Winter League Update - Week 12

Tuesday - The Hasbeens                          Lanes 17/18

This week, we faced a team ranked lower than they probably should be. All four of their bowlers are solid players—one averages over 210, and another consistently hovers around 200. Realistically, they deserve a spot much higher than seventh place in our ten-team league.

We entered the night holding down fifth place and needed a strong showing after a couple of sluggish weeks. In the end, we managed to pull out four points (winning games two and three) while dropping only three. We’ll take that as a win!

Our opponents came out firing in game one, posting scores of 203, 158, 199, and 231. Even with our 139-pin handicap advantage, their performance was too much to overcome, and they took the game by 94 pins. I started with a strike, then went open for two frames before settling in. I stayed clean the rest of the way until the tenth frame, finishing with a 167.

Lane 17 had been down for repairs and had just come back online a few minutes before league play began. The mechanic and a couple of high school bowlers rolled a few test games to make sure the repairs held—and apparently, they did. Unfortunately, the process also altered the lane’s playability for the evening. Dealing with carrydown in the very first frame of a three-game set isn’t something I’m accustomed to.

Because of that, I couldn’t get my Phaze II to react the way I needed it to. Fortunately, that gave me an opportunity to debut my newest ball—the Storm Road Warrior—for the first time. I really like the motion on this one. I typically play around the second arrow, but the Road Warrior allowed me to move out toward the first arrow, where it held nicely before making a strong turn into the pocket. I was able to stay with that line for quite a while before eventually moving inside to find more oil.

Games two and three were much tighter than the opener. We squeaked out game two by 14 pins (785–771) and edged out game three by just three pins. Despite our wins, their explosive start gave them the overall total pinfall by a narrow margin of 77 pins.

Too many missed spares and open frames ultimately sealed our fate—but that’s bowling. We’ll shake it off and come back stronger. I’m looking forward to Thursday night and another round with my RLR crew.

Thursday – RIGHT/LEFT/RIGHT – Lanes 11–12

Secure in first place for another week, we faced the fifth-place team, who entered the night with a 27-pin handicap advantage on paper. That meant we needed to outscore their scratch total by at least 28 pins per game. We were assigned to lanes 11–12, a pair I’ve always liked. Between both leagues this year, I’ve bowled nine games on this pair, averaging 164, with a high series of 557 and a high game of 192.

But those are just numbers. You still have to play the game—and it didn’t go well. Their lead-off bowler didn’t show up, and neither did his 106-pin handicap. The substitute who filled in carried only a 54-pin handicap, which dropped their team handicap from 211 to 159—a 52-point swing that gave us a 24-pin edge.

That advantage didn’t last long. They took game one by 76 pins, we squeaked out game two by 12, and dropped game three by six. The total pin count went their way, giving them five points on the night to our two.

For me, the name of the game last night was lost. Seven splits over three games and only four strikes all night led to plenty of frustration. My scores—122, 145, and 152—didn’t help my average either. I started with the Phaze II but switched to the Road Warrior early in game one. I stayed close to the pocket most of the night but couldn’t seem to get all ten pins to fall together. First-ball counts of 7, 8, and 9 were typical, and a few pulled shots at release left me with three separate 5-counts.

My spare percentage was 46%, with 37% and 81% conversion rates on single-pin and multi-pin attempts, respectively. Unfortunately, a 0-for-7 split conversion rate and 46% open-frame percentage made the night difficult to enjoy.

I’m not sure how the second-place team performed, but with our 2–5 record tonight, our lead will be slim. If they took all seven points, we’ll hold first place by just a single point.

No Prime Timers for me next week due to a family commitment, but I’ll be back Tuesday night with The Hasbeens, looking—and hoping—for more consistent results as we face the league’s top-ranked team.