Professional Bowlers Association

Earl Anthony became the second player in PBA history to win back-to-back National Championship titles in 1974.

He won the $75,000 Brunswick PBA event before a national television audience at Brunswick Wonderbowl Downey by defeating Mark Roth, Brooklyn, N.Y., 218-188.

In 1973, Anthony won the National in Oklahoma City, and his name goes into the records along with Mike McGrath, Lake St. Louis, Mo., who won the coveted title in 1969 and '70.

Anthony also became the second player in history to win both the $125,000 Firestone Tournament of Champions and the Brunswick PBA National Championship in one year. Wayne Zahn, Tempe, Ariz., first accomplished that feat in 1966.

Only another Washingtonian, Gary Mage, Seattle, loomed as an obstacle on the title path followed by Anthony. They battled for the lead throughout the week, with Mage actually taking a two-pin margin into the final 16 games of match play and forcing Anthony to come back with seven wins and a single loss that night to gain the topseeded spot in the finals.

While Anthony, Mage and Roth, whose best previous finish was a second in the $100,000 Brunswick World Open in 1972, were virtually locked into the finals going into the position round game, Dick Weber and Mary Piraino battled for the fourth and fifth spots. Weber made it with a 257-161 win over Butch Gearhart, Houston, Texas, while Piraino dropped a notch behind Weber with a 224-192 loss to Roth.

The finals produced an exciting windup. Weber struck out in the 10th frame to oust Piraino, 218-208. In the second match, Roth finished with three in a row for a 228 total and Weber needed a double to win, but a split killed his hopes as he finished with 211.

Roth and Mage locked horns in a cliff-hanger in the third game, with Mage down by 22 pins after only three frames before connecting for doubles in the fourth, seventh and 10th frames. He finished with a 204 and Roth needed a spare and eight pins to win, and he got just that . . . for a 205-204 victory.

In the championship game, Roth held a seven-pin margin through the fifth frame, but he suffered a 4-6 split in the ninth, just after the imperturbable Anthony had doubled, and Anthony was the winner . . . and $9,000 wealthier, thesize of the check he received from Brunswick Vice President Bernie Rudo.

TELEVISED FINALS

PLAYOFF RESULTS-Weber defeated Piraino, 218-209; Roth defeated Weber, 228-211; Roth defeated Mage, 205-204, and in the championship game Anthony defeated Roth, 218-188.

56-GAME TOTALS

		Name, City/State		Pins		WLT		+		Tot		Amt
1		Earl Anthony, Tacoma, Wash.		12289		17-4-3		555		12844
2		Gary Mage, Seattle, Wash.		12110		18-5-1		555		12665
3		Mark Roth, Brooklyn, N.Y.		11971		19-5-0		570		12541
4		Dick Weber, St. Louis, Mo.		11760		10-14-0		300		12060
5		Marty Piraino, Syracuse, N.Y.		11699		11-13-0		330		12029
*6		Joe Berardi, New York, N.Y.		11545		13-11-0		390		11935		$2,100
7		Nelson Burton Jr., St. Louis, Mo.		11583		11-12-1		345		11928		1,900
8		Butch Gearhart, Houston, Texas		11503		14-10-0		420		11923		1,800
9		Paul Colwell, Tucson, Ariz.		11410		16-8-0		480		11890		1,700
10		Art Trask, Miami, Fla.		11526		11-13-0		330		11856		1,575
		Wayne Zahn, Tempe, Ariz.		11496		12-12-0		360		11856		1,575
12		Norm Meyers, St. Louis, Mo.		11502		10-12-2		330		11832		1,500
13		Mike McGrath, Lake St. Louis, Mo.		11475		11-13-0		330		11805		1,450
14		Bobby Fliegman, Torrance, Calif.		11460		11-13-0		330		11790		1,400
15		George Pappas, Charlotte, N.C.		11430		11-12-1		345		11775		1,350
16		Steve Jones, Kansas City, Mo.		11358		13-10-1		405		11763		1,300
17		Billy Hardwick, Louisville, Ky.		11408		11-12-1		345		11753		1,250
18		Matt Surina, Longview, Wash.		11339		11-12-1		345		11684		1,200
19		Bill Beach, Sharon, Pa.		11397		9-14-1		285		11682		1,150
20		Alex Seymore, Kannapolis, N.C.		11280		10-14-0		300		11580		1,100
21		Bobby Jacks, New Orleans, La.		11252		10-14-0		300		11552		1,050
22		Tommy Hudson, Akron, Ohio		11268		9-15-0		270		11538		1,000
23		Rich Hottal, San Francisco, Calif.		11036		9-15-0		270		11306		950
24		Ernie Schlegel, New York, N.Y.		10903		5-19-0		150		11053		900

Pos.		Name, City/State	Total	Amount
25		Dave Davis, Atlanta, Ga.	6529	$800
*26		Paul McCordic, Houston, Texas	6525	855
27		Cliff McNealy, Milpitas, Calif.	6518	760
28		Larry Laub, Santa Rosa, Calif.	6516	740
29		Chuck Moran, San Diego, Calif.	6515	720
30		Palmer Fallgren, Sacramento, Calif.	6513	700
31		Doug Johnson, Long Beach, Calif.	6509	670
		Bobby Knipple, Long Beach, Calif.	6509	670
33		Ed Ressler, Allentown, Pa.	6506	640
34		Barry Asher, Costa Mesa, Calif.	6499	620
35		Greg Pickens, San Diego, Calif.	6476	600
36		Steve Neff, Sarasota, Fla.	6470	580
37		Don Johnson, Akron, Ohio	6448	560
38		Mickey Higham, Kansas City, Mo.	6442	540
39		Pete Tountas, Tucson, Ariz.	6441	520
40		Tim Harahan, Canoga Park, Calif.	6437	500
41		Junichi Yajima, Tokyo, Japan	6431	480
42		Art Goddard, Norwalk, Calif.	6416	460
43		Ed Bourdase, Mt. View, Calif.	6413	440
44		Ron Stromfeld, Columbus, Ohio	6386	420
45		Don McCune, Munster, Ind.	6378	410
46		Don Glover, Del Ray Beach, Fla.	6373	400
47		Bob Chappell, Wichita, Kan.	6368	390
48		Bud Horn, Los Angeles, Calif.	6362	380
49		Tye Critchlow, Los Angeles, Calif.	6354	370
50		Don Bell, Scotts Valley, Calif.	6348	360
51		Cliff Marceau, Redwood City, Calif.	6308	350
52		Bill Marshall, Torrance, Calif.	6268	340
53		Jim Stefanich, Joliet, Ill.	6267	330
54		Paul Kreins, Pleasant Hill, Calif.	6199	320