Week 9 Recap

The South Asian Bowling season just got a lot more interesting after week 9's game. Some might call this "bizzaro week" as the bottom 2 teams swept. But this is showing that any team can win any given game.

Strikes 'n' Spares vs. Pin Pals

SnS once again came into this week with enough bowlers for 2 teams. That being said, Nadeem is making it working, subbing guys left and right, but putting a competitive team out there regardless of who it is. Being pitted against the Pin Pals would be a real test for SnS, as they have been getting much better as the season progressed. Unfortunately for the Pin Pals, they were missing both Ayaz and Asif. That being said, SnS really brought their A game, and even with Ayaz there, it may not have helped.

Game 1 saw SnS win by nearly 200 pins - 857 to 650. That should tell you regardless of who SnS played, they are for real. SnS was led by Raza with a 190, Mufthy with a 188, Hamza with a 163, Omair with a season high of 160, and Amaad with a 156. For the Pin Pals, Moe Ali bowled a 170, but didn't get much help outside of Riz's 146.

Game 2 saw SnS drop off, but they still got the win 737-632. Pin Pals may have won this game with Ayaz present, but without him, SnS still easily cruised despite off games from their players. Amaad led them with a 163, Raza with a 161, and Mufthy with a 153. Pin Pals got average contributions from everyone - Moe with a 143, Sid with a 137, Riz with a 133, and Dave with a 129. But only having 4 bowlers, you need to have great games from all 4 bowlers to have a chance.

Game 3 saw SnS dominate with a 786 to 655 win. Raza once again led the team with a 200. Amaad put in 176, Hamza had 150, and Naeem kept his very solid day going with a 145. For the Pin Pals, they got a 164 from Moe, a 160 from Dave, and a 149 from Riz.

SnS have been getting better each week and are getting hot at the right time. They have now moved up to 4th in the standings thanks to their sweep and help from the series below. SnS's scores are also now competitive with the league's top teams. An 857 in game 1 and a 786 in game 3 will get you a lot wins. The Pin Pals hold on to the #1 seed, but need to get back on their winning ways fast as the Pin Smackers are (literally) right behind them in the standings.

Force vs. Asian Sensation

For the 2nd straight week, Force looked really good, as they were the best team overall in week 9. After looking like they would never figure it out in time, they now have had total team efforts, as the team total has jumped upward. Both teams were missing regulars as Force was without Alan and Bobby, and Asian Sensation was without Amin and Jin. Asian Sensation has been able to hold their own with players missing, but just like the Pin Pals, it may not have mattered even if they showed.

Game 1 was the Khaled show. The captain was trying to lead by example with his season's best and league high for the day of 234, and getting strike after strike to keep his team close. He had no open frames, which is very impressive for anyone. Adam gave him great support with a 172, and Yash had a solid game of 141. Force was led by Prince who continues his surge with a 214, while Shumail had his season high of 202, Raheel bowled a 161, and James and Roswell both had 141. Force wins game 1 859-754.

Both teams were off in game 2, but Force still had enough to win 754-653. Force was led by Prince and Shumail, both scoring 182, while Raheel added in 146. For Asian Sensation, Khaled tried to carry the team once again with a 166, but got little support outside of Yash who got a 144.

Game 3 had Force get back on its game, and complete the sweep with an 872-769 victory. Another well balanced game from Force as Prince bowled an even 200, Raheel bowled his season high of 191, Shumail had a 183, and Roswell bowled his season high of 179. For Asian Sensation, Khaled completed his excellent day of bowling with a 169, Yash bowled his high game of the day with a 173, and Adam and Khalil both had a 147.

Asian Sensation were definitely missing the spark Amin and Jin provide, but they still had two games above 760. That should be good for wins most weeks. As for Force, just like Strikes 'n' Spares, they are getting hot at the right time as they may not be a team anyone wants to face in the wildcard round. All 5 of their bowlers, regardless of who they are, have really been stepping up and putting up season highs at the right time.

Strike Kings vs. Pin Smackers

The 3 best bowlers in the league once again met up, but all they did was cancel each other out. This game had a number of unsung heroes, and a couple of surprises.

