LIVE from Tokyo, Japan

BJI coverage begins Thursday, September 13, 2000

Bob Johnson's FINAL Postcard from Tokyo
Bohn Survives a Scare, But Prevails
Sunday, September 17, 2000

The early frames of the Japan Cup's championship match had "upset" written all over them.

Japan's lone representative on the six-man telecast, Yasuyuki Sadamatsu, had already beaten Mike Miller and Chris Barnes, and now was just one match away from bringing the Cup home to Japan.

But one major obstacle stood in his way: two-time defending champion Parker Bohn III, who had lapped the field during the 32 games of match play that comprised the tournament's qualifying round.

Early in the title match, Bohn was fiddling with the tape in his thumb hole and whiffed a 7-pin, while Sadamatsu was striking in three of his first four frames, with a Brooklyn thrown in for good measure.

But in frame 5, things returned to normal. Bohn rolled the first strike of what would become a five-bagger, while Sadamatsu was unable to notch a double the rest of the way. Final score: 235-206.

So Bohn is the Japan Cup champion for the third straight year and fourth time overall.

Here's a recap of today's championship round:

Match 1: 
Tim Criss defeated Ryan Shafer, 247-208.

Match 2: 
Mike Miller defeated Tim Criss, 213-203.

Match 3: 
Yasuyuki Sadamatsu defeated Mike Miller, 213-184.

Match 4: 
Yasuyuki Sadamatsu defeated Chris Barnes, 196-194.

Championship Match: 
Parker Bohn III defeated Yasuyuki Sadamatsu, 235-206.

The payoffs:

- 1. Bohn, $50,000
- 2. Sadamatsu, $25,000
- 3. Barnes, $14,000
- 4. Miller, $11,000
- 5. Criss, $8,500
- 6. Shafer, $7,000

Be sure to check out our complete report on the tournament in the November issue of Bowlers Journal International, including an "examination" of whether Ryan Shafer was done in by a Japanese "curse," and the first-ever published report on Walter Ray Williams' trick shot, dubbed the "Samurai Special."