Hoskins, Canady win Orleans event

Monday, Dec. 14, 1998 | 11:37 a.m.

As the season-ending event for both professional bowling tours, the Philip Morris Mixed Doubles featured the top 24 mens and ladies bowlers and a hefty $200,000 purse.

All it lacked was drama.

Steve Hoskins and Kim Canady teamed to run away with the $40,000 first prize Sunday at The Orleans Bowling Center, posting a tournament-record 369-pin victory over second-place Parker Bohn III and Cheryl Daniels.

Hoskins and Canady held a 348-pin cushion going into the final eight-game block and were never challenged -- leading by as many as 445 pins at one point. They had the title locked up before the first ball was rolled in the final game.

Even Hoskins was somewhat surprised with the ease in which he and Canady won.

"We kind of inadvertently cruised through the first four or five games this evening," Hoskins said. "We were bowling OK ... and we were still 400 pins ahead.

"The first four games, that was everybody's opportunity to catch us."

But nobody did and Hoskins earned his second title of the year while Canady won her first since capturing this event in 1995 with Butch Soper.

"I feel like I'm a much better bowler when I bowl with somebody ... so I think this is where I excel," Canady said. "It's not like winning on your own, though. I'm grateful for it, but I don't know if it solves my anxiety over having not won by myself in three years."

Hoskins, who owns eight PBA Tour titles, averaged 245.59 and had a match-play record of 22-10 for 32 games. Canady averaged 225.81 and posted a record of 21-10-1 in match play.

Bohn and Daniels split $22,000 for second place; Pete Weber and Dede Davidson earned $16,000 for taking third; Eric Forkel and Lisa Wagner split $12,000 for fourth; and Amleto Monacelli and Kendra Cameron earned $10,000 for fifth place.

Walter Ray Williams and Carol Gianotti-Block entered the tournament as the No. 1 seeded team but finished sixth. Henderson resident Wendy Macpherson teamed with Norm Duke and finished eighth, splitting $6,600.

Las Vegas resident Dave Wodka teamed with Tish Johnson and finished 20th in the 24-team event and split $4,200.