match play 2
My second match was against Rick Steelsmith. I decided to play a very similar line as I did in the first match with the same ball, a reactive type ball playing around 16 at the arrows to about 10.
I bowled very well the first game while Rick kind of struggled. I started with a strike. Rick started with a 4 pin and a 3-6-10. I had another strike and a 4 pin. Rick left a 2 pin and then struck. I left a solid 8 pin and then struck. Rick left a 10 pin and then a 3-6-7-10 which he missed. I added another strike and then another solid 4. Rick left a 10 pin which he missed and then struck. I followed with another solid 8 and struck. Rick struck out until his fill ball which went high to shoot 197. I left a solid 10 pin and struck to shoot 216 and win the 1st game.
Rick started the 2nd game with a 4 pin. I started with a solid 10 and a strike. Rick came back with a double. I must have thrown my next shot slow or left as I left a 4-6-7-10 which I picked up 2 of the remaining pins. I then left a 7 pin. Rick left a 10 pin and a then struck. I struck and then left a rip 7-10 which I didn't convert. Rick struck and left a 4 pin. I doubled and Rick came back with a double. I struck out to shoot 214. Rick needed a mark in the 10th frame to win and threw a strike and an 8 pin to win with a 237.
I started the 3rd game with a strike. Rick started by missing the head pin and leaving the 1-2-4-8 which he spared. He then struck on his next shot. I added 2 more strikes. Rick also added 2 strikes. I then went a pinch high on my next shot and left a 4-10. I missed the spare attempt and followed that with the greek church (4-6-7-9-10) which I picked up the just the 6, 7 & 10 pins. Rick followed with a strike and a solid 8. I left a 4 pin and then struck. Rick added a double. I added 2 more strikes. Rick added 2 more strikes to lock up the match with a 257 after leaving a 2-8 on his 2nd shot in the 10th. I left a 10 pin in the 10th to shoot 213.
Rick started the 4th game with a strike. I started with a double tripping the 4-7-10 in the 2nd. Rick added 2 strikes. I also added 2 more strikes. Rick left a 2 pin and followed that up with a strike. I added another 2 strikes. Rick added 2 more strikes. I again struck on my next 2 shots. Rick left the 2-4-8 and struck after making the spare. I left a light 7 pin in the 9th frame to stop my 300 bid. I struck in the 10th to win the match and shot 269 after leaving a 4 pin. Rick doubled in the 10th to shoot 255.
In the 5th and deciding game I started with a strike. Rick started with a strike. I struck and left a weak 10 pin. Rick added a double. I then struck and left a 7 pin. Rick added another double. I went light leaving the 2-4-5 and then left the fast 8 (4-7) when I really needed some strikes. Rick added yet another double. I finally had a double, but Rick stepped up and struck out to shoot 300 and win the match. I struck and left a 10 pin to shoot 223. I felt like I bowled a pretty good match, but the games which Rick won, he bowled better games than me and obviously out bowled me. The 2 games which I won I bowled better games and out bowled him.
| WR | X | X | 9/ | 9/ | X | X | 9/ | 9/ | X | 9/X | 216 |
| RS | 9/ | 7/ | 8/ | X | 9/ | 63 | 9- | X | X | XX7 | 197 |
| RS | 9/ | X | X | 9/ | X | X | 9/ | X | X | X9/ | 237 |
| WR | 9/ | X | 62 | 9/ | X | 81 | X | X | X | XXX | 214 |
| WR | X | X | X | 81 | 53 | 9/ | X | X | X | 9/X | 213 |
| RS | 6/ | X | X | X | X | 9/ | X | X | X | X8/ | 257 |
| RS | X | X | X | 9/ | X | X | X | 7/ | X | XX9 | 255 |
| WR | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 9/ | X9/ | 269 |
| WR | X | X | 9/ | X | 9/ | 7/ | 8/ | X | X | X9/ | 223 |
| RS | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | XXX | 300 |
I had 36 strikes in 56 shots. (2 strikes when I missed the pocket, both were tripped 4-7-10's)
I missed the pocket 6 times.
My strike % on pocket hits was 34 of 50 or 68%.
I had 4 opens. All of them were splits (4-6-7-10,7-10, 4-10, 4-6-7-9-10). I hit the pocket very well, but had a few splits.
Rick had 40 strikes in 58 shots.
He missed the pocket 9 times.
His strike % was about 40 out of 49 or 82%.
Rick had 2 opens. He missed 1 split (3-6-7-10) and 1 spare.
Rick bowled great, but it seemed that he got a few breaks in the match. He carried better than I did and even though I hit the pocket more times than he did, he struck more times. He also managed to have mistakes which weren't as penalizing. Rick had a great finish as he shot 812 for his last 3 games which was more than I could handle.
Walter Ray