Game 1 was a close game for most of the match. Pin Smackers were led by ... Harp? With Abhi having an off game of 161, Harp stepped up and bowled a 179. Pin Smackers also got solid contributions from Sony with a 146, and Eugene with a 142. Strike Kings were led by Don with a 215, and Jason with a 182. The difference maker in this game? Arshad bowled a 160, which was enough to give the Strike Kings a 790-738 win in game 1.

Game 2 once again had Arshad step up with a 156. Meanwhile Jason and Don did their thing with a 233 and a 181 respectively. For the Pin Smackers, Harp kept it going with a 178, Abhi found his form with a 192, and Sony bowled his season high of 183. Another close match, but Pin Smackers take this one, 811-779.

Game 3 was all about the Pin Smackers. Harp finished his great day of bowling with a 192, Abhi had another great game with a 213, and Eugene came to life with a 179. For the Strike Kings, Jason bowled a 168, Don bowled a 186, and Nisar stepped up this game with a 153. But the Pin Smackers were way too much, winning 878-698.

Just how good have Jason and Abhi been this season? Jason's 168 was his 3rd lowest game of the season. Abhi's 161? His 2nd lowest of the season. As for their teams, Strike Kings are going the wrong way as the playoffs draw near. Despite having a #3 bowler step up this week, they still only got 1 win. Locking up a top 2 seed is now in jeopardy as well. The Pin Smackers meanwhile are looking good, as 878 was this weeks high team score. They're deep enough to withstand an average game from Abhi, which bodes trouble for any opponent as the playoffs loom.

Week 9 Previews

Pin Smackers vs. Strike Kings

Both teams were in tough battles last week as Strikes 'n' Spares and Force gave both teams a lot of issues. This match will feature 4 of the top 6 bowlers in the league. Jason (1st) and Don (3rd) have been on games virtually all season, while Abhi (2th) and Eugene (6th) have kept the Pin Smackers in almost every game. This match is going to come down to the depth on both teams, as these 4 bowlers will all but cancel each other out. Slight edge to the Strike Kings here, but the top 2 on the Pin Smackers won't be far behind.

With the Pin Smackers at full strength they will have Sony, Adam, and either Andre/Mustafa. The Strike Kings will likely have Ammad, Nisar, and Arshad. While these guys have all been solid, they've also been inconsistent at times. However, the most consistent of the bunch has been Sony, and he has been getting much better as the season has progressed.

This match will come down to Sony's play as he is the X-factor. With Sony bringing his A game Sunday, expect Pin Smackers to win 2 games and the total pins.

Asian Sensation vs. Force

Tale of the two teams that are all about depth. Both teams showed that last week as Asian Sensation won 2 games from the Pin Pals, and Force won a game and the total pins from Strike Kings. For Force, the question will be who shows. If it's the same 5 as last Sunday, they are in great shape, but it's always up in the air who comes. The other main question is will Force keep on having the depth. Roswell proved to the difference last week, as once he got going, Force was able to take control of their match.

Asian Sensation has been getting better as a team as the season progress, with guys like Yash and Amin stepping up their game (and their trash talk). Meanwhile, Adam and Khaled have been solid all season. Their issue has been they don't have a clear anchor to step up and help the team through any rough stretches. But if all 5 bowlers bowl what they're capable of, then it may not matter. But that also keeps the pressure on everyone to do well.

Both teams did very well last week, but Asian Sensation has been more consistent this season. I predict Asian Sensation to win 2 games, but Force to win the total pins.

Strikes 'n' Spares vs. Pin Pals

When these teams first faced off, SnS were just getting welcomed into the league, while Pin Pals were just starting to get into mid-season form. Pin Pals easily swept, with only one of the games being close. Now, with SnS getting big wins, and close wins, week in and week out, they're hoping to have their great run continue against the #1 team in the league. SnS has a truly balanced attack. While Mufthy and Nadeem lead the team, someone always seem to step up and have a huge game. Last week Raza had his best week of the season, with Ammad bowling a near 200 game as well.

