Elise Bolton Claims Victory at 2023 PWBA Cleveland Regional Despite Injury

Elise Bolton of Riverview, Florida, secured her second career PWBA Regional title at the 2023 PWBA Cleveland Regional, held at Yorktown Lanes. Despite battling an ankle injury, Bolton delivered an impressive performance, defeating Cleveland’s Alexis Cloud 226-197 in the stepladder finals on Sunday.

Overcoming Adversity to Secure the Title

Bolton’s journey to victory was anything but easy. Injuring her ankle just before the 2023 PWBA Tour season, she had considered sitting out the Cleveland Regional event. However, given her previous success at Yorktown Lanes—where she won her first regional title in 2019—she decided to push through the pain and compete.

Cloud started strong in the championship match, rolling three consecutive strikes to take an early 29-pin lead. However, Bolton quickly regained control by stringing together three strikes in frames four, five, and six, while Cloud struggled with back-to-back open frames. By the sixth frame, Bolton had taken a 13-pin lead and maintained her dominance throughout the rest of the match.

A light 7-pin in the seventh frame ended Bolton’s streak, but she spared successfully and followed up with three more strikes in the eighth, ninth, and tenth frames to seal the victory.

“I knew I had won after throwing the first strike in the tenth, but I still wanted to finish strong,” Bolton said. “Honestly, I don’t think this win has really sunk in yet.”

Earning a Spot at the 2023 PWBA Regional Showdown

With this win, Bolton secured a coveted spot at the 2023 PWBA Regional Showdown, scheduled for December 7-9 at Aloma Bowl in Winter Park, Florida. She and other regional champions will be seeded for match play, while additional qualifiers will earn spots through an eight-game qualifying round.

The top 16 players will compete in round-robin match play, with the final four advancing to the stepladder finals. Every player making match play will earn a cash prize, and if entry numbers are high enough, additional cash spots will be awarded at a 1:3 ratio.

The ultimate winner of the 2023 Regional Showdown will not only take home a cash prize but will also receive entry fee coverage for all 2024 PWBA National Tour singles events.

Bolton was ecstatic about locking in her participation.
“My goal this season was to qualify for the Regional Showdown because I wasn’t sure how many national events I could compete in due to my ankle,” she said. “Winning today and securing my spot in my home state is an incredible feeling.”

A Display of Grit and Determination

Bolton’s path to victory was marked by resilience. She admitted she wasn’t even sure if she would compete in the tournament but ultimately decided to push through.

“I didn’t think I would be able to bowl this weekend, but I figured I could tough it out for one more day,” Bolton said. “Thankfully, my ankle felt better after some rest and icing. I wanted to come back and defend my title, and to actually do it is unbelievable.”

Stepladder Finals Recap

The road to the final match saw intense competition. In the opening stepladder round, Cloud defeated No. 3 seed Haley Richard of Tipton, Michigan, 202-190. She then edged out Jenna Stretch of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in a tight semifinal, 181-178, before falling to Bolton in the title match.

Final standings and prizes:

1. Elise Bolton – Champion ($2,200)
2. Alexis Cloud – Runner-up ($1,100)
3. Jenna Stretch – Third place ($900)
4. Haley Richard – Fourth place ($750)

Bolton had earned the top seed for the stepladder finals after leading the nearly 100-player field in qualifying, posting an eight-game total of 1,755 (a 221.88 average). Stretch, Richard, and Cloud followed closely behind with scores of 1,743, 1,742, and 1,720, respectively.

Looking Ahead

The next PWBA Regional event will take place on July 2 at the PWBA Pinehurst Regional, hosted at Sandhills Bowling Center in Aberdeen, North Carolina. With Bolton’s impressive victory at Cleveland, all eyes will be on her as she prepares for the Regional Showdown later this year.

Will she carry this momentum forward? Bowling fans will be eagerly watching.