Lane conditions at National events

[Brenton_Davy]

Care to name names, George..?



Hear! Hear! Amen to that.

As for the lane marshals at MTC, Good work guys and thank you. The tournament was running like a Swiss watch in both front and back ends, despite the low scoring pace, which slows things down significantly over 9 games. Well done.

Couldn't agree more! Nice to see people genuinely enthusiastic about watching and helping at a tournament. They also seemed to understand why the scoring pace was the way it was and weren't discouraged or bored byu our struggles.

Thanks to Steve, Phil, Brendan, Andrea and anyone I missed.

 

[kimberley]

Here's my 2c worth from my point of view as a fringe bowler!

I completely agree with George, if the lane conditions were all the same all of the time, we would all be bowling 300! OK OK ..... I would love that but realistically where is the challenge!

I am not a very technical bowler but this year have been really concentrating on my game to improve this. I enjoy bowling all different centres around the State on different conditions and against some of the top bowlers (male and female) in this country. In my opinion, this is what will improve my game (as long as I don't let them intimidate me when I bowl with them ... hey BRANDO! lol you know what I'm talking about!).

Seriously though, I believe it is not just the physical aspect of the game but is also about having a strong mentality as well. If I learn to read the lanes quicker and better, realise how my equipment is reacting to the conditions and make better choices in the line I bowl and most importantly get my form and approach correct before even bowling the ball, I believe I will improve, which is my goal.

This is why the sports conditions are sooo good! Bring it on caboolture!

Kim

 

[Bigsy]

We need harder patterns during league nights, not the ditches most of us encounter.

I agree 100% with this post.

The reason this will not happen is because people like to tell everyone else how good they are.

I bowl at Melton and it has always been a hard centre to bowl at with old wooden lanes.

People have come to Melton to bowl on several occasions bragging about how they have a 210 - 220 average at places with synthetic lanes.

They then proceed to bowl for about 4 months at Melton and have an average of about 160 - 170. This means they can no longer brag so they leave and go back to a centre where they can shoot high scores again.

I know a guy who claimed he had a 210ish average at another centre and finished a season at Melton with a 157 average. He didn't come back (surprise, surprise)

I am not saying that this is true for all bowlers. Competition bowlers and members of this website appreciate bowling for the challenge that it is and not the constant high scoring. As long as you win, it doesn't matter what the average is.

I will be going to a different centre soon to bowl 3 games on synthetics for the first time and see what all the fuss is about, but I will not be changing centres for the sake of shooting high scores.

I could be wrong in what I am saying and stand to be corrected if need be, but I hope you understand the point I am trying to make.

Bigsy...

 

[magpi17]

Bigsy, I also bowl on wooden lanes and see the frustration of people from the synthetics when they bowl at our centre. It's similiar when I bowl on synthetics (I don't get so much frustrated as it's not my nature) but it is hard to get ahead in adjustments, I find it hard to get my head around the fact that a move of a couple of boards makes so much difference at my centre we move 5 minimum.
I can understand the frustration of the interstate bowlers that had have to fly to tournaments you can only take so much equipment so you have to try and match the pattern, I think also a lot of the frustrations in the other post were more because when these guy's bowl in the Big tournaments they are there to do their best and they get frustrated because they just want to perform.
Everyone handles disappointment and frustration differently but what I will say is that I enjoy watching good bowlers bowl and scores don't mean much to me application does but, and I think all tournament bowlers have this no matter what.
Keep your chins up guy's we gotta keep livin!

 

[Brendan]

THankyou for kind words on lane marshalls, makes the 15 hour days of volunteering worth it soemwhat.
THe only bolwer I did complain aobut has apologised in private which is totally appreciated, I cannot reply unitl 10 posts in private to him/her so thanks for apology and fully understand
My other fellow marshalls worked more than me as I was driving the Malaysians in the bus back and forth at call 24 hours. They were such a joy to help and would volunteer again next year in a minute regardless of the 60 hours over the 4 days.
Thanks again to all

Brendan

 

[STKFC1]

Well Said!!!!!!!!

 

[Bigsy]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm......................

A bit off topic I know but..................

 

[jason_doust]

Quite a bit off topic, but I think I know where you're headed. Trouble is, almost all of these are bowled in leagues on "house shots", a euphemism for blocked lanes, which doesn't really relate to tournament patterns. Funny though, I bowled one in 88 and another in 89. Back when lanes were checked after each and every 300 and the oil pattern was checked as part of the process with a little device that measured friction. They seem pretty special now when those numbers are taken into account, but of course the lanes were easy. You don't bowl 300 without some room. I don't care how good you are.

 

[strop]

Being a senior , I cant remember , what year did reactives start?

 

[GeorgeF]

In this country 93-94 I believe, the Nu-line Excalibur

 

[strop]

thanks George!

 

[Brenton_Davy]

Reactives made their way to Australia in 1992.

