Williams wins third straight ‘sexes’ title

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Dec. 11, 1998 | 10:17 a.m.

Twenty-five years after Billie Jean King's stunning victory over Bobby Riggs on the tennis court, bowling held its own Battle of the Sexes Thursday at the Orleans hotel-casino.

For the fourth time in as many years, however, the world's top female bowler couldn't match King's feat, as Walter Ray Williams Jr. defeated Carol Gianotti-Block in a three-game match.

Williams, who has captured the event three years in a row, picked up the winner-take-all, $30,000 prize after downing his opponent, 735-626.

"Everybody expects the man to beat the woman, but that's not always going to happen," said Williams, the Professional Bowlers Association's top-ranked bowler this year with five titles.

Although Williams acknowledged he felt pressure to keep his gender's streak alive, he appeared carefree and loose from start to finish.

The PBA Hall of Famer took control of the match with a string of 14 consecutive strikes -- eight to close game one and six more to open game two. Williams held a commanding 102-pin lead heading into game three and never looked back.

"I don't know if I could take it if I ever lost," admitted Williams, who finished with 25 strikes.

Gianotti-Block, the Professional Women's Bowling Association's top-ranked bowler, clearly had the support of the boisterous crowd, particularly as she started to fall behind.

Nevertheless, she became the first woman to lose all three games since the event's inception in 1997.

"He bowled great," said Gianotti-Block, who hails from Perth, Australia. "He never missed the pocket. I didn't bowl as well as I would've liked to. I was out there to win. I hate losing. I just couldn't get lined up the way I wanted to."

With nothing but pride on the line, Gianotti-Block nearly captured game three, holding the lead through the first seven frames. But Williams roared back with four strikes to post a 228-221 win.

Now, after doing battle, Williams and Gianotti-Block will pair up for this weekend's season-ending $200,000 mixed doubles event, beginning Saturday at 9 a.m.

"Now we're partners, and we've got to go out and work together," Gianotti-Block said.