Pin Pals suffered a minor setback without Asif last week, but Ayaz is showing no worry. Tying in total pins with Asian Sensation showed they can still compete with anyone without Asif, but it's going to take more of a team effort than before. People might expect no worries, since Riz is returning, but keep in mind that Sid exceeded expectations and bowled near a 150 average this past week. So getting Riz back is not as big a silver lining as it looks.

The big question is will SnS keep their streak of heart-attack games going. If they're anywhere close in the 9th and 10th frames, they somehow manage to pull it out. Tough match to call, but I believe Pin Pals win 2 games and the total pins.

Week 9 Power Rankings

1. Pin Pals - Buoyed by their performance this week. Ayaz and company went in to this match up knowing that they won't have Asif Siddiqui. So they wanted to make sure that they escaped with at least one win to ensure that they would retain first place. Ayaz and company trash talked with Asian Sensation all week and got what they wanted. Which was 3 points (4 due to the tie). The fortunate part for them is that all of the teams under them cannibalized each other and Pin Pals is still in the lead with 9 points. While the #2 and #3 teams are going head to head against each other this upcoming Sunday.

2. Pin Smackers - 4 of the top 10 games bowled this season have been by Abhishek Kumar. Where every team has a robin to their bat man. With the Pin Smackers you have Abhishek who is the clear leader on this team. Not only is Abhi able to put on these types of performances week in and week out but he is also able to provide assistance to every other player in the league. When Eugene is on he can be that capable #2. What makes this team scary is that Adam, Andre, and Sony have all had games above or near the 180 mark. Which means that this team has real depth. While Abhi is able to take away the bulk of the pressure this team has the core that has improved the most this season and securely gives them the #2 spot.

3 Asian Sensation - Is there a team that is any scarier to play in the playoffs than Asian Sensation? On this team you know that they have the anchor in Khaled Ahmedy, but when you factor Adam, Jin, and Yash having bowled games 185 and higher this team is deep. This team doesn't rely on just one player bringing it because between their screaming and synchronized cigarette breaks. This team is on a roll. This team right now has to be one of the scariest in the league. They have yet to have a game where the entire team is on the same time. If that would happen they could easily break the record and eclipse the 900+ mark (Pin Pals hold the record with 892).

4 Strike Kings - This team began the year by running the table. Their was talk if this team could even be beat. All they needed was Don Ali Nasrallah and Jason Reiss to bowl their games. If one of the three bowlers between Arshad, Nisar, or Ammad had a decent game of 150 or above you couldn't beat them. Well a funny thing happened. Don and Jason both are bowling close to 200, but the team doesn't have the depth. The other three haven't developed the same way that other teams like Pin Smackers and Asian Sensation have. Unless they are able to get more consistency out of the other three, this team is going to be a cautionary tale of what could have been.

5. Strikes N Spares - They bring in the deepest roster in the league. They alternate players between every game. But they keep on chipping away at the lead. They may have dug themselves too much of a hole, but they have taken games from Strike Kings and now Pin Smackers. This team has the best chemistry. This week with some of their players sporting gold chains and matching Champion track suits, this team has the depth to go all the way. They are going to be a team that no one wants to play in the first round of the playoffs because they have the capability of taking any team out in the league.

6. Force - This week not withstanding Force has had their issues with attendance. Can anyone even name what their actual starting 5 is? Every week you know that you will have Prince, and probably Roswell and Alan. But after that the last 2 is a crap shoot. If they are able to put together their top 5 bowlers together and they qualify. This team is going to have just as good of a shot to win the entire league and hoist the coveted South Asian Bowling Cup.

Introducing South Asian Tots

Introducing South Asian Tots Written by Administrator    Tuesday, 07 February 2012 The South Asian Tots program is a program designed to teach young children the fundamentals of the game. We are going to be starting off with Baseball and Soccer. Classes are structured the following way. 2 years and 3 years 4 years and 5 years 6 years and 7 years etc... If we receive more applicants than we anticipate. We can make adjustments to the classes due to the fact that we don't want more than 6 or 7 children per class. Even if not interested please put this out on twitter and facebook to help spread the word and to make this a success.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGh2Zm9QRktCSVU1d195VlVna1BTc3c6MQ

Week 8 Recap

Week 8 saw another great set of competitive games... and a commish that cannot predict games at all.

