Perfection finds Bomboy, Chapman

We had a couple of exciting moments on the lanes last week, followed by some disappointing finishes but hey, that’s how the ball bounces…err..Rolls as is in our case, sometimes.

As any bowler will tell you, you take them when they fall and for Jim Bomboy, they, meaning the pins, didn’t fall until the last game and then they all fell.

Bomboy started off the Suburban league at Twin Oaks last Thursday evening with games of 182 and 196 before everything began to work in his favor and he went off the sheet for his 19 career perfect 300 game.

You can do the math and see that Bomboy only rolled 678 for series with the honor, but an honor regardless.

Our next 300 game was a long time coming for Rick Chapman whose last 300 game was some 15 years ago.

Chapman didn’t get in on the opening of this season as he was recovering from some health issues but the long time bowler couldn’t stay away any longer and now that he is retired, has signed up for some senior league action whenever needed for the time being.

It didn’t take long and after subbing on Monday, Chapman was called back for Wednesday and as they say, the rest is history.

Chapman seemed to have picked up where he left off, rolling a 205 his first game of the Entertainers league at Thunderbird Lanes.

A slight adjustment from one lane to the other for game two and before long, Chapman was looking at a string that went all the way to the 10th frame.

As Chapman prepared to roll the first ball of the 10th, the machine decided not to cycle and he had to wait for pins to set but without any hesitation or the slightest notion of nervousness, Chapman made short work of the first two shots in the 10th.

When it came time for number twelve though, it was obvious that reality had hit.

Chapman tugged it just a bit but enough to allow for a Brooklyn strike and 300 went up on the board.

Speaking of reality, the bowling gods giveth and they taketh away as Chapman soon learned with a not so pleasant 129 score for game three, thanks to about a dozen splits.

This was Chapman’s first 300 game at Thunderbird Lanes but his fourth career with his first dating back to the days of Holiday Bowl and the year 2003.

Adult Highlights

Not everyone had difficulty putting three good games together as Mark Hill led the pack with a 766 on games of 259, 279 and 228 for a 766 and DJ Pyfer posted 257, 267 and 222 for a 746.

Matt Ray put up a 714 on games of 222, 245 and 247 and Amanda Price led the ladies with 713 that went 234, 258 and 221.

All of these scores came from the Thunderbird’s TNT league where Tyler Price also busted 700, shooting 705 with a 279 opener.

Dale Perry threw a 729 together with 226, 243 and 260 in the Early Birds and Tim Lundquist rolled 256, 224 and 245 for Goodyear’s high series of 725.

And even though Jim Bomboy rolled a 300 game, Jeff Janssen put the only 700 on the board in the Suburban league, posting 709 on games of 230, 257 and 222.

Youth Highlights

Kalan Hicks, the youngest of the TBird Legends, led youth bowlers with a 561 series that included the week’s high game of 211.

DJ Scott celebrated his birthday weekend with a nice 440 series from the TBird HotShots where he had games of 155, 139 and 146.

And the loudest cheering comes from the bumper MiniShots leagues where Faith Brown rolled a 104, Knox Hill rolled a 106, Henry Keithley rolled a 100 and William Mullins rolled a 108.

No-Tap News

First place in last Friday’s senior 9-Pin No Tap Colorama at Thunderbird Lanes went to Ken Knoff for an 865 series with handicap.

Robert Lansberry followed with 851 and Cle Cox rounded out the top three with 767.

Leilani Wiggins was the champion on the ladies side with 833, followed by Diane Frame who finished up with a 795.

Lansberry had a good day and nabbed first place in the scratch race with 689, followed by David Yett, 664, and Marshall Miller, 660.

Most of the high rollers ended up paired in the Mystery Doubles, which doesn’t happen very often.

But on this day, Knoff and Frame ended up in first for games one and three and the team of Wiggins with Lansberry took first in game two.

Strike pot ticket winners were Ken Knoff, Diane Frame, David Yett, David Jones, Diane Frame, Kevin Pair and Robert Lansberry.

And Cleo Travis claimed title to the final roll of the day, converting the 1-2-3-4-6 for a win in the “Make that Spare” challenge.

This event is held every Friday afternoon at Thunderbird Lanes; starting at 1 p.m. Bowlers must be at least 50 years old with a verifiable average to participate.

Tournament News

Looking to burn off some of that Thanksgiving feast and maybe make some extra Christmas cash? Thunderbird Lanes will be holding an Open Doubles tournament Saturday afternoon where you might be able to do both.

This is a doubles format where teams can be men, women or mixed.

The event will be handicapped and will pay one place for every three entries.

Contact Ronnie King at Thunderbird Lanes for details. Space is limited and at press time, there were only 15 spots available.