Photo by Bonnie Heater Jim Neal, Gordon Lanes Bowling Center manager displays the plaque for the first place team in the Senior Professional Bowlers Association Doubles Championship held Oct. 24 -26 on post. George Pappas, from Mooresville, N.C., and Steve Lickliter, from Buckley, W.Va. won first place in the tournament. The South Regional Seniors Professional Bowlers Association Doubles Championship drew 34 contenders for the title Oct. 24 -26 at Gordon Lanes Bowling Center.

Bowlers practiced from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and were treated to dinner prior to the Pro-Am event.

An amateur bowler was teamed up with professional bowlers.

J.J. Booth won first place in the adult category of the Pro-Am competition; Russell Williams placed first in the youth category. Chaplain (Maj.) Brian Mead, Fort Gordon Family life chaplain and marriage and Family therapist, earned third place in the Pro-Am competition.

"I plan on donating my winnings to a local charity," said Mead.

On Oct. 25 qualifying took place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Seventeen teams competed in the doubles event. The top four teams rivaled for first place on the following day, Oct. 26.

Steve Lickliter from Buckley, W.Va. and George Pappas from Mooresville, N.C. took the first place plaque home. They won two games to one for first place and the team made of Keith Sharpe and Bill Keenan won second place.

Lickliter has been bowling in the Professional Bowlers Association since 1975. This makes his 14th title win in his 35 year PBA career.

"This is the first time Pappas and I have bowled together," Lickliter said. "We have battled against each other for 35 years.

"It was an honor to bowl with him," he added. "He's a PBA Hall of Famer."

Pappas was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1986 in the performance induction category according to the website: http:// www.pba.com/players.

He captured the Miller High life Open and Buffalo Open on the 1970 Winter Tour.

His biggest triumph of his career, according to the website, was when he captured the 1979 Firestone Tournament of Champions. Pappas' best season money-wise came in 1984 when he collected his ninth and 10th PBA titles and earned more than $100,000.

"Every match this morning [Oct. 26] was exciting," Lickliter added. "There was some serious work taking place on the lanes."

Pappas, the other half of the winning team, has been bowling professionally since 1969. "This was a great win for me," Pappas said. "This makes my twelfth national PBA title and my 21st regional title.

"I had trouble yesterday [Oct. 25] during the qualifying event," added the right handed bowler. "When you are playing alone and you make a mistake you just accept it, but it's hard to live with your mistakes when you are bowling with another player as a team.

"The best shooting in the tournament was in the 10th frame," he added with a smile. "Every situation we needed a strike Steve [Lickliter] made it," Pappas explained. "I appreciate Steve's [Lickliter] support during this tournament."