Author: Rich

I started "The Tenth Board" to chronicle my experiences during the road back to league bowling after my heel fractures in 1999 (it took me 7 years before I started thinking seriously about it). I now use the blog as a combination of a personal bowling journal and a news site mostly about Westgate Lanes (Brockton, MA) and its bowlers.

Taylor Sinkler records 673 in TNBA league

Taylor Sinkler continued to have the best season of the Westgate women last Friday in the TNBA league, posting 213-247-213 for a 673 set (recap, Lane 52; Note: Was bowled on different pair because of league’s social distancing rule). Nice bowling! 🎳🙂

(Editor’s note: I finally did get up to Westgate last Friday night to visit with Taylor.)

Apr. 7 Brunswick Mixed recap (inc. standings update)

Last week’s bowling, frame-by-frame

I got hit by the “Curse of the Vacant,” as I was feeling off-kilter at the start and never really got untracked all night, with no competition to motivate me. Of the six strikes I threw, only two of those were together, and I missed more spares than I made. The humor I saw in the night is that I hit a “slot machine” score with the fours.

Result: 160-137-147=444
Average (72 games): 168
Average for last 9 games: 171
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 572

Again, I was bowling with just Randi, but we did just well enough to win three points; yes, I cost us the second game. 😢

Interactive standings after Week 26 (Week 10 of 2nd half)

Creeden’s Mustangs are now 17 points behind the leading Never Lucky, who lead Last Empire by a point, BBOB by a point and a half, and 4 On 9 Man and 10th Frame Magic by 3.5 points. Strike Machine will be the opponents tonight.

2020-21 Brunswick Mixed Week 25 league standings update

Interactive standings after Week 25 (Week 9 of 2nd half)

Creeden’s Mustangs are in 11th, 18 points behind a tie for first between Last Empire and Never Lucky, with BBOB 2.5 points behind the tie in 3rd and 10th Frame Magic 3.5 points behind the lead in 4th. We will be bowling for our points against the vacant tonight.

With my handicap added, my 256 last week was the high game in the league’s men’s “D” division last week.

Sean Richard 278/791, Keith Kaestner 289 highlight Apr. 1 Patriots league scoring

There was plenty to go with last week in the Patriots league, starting with “Ka$h” posting 278-245-268 for a 791 (see recap, Lane 45) and Jon Hester bowling 279-257-217 for a 753 (same recap, Lane 46; Note: Match actually took place on 53-54 due to breakdown). Keith Kaestner provided the other big highlight of the league’s week, with a 289 game (see high scores), with Mike Major and Stan Lewis also having 279 games, and Mike Trent Jr. a 276.

Nice bowling, all around! 🎳😎

Mar. 31 Brunswick Mixed recap

My Week 25 bowling, frame-by-frame

To my credit, I had my best game of the season (the second game) after a nearly two week layoff due to my feared (but unfounded) COVID exposure. However, with the single-pin spare misses, it was also a missed opportunity, as the fill from making all of my single pins would have given me a 600 series. The detox and polish of the Tropical is still proving to be a good call, however, as it’s giving me my best look, by far.

Result: 181-226-147=554
Average (69 games): 168
Average for last 9 games: 176
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 509

Team had two members absent, but still won the second game against the second half leaders.

My COVID absence

As many of you have noticed, I’ve been away from Westgate for most of the last couple of weeks. This has been due to my possible COVID exposure two weeks ago, which was with a bowling contact. I was fully vaccinated at the time, but felt it my responsibility to stay away once I found out about the positive test in order to avoid possibly exposing anyone further, and that was just lengthened due to delays in my own testing.

The good news I have today is that I have tested negative, which means I can return today, which would have been two weeks out from the exposure. My bowling life was impacted, as I missed not only one Brunswick Mixed league session, but also one night of Patriots league brackets and two nights covering the Pepsi league as secretary, as well as the Northeast Amateur Tournament event here on Sunday. But I am looking forward to getting back to my bowling family.

Ray Fischer tosses 300/761, Brian Egan 289, Jon Hester 279 in Patriots league

Ray Fischer has been a great competitor at Westgate for many years, and continues to be one even today, proving it last Thursday night in the Patriots league, capping off a night in which he started 215-246 with a 300 for a 761 set (see recap, Lane 49). Brian Egan also had a 289 game that night, and Jon Hester a 279 (see high scores).

Stephen Major, Ray’s grandson, recorded and sent me the video shown below:

Congrats Ray, and nice bowling Brian & Jon! 🎳👏

Ed Grossett rolls 763, Ethan Reyes 278 in Patriots league

Ed Grossett is probably the best back-up bowler (back-up = right-handed, but ball moves left-to-right) in Massachusetts, and maybe in New England. This will be my first mention of him here (at least for a score) since his first 300 game, which came here at Westgate six years ago at the state tournament, as he turned in a fine 255-253-255 for a 763 set Thursday night in the Patriots league (see recap, Lane 41). Also, Ethan Reyes posted a 279 game last week (see high scores).

WTG guys! 🎳👏

Mar. 23 Brunswick Mixed update

For various reasons, I’ve missed posting my own bowling the last couple of weeks, along with updating my league’s standings, so I’ll post my last two BowlSK sheets first:

My bowling on Mar. 10

My bowling on Mar. 17

My bowling was markedly better last Wednesday, particularly the first game, which was my best in quite a while, as it was clean (and you know how I treasure my clean games)! Some of the difference last Wednesday was biting the bullet and getting the Tropical Breeze detoxed and polished, but my spare game was also a bit better than the previous week, particularly where I didn’t miss any single-pin spares. A reset of my averages (overall and moving) and tomorrow night’s +1 score target follow:

Average (66 games): 168
Average for last 9 games: 170
Tomorrow night’s AVG+1 score: 556

Interactive standings after Week 23 (Week 7 of 2nd half)

The team only won one point in the last two weeks, the first game last week, so we remain in 11th (virtual last place). As tomorrow night is a position night, we’ll be bowling the vacant. BBOB have assumed the league lead by a half-point over Last Empire and Never Lucky, with 4 On 9 Man a point behind in 4th place.

Aaron Major 300/807, Brian Egan, Jon Hester 300s lead Mar. 11 Patriots scoring

If you thought Chris Zalewski’s 809 series last Wednesday night was something, the Patriots league wasn’t going to be outdone, as Aaron Major had 300-268-239 for an 807 of his own (Lane 47). While this wasn’t a bigger set than Zalewski’s, it was the scoring by the other bowlers that was the outdoing, as Brian Egan and Jon Hester both threw 300 games in the first game as teammates (see recap on Lane 50), with only Mark Zimmerman’s 224 preventing it from being a team award game (by a pin). All of this made Jim Ferguson’s 278/762 night look paltry by comparison (recap linked on Lane 47 above; see Lane 40).

Great night guys! 🎳😎👏

Peter Colombo throws first 700 in Patriots league

I wanted to call attention to the above recap because another notable Patriots league bowler, joining the league for the first time this season, now has a higher series than me. While not notable as a bowler, this bowler is Peter Colombo (on Lane 37), the head football coach at Brockton High School, who, last week, bowled his first 700 series with a 710, beating my high series ever by three sticks. Peter used to only be able to bowl in the summer because of his fall football commitment. With the football season in some doubt this year due to the COVID pandemic, however, he could join a fall league, and chose the Patriots league because he’d bowled the Monday doubles league and many of the Monday doubles league bowlers were Patriots league bowlers.

As it turned out, Brockton High School will start a football season Saturday with a trip to Durfee in Fall River, and I want to wish Peter and his Boxers the best this season. 🎳🏈❤🖤