There?s good news for area bowling fans that missed out on last week?s Beltway Classic at AMF Country Club Lanes in Middle River: The Professional Bowlers Association is coming back.
The tour is set on returning to the same alley next year after not holding an event in Baltimore, prior to last week, since 1996, when Country Club Lanes hosted the Greater Baltimore Open. In all, Baltimore has hosted 21 PBA events since 1962.
PBA officials, managers at Country Club Lanes and bowlers on tour all felt this year?s Beltway Classic was a success. Over the four-day tournament, several thousand fans packed the alley, including 300 that participated in last Saturday?s pro-am.
“Everything couldn?t have gone any better,” PBA Tour director Kirk von Krueger said. “Ten years is entirely too long for us not to hold an event in the greater Baltimore area. There are great fans in the area, and unless something terrible happens, we plan on being back in Baltimore next Dec. 11.”
Country Club Lanes manager Calvin Cohen said the long gap between tour stops in Baltimore gave fans added incentive to come out last week. He expects just as many, if not more people, to show up next year.
“We had an excellent turnout, and I think all of the fans and bowlers left the lanes feeling very happy about how everything went last week,” Cohen said. “We have a lot of longtime bowling fans in the area, and I just hope we don?t go that long between tour stops again.”
Local bowler Danny Wiseman, a Dundalk native and Middle River native, made the tour stop an even greater success when he overcame a year-long slump and reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion, Sean Rash. Wiseman, along with fellow tour members Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Pete Weber, own titles won in Baltimore.
“Danny answered the bell in his hometown,” von Krueger said. “Despite struggling for a year, he has come back to bowl better as of late and gave a great effort in front of his hometown fans.”