I recall the Nationals at Gosford that year and that the Excaliburs and Rhino Pros were too strong for the burn squads, but after a re-oiling (straight over the top of the old condition) 5 doubles pairings shot over 1400 for that squad, all using Excaliburs and Rhino Pros, breaking the old record of 1380 that had stood for over a decade.

That was the start of records being broken all over the place.

 

[jimcross]

Off topic, yes, but good and relevant. Call me old fashioned if you like ( OK, OK ), but I do have terrible trouble getting used to just about every time someone bowls a big game or series, bracketed with the congratulations is what sort of ball they used.

Anyhow, I shouldn't talk, as I've got a reactive also. I bought it in ( I think ) 1994 / 5. Came upon a piece of paper the other day which told me what it is. It's a " Danger Zone - Black Ice", so there!! I'm all modern too!! Bowled 750 with it a year or so ago, on Ballina's wood lanes with no fancy oiling machine. It doesn't seem to do what it used to. Maybe it's me who doesn't do what i used to??

So, look out - I'm back!! Bowled a few games last couple of weeks. Shoulder feels fine.
Definately going to buy a new ball soon, so now may be a good time, if anyone was thinking about retiring. ------ George?

 

[Bigsy]

My first reactive was a black Ninja but I can't remeber what year they came out.

Bigsy...

 

[strop]

My point was it made quite a few average bowlers look good.............not that they would probably look good anyway sooner or later, but reactives certain did help some people!

 

[bluey]

My point was it made quite a few average bowlers look good.............not that they would probably look good anyway sooner or later, but reactives certain did help some people!

Don't worry Strop, they still do.
Good to here you are back on the lanes Jim.

 

[Geoff300]

Quite a bit off topic, but I think I know where you're headed. Trouble is, almost all of these are bowled in leagues on "house shots", a euphemism for blocked lanes, which doesn't really relate to tournament patterns. Funny though, I bowled one in 88 and another in 89. Back when lanes were checked after each and every 300 and the oil pattern was checked as part of the process with a little device that measured friction. They seem pretty special now when those numbers are taken into account, but of course the lanes were easy. You don't bowl 300 without some room. I don't care how good you are.

Jason

Sorry but i think you are wrong here
Firstly there were 9 x 300 games bowled In Melbourne Tourn a month ago
secondly there were 7 x 300 games bowled at Blacktown open some years ago
Sam Cooley shot 300 at Gosford Saturday just gone

AND lastly "You don't Bowl 300 without some room, I Don't
care how good you are"

Please dont put all the people who bowl 300 in your category

Back in the old days it was very , very hard to bowl a 300 game
and lanes did nothing for you and neither did plastic or rubber
bowling balls

Cheers
Geoff

 

[wchester]

I agree with Jason..although not EVERY 300 game is the result of "help", the percentage of 300 games that could be attributed to a bowler's skill, power and accuracy along with the repeatabilty of shots is very low indeed. A good estimate would be to say that only around 5% or less of the 300 games bowled since the early 1960's were truly the result of the bowler making 12 perfect deliveries.

Ask any top player after they've bowled a 300 game, if they felt like each and every shot came off their hand the same and rolled over a 1-2 board wide target at a consistant speed and you'll receive a "NO" answer.

If you have access to some ABC record books from the 1960's era, you'll be surprised to learn that there were many top notch bowlers, including some hall-of-famers who shot no more than 2-3 300 games during their entire career. These were the LEGENDS of their era, not some once a week league bowler and that's why I cannot bring myself to accept today's scoring pace as being legitimate.

 

[androooo]

Just looking at that graph...

What year did Caboolture open?

 

[phaggy]

Caboolture averaged about 1 300 a year for the first 10-15 years they were open. It wasnt until the advent and purchase of the Kegel oiling machine and some hard work by the techs and staff to get the lanes in pristine condition and to take the time to learn how to use said Kegel machine properly, did they start to see the scoring pace go up.

This year, a lot of work has been done to try and cull scoring back in league. Last November saw the 300th 300 game in the centre. I shot the 301st later in the night, since then only 4 have been thrown. 1 by Jeff Gortmans, 1 by Kirsten Ferguson, 1 by Nev Castle and another by myself a night after Nev bowled his at the start of June. Brian and the team have always tried to make scoring achievable if you are able to find the carry, then you will be rewarded with the high scores, on both sides of the lane.

Speaking of that though, some of my toughest nights of league and in tournaments themselves have been at Caboolture. It certainly does help when you have techs that really know their stuff and half of the techs would get head tech jobs at just about any centre they walked into. So in terms of the lane conditions and whether or not it relates to ball technology, just remember that in the last 15 years, oiling technology has also come a very long way.

Just my two cents,
Phillip Fagg

P.S: I really wish I had been able to bowl back in the 70s and 80s when you were fully rewarded for shot making and not told all the time that you only bowl that way or score that high because of the technology in your hands.