Mickey Pikor, a native of Beamsville and a man who has farmed that area all his life, also found time to bowl and earn his way into the five pin bowling Hall of Fame.

Like so many bowlers, Mickey was introduced to the sport while setting pins at a four lane centre in Beamsville, simply called “Sheps”.

While he began his leagues there, Mickey rose to stardom from a base at Bar-Don Lanes, coincidentally the home of another of tonight’s honourees, Wilf Barlow.

Invited to Bar-Don Lanes by Gordie Threschuck, Mickey bowled with Cec Brush and Tony Masse and, with his smooth style, Mickey soon became one of Wilf Barlow’s favourite and most popular bowlers.

Mickey left his mark on five pin bowling both in the Niagara area and across Canada. He bowled his only perfect game in Fort Erie during a Beat The Champ event. Mickey won the Labour Day event at O’Connor Bowl three times and also fared extremely well with top three finishes in the Rotary marathons which ranged form 24 to 50 games in length.

Mickey is one of the few Ontario bowlers who have travelled to Saskatoon for the biggest western Canada Open event and has cashed every time.

In the provincial championships, Mickey has been the mainstay of the Niagara team with seventeen appearances. Ironically, his greatest success may have come as a coach, as his 1974 team won the world championship. In the Master Bowlers, Mick has been a member for over twenty years, and starred both provincially and nationally.

In Ontario, Mick has won three times, and is second in victories with only Hall of Famer Joe Chiki ahead of him from the Niagara area.

Mickey won the Master Junior team event in both 1969 and 1972, and was the leading qualifier in the Double Knockout event in 1972. A smooth and consistent style has bowled Mickey to four MBAC nationals and two gold medals. The 1974 team included Mickey, Jim Hoult, Tom Patterson, Nick Pagniello and Bill Korz, while in 1986, Mickey returned and found gold with Neil Harrison, Bill Lyon, Matt Dragun, Norton Sims and Coach Diane MacLeod.

Mickey and his wife Marg have continued to live in Beamsville and while the family farm has been sold, Mickey continues to freelance on other farms in the area. Of their three girls, Jody, Janice and Jennifer, only Jody bowls and is currently in the Pro League in St. Catharines. However despite Mickey’s retirement from farming, he has no such thoughts about leaving the lanes. In fact, Mickey still has dreams and goals, one of which is still a perfect game in league play.