The 2nd in the Series of the Qubica AMF Summer Series and the first event at Acocks Green. I have to say I was nervous about holding the event at The Green after the change of ownership, but they were the perfect hosts all day long. In the lead up to event they listened and let us all in early in the morning, the Chief Tech guy Steve was excellent about getting the specific pattern laid. The Tech on the day “rasta man” was great and the staff were just really friendly and keen to help with whatever I needed. It really takes away some of the stress of running a tournament when you’re not fire fighting breakdowns and complaints from bowlers about food orders, open bowlers, flat coca-cola, no toilet paper in the bogs, wet shag on the carpet!
The theme for these tournaments this year is PBA Legends, having played on ’23 Monacelli at the first tournament, we went for the 24 Mike Aulby Pattern for this event. These events are played on “challenge” patterns, which is why we use a bowler’s “challenge” average – some challenge patterns play easier than others. And this pattern was towards the bottom end (harder) of the challenge scale. The whole idea for this series was for it to be a test of skill and a chance for the best seniors to come together and bowl on conditions that they might face when bowling internationally for their countries… like the “English Sports Tour” but for older people !
The pattern played tough… not impossibly tough… but more frustratingly tough.. I felt you had to take advantage of the fresh, because when you start to cross pairs in the lane moves, they got tougher and tougher, then games 6&7 once the mess of a pattern had almost burnt away they opened up again. I’m left handed and I was following another left hander who threw a polyester down there… I know, I know… cry me a river right ! But sometimes it really does matter who you are following… other times, not so much.
The field of 59 bowlers… it was a really competitive field as well, packed full of some of the best Seniors in the country
So enough of the waffle… and excuses for why I didn’t finish over… oh and did I tell you about the 7-10 in the 10th frame of my final game off a back of a double ? – sunk to the apricots it was… the head pin went past the 10, bounced off the kickback across the to the 7pin, gave it a love tap and but both pins stood wobbling, like a French solider. Livid – Turbo Livid !!
Anyway lets get into it.
First squad and only 4 bowlers were over a 200 average. Matt Trotter on 1413, Gary Baker on 1433 and then house pro Lol Ellis on 1435. But the pace setter with a quite frankly incredibly score of 1635 a 233 average was the Scottish Alan Keddie. A lead of 200…
Squad 2 – featuring some big Names… and I when I say big names… I don’t mean they had lots of letters in them…. I mean bowlers who consistently are at the top of the field. Names like Steve Thornton, Steve Flynn, Gordan Humphries, Kevin Pilley, Ian Hollands, female senior bowler of year Sandra Simmonds, Lobbers, the Master himself Ron Oldfield, and I’m throwing Rob Bruce in there… yeah he’s only got one leg, but even still he’s more then capable of hitting a big number.
The charge to topple Keddie’s first round score came from Steve Flynn as he opened up with a 213, 250, 216 but then hit the mid block turbulence. Elsewhere even the Stevie T was struggling… and he could bowl on a ploughed farmers field and still average 200. Kevin Pilley was going along steadily and had chances of breaking into the top 4.. Stevie T made a big move in game 6 with a 259 and then a 216 in game 7 to finish level par on 1400 and 7th position overall. Pilley finished over on 1415 but finished 5th. But the BIG mover was Steve Flynn who shot a 268 in game 7 to finish in overall 2nd on 1503.
So the win went to Keddie on 1635, 131 pins ahead of Flynn in 2nd World Champion Lol Ellis in 3rd and then The “Stylist” Gary Baker in 4th.
So if we had darts nicknames…
1st – The Killer Keddie – Alan Keddie – £420
2nd – In like Flynn – Steve Flynn – £330
3rd – The Villain – Lol Ellis – £275
4th – The Stylist – Gary Baker – £180
Alan Keddie taking home £420 prize money, a Motiv Bowling Bag, a Striking Shirts winners shirt – and the love and admiration of his peers !
The handicap section saw 3 of our lovely ladies cash…. All them seemed rather surprised that had won any money. In 4th place was Sandra Simmonds. Sandra also won a Qubica Trophy Pin by being top scratch lady on 1284 ( a 183 average). In 3rd was Clive Wilson, in 2nd was Linda Pray but the winner was Alan Keddie’s playing partner and “life” partner Anna Yang who won with a handicap total of 1495. Anna was also the top Dutch Indonesian Bowler in the whole field !
1st – Anna Yang – £315 + Motiv Bag + Winners Striking Shirt
2nd – Linda Pray – £225 + Motiv bag
3rd – Clive Wilson – £175
4th – Sandra Simmonds – £150
Event tournament average at Dunstable was 190.1, the tournament average for this event was 177.8
I love a pot game… and everyone who bowled was automatically entered into the high game pot – paying out £10 / game and also winning a Motiv Micro Fibre Towel
The winners were
Game 1 – The Basher 256
Game 2 – Alan Keddie 278
Game 3 – Matt Trotter 249
Game 4 – Jamie O’Dwyer 247
Game 5 – Steve Bose 255
Game 6 – Brian Ashman 270
Game 7 – Alan Keddie 277
So, with the brackets, the total prize fund for this tournament was £2,770 (brackets paying out £625) and a total of 27 bowlers out the 59 won some cash ! – that’s pretty decent.
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Lets have some thank you’s – firstly to YOU the bowlers. 1 – for supporting the event ! and 2 – understanding the lane conditions were tough, and why they were tough. It was through choice and not a mechanical failure of some kind and apart from perhaps the atmospheric conditions both squads had the same playing conditions.
The bowl, as mentioned great hosts on the day – I’ll be sending an email to the manager to thank him.
And the biggest thank you to Lobbers – advice, admin, checking averages and btba numbers, brackets ! I mean I get a lot of praise for these tournaments – and rightly so ! I’m amazing… but I’m only as good… ok slightly better, than my supporting cast and for this event that was ALL Lobbers – when you were all at home, feet up, and taking you night time Viagra’s and heart pills, Lobbers was still up checking the scores for the brackets and still working and eating a bowl of cold stale curly fries for his dinner – that’s dedication.
Our sponsors – my friends at Qubica AMF who have invested in these tournaments. Motiv Bowling https://www.motivbowling.com/ and the best and original shirt company in the country Striking Shirts https://strikingshirts.bigcartel.com/
So 2 events down… we move onto the next event with is on 5th and 6th July again at Acocks Green. This event will be a slightly different format. With a 6 game qualifier, and then a cut to top 24, then a cut to the top 12 then to the top 6 and then we declare a winner. Entry form will be out soon… I’m just over thinking it at the moment and once the others on the tournament committee tell me to stop worrying I’ll release the entry. INFACT STOP THE PRESS ! – I’ve stopped thinking about…. Non of you are going read the entry form anyway… I’ll just publish it – It’s here https://form.jotform.com/231242549866362
Hopefully see many of you at the next event – make sure you get the latest news via the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/460019646694267
Results