Pin Smackers vs. Strikes 'n' Spares

Strikes 'n' Spares brought enough players to have 2 teams compete on Sunday. But game 1 didn't go there way. They got off to a slow start, while Abhi bowled a 195 and Eugene bowled a 199 to lead the charge for the Pin Smackers as they won easily 773-630. Raza bowled a 163, but got no support otherwise.

Game 2 was a totally different story. Raza bowled a 171, Hamza bowled a 150, and Mufthy bowled a 142 in a balanced game. Strikes 'n' Spares won a close one once again, 733 to 714. Abhi once again bowled a 195 and Eugene bowled a 192, but this time they got little help.

Game 3 saw Strikes 'n' Spares win by their biggest margin of the season with a 779-721 win. New comer Ammad B. bowled a 193, while Raza kept his great day going with a 162. Shaheer also chipped in with a 151. As for the Pin Smackers, Abhi bowled a 205, Eugene bowled a 160, and Adam put in 140.

Strikes 'n' Spares won 2 out of 3, but the Pin Smackers were able to win the total pins. However, Strikes 'n' Spares have shown great improvement and continue to bowl well. They continue to win very close games and could cause problems for teams down the stretch. The Pin Smackers on the other hand clearly missed Sony, but should have him back next week.

Strike Kings vs. Force

Tight match throughout and great games bowled by a number of different players. Game 1 was a very close match with Don rolling a 217, Jason bowling a 190, and Ammad adding in 142. Force definitely were on a mission from the start with Prince bowling a 212, Alan with a 191, and Shumail with a 172. Game came down to the wire with Strike Kings getting the win 791-786.

Strike Kings really got it going in game 2. Jason bowled the league's high of the day with a 235, Don bowled a 202, and Arshad bowled a 155. Force kept it going with a 192 from Shumail, 180 from Prince, and a 178 from Alan. In a very high scoring match, Strike Kings edged out Force 845 to 808.

Force's depth was really on display in game 3 with 4 bowlers scoring over 150. Alan continued his best series of the season with his season high of 195, Prince rolled a 194, and Roswell also bowled his season high of 162. Force ended up with the team high total for this week of 830 to win 830-768. Jason and Don continued their excellent play with 211 and 185, but didn't have the support from one of their other bowlers as they had in games 1 and 2.

Win their big win in game 3, Force was able to win the total points. The question will be if Force can keep this going as they finally were able to all bowl well on the same day. As for the Strike Kings, Don and Jason will continue to be 2 of the league's best bowlers, but who will be the 3rd bowler? Consistency will be key as the playoff draw closer.

Pin Pals vs. Asian Sensation

How even was this match-up by the end of the day? Asian Sensation had a total score of 2313, while the Pin Pals had a total score of . . . 2313! For the first time ever, two teams tied for the total pins. Unfortunately, we could not get a bowl off due to time constraints.

The trash talking between this team has been going on throughout the week. What made this series even better is that everyone backed it up. In game 1 power bowler Adam had a season high of 187, while Khaled put in 173 and Yash added in 171. For the Pin Pals, Ayaz bowled a 181, Moe had a 152, and Sid made a respectable debut with a 148. But it wouldn't be enough as Asian Sensation won 808-744

Game 2 for the Pin Pals once again lead the way with a 200. Moe and Sid bowled a 143 and 142 respectively. Asian Sensation had captain Khaled bowl a 195 to virtually match Ayaz, while Yash kept his solid play going with a 161. Adam and Jin bowled 140 and 138 to keep the team motif going strong. Asian Sensation was able to pull out a close win with a 762-742 win.

In game 3, the lowest score by ANY of the bowlers was 143. The only problem though was Asian Sensation didn't have any bowler step up to ensure the sweep. Khaled and Amin both bowled a 147, Khalil bowled a 149, Adam bowled a 143, and Yash led the team with a 157. Meanwhile, Ayaz once again bowled a 200, Dave stepped up and bowled a 175, Moe bowled a 155, Sid finished a solid debut with a 151, and Chris bowled a 146. While everyone bowled well, Pin Pals were that much better winning 827-743.

