Week 1 Recap

Force vs. Balls 'n Strikes

Game 1 - Force wins 665-511
Game 2 - Force wins 685-565
Game 3 - Force wins 629-528
Force takes 22 out of 23 points

Do not get used to this sight.  Once the handicap takes affect, near complete shutouts will be hard to come by.  But this one was one-sided from the get-go.  Balls 'n' Strikes only had 3 guys, and Wahid and Hakim looked rusty early.  Meanwhile Moe and Prince were on from the 1st frame.  Moe had a 501 series with his first 2 games being 189 and 177.  Prince looked as good as he has all of the last 2 seasons, having a 614 series and a high of 220.  Matt showed signs of being an up-and-comer averaging over 150, with a high game of 178.  Riz had enough of a cushion from the rest of the team to start learning a hook... in the middle of the match.  It led to better games as his last game was a 149.  Force has ability to turn some heads as they look like they can be very deep.  With games nearing 700 without handicap, Force is off to a great start.

For Balls 'n Strikes, they have a lot of silver linings.  Hakim had games of 153 and 169.  Wahid finished strong with a games of 160 and 170.  Both of these guys missed some very make-able spares (due to rust).  They were missing Shumail, who was a top-10 bowler in season 1, along with Ali, who will provide great stability in the lead off spot.  Their scores are not really indicative of what they can do.  Their core is filled with experienced bowlers who will not be phased by other bowlers having big games, or by pressure spots.  This team will spike in the standings once they get it together.  But for this week, they get steamrolled by the new look Force team.


Pin Pals vs. Strike Kings

Game 1 - Strike Kings win 710-604
Game 2 - Strike Kings win 697-624
Game 3 - Strike Kings win 689-660
Strike Kings take 19 of 23 points

Going into this match Ayaz “Daddy” Dar had a lot to say about his teams prospects in the league following the Pin Pals championship in the summer season. It would seem that this match was a reality check for the Pin Pals in that the Strike Kings took 19 out of 23 points from them. The first two games were won solidly by Strike Kings without any worry.

In the final game Nisar, in typical fashion, was the Strike Kings secret weapon – he took two out of three games from Chris and successfully made an easy spare out of a split in the 10th frame of the third game. This coupled with a double by Raheel in the tenth frame crushed the beginnings of a comeback that Pin Pals had been making after Asif nailed a split just a frame before. Notably, Eddie and Don Ali had strikes in all of their tenth frame performances and bowled series of 649 and 637 respectively.
 
While Ayaz and Asif were not bowling their best and lost all points to Eddie and Don Ali respectively, the fact is that Eddie and Don Ali are just one of several one-two punches in the league capable of doing the same thing to the Pin Pals. There were some comments about handicap perhaps making a difference in these matchups but the fact is that even with handicap (for Ayaz and Asif), Eddie and Don Ali still win all three points each.

The Pin Pals will have to regroup for next week but don’t even think of counting them out yet. Surely, they will be back next Sunday with a vengeance, though likely with less smack talk. The Strike Kings made a great first week showing, and the addition of Eddie to the lineup looks like a great free agent catch.


Asian Sensation vs. SnS

Game 1- Asian Sensation wins 680-657
Game 2 - SnS win 740-654
Game 3 - SnS win 738-701
SnS wins 15 out of 23 points

Going in to this match, both teams knew this wasn't going to be a easy win. In the end, SnS took the win because of one simple factor, DEPTH. The first game was won solidly by the Asian Sensations with Yash "The Shark" Mahajan scoring a 213, and new member Justin Reis scoring just high enough to negate his brotherly counter part Jason "The Dictator" Reis. With no real help from the Dastgirs, SnS couldn't hold them off. From there on, it went down hill with no help from their former anchor Khaled " The Silent Assassin" Ahmedy who bowled well below his average at 155.

The 2nd and 3rd game, SnS hit their stride, where the new comer Omair and his Fred Flintstone technique overwhelmed the Sensations defensive prowess. He will put David Deblasio, Adam C., and Nisar's straight technique to shame with practice. The Dastgirs kept up but were lack luster after weeks of comments and pictures on facebook. The real powerhouse of the team was of course Jason. "The Dictator" properly named after a Sensation member, simply because he dictates how well his team will do in clutch situations. His slow start 210, and 257, 247 to follow were just too much at anchor position for the Sensations to hold off. 210 a slow start, lol!

The SnS supporting cast has to pick it up.  As good as Jason is, he should not have to be carrying a team this talented with 250's needing to win.  They lost when he bowled a 210, and he HAD to bowl a 247 to carry them to a win in game 3.  Only game 2 did they win comfortably.  Interesting to see how the team responds next week.


Snipers vs. Pin Smackers

Game 1 - Pin Smackers win 630-516
Game 2 - Pin Smackers win 554-516
Game 3 - Pin Smackers win 625-563
Pin Smackers win 20 of 23 points

Game 1: Score: Pin Smackers 6 (team and 3 individual points) to Snipers: 1 (individual point)

The Pin Smackers started the season off with only 3 guys vs a full roster of Snipers. The first game was a very tight match for the first half of the match.  It was back and forth till the 4th/5th frame where Eugene and Abhi both hit turkeys to push the lead into the Pin Smackers favor. The Snipers didn't back down and positioned themselves for a huge upset if they could bowl down the stretch.  But they missed some key spares, which gave Pin Smackers the easy win.

Game 2: Score: Pin Smackers 6 (team and 3 individual points) to Snipers: 1 (individual point)
Similar to game 1 The Snipers bowled a 516 as a team, Guerrier stepped up as an anchor and carried the team who bowled a 200 game and beat Abhi for an individual point. Despite Guerrier's huge performance the rest of his team was unable to bowl their best. The Pin Smackers were very composed as a team and bowled just enough to take a game 2 victory. The momentum changed in the 7th frame, as the Pin Smackers closed out and secured another victory. Eugene again with consistency and the mayor Abhi, continues to help the load as Adam struggles in Game 2 but got enough pins for the victory.

Game 3: Score: Pin Smackers 6 (team and 3 individual points) to Snipers: 1 (individual point)
In game 3 Eugene and Abhi had to work hard due to another 200 performance by Guerrier's. The Snipers were pumped up and did not want to be swept, and Gage stepped up and bowled a 192 to follow Guerrier's lead. As the game went on to 4th frame, the momentum slowed down a bit from The Snipers, though still in a lead of 60 pins after the Pat and Uday missed spares. Pin Smackers, once again took advantage with Abhi's turkey and Eugene doubles and spare. Toward the 10th frame, Snipers couldn't finish the 10th frame strong and didn't have enough to steal a victory from Pin Smackers.