Lanes Open

Bill Plagianakos of Baltimore won the final pro spot qualifier Sunday at Fair Lanes Kings Point in Randallstown. Plagianakos is the fifth local bowler to qualify for the 160-bowler field in the $150,000 Fair Lanes Open, which begins today with pro-am tournaments.He rolled games of 275-223-248-258-259-2251,488, an average of 248. John Gaines of Davidsonville was second with 219-205-235-267-257-2451,428, and Mike Schuster of Edgewood was third with 257-215-225-212-232-278 1,419.The qualifier featured 300 games by Don Slabodnik of Columbia and Brian Thacker of White Marsh and 299 games by Alan Kitaguchi of Germantown and Scott Pike of Watkins Glen, N.Y.Other pro spot winners were Larry Nalls of Essex and Brian Cavey, Brian Link and Brian Bennett, all of Baltimore.

Pete Weber returns to defend his championship and runner-up Del Ballard also is back for the $150,000 Fair Lanes PBA Open at Fair Lanes Woodlawn. This is the 23rd year for the local tournament sponsored by Fair Lanes, the second oldest in the nation.The winner can earn $31,000 when action begins next Sunday with Youth and Adult pro-ams.JTC Pros will qualify the next day, and they will practice and hold an autograph session Feb. 18. The Fair Lanes PBA Open begins Feb. 19 and continues through the 3 p.m. televised finals on Feb. 22.Parkville's Danny Wiseman won the last tournament at Woodlawn in 1990, and Ron Bell won at Woodlawn in 1989.

Brian Link won the third Pro Spot Qualifier for the $150,000 Fair Lanes Open to be bowled Feb. 16-22 at Fair Lanes Woodlawn. Link, bowling at Fair Lanes University in Adelphi, rolled games of 219-267-246-216-227-2131,388 to win a place in the tournament and $300.Jeff Harding finished second with 244-214-217-238-247-2031,363 and earned $275. Anthony Champman had 184-245-239-249-188-2371,342, good for third place and won $200.The next Pro Spot Qualifier was set for today at Fair Lanes Woodlawn, and the final one is scheduled next Sunday at Fair Lanes Kings Point in Randallstown.

Larry Nalls of Essex won a one-game roll-off with Daniel Syromi of Baltimore, 234-229, to win the second of five Pro Spot Qualifying Tournaments for the $15,000 Fair Lanes PBA Open, scheduled for Fair Lanes Woodlawn Feb. 16-22.Bowling at Fair Lanes Ritchie in Glen Burnie last Sunday, Nalls and Syromi finished in a tie with 1,361 pins after the six-game event. Nalls, who won $300 in addition to his entry into the tournament, rolled games of 180, 280, 184, 231, 243 and 243. Syromi, who won $275, rolled games of 244, 255, 214, 191, 189 and 258.Tommy Simms of Elkridge, who rolled 268-171-245-218-183-2581,343 won $200.

The $45,000 Lady Fair Lanes Open will get under way today at Fair Lanes University in Adelphi with an autograph and professionals practice session at 10 a.m. Pro-am tournaments will begin at noon.Qualifying will begin tomorrow at 9 a.m. and continue until Tuesday, when match play will begin at 6:30 p.m. Match play will continue Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.The finals, to be televised nationally by ESPN, will be held Thursday beginning at 7:30 p.m.Michelle Mullen is the defending Lady Fair Lanes Open champion.

The Fair Lanes PBA Open in Baltimore is fast acquiring a reputation for dramatic firsts. Last year Danny Wiseman won his first tournament in his hometown. And last week Pete Weber led all qualifiers by rolling 42 consecutive games over 200 -- a PBA record.But it was the last ball of the last frame of the tournament that stunned a full house at Fair Lanes Kings Point and a national TV audience Saturday.After Weber finished the championship game with five strikes and a 213 score, Del Ballard Jr. needed 27 pins in the 10th frame to win. Ballard got the toughest part -- the first two strikes -- and all he had to do was knock down seven more for the $30,000 first prize.

Pete Weber pushed his first bowling ball down the lane at age 2. His father brought him a specialized ball three years later. Those early days, said Weber, have contributed to his turning in perhaps his most consistent year on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour.Weber, 28, of Florissant, Mo., had a pin fall of 2,837 for an average of 236.42 after 12 games yesterday to lead the second round of the $150,000 Fair Lanes PBA Open at Fair Lanes Kings Point in Randallstown.Jeff Bellinger, of Columbia, S.C., was second with 2,714.

The Fair Lanes $150,000 PBA Open is in full swing at Fair Lanes Kings Point, the year-old state-of-the-art bowling center in Randallstown.The finals on Saturday will be televised, but there's still timeto get to the lanes and see the professional bowlers in action todayand tomorrow.It's too late to bowl in the pro-am competition, but there's nextyear.Who bowls in the pro-am events?Well, from Anne Arundel County this year we had a motorcycle rider, a NASA retiree, a couple of pretty fair golfers and a husband-and-wife team who just likes to bowl.

The $150,000 Fair Lanes PBA Open begins a seven-day stop at Fair Lanes Kings Point in Randallstown with several pro-am tournaments today.Youth pro-ams are scheduled at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and adult pro-ams at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.The touring professionals, some of the top bowlers in the world, begin action tomorrow at 8 a.m. with qualifying games. Tuesday, the pros will practice and participate in more pro-ams. Wednesday through Saturday will be the meat of the Open, with 160 competing for the top prize of $27,000.