Professional Bowlers Association

Paul Colwell, at the time an Air Force sergeant stationed at nearby Davis Monthan Air Base, was "on target" at Tucson's Cactus Bowl as he won his first PBA title.

With a SRO hometown crowd cheering his every shot, Colwell clinched his title in the position round game by defeating Don Johnson, Akron, Ohio, 234-222, and he received another ovation when he accepted the check for $4,000 and the championship trophy.

Colwell climaxed the $40,000 holiday event by winning seven of his last eight games of match play after struggling up the ladder from ninth place when match game competition started the day before.

Ahead of him were such stars as Johnson and Nelson Burton Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Bowlers of the Year in 1971 and '70, respectively, and qualifying leader Tye Critchlow, Claremont, Calif., who was the Sporting News PBA Rookie of the Year last year.

By the second game of match play Burton had taken over the top spot with Johnson right behind him, and it looked then as though those two would battle down to the wire, with Johnson throwing in a 300 game, his second in as many weeks. Burton finally lost his touch Tuesday evening as Colwell slipped into first and he had a 28-pin lead over Johnson going into that position round game. A victory for Johnson would have given him PBA win number 20.

The crowd received another thrill during match game play when Rich Carrubba and Mike Orlovsky hooked up in the PBA's second all-time high singles game. Each opened with eight strikes in a row, and Carrubba continued through the 10th frame, leaving a 10-pin on his last ball for a 299, while Orlovsky had to be content with a 279.

18-GAME TOTALS

*Alternate. #Don Johnson received $100 for 300 game. 18-game qualifying leader-Critchlow 4094. 24th low-Pappas 3838. PRO-AM CASHERS-$50-Bill Johnson, Bill Straub, Gus Lampo, Jim St. John, Curt Schmidt. $25-Mickey Higham, Jim Dailey.