News

The Tournament recap and their road to victory:
The season's first team event kicked off at East Providence Lanes with the GrogMonster Sports Trios Event, presented by Tony and Suzanne Reynaud. We had 37 teams join us for the single qualifying squad on February 15th, 2025. The pattern was Kegel’s Boardwalk V2, which is comprised of 35ft, 28.25 mls, and a 2.16:1 ratio. This kept most players further outside throughout the day utilizing urethane and manipulating reactive pieces to manage the friction. Your high qualifiers for the event, with a staggering 239.5 average collectively, were the team of Chris Forry, Brandon Boyer, and Zachary Bogholtz. Chris added a perfect 300 in the mix, and Brandon fell shy with just a 299. The cut to the top 6 teams was set by an all-left-hand squad of Flowers, Robertson, and Bissonnette at +225. The top 2 teams received one round bye.

To begin the bracket finals, we saw matches between Michael Martell, Gary Haines, and Eric Smyth against Rob Young and Hall of Famers Ed Roberts and Greg Flammand, while Devin Flowers, Brandon Robertson, and Dennis Bissonnette took on Triston Erickson, and Randy and Colby Hagemoser. The first-round matches proved electrifying, with the all-lefty team (Bissonnette, Robertson, Flowers) dominating their match 682-640. The parallel match gave way to high tension toward the end, with Martell needing a strike in the final ball to win their match by a single pin 646-645.
Round 2 brought in our top 2 qualifiers to take on the winners. Martell, Haines, and Smyth banded together to secure their semi-final victory over Forry, Bogholtz, and Boyer 668-615. The match to their right had a ring of familiarity with Aaron Major stepping up for his team (Brandon Vallone and Nathan DeMello) with a strike in the tenth to secure their win by 1 over Robertson, Bissonnette, and Flowers 642-641. The finals in team events at NEBA are always guaranteed to be filled with emotion as a first-time title winner will be crowned while partners look to add to their growing champions' resumés. The match remained tight throughout, with opponents showing their will to come out on top. With just a few pins separating the competitors, it all came down to the tenth. In the end, Nathan DeMello, Brandon Vallone, and Aaron Major outperformed their opposition when it mattered most, coming home with a team title and a 707-692 victory. This was Nathan’s first title, Brandon’s second, and Aaron’s fourth title!

Major’s team took home $2,850 for their win and paid entries to the Tournament of Champions, while Martell’s team was awarded $2,100 for their efforts. Congratulations to all our finalists on their performances.

Messages from our Champions:

Aaron Major
“First, I'd like to thank the entire tournament staff and East Providence Lanes staff for hosting this event on the weekend with some troubling weather. Without the staff, there would be a much harder outlet to have bowlers showcase their talents in the region, and I'm very thankful the organization does what it does!

Last year, the three of us were stopped short of a title, so being able to come back to the same event and get another deep run show, I guess we work pretty well together. I'm just grateful that I had two teammates who are very open to different ideas and moves throughout the day and teammates whose judgment I trust and who trusted my judgment. It was a whole team effort the entire day, from qualifying to matchplay, where no single individual bowler kept the team afloat.

Special thanks to the best brand in bowling and the individuals who helped me become a staffer at Hammer Bowling Products, Dave Wodka, and Adam Ishman. A special thanks to Fero and Cassandra Williams, along with their entire staff, for providing me with the most comfortable jerseys on the market at Royal Flush Apparel. And a thank you to everyone that watches and supports me on a day-to-day basis, from my family at home and my cousin Stephen for teaching me the ropes to get where I am. To the bowlers who stopped in the pro shop to talk and bowl in league with me.

Now it's on to the next one which is the most important one to me.”

Brandon Vallone
“Hi all!
I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to write this. First, I would like to thank the two other bowlers that I bowled with Aaron Major and Nathan DeMello. Both of you have worked so hard to get where you are today, and you should be so happy to get the reward! Thank you to everyone involved in the NEBA organization for allowing me to work on my craft in a competitive environment. Over the years, I have grown so much, and a lot of that is due to the tournaments that are held. I’d credit this win to the work that all three of us have put in over the years. The best learning experience came last year when we were so close, we used that experience to break through and get the win this year.”

Nathan DeMello
“First, I’d like to extend my deepest thanks to the incredible people who run NEBA for organizing and providing us with well-run tournaments each month. Your hard work and dedication make every event a memorable one, and I truly appreciate all you do. I’d also like to thank the staff at East Providence Lanes for hosting this event, especially considering the challenging weather we faced throughout the weekend. Without the support of the East Providence Lanes team and the team at NEBA, this tournament wouldn’t have gone as smoothly as it did.

Winning my first NEBA title has been a goal of mine for a long time. NEBA is incredibly competitive, and to have my name alongside so many legendary bowlers who have won before me is an honor. It’s an indescribable feeling, and I’m humbled to be part of such a prestigious group of athletes.

Last year, we fell just short and finished in 2nd place. But this year, thanks to our great team chemistry, we were able to overcome that hurdle. None of this would have been possible without my teammates. I’m grateful for the trust we shared in one another. It was a true team effort, where each person played a vital role.

I’d also like to thank everyone who congratulated me—whether by text, call, or in person. A huge thank you to my family for always supporting me through it all and to all my coaches who have shared their wisdom and knowledge with me along the way.
Now, it’s on to the next one!”

We want to thank GrogMonster Sports for their sponsorship, as well as Tony and Suzanne Reynaud for adding $1,000 to this event's prize fund. We would also like to thank the staff at East Providence Lanes for continuing to host NEBA events. We can’t emphasize enough that we couldn’t do what we do for New England bowling without people and businesses like you.

Next Up:
We invite you all to the Rip Callahan Memorial - Hall of Fame Classic - $5000 Added to the Prize Fund and $1000 Prizes for Saturday Qualifying Squad at Callahan’s Bowl-O-Rama in Newington, CT on March 22nd-23rd. See the Google link below for registration. We also want to remind everyone of the 2025 Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on March 22nd at Casa Mia at the Hawthorne. Tickets can be purchased at BuddiesProShop.com/Events and more information can be found here - https://www.facebook.com/bowlNEBA/posts/1017243310444346

Download the NEBA Google Calander - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=531475c031586e56bd61c2a9bf076964213bda8965022dc3c79d2ae115ca4d85%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York


Thank you to all of our members and sponsors. We could not continue to be one of the best tournament bowling organizations in the country without YOU!