Carol Gianotti-Block and Tim Criss won a tightly contested $200,000 Merit Mixed Doubles Championship at The Orleans Bowling Center. Block, who won her third Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour title of the year, and Criss, who already had won twice this year on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, defeated the team of Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and Pete Weber in the final position round match, 453-411, to collect the first-place team check for $40,000. The team entered the all match play 24-team invitational event as the third seeds and finished with a match play record of 24-8 and 15,162 total pins. "We were real consistent this weekend," said Gianotti-Block, who bowls out of Morley, West Perth, Australia. "We didn't have a lot of big games, but by the same token we didn't have any really bad games." Criss agreed, "Every once in awhile one of us would struggle, but the other would catch fire. We did a good job of picking each other up and that's what it takes in this event." There were actually three teams within 100 pins of each other with one game remaining and a strong showing by Wendy Macpherson and Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the final game moved them past Dorin-Ballard and Weber into second place (15,114). Macpherson and Williams, who entered as the top-seeded team, collected $22,000. Dorin-Ballard and Weber ended up third, just one pin behind Macpherson and Williams, and earned $16,000. They posted the best team match play record with a 25-7 mark. 32-GAME TOTALS | |  | Name, City/State | | Pins | | WLT | | Total | | Amount | | | 1 | | Carol Gianotti-Block, Perth, Australia
Tim Criss, Bel Air, MD | | 14912 | | 24-8-0 | | 15162 | | $40,000 | | 2 | | Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, NV
Walter Ray Williams Jr., Stockton, CA | | 14904 | | 20-12-0 | | 15114 | | 22,000 | | 3 | | Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, N. Richland Hills, TX
Pete Weber, St. Ann, MO | | 14578 | | 25-7-0 | | 15113 | | 16,000 | | 4 | | Dede Davidson, Clearwater, FL
Dave Arnold, Gilbert, AZ | | 14567 | | 20-12-0 | | 14687 | | 12,000 | | 5 | | Cheryl Daniels, Detroit
Wayne Webb, Las Vegas | | 14514 | | 21-11-0 | | 14674 | | 10,000 | | 6 | | Kim Canady, Oakland, CA
Bob Learn Jr., Erie, PA | | 14257 | | 20-11-1 | | 14507 | | 8,000 | | 7 | | Marianne DiRupo, Succasunna, NJ
Doug Kent, Canandaigua, NY | | 14328 | | 18-14-0 | | 14498 | | 7,000 | | 8 | | Leanne Barrette, San Lorenzo, CA
Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela | | 14343 | | 16-15-1 | | 14483 | | 6,600 | |
24-GAME TOTALS | | | Name, City | | Pins | | Avg | | WLT | | + | | Tot | | Amt | | | 9 | | Jackie Mitskavich, DuBois, PA
Steve Hoskins, Tarpon Springs, FL | | 10184 | | 424.33 | | 14-10-0 | | 655 | | 10839 | | $6,400 | | 10 | | Carol Norman, Oklahoma City, OK
Parker Bohn III, Jackson, NJ | | 10130 | | 422.08 | | 13-11-0 | | 665 | | 10795 | | 6,200 | | 11 | | Liz Johnson, Niagara Falls, NY
Brian Voss, Atlanta | | 10025 | | 417.71 | | 11-13-0 | | 580 | | 10605 | | 6,000 | | 12 | | Nikki Gianulias, Vallejo, CA
Norm Duke, Clermont, FL | | 10072 | | 419.67 | | 10-14-0 | | 530 | | 10602 | | 5,800 | | 13 | | Lisa Wagner, Bradenton, FL
Ryan Shafer, Elmira, NY | | 10035 | | 418.13 | | 10-14-0 | | 540 | | 10575 | | 5,600 | | 14 | | Debbie McMullen, Denver
Bryan Goebel, Shawnee, KS | | 10040 | | 418.33 | | 11-13-0 | | 580 | | 10685 | | 5,400 | | 15 | | Jan Schmidt, Rochelle, IL
Tom Baker, Buffalo, NY | | 9928 | | 413.67 | | 11-13-0 | | 515 | | 10443 | | 5,200 | | 16 | | Anne Marie Duggan, Edmond, OK
Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, KS | | 9849 | | 410.38 | | 10-14-0 | | 500 | | 10349 | | 5,000 | | 17 | | Cathy Dorin, Linden, NJ
Randy Pedersen, Hollywood, FL | | 9773 | | 407.21 | | 10-14-0 | | 535 | | 10308 | | 4,800 | | 18 | | Jeanne Naccarato, Tacoma, WA
Brian Himmler, Cincinnati | | 9808 | | 408.67 | | 9-15-0 | | 470 | | 10278 | | 4,600 | | 19 | | Sandra Jo Odom, Coldwater, MI
Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, NY | | 9829 | | 409.54 | | 6-18-0 | | 400 | | 10229 | | 4,400 | | 20 | | Kim Adler, Las Vegas
Steve Jaros, Bolingbrook, IL | | 9690 | | 403.75 | | 7-15-2 | | 455 | | 10145 | | 4,200 | | 21 | | Tish Johnson, Northridge, CA
Steve Wilson, Lake Worth, FL | | 9659 | | 402.46 | | 10-14-0 | | 480 | | 10139 | | 4,000 | | 22 | | Stacy Rider, LaHabra, CA
Mark Williams, Beaumont, TX | | 9717 | | 404.88 | | 6-18-0 | | 365 | | 10982 | | 3,800 | | 23 | | Lisa Bishop, Belleville, MI
Jess Stayrook, Tempe, AZ | | 9511 | | 396.29 | | 9-14-1 | | 510 | | 10021 | | 3,600 | | 24 | | Michelle Feldman, Skaneateles, NY
Eugene McCune, Munster, IN | | 9531 | | 397.13 | | 9-15-0 | | 440 | | 9971 | | 3,400 | |
24-game qualifying leader-Wendy Macpherson and Walter Ray Williams Jr., 10,620.
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