Surdich on Bowling: Balls couldn’t topple this pin at Bellevue
Bowlers in the Commercial Classic league experienced a rare occurrence Nov. 2.
The Toyotech and Pazin & Myers Inc. teams were three frames into their second of four games when Gene Broussard of Toyotech noticed that balls were missing from the return rack. There were 17 balls on the upper and lower racks when play started.
Tyler Davis, an employee at Bellevue Bowl, removed the hood of the ball return and found balls were stuck on the track of the return system. Davis removed five balls that were stuck.
The pit edge runs 60 feet from the foul line to the pins. Davis found that a pin traveled down the ball track and became wedged between metal supports. Apparently, the balls pushed the pin down close to 60 feet.
Davis tried but couldn’t dislodge the pin. Keith Docherty, a lane man and bowler, entered the picture and used a pry bar and other tools but couldn’t get the pin to move at all.
Docherty returned with a small saw and sawed off the lower part of the pin. He sawed from his back, side and stomach for what seemed like an hour.
The league starts at 7 p.m. and normally finishes from 9:15 to 9:30. Not on this night. After being sawed, the small part of the pin remained in the track.
The teams resumed their match. You would have thought a bowler was closing in on a 300 game, as others who were finished remained on the concourse watching the action.
We finally left Bellevue Bowl around 10:15 with a piece of the pin still stuck in the track.
Shooting stars – The Thursday night Central Valley Nisei league had LaDonna Stone shooting a great 256 game and Peggy Docherty rolling a super 648 series. In the Classic, Julie Herr rolled her first 200 game – a 208. On the same team, Ronnie Heil, who has been in a slump, rolled his first 200 of the season – a 233. Bill Hickman rolled a 266-223-189 for a 678. The Friday night handicap had Danny Coggins rolling a 263.
Black Oak Senior no-tap – LaDonna Stone still had it going Friday, as she rolled a 300 game in the monthly senior no-tap at Black Oak Lanes in Tuolumne. The 300 gave Stone a third-place finish in the women’s third high-game pot. She had another third place in the overall women’s series with an 833. Placing seventh in the women’s series was Betty Gerritsen, and Sharon Gomes finished eighth. The lone man making a few bucks was Bob Heller in the men’s high game pot, as he placed third with a 310. Heller took fifth in the series with an 828.
Bowl for vets on Nov. 12 – All league members of our Merced County USBC Association can bowl in the BVL tourney Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. at Bellevue Bowl. You do not have to be a veteran to bowl. Walk-ins will be taken before the tourney.
Entry fee is only $10 for three games of regular scratch bowling. There are six divisions, according to your average, for men, women and youth. All local winners will receive an entry into the 2017 California USBC Helen Duval Veterans Championships on March 25 at the 48-lane Manteca Bowl.
Last year, our association raised $2,309 for the BVL. Let’s make it climb this year.
McHenry Bowl turkey shoot – Coming up Nov. 18 is McHenry Bowl’s annual turkey shoot, when bowlers have a chance to win a Thanksgiving turkey for only a $15 entry fee.
Head pins will be up in all colors. Roll a strike with a colored head pin and you are entered into a drawing for a bird.
The mini-turkey shoot is always a 9-pin no-tap for men and women. You can win a bird and a few bucks during the afternoon.
Don Surdich: 209-777-1111, desurdich@aol.com
SCORING LEADERS: Leo Gonzales 198, Ed Huddleston 223, Ron Gonzales 253, Dick Miller 223, Karen Hunter 203, Mike Danel 258, Jamie Shank 219, Katherine Baker 180, Lynnell Difancia 202, William Woods 199, John Flanagan 234, Shirley Hendricks 152, Phil Chernoff 177, John Krone 179, Dennis Labuga 188, Jorge Segura 188, Jan Moore 164, Bo Petty 190, Rikki Cascia 176, John Pereira Jr. 229, Dave Souza 211.
SERIES LEADERS: Julie Egleston 525, Dave Egleston 540, Bob Weimer 544, Don Gamble 553, Ashley Dehart 587, Cam Clemens 595, Richard Pazin 597, Larry Valenti Jr. 632, Gene Broussard 644, Adam Barden 672.
This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Surdich on Bowling: Balls couldn’t topple this pin at Bellevue."