Winter Leagues Update - Week 21
The Hasbeens — Lanes 11/12
We bowled against the #1-ranked
team in the league last night, and it didn’t go as planned—at least for us.
Although they are ranked higher in the standings, we hold a better overall
head-to-head record against them. They have two very strong bowlers and two
others who can get on streaks. Last night, those streaks showed up.
None of our team had a truly
terrible night, aside from one rough game from one bowler. Overall, our numbers
were respectable. They spotted us approximately 64 pins per game on handicap,
so we knew we needed to keep things close. Their streak players bowled 70 and
23 pins over their averages, respectively, which quickly erased our handicap
advantage. Their third bowler opening with a 236 didn’t help either.
They swept all three games and
total pins, costing us seven points for the night. Game three was the closest
contest. Going into the 10th frame, their anchor threw three strikes to take
the game and edge us out by seven pins for the win.
Strikes were hard to come by for
me. I moved right, left, up, back, and changed balls twice, yet still managed
only five strikes for the night. Thankfully, my spare shooting is improving. I
converted 17 of 25 spares (68%), including 8 of 9 single-pin spares and 75% on
multi-pin attempts (9 of 12). That consistency kept me at or above my average
for the night.
However, four splits and eight
open frames left me with mixed emotions. I finished with games of 151, 159, and
170 for a 480 series.
The Hasbeens (with a sub) will be
rolling this Saturday in the associational tournament, so we’ll see how that
goes. Any time spent bowling with these guys is fun—but it’s always more fun
when we win. Thursday, I’ll be back with R-L-R for another round.
RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT — Lanes 17/18
“I can’t remember when we’ve been
beaten by a nicer bunch of people,” was said as we left the bowling center last
night—and I was the one who said it.
R-L-R is in a rut right now, and
the struggle bus is parked squarely in our front yard. Too many open frames and
missed opportunities sealed our fate early. Our opponents had a 27-point
handicap advantage, which should be manageable, right? Unfortunately, it seems
that against us, lower-average bowlers tend to have career nights while
stronger bowlers meet or slightly exceed their averages.
Their 121-average bowler rolled a
147. Their 151-average bowler shot a 210. Their 160-average bowler posted a
181. Meanwhile, nobody on our team was able to even reach our averages, let
alone overcome both the handicap deficit and the extra pins.
This was not what any of us
wanted just two days before the associational tournament, but it is what it is.
We’ll regroup, refocus, and give it another go next week.
Keep striking!!
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