The Qubica Senior Summer Series is back for a 2nd year, thanks once again to the kind sponsors Qubica AMF, Striking Shirts and Motiv Bowling UK.
The season opener was at Dunstable in what I called the Under / Over Singles. The format was 4 games on a hard challenge pattern and then 4 games on a house pattern. The patterns chosen was a Junior Gold 44ft pattern for the first 4 games… it was one of them right handed friendly patterns were the right hand side had a 4.78 ratio and the poor discriminated lefties had a 3.67 ratio – totally SHUT OUT ! – utter woke nonsense ! The afternoon pattern was Bourbon street which was a FAIR 7.67 ratio across BOTH sides 40footer
It was going to be interesting to see who bowled well in the first block and whether they could then maintain it when the scoring pace went up on the easier pattern, or would someone come from the pack to shoot numbers in the 2nd block and busta move up the field.
So the Saturday Squad.
Early pace setter from block 1 the challenge pattern was Khashi Ashtari who rolled +105 and that was with a 146 2nd game. After Khashi there was a host of bowlers all around the 820 – 840 mark.
We had a break the lanes were re-dressed and it was all change. The scratch bowlers scoring went up significantly, and without the hold from the oil that the first pattern offered some of the other bowlers scores went down.
Alan Meades shot 960 for the last 4, Chairman Geoff Brown shot 908, then the house bowlers let loose – Darren Fox 958 and his best mate Matt Trotter 951.
That meant after day 1 – Matt Trotters was leading on +179, Darren Fox 2nd +177, Richie Beck 3rd +121 and Alan Meades +98
The handicap section was being led by Norfolks Rod Gardner on +175 and in 2nd was Harald Grau on +137
Moving on to the Sunday Squads now. A squad that contained some big names of senior bowling… Steve Flynn, Stevie Thornton, Alan Keddie, Westy, Humphries, Gaz Baker, Simmonds, Oakley and a host of other good tournament players. Oh and Jamie O’dwyer !
The charge came from the greatest bowler out there – the man, the myth, the LEG-END – the one and only, the serial shagger, Steve the CARNAGE Carnall !
The Carnage shot a 898 for the first 4 and was way in the lead… the big hitters couldn’t get going. Steve Flynn was only 1 pin over, Thornton was poised on +47, Keddie was having a shocker.. Sandra Simmons was sat nicely on +27 over. And the Gobbler Selwyn Morgan was still in it with +12
Then we moved to bourbon street ! and the expectation was the scoring would increase.
But no one was making a move… The Carnage lubricated with MORE BOOZE was still going on nicely. Michael Rich busted a moved with a 269 in game 2. We were waiting for the Stevie Thornton to go mental… he pumped the pocket dry but just stared at single pins all afternoon… Other than Carnage the only other bowler looking likely to topple Trotter was Steve Flyn who was +75 for his first 3.
Final game collapse.
The old boys injuries flared up… all 62 of them. And Carnage collapsed with a 156 to finish +134 – he had a 5-1 count in the 10th frame, and that was important because Flynn walloped a 259 up him and beat Carnage overall by just 1 pin !
So the leader board after 8 games…
Scratch
1st – Matt Trotter +179
2nd – Darren Fox +177
3rd – Steve Flynn +135
4th – Steve Carnall +134
Handicap
1st – Rod Gardner +175
2nd – Harald Grau + 137
3rd – Michael Rich +136
4th – Richard Beck + 121
The winners Rod and Matt both win a Qubica AMF Summer series Striking shirt – check out the range – https://strikingshirts.bigcartel.com/
There was also an additional prize for the ladies. Whoever had the smallest difference between the first block scores and their 2nd block scores would win a Motiv Shadow Tank. That prize went to Debbie Payne with a difference of just 4 pins between the two blocks of 4.
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A great tournament with a pay out of £2,120 ! and the brackets paid out £570 – so a total prize fund £2,690. Many thanks to Reece the Tech at the bowl, Richie Beck for his hard work over the weekend and Lobbers for cracking on with the technical stuff.
So onto the next event 19th July at a new venue for many – Hollywood Crawley – https://form.jotform.com/261444750626054
And over the August bank Holiday it’s the big one – The Qubica Senior London Matchplay, with a £1,000 first prize.
Entry form here https://form.jotform.com/260782904757064
Results
Summer Series – Dunstable 13 June 2026