The Northwest Senior Tour (NWST) headed to Fairway Lanes in Centralia, Washington, where 57 bowlers competed in a high-energy, high-scoring event. After six intense games of qualifying, the top 16 moved on to match play, with a total of 19 bowlers receiving payouts.

It didn’t take long for the action to heat up. In Game 1, Kelly Hyatt made a statement with a perfect 300 game, while other bowlers like Ricky Torchia (279), Rob Kahle and Lanny Thomason (268 each), and Jed Docker (266) weren’t far behind.

In Game 2, Hugh Miller surged into the lead with a 289, following his 246 opener. Thomason stayed consistent with a 259 to move into second, while Hyatt slipped to third after a 210.

By Game 3, Thomason took over, firing his third consecutive 250+ game with a 267, bringing his series to 794. Eric Parker jumped into second with a 278 game, and Miller held third after a 237.

Game 4 kept Thomason on top as he rolled a 258, his fourth straight 250+ game. Meanwhile, Shawn Meads climbed into third with a 278, and Miller and Jodey Rees stayed in the top five.

Things shook up in Game 5 when Miller nearly hit perfection with a 290, reclaiming the lead. Thomason’s 224 dropped him to second, and Cale Brown made a big move into third with a perfect 300 game of his own.

The final game of qualifying was tight at the top. Brown’s 247 was just enough to edge out Miller’s 226 for the top qualifying spot by two pins. Thomason finished third, while Tim Valincia’s 275 game pushed him into fourth. Meads rounded out the top five. Steve Soto made the biggest leap, rolling a 300 to jump from 37th place to 10th, securing a spot in match play. The 16th and final spot came down to one pin, with Chad Itami holding on despite a 185 in his last game.

The match play bracket kicked off with upsets and high scores. In Game 1, 16th seed Chad Itami stunned top-seeded Brown, 242-228. Second seed Hugh Miller had a low-scoring win over 15th seed Erick Hohlbein, 219-202, and Kelly Hyatt, the 14th seed, edged out third-seeded Thomason in a close 214-211 match. The highlight of the round was Meads’ perfect 300 game, which vaulted him into first place.

In Game 2, Meads faced Miller in a 1 vs. 2 showdown, defeating him 233-183 to maintain his lead. Meanwhile, Tim Myers outlasted Brown in a nail-biter, 227-224, moving Myers to third and dropping Brown to fourth. The top four bowlers were separated by just 83 pins at this stage.

Game 3 saw Meads continue to dominate, defeating Valincia 236-216 to keep his top spot heading into the final game. Brown rebounded in his rematch with Myers, winning 258-215 to reclaim second place, just 61 pins behind Meads. Miller sat in third, with Valincia in fourth.

The final match came down to Cale Brown and Shawn Meads, two of the most consistent bowlers of the day. Brown found his line early, stringing together strikes to post a 279 game. Meads bowled well with a 235, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Brown. With the win and 30 bonus points, Brown took the top spot on the leaderboard by just 13 pins, earning the day’s top prize of $550.

Tournament Director Sami Morris thanked Fairway Lanes and their staff for their hospitality and expressed appreciation for all 57 bowlers who made the event a success. It was another thrilling day on the NWST, with standout performances from start to finish.