Ben Lomond Hall of Fame bowler Sam Carter took home the winners trophy and a $20,000 prize at the annual 5-day Winter Mini-Eliminator Bowling Tournament in Las Vegas last month.
A field of more than 1,200 bowlers joined Carter in the Mini, the highest entry count of the past four years, to compete for more than $250,000 in prize money.
Carter, 60, won the Senior Division with a stellar 258-247 win in the final over last years champion Rick Miller of Lincoln, Neb.
Carter has finished second at the last two Mini-Eliminator events and finally won the title this time.
“It really feels good to take home the big one at last.” Carter said “Ending up in the finals again I really wanted to win one.”
Carter is something of a local legend in the bowling scene in Santa Cruz County. He holds the house record for a series at the Boardwalk Bowl with an 837 three game series (258, 279, 300). He has bowled in professional tournaments for over 30 years, but his day job is the Chief Financial Officer for Reed and Graham Inc. a supplier of asphalt emulsions road oils and pavement products for Northern California.
“Sam is as good as they come,” Boardwalk bowl director Willy King said. “He has been a bowling great for as long as I can remember.”
Carter also held a lofty record with an 876 series (297, 279, 300) that stood at Felton Bowl until it was closed and converted into a thrift store.
Carters’ sons Jared and Clayton both played football for San Lorenzo Valley High and Jared won the prestigious David Maze award for the Cougars. Sam Carter was inducted into the California Bowling Hall of Fame in 2009. Carter still bowls regularly in league play at Boardwalk Bowl.
The finals in the Mini Eliminator featured both of last year’s finalists, but this time the results were reversed.
Carter, who came from the senior division and finished second at the 2010 Winter Mini-Eliminator, qualified for the finals with a 706 score.
His opponent, last winter’s Mini-Eliminator champion, Rick Miller, qualified for the finals with a 729 score.
The final match was a close battle as Miller took the lead early with a spare and then rolled out five consecutive strikes. Carter started with an open in the first frame (a 2-10 split) he then rolled eight strikes in a row to regain the lead.
The tenth frame was tense as Sam needed a mark to clinch the title. He easily converted a 7 pin to win the match 258-247.
Miller, the runner up, pocketed $10,000 for the second place finish.
