The mixed doubles team of Patrice Tucker and Jermaine DeSilva were among the top prizewinners at a tenpin bowling tournament held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Some 30 local bowlers travelled to the Sunshine State for the annual competition organised by The National Bowling Association (TNBA), of which Bermuda is the only overseas member, and boasts some 30,000 players.

While the tournament was held in May and June, Lionel Dowling, president of the Bermuda Bowling Senate, said the prizelist had just been received, indicating that in addition to trophies, the Island's bowlers would receive cash prizes totalling just under $9,000.

"I believe this has been our best performance in this tournament in the 31 years that we have been members of TNBA," said Dowling.

Tucker and DeSilva's combined handicap score of 1521 was good enough for third position, worth $3,000. It was the second time Tucker had competed while DeSilva was making his debut.

Also among the money were the Mixed Team, named Bermuda Storms, which consisted of Miles Smith, Melikah Symonds, Bertha Cann, Willoughby Harvey and Vernon Daniels. They also placed third in their category and will receive $2,000.

Following were all women's team, the Bermuda Belles, consisting of Debbie Ball, Malikah Symonds, Carla Whitehurst, Patrice Tucker and Florence Pat Bell, who finished fourth in their division and will collect $1,150.

Willoughby Harvey and Wayne Anthony Smith teamed up in the Men's Doubles, placing seventh ($900).

Next year the tournament will be held in Orange County, a suburb of Los Angeles, California, and the home of Disney Land.

Before that, Bermuda's players will travel to Reno, Nevada to take part in a USBC tournament.

Meanwhile, Dowling said he was awaiting the final standings of the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) tournament in which Bermudian Vernon Daniels still retained first place in the Men's Classified Singles. That tournament is scheduled to finish at the end of this month.

n Bowling's 17th annual Cup Match tournament, in which St.George's supporters take on their Somerset counterparts, is scheduled for this Thursday at Warwick Lanes.

It's customary that those taking part wear something to indicate the team they will be supporting – the red and dark blue for Somerset or the dark and light blue for St. George's.

Dowling explained that players would "literally be playing cricket on the lanes".

"The playing of the game is as normal," he explained, "but certain situations are adopted to coincide with situations relevant to the game of cricket."

"The three games to be bowled are referred to an 'innings'; a 'duck' is recorded when a bowler rolls a ball down the gutter, totally missing all pins; 'clean bowled' is when the 7-10 split remains unconverted; 'caught out' is leaving an open 10th frame; a 'four' is two consecutive strikes; a 'six' is three consecutive strikes; a 'half-century' is four consecutive strikes, and a 'century' is five consecutive strikes.

"And finally an 'lbw' is leaving the 1-5 sleeper unconverted, and a 'run-out' is the 4-6-7-10 split.

St. George's were victorious last year levelling the series at eight wins each.

Anthony Zuill's century and half-centuries by Derwin Smith and Dennis Trott earned the East Enders last year's win.

MVP was Graeme Furbert who accumulated a total of 564 runs.