first major tournament. "I thought I would have been a bit nervous, but once you got into it, it was like riding a bike. Once you got on it and you fell off, you get right back on it." With the first major international bowling championships on the horizon in a few months, Davis said he is looking forward to competing but he hopes that the local bowlers will finally get the recognition that they deserve. "When we go away we perform well, but we don't get the recognition, the money and the property like the Golden Girls," Davis said. "They practically don't know that we exist. I just recently went to a tournament in Santo Domingo where I came back with two silver medals and I went to the Greater Miami Tournament, but I don't remember how many medals I won there. But it's like nobody heard about us. It's like bowling is just a recreational sport." Once the tournament is held here and the bowlers hold their own against the visitors, Davis said maybe they will get the recognition and accolades that they have been denied in the past. Rolle wins female title In the past when bowling was flourishing, Rolle was completing her two-year reign as the junior female champion. But just went she was getting ready to venture into the senior division after she returned home from college, the lanes closed down. Rolle, however, said she was elated now to make her debut in the senior division as the initial champion of the Nassau Open Bowling Championships. "I was looking forward to playing in this tournament and I was glad that I participated and I came out the winner," she said. "I just got back into bowling, trying to get my game back and to get on top. So this was truly a wonderful victory." On Friday in the knockout round, Rolle said she found herself in a position where she was on the verge of being eliminated. Down by 21 pins in the third game, she struggled to get back into contention. Once she survived the pressure, Rolle said she was confident that she would be victorious in the final. "I know there's the international tournament in May and once the federation holds their nationals and or the roll off, I will enter because I want to put my name back out there as the female bowler to watch in the Bahamas," she said. Rolle had nothing but praise for her two rivals - Monique Miller and Janice Hoyte - but she was not going to be denied the championship title. Tournament director Sammy Symonette said he was very pleased with the competition and he's looking forward to their association hosting another event in a few months. In other categories on Sunday, the winners were as follows: Men's B - Greg Taylor, Philip 'Grease' Bethel and Steve Bonamy Men's C - Vernon Dean, Gary Scavalla and Fred Davis Men's D - Tavaree Missick, Marvin Lewis and Crestwell Gardiner Ladies B - Betsy Taylor, Shanta Kerr and Patrina Cartwright Ladies C - Roshell McPhee, Kayla Nixon and Janice Davis Ladies D - Andrea Hepburn, Donniecea Rahming and Marion Jolly In the semifinals on Friday, the following results were posted: Men's A - Lee Davis def. Sonith Lockhart 198-189 Men's B - Philip Bethel def. Greg Taylor 186-185 Men's C - Vernon Dean def. Gary Scavalla 186-184 Men's D - Tavaree Missick def. Marvin Lewis 184-162 Ladies A - Monique Miller def. Driskell Rolle 196-180 Ladies B - Shanta Kerr def. Betsy Taylor 163-152 Ladies C - Kayla Nixon def. Roshell McPhee 167-143 Ladies D - Donniecea Rahming def. Andrea Hepburn 163-138