WEEKEND TOURNAMENT ACTION

There are two local doubles tournaments this weekend that I've added to the Upcoming Tournament listing in the right column.

Paddock Bowl has another of Gail's Scotch No-Taps Saturday night as a fundraiser for their youth bowling program. The tournament flier can be viewed here.

Also, Gina Moura's California Bowlers Tour is holding another handicap doubles with crossover at Diablo Valley Bowl on Saturday and Sunday.

I know Olivia's wrist has been bothering her so she may not be fit to enter any tournaments this weekend. Whether we get three or four of us in the crossover doubles at Diablo will depend upon how Olivia is feeling.

SCOTCH DOUBLES TOURNAMENT

We bowled 6 strikes apiece for a Scotch 300

Sharon and I showed up at Paddock Bowl on Saturday expecting a night of Monte Carlo bowling but there was a change in plan. The Monte Carlo event was called off because Paddock Bowl was hosting a no-tap scotch doubles tournament. Neither of us is very fond of the no-tap format but since we were there, we decided to enter. Quinton and some of the Monte Carlo regulars entered the tournament also.

In the scotch bowling format, the two bowlers alternate turns. Sharon bowled first and if she didn't strike, I had to shoot for the spare. If she did strike, I would shoot the first shot in the next frame. Then if I failed to strike, it would be up to Sharon to convert the spare. One never makes consecutive shots.

This was a four-game tournament with the first two games being no-tap in the scotch doubles format and the last two games being no-tap doubles in regular format.


Sharon and I bowled well. Most of our strikes were the natural kind. We left very few ten-pins on a night we didn't need to hit them. In the second game we bowled a scotch 300 and split the $20 high game prize with another team. In the third game, I bowled a 276 with ten natural strikes, a bucket, and one no-tap strike.



Our scotch no-tap 300 game with nine natural strikes

          01  02  03  04  SER G   AVG

Scotch   215 300          515 2 257.5

Sharon           229 206  435 2 217.5

Mark             276 224  500 2 250.0

Subtotal 215 300 505 430 1450 6 241.7

Hdcp                      117
Total                    1567   261.2

It's a shame it wasn't regular ten-pin bowling because I think we would have averaged over 200 without the no-tap gimmick. In the end, we finished in a tie for second place. We won $90 + $10 for the 300 game. Since we paid in $50 for the entry fee and some raffle tickets, winning back $100 earned us a tidy profit for the night.

39TH ANNUAL DIABLO SENIOR TOURNAMENT

Tournament Flier

Sharon and I entered Paddock Bowl's Diablo Senior Tournament last year and we didn't bowl very well. Actually, Sharon did okay but I scored below my average. This year we did much better, bowling on Saturday and Sunday.

The Brunswick Revolver

Besides the bowling, there was a ball raffle with a chance to win a Columbia 300 Freeze Hybrid (which Sharon already has), a Brunswick Slingshot, and a Brunswick Revolver. As you can imagine from the picture here, the Revolver caught Sharon's eye.

4/6/2013  01  02  03  SE  G   AVG
Sharon   149 191 178  518 3 172.7
Mark     160 170 223  553 3 184.3
Subtotal 309 361 401 1071 6 178.5
Hdcp                  253
Total                1324

Our scores were passable but not the kind that would put us in the money. We were somewhat frustrated because we felt good but we were off just a bit. My first game was a 160 that would have been a no-tap 300. I had all strikes and nines but I went into one of my spare shooting funks and missed four easy spares just slightly to the right. Sharon caught some unlucky breaks in the first game or her score would have been much higher also. Since we felt much better about our bowling than the scores reflected, we decided to come back and try it again Sunday afternoon.

4/7/2013  01  02  03  SER G   AVG
Sharon   181 150 224  555 3 185.0
Mark     193 233 216  642 3 214.0
Subtotal 374 383 440 1197 6 199.5
Hdcp                  253
Total                1450

That's more like it! We bowled on the same pair with Rod Hussey who was with One Pin Standing in Over The Wall last autumn. (He won the ball raffle and picked the Slingshot.)

Sharon's second game was marred by a pocket 7-10 split, a 2-7-8 conversion attempt that barely missed, and a missed 10-pin for which the ball dropped into the channel no more than an inch away from the pin. She converted a 1-2-4-10 washout and a 7-8 split to prevent that game from being a complete sink hole. Other than that unfortunate game, we were in the pocket all day. We scored very well and this series may have earned us some money.

CBT DOUBLES TOURNAMENT AT PADDOCK BOWL

Are we up for a tournament this weekend? California Bowlers Tour (CBT) is holding another handicap doubles tournament with crossover. This one will be at Paddock Bowl in Pacheco.

The entry fee is $25.00 for the first entry and $17.00 for each crossover because the lineage is paid only once. If all four of us double up in every combination, it will cost us $59.00 each. For instance, if Coach and I enter it's $25.00. Sharon and Olivia also enter for $25.00. Beyond the $25.00 I pay to bowl with Coach, I pay $17.00 to have my series cross over to Sharon's series and another $17.00 for crossing over to Olivia's series. It works the same way for each of us.

If we choose to enter, the next question is, when do we want to bowl? Olivia and I are bowling in the Luck O' The Irish doubles tournament at Bel Mateo Bowl Saturday night. We have to be there by 5:30 PM. If we bowl at Paddock Bowl on Saturday, it would have to be at noon. That would allow us to reach Bel Mateo on time. If we have overtime, we'd be at the office until 1:00. That would eliminate bowling at Paddock Bowl on Saturday. If there's no OT, do we want to bowl Saturday at noon? If we bowl on Sunday, do we bowl at noon or 2:00?

 

BOWLING FOR DOLLARS IN DANVILLE & DUBLIN

Monte Carlo pins at Danville Bowl

The Coach and I participated in Danville Bowl's Monte Carlo event Thursday night with moderate success. The price to play is only $12.00 there so you needn't hit too many money shots to earn it back.

Pot 'O' Gold pins at Dublin Bowl

Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl is hosting their Pot 'O' Gold game tonight. A couple of the jackpots are getting pretty high. Peter and I bowled in it last Saturday and we'll be back for more. When I asked a few days ago, nobody responded so I assume there won't be anybody else will be joining us.

MONTE CARLO

Pot 'O' Gold at Dublin Bowl

Last Saturday night's Monte Carlo event at Clayton Valley Bowl was a lot of fun. I'd like to do it again but Clayton Valley hosts it only on the first Saturday of each month (except for their special New Year's Eve Monte Carlo).

Monte Carlo at Paddock Bowl

Our choices for this weekend are Paddock Bowl and Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl. Both places have their strong and weak points. Paddock Bowl is a shorter trip for most of us and Kate livens things up with extra contests and prizes. But on some nights the game has almost been called off for lack of bowlers.

Dublin is a longer trip (for everyone but me) but there are lots of bowlers and lots of action with higher prize money. But with a lot of extra contests, it takes longer to play. If one doesn't want to be out too late, Paddock's game is probably the better option. If one seeks a bigger prize potential and doesn't mind a longer ride, Dublin is probably the better choice.

Monte Carlo at Danville Bowl

Peter, Brett, and I have decided to try Pot 'O' Gold in Dublin Saturday night. Who else is in?