Black & Tan vs The Dudes

Black & Tan Vs The Dudes

Game 1:  874 - 795

Game 2:  809 - 882

Game 3:  715 - 801

This matchup pitted Black & Tan, AKA Snipers plus Prince versus The Dudes, AKA Asian Balls n' Pals, two mid-level teams that have much talent and are strong contenders to be in the playoffs when the season is over.   In the leadoff spot we saw the return of Khaled, "The Silent Assassin", bowling for the first time this summer vs Brian, a rookie, and one of the few straight bowlers left in the league.  If Brian had joined at the start of the league he would have fit right in with his grip it and rip it bowling style, but as many have learned  over time, buy a bowl, learn the curve and you'll see your score improve.  In the 2 hole we have the Captain Amin vs. Pat, Amin has been putting up solid games this season but is still looking for that break out +200 game that he had thrown many times during the fall, Pat jumped out of the gates on fire being named Player of the Week in week 1, but has since cooled.  His new style of throw shows great promise, but he just needs to hone it in and find the pocket more consistently.   In the setup role we have two players David "HGH" vs Gage, "Chocolate Thunder"  that have matched up previously, David being swept by his nemesis the first time out in an epic battle, during one of Gage's best weeks.  It was an evenly matched contest as the handicap (only separated by 1 point)  would not be a factor, scratch score wins the points.  In the anchor position we saw Alisher "The Prince Killer" vs. Prince "The Potato Thrower" Panicker.  Would Alisher live up to his temporarily assigned nickname or

would "Mr Consistent" / "All times head-head points leader" Prince get the job done for his team?

Game 1:  In game 1 we saw the layoff bowling rust from Khaled as he bowled a decent 144, even though the strikes were not falling he was able to put up some points with consistent spares.  Brian came out firing beating Khaled scratch, his high velocity throws sent the pins into a frenzy, picking up impressive spares with fast moving pin action,  the law of physics states Force = Mass times "throw the ball really hard", Brian takes the point.  Amin puts up a sold 159 vs Pat's 116, even with the handicap it wasn't enough as Amin takes the point.  David and Gage both start off on fire, for every strike David threw Gage answered.  They both started with turkeys, but Gage was able to follow it out till the end and end up with a string 218  vs David's 181 to take the point.  Prince also started strong not leaving any pins up as he would spare and strike his way to a 202 taking the point from Alisher.  B&T take the first game.

Game 2:  For the leadoff spot game 2 was much like game 1, Khaled increased his score to beat Brian scratch, but factor in the handicap and Brian takes the point again.  Amin broke out with a 180 to easily take the point from Pat who began to struggle with the direction of the lanes.  Once again David and Gage battled both starting out with Turkeys, but again Gage was able to fend him off and put up another +200 game beating him 206 to 192.  To David's frustration it seems that he somehow brings out the best performances in Gage as every time they have matched up Gage puts up monster games.  At the end of the match Gage had asked David for a framed 8 X 10 portrait of himself that Gage could place in his bedroom to see if his presence would help his performance in other areas as well.  Prince once again put up a solid score of 184 leaving no open frames but this time it was not enough as the lefty Alisher bowls an impressive 204 beating him scratch.  The Dudes come back taking the second game, leaving only a 6 pin difference for Game 3, meaning win game 3 for final 5 points.

Game 3: Game 3 saw decreases in everyone's score as fatigue set in and the lanes started to breakdown.  Khaled was able to shake off the rust and bowl a 172, but it still was not enough to take down Brian with his handicap who would walk away with the sweep.   The Dude's get a sweep of their own as Amin beats Pat in the final game.  Once again David and Gage battle matching each other shot for shot, but in a miraculous turn David is finally able to beat Gage in the final game  taking at least one point from his arch nemesis.  And to round it out Alisher does live up to his nick name of the "Prince killer" as he again beats Prince scratch and takes 2 out of the 3 points.  Dudes take game 3.

The final tally was Dudes 15 points to B&T 8 points in a great back and forth battle between 2 teams that will most likely play again in the coming weeks.