Belated - Winter Leagues Week 4 Recaps
Lanes 19/20 — same pinsetter
issues on 20, though less frequent this time.
We entered the night in 3rd
place, matched against the #2 team, and came away with 5 points, dropping only
2. That win should move us up to 2nd place—or possibly even 1st, depending on
how the leaders fared.
As a team, we struggled and had
to lean on our handicap to secure the victory. We won games 1 and 3, dropped
game 2, but took the overall match on total pins.
Our leadoff bowler started strong
with his highest game of the season in game 1, but couldn’t carry that momentum
into games 2 and 3. The middle of the lineup held steady at their averages,
while the anchor (yours truly) finished slightly under average for the night.
I also debuted my new Phaze II.
I’m still learning where it likes to play and probably stuck with it longer
than I should have. I considered switching to the Black Venom or Destiny Hybrid
late in game 2, but decided to keep experimenting with the Phaze II. I think it
will be a strong league ball once I get it dialed in. I’ve been told it
performs even better after building up 6–10 games of lane shine, so we’ll see.
Next week, we face a tough team
that deserves to be ranked higher than they are. They’ve got two excellent
bowlers, one promising up-and-comer, and a steady leadoff. With our handicap
nudging up slightly after last night’s showing, it’ll be interesting to see how
things shake out on Tuesday.
Prime Timers (Right-Left-Right) 09/11/25
Lanes 13/14 versus One to Spare
We began the night in 1st place,
facing the 4th-place team. They carried a 72-pin handicap advantage, so we knew
we had to shoot slightly above average to hold our spot.
We managed to squeak out game 1
but dropped games 2 and 3, along with total pins. With only 2 points earned,
we’ll likely fall from the top spot.
My performance: Game 1 was
my best, finishing at 193. After an 8-spare in the 1st, I strung together a
turkey to reach the 5th in solid shape. A stubborn 7-pin in the 5th turned into
my first open, followed by a 2-7 leave in the 6th for my second. Thankfully, I
regrouped in the 7th and closed the sheet with a clean run of spares and
strikes.
Game 2 started strong with a
strike and 9-spare, but quickly unraveled. A pulled shot in the 3rd left me with
an open, followed by a weak 6-3 count in the 4th. The rest of the game was
plagued by single-pin misses. Game 3 wasn’t much better. A ball change in the
4th improved my pin counts, but two missed spares sealed my fate.
Our opponents bowled
consistently and never let up. Both teams began to struggle late in game 2 and
much of game 3, but they managed to stay near their averages, while we couldn’t
overcome the handicap gap. Still, it was an enjoyable night—only a couple of
resets and no scoring issues.
Equipment notes: I rolled
most of the night with my new Phaze II. I stepped out of my comfort
zone, moving from my usual line (standing at 15, up the 2nd arrow) to standing
at 23 and playing between the 2nd and 3rd arrows. The Phaze II looked good
early, and I tried to stay with it as long as I could. I lost that line in game
2 and never got it back, which led to the ball change in game 3. Switching to
the Destiny Hybrid, I moved back to my normal line around 15 and up the 2nd
arrow. Not perfect, but I’m learning.
Next week, we roll against the Gutter
Dusters—some of our favorite folks. Already looking forward to Thursday!
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