THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512150219
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Around the Alleyways
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
How would you like to get $10,000 for bowling a perfect game?
It's becoming a weekly routine for local tenpin league bowlers. Rarely does a week pass without at least one 300.
About 25,000 are now being bowled in a single season across the nation. We've had dozens here in this young season already.
But it's another story in duckpins.
There has never been a 300 game rolled in duckpins.
Currently, the world's record in duckpins is 279.
To add a little excitement for the small ball/pin bowlers, the National Duckpin Bowling Congress is offering $10,000 to the first person posting a perfect game in a sanctioned league. The NDBC also will give $5,000 to any one breaking the current record.
The Duckpin Congress, under President Sharon Williams of Virginia Beach and executive director Charles Lavin of Baltimore, also is studying whether there is interest in converting duckpins to two balls per frame as in tenpins. Duckpin bowling always has had three balls per frame.
Two leagues in Rhode Island agreed to participate in the experiment. One league consisted of established bowlers and the other was primarily new bowlers.
Averages are down from 6 to 10 pins.
In a report to the Duckpin Bowling Proprietors Association board of directors at a meeting in Baltimore, Md., it was pointed out that ``the game is speeded up and hopefully this will help bring more people back to duckpin bowling.''
There are questions about how this will affect the awards program or records.
The members of the national men's and women's professional duckpin tours are being asked if they would support the two-ball game on a trial basis in 1996-97 competition.
Bowler of the Week honors go to a 178-average shooter, Vince Dodds.
Dodds gained Century Club membership with a 299 game en route to a 708 series in the Masters Tenpin League at Pinboy's of Lynnhaven.
A newcomer to bowling, Dodds carried only a 161 average a year ago.
Tenpin topics: Newest 300 Club member is Al Alexander, who threw his perfecto in a 743 series in the C&P Mixed League at Pinboy's of Military. . . notched a record 812 series, stringing games of 247, 298 and 267. . . . George Ensor continued his hot shooting with 736 in the NAB Intramural League at Little Creek. . . . Larry Vass forgot his 152 average and heaved games of 178, 211 and 245 for a 634 series in the Saturday Nite Mixed League at Pinboy's of Western Branch. In the same loop, Gail Alewine, who averages 128, soared 151 over average with her 535 series. . . . Junior bowler David Wales, who averages 143, banged out a 246 in a 594 series in the Lynnhaven Major/Senior League. . . . Bettie Bradley was one pin off Century Club honors with a 255 game in the Friday Mixers League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake. She had a 658 series, 190 pins over average. . . . Jeanette Burroughs registered an all-spare game in the Rock Church League at Pinboy's of Military. . . . Teeta Confalone blasted a 286 game in the Cosmopolitan League at Pinboy's of Norfolk. . . . The four-bowler team of Harry Forehand, Dan Hawk, Mike Martin and Gina Forehand had a 2,630 scratch game in the Monday Nite Mixed League at Pinboy's of Military. Gina Forehand had a 702 series and has totaled 2,077 in her last nine games on the lanes for a 230.8 average. . . . Just missing his 300 was William Draper Jr. in his 718 series in the Charles Peete League at Pinboy's of Norfolk. He posted a 297 game. . . . Sam Keel fired a 277 game in his 621 series in the Syble Beal Mixed League at Pinboy's of Western Branch. Other big gems included Danny Mausolf's 279 in the Lynnhaven Masters, Ron Hubbard's 277 in the Tuesday Playmates League at Pinboy's of Chesapeake, Charles Dennis' 279 in the Monday Nite Mixed at Pinboy's of Military and Walter Dixon's 278 in the Saturday Nite Live League at Indian River. . . . A whopping total of 36 series over 700 were reported the past week.
Duckpin data: The national rankings are out for 1995 and the No. 1 bowlers are Mike Steinert of Hanover, Pa., and Anita Rothman of Baltimore. Steinert had a 158.5 league average and 152.8 tournament average. He ended a four-year stay at the top for Jeff Pyles, who was No. 2. Rothman carried 144.7 in leagues and 140.9 in tournaments. The only Virginian to crash the top 10 in either the men's or women's divisions was Charles ``Buddy'' Creamer of Richmond, who placed ninth with an overall 148. . . . . Jimmy Boswell banged out a 192 game in the Tidewater Pro League at Bowlarama and came back with a 186 in the first round of the Portsmouth Match Game Championship. . . . In the same match in the Tuesday Nite Mixed League at Victory Lanes, Scott Gautier and Archie Brown pitched four-headers and Mary Underwood slammed a 441 series. Gautier finished with a 175 game and Brown hit 172. The Campbell's Pinbusters rolled a record 433 team game. . . . Christy Mattern's 437 series in the Tuesday Major League featured a 156 single. . . . Amy Ketchum, 8, zipped 60 pins over average with a 234 set in the Victory Youth League. The McCready brothers, Jason (153) and Jeremy (134), shot big games. . . . Kendra Allen's 421 in the Monday Nite Ladies League included a 160 single. . . . Victory Lanes will have all-you-can-bowl nights on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 from 6 until 10 p.m. for $3 per bowler. by CNB