Rhino Page and Liz Johnson each picked up titles Sunday at the Professional Bowlers Tour Viper Championship in Michigan.

Page defeated Ryan Ciminelli 256-246, while Johnson knocked off Lynda Barnes 211-196 in the women's challenge match. Page earned $25,000, while Johnson picked up $10,000.

PBA cancels tourneyThe Professional Bowlers Tour announced that the Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles tournament in Medford, Ore., will not take place in January. A bowl.com story cited the economic downturn as the reason for the cancellation. Norm Duke and Liz Johnson were the defending champions.

Trivia questionThe first 800 series in Butler County bowling history was recorded by Dwight Crowe during what season: 1983-'84, '84-'85, '85-'86, or '86-'87? Answer at the end of the column.

Blast from the PastA couple of Butler County Bowling Association scoring records were set during the 1962-63 season. Chuck Souzer rolled a county-best 762 series, helping his Natili teammates to a record-setting 3,162 team series. The team included John Kosar (599), Bernie Osche (634), Jack Ordy (609) and Don Dumbaugh (559). The Natili team competed in the Butler City Tenpin League at Larwick Lanes.

Tip of the WeekI don't know of any right-handed bowler who enjoys trying to make the tenpin. The same goes for left-handers with the seven-pin. There are many schools of thought on how to convert the tough corner pin. Some bowlers switch to a plastic-surfaced ball that hooks very little. Others just line up and throw hard and straight.Here's a tip you can add to your arsenal: insert only your thumb and ring finger into the ball. By not using the middle finger, you are taking away the finger that exerts the most force necessary to hook the ball.It will feel a little awkward, but it's worth a try.

Hilliard notches 300 gameMike Hilliard rolled a 300 game en route to a 742 series in Buckhorn League play. Others bowling well in the league were Gary Swidzinski (279 game) and Dale Dunkle 247 (686)

Bowling highlightsCindy Horstman lit up the lanes with a 738 series in the Belmont II league. Horstman's best game during the set was a 268. Her average is 189. ... Bob Casey nailed a 730 series in the Troy-Alan League, topping out with a 257 single. ... Linda Smith had the high game (202) and high series (523) in Coins League action. ... Jennifer Callihan raised her 128 average with a 431 series in Firearms League play. Callihan rolled a 172 during the series. Jason Prementine 244 (633) and Skip Weyand 224 (641) also bowled well. ... Bob Michalojko led the Butler County Travel League with a 277 game on his way to an 881 four-game set. Henry Austin topped the league with a 256 (963). Shawn Reges 267 (906) and Brian Marcellus 258 (902) also bowled well. ... Larry Noah just missed perfection, rolling a 299 game in Armco C action at Sherwood Lanes. Noah finished the night with a 635 series. Ron Henry topped the league with a 713 series. Ken Follstaedt 249 (688) also had a good night.

Trivia answerDwight "Dee" Crowe rolled an 802 at Sherwood Lanes during the 1986-87 season.

Ron Willison is the bowling columnist for the Butler Eagle.