First, thanks to everyone who organised and played and to those who have said their kind words on this thread. It was a real thrill to win this event, especially after the great start I had (as noted by Tonx). 308/2 doesn't fill you with great expectations about the day. Commiserations to Chris whose stone 10 in the 10th frame cost him the win.
John and I had discussed the idea of the winner sharing what they saw on the lanes with the aim of helping other players learn how to play these demanding patterns, so here goes.
These are my observations. If you saw something different, please add it to the thread. It'd be interesting to learn from each other's experience.
Broadway is a medium length pattern (37ft) and has a ratio of 4:1. This is actually a little easier than a true sport pattern (3:1 or less) but when laid on the 10 year old Brunswick Anvilane surface at Tuggeranong, the surface characteristics change the pattern. As any Tuggeranong league bowler could tell you, carrydown was always going to be an issue. Tuggeranong didn't let us down with the breakpoint streaking quite heavily by about the 8th frame of game 1 and not settling down for at least another game. The transition period was pretty nasty as attested by five washouts in a row for me. (With 5 moves and two ball changes.) All of a sudden, shiny bowling balls were a no-no!
I tried some strong balls from outside and couldn't trust anything to recover consistently. If I had something with a more agressive surface, this may have been an option. So for me, the pattern then played in for the rest of the day with a Dimension (OOB surface and shine from usage.) I focused on keeping the rev rate lower and my hand behind the ball to limit the change of direction at the breakpoint while keeping my speed easy. When a lane would start to hook early, I found my best move was to stay in the same place and throw the ball a little harder. Moving left proved to get the ball too far right downlane and outside the track.
From that point on, it was as simple (and as difficult) as just making the best shot I could. One thing I note is that I spared extremely well from game 3 onward. And spares make money at Sport Events.
I hope this has been helpful.
Cheers,
Jason
