PLYMOUTH, Mi -- Top seed Jeff Roche of Dearborn downed Jerry Sikora of Lincoln Park, 257-179, to win his third Budweiser Michigan Majors title at Plaza Lanes in Plymouth. Roche, who collected the top prize of $1,200, earned the top seed for the championship finals by rolling 1611 (a sizzling 268 average) during his final six games of match play.

Roche continued his blistering pace by recording the first eight strikes in the final game before leaving a stubborn 10-pin in the ninth frame. He ended a gutsy four-game run by Sikora, who sputtered after matching Sikora with strikes the first two frames. Sikora settled for the second-place award of $600.

It was a high-scoring tournament out of the gates as the 104-player field averaged 216.76 during qualifying. That nearly matched the record 226.90 set at Thunderbowl Lanes in 2000. MMBA Hall of Fame shoo-in Nick Wissinger of Utica led the field with a six-game qualifying record of 1599. Wissinger opened with a 300 game, followed by 269-214-269-278-269. The old record was 1585, set by Mike Abbey at Nortel Lanes in 2001.

In the opening match of the stepladder finals, Sikora began his march to the final game by edging Rich Schultz of Warren, 231-226. Sikora threw two clutch strikes in the 10th frame to steal the game after Schultz had failed to seal the match in his end of the 10th.

In the second match, Sikora continued to make the best of his opportunities by defeating the red-hot Wissinger, 246-194. Wissinger managed only one double despite putting just about every shot square in the pocket. Sikora continued to roll in the semi-final match, posting a late five-bagger to down young Brian Brennan of Sterling Heights, 236-223. Brennan, looking for his first MMBA title, was stopped by a stubborn 7-pin in the ninth frame, allowing Sikora to charge right by him.

With momentum on his side, Sikora squared off against the smooth-stroking Roche in the final match. Both players posted strikes in the first two frames, but Roche made quick work of Sikora, filling the first eight frames with strikes. "I just got lined up toward the end," explained the soft-spoken Roche. "I figured if I shot 230 or 240 in the final match I could win the tournament. Jerry bowled great, but I was thinking about knocking the pins down, not the bowler." "I just plain ran out of gas," sighed runner-up Sikora. "I'm in the process of moving and I wasn't sure I was even going to bowl in this event. I'm tired and I'm beat, and I gave it all I had."

The next Budweiser Michigan Majors tournament is set for March 16-17 at Bel-Mar II in Trenton. Call (586) 775-2414 for more information.