Back in the spring of 2002, during the St. Paul Men's City Tournamnet, John Kreyer Jr. rolled three consecutive 279 games for an 837 series in the singles event.  It is believed the 279 triplicate is the highest in St. Paul history.

         Last weekend at the new Stars & Strikes Entertainment Center  in Wyoming, Mn. Mr Kreyer was making noise again.  He became the youngest bowler to claim a U.S. Openqualifying title when he won the CBA - sponsored event.

         Kreyer, now residing in Fridley, defeated another former St. Paul Kegler, Dave Lutz of Pine City, 233-184, in the title match. There were 61 bowlers competing.  The tourney was co-sponsored by the CBA, Stars and Strikes and the Bowling Proprietors Association of Minnesota.

         The victory earned Kreyer Jr a check for $1,075 and a trip to the national meet in North Brunswick, N.J. Feb. 25-March 4, 2007. Lutz picked up $375 for second place.

         Jeff Smith of Little Falls finished third, followed by Chad Nelson of Owatonna, Clark Poelzer of Arden Hills and Daron Hansen of Brooklyn Center.  Dustin Barr of Albert Lea was the qualifying leader with a 2176 total for 10 games.  It took a score of 1,897 to place among the 20 bowlers who competed in match play.

         The results of the tourney moved Nelson into first place in the Mike's Pro Shop "CBA Points Challenge" with 61 points.  Smith is runner-up with 57 and Dan Bock, who finished seventh, is third with 56 points.  Nelson and Bock were tied with 42 points prior to the U.S. Open event.

         Next tournament for the CBA bowlers is the 27th annual Minnesota Masters event scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 30 at Cedarvale Lanes in Eagan. The tourney starts at 9 a.m. with eight games of qualifying followed by single game, double elimination match play.  The winner receives a paid entry into the 2007 USBC Masters next spring.

Queens Tourney Set

         The ninth annual St. Paul/Minneapolis Queens tourney, open to all USBC women bowlers in Minnesota, will be held at West Side Lanes in West St. Paul on Jan 7, 2007.

         The winner will receive a paid entry into the 2007 Queens tourney in Charlotte, N.C. (April 27-May 2, 2007), a champions jacket and trophy in addition to first place money.  Entries are limited to 64 bowlers, with all the entrants bowling six games of qualifying.  The top 16, bases on pinfall, advance to match play finals

         The first annual "Legends" in memory of the late Jerry Ernster, will come to a conclusion Sunday at Midway Pro Bowl in St. Paul's Midway district.

         Doug Shellum holds the lead in the regular singles and Senior singles (age 50+) with a score of 674.  Dqave Koecheler of St. Paul leads in all events (six games) with a 1,368 total.

         The Trio Team event is led by A to Z Pro shop #2 with a 2,004 total.  Shift times are at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  Entry fee is $25 per person/per event.

Just Notes

         We dont't think there is any bowler in the Twin Cities or the state of Minnesota who can match the record of Minnesota Hall of Famer Gary Arntzen.  The founder of the On Track Pro Shops has competed in two of the oldest associations in the state, Duluth and St. Paul, and rolled a 300 in the third association, Winona.

         He competed in the Duluth Major League (103 years old) as a high school student in Duluth and has competed in the St. Paul Retail league (100 years old) for the past 15 years.  In 1990 he posted a 300 game in singles in the State tournament at Westgate Bowl in Winona.  The Winona Men's association is 106 years old, fifth oldest in the nation.