The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FOR the third consecutive year, David ‘Mr Consistency’ Slatter emerged as the male champion of the Mario’s Bowling Championships that wrapped up on Sunday at Mario’s Bowling & Entertainment Center. There was a new champion crowned on the women’s side as Joy Lockhart took the title.

Slatter clinched his title by beating out Leonardo ‘Lee’ Davis 165-156, while Lockhart defeated Paula Hart 177-147. Both Slatter and Lockhart collected $700 for their performances. Davis and Hart pocketed $600 each.

“This one was excellent. We had a different format rather than the normal step ladder final that we normally run in the nationals,” said Sammy Symonette, who served as the tournament director. “We had a knockout series where we go from top five to top six.

“We had the bottom four in the men and women play each other. They played two games and the two with the lowest scores got eliminated, but we were able to determine where they finished either fifth or sixth. Then the four that were left bowled an additional two games and the two with the lowest scores were also eliminated with the third and fourth spots. The final two played a one game match for the championship.”

Symonette said all of the players enjoyed the new format, as opposed to the step ladder because rather than two people playing, there were four people playing at one time. He noted that the cash prizes offered made the tournament even more interesting.

Third place in the men’s division went to Charles Isaacs, who earned $400. Mario Brown got fourth for $300, Yule Hoyte picked up fifth for $200 and Tyrone Knowles was sixth with $150. On the women’s side, Janice Hoyte got third for $400, Driskell Rolle was fourth for $300 and there was a tie for fifth place between Joanne Powell and Camille Rolle, who both collected $175.

The format definitely turned out to be the key for Slatter.

“I wasn’t the better bowler in the tournament. I think Lee was. He bowled better over the 18 games of qualifying,” he said. “In the sport of bowling, when you have a one game bowl off, anything could happen. In the past, I remember being the top bowler going in and I lost one game.

“In this tournament, it was reversed. I was the second best bowler going in, but in that one game, I was able to come out on top.”

Despite the loss, Lee Davis said he was still pleased with his performance.

“I think I got a little complacent. I guess I have to blame it on the water,” he said. “I got a little cocky with myself and I guess I lost focus. I was trying to tell myself what to do when I realised what was going on. But my last game in the championship was probably my worse game in the whole tournament.

“It was a lack of concentration. I always tell people when you think you get it, you don’t because bowling can make you feel like you don’t have a clue as to what you’re doing. I totally enjoyed it. I’m ready to do it all over again.”

Joy Lockhart, back on the local scene after a hiatus of more than a decade, is smiling from ear to ear after her performance.

“I impressed myself. I was so excited and overwhelmed. I bowled very, very well,” she said. “As a matter of fact, I was the only female bowling with a 16-pound ball. So I decided for the tournament, let me change it and see what type of results I will get. A 16-pound ball you don’t have the strength to bowl a lot of games, so I went down to a 14-pound ball and I was able to get more longevity and stamina to bowl.”

Having returned to Nassau about six years ago and resuming her job at BTC, Lockhart said she was delighted to get the tournament under her belt.

“I took control of it going into the top six on Saturday,” said Lockhart, who beat out a field of 16 other women. “I had to put on my bowling shoes and really bowl because there were some seasoned bowlers who were bowling for many years. I took control on Saturday.”

She attributed her success to the support she got from her brother Sonith Lockhart when she faced Paula Hart in the final.

‘I’m in it to win it now. I’m back,” said Lockhart, who is using a motto that she got from the church she attends, Living Waters Kingdom Ministries, headed by Pastor Raymond Wells. “The competition was fierce. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t a tournament you could take for granted.

“Winning this tournament has encouraged me to stay with bowling. I was always told how good a bowling I am, but I wasn’t a person who was interested in that. It was just fun for me. But now, I’m in it to win it. That’s my slogan. This is the first, but it won’t be my last.”

Slatter said the Bahamas Federation of Amateur Bowlers intends to host more tournaments in the future in their bid to keep the sport alive among its members.