As mentioned before, both teams tied on the total pins. The Pin Pals showed that even without Asif, they're tough to beat, but they're not nearly as dominant. With the Strike Kings and Pin Smackers breathing down their necks, they're going to need Riz back along with Chris and Dave to keep bowling as they did in game 3. As for Asian Sensation, they're showing great team play, but they still need someone to step up and carry them when someone has a off game.

Week 8 Preview/Predictions

Pin Pals vs. Asian Sensation

Last week, the Pin Pals swept Asian Sensation with 2 of the 3 games not being all that close. For all the smack talk Ayaz has done on the boards, his bowling has backed up everything. Meanwhile, Asif has stayed relatively quiet and has been slightly better than Ayaz all season. However, Asif will not be showing up this week, putting pressure on Ayaz to carry the squad. This also puts pressure on Chris and Dave to bowl well too, since it will take a team effort to make up for Asif's absence. Moe will help relieve some of loss, but he's still an unknown to this point.

As for Asian Sensation, they continue to improve as a team as they've broken the 800 barrier a few times in the past few weeks. Khaled is now the #10 bowler in the league, and Jin is right behind him at #11. In addition, improved play from Yash and Adam has really given this team the depth it needs. While they have good attendance week in and week out, they're going to need their best 5 to stay with the Pin Pals, as they've been the leagues deepest team. They also need to avoid any letdown games. Their 3rd game against Pin Pals they only bowled a 611, which will not get it done against anyone.

Pin Pals are just too hot right now, and even without Asif, the prediction is Pin Pals win 2 games and the total pins. Expect Asian Sensation to keep it close and take a game, but I expect Chris and Dave to have huge weeks and step up their game.

Strike Kings vs. Force

Force just cannot seem to get it going this season. They seem to stay close with any team for 1 or 2 games, but rarely close it out. In week 1, they played the Strike Kings real close, but got 0 wins to show for it. They also seem to have inconsistent play. Whenever one player bowls well, someone else seems to struggle. If they plan to make 2nd half surge, it has to start now, and all 5 bowlers have to be on the same page. Prince and Roswell have stepped up their games recently, and they're going to need everyone else to do the same this week.

Strike Kings have 2 of the top 3 bowlers in the league in Jason and Don. The question has always been about their depth. Last week showed they still haven't addressed this issue. Jason finally had an off week by his standards, and no one was able to step up and push the team forward. Ammad, Nisar, and Arshad have all bowled games in the 160 range, but for the most part have stayed in the 110-120 range. They might be able to get away with that this week, but if they want to make a run at the title, they're going to have to get more consistent play out of these 3 bowlers.

As well as Prince has been bowling, at best, he will only match Don or Jason. If someone else on Force can match up with the other monster on the Strike Kings, this could be the week Force turns it around; as the rest of their team is stronger than the rest of the Strike Kings. That being said, with Force's inconsistent play, expect them to only win 1 game based on their depth. Strike Kings are predicted to win 2 games and the total pins.

Strikes 'n' Spares vs. Pin Smackers

Abhi came back with a vengeance last week and bowled 3 monster games all the 200s. As the #2 bowler in the league, he will put pressure on Strikes 'n' Spares to be at their best if they want to continue their winning streak. Abhi has been getting a lot of help too as Eugene is quietly the #6 bowler in the league, and has been nothing but consistent as Abhi's wing man. The player to watch in this match-up though is Sony. Sony continues to get better each and every week and has stepped up to be the team's #3 bowler. With Sony's improved play, expect him to be the difference.

In order for Strikes 'n' Spares to win this week, they will need consistency from all 5 bowlers. Nadeem has been solid all season, and he definitely has talent behind him with Mufty, Hamza, and Naeem. However, all 3 guys had 1 bad game last week. Like the Strike Kings, all have shown they're capable of very solid games, but for the most part have not done it. Strikes 'n' Spares also dodged a bullet as Jason and Don had slightly off weeks. Don't expect the same thing from Abhi and Eugene this week. If all 5 guys don't bowl well, they might be in for a long week. Who is going to step up on this team and match-up with Abhi?

Pin Smackers are eyeing that #1 seed and continue to make their push. The prediction is for the Pin Smackers to sweep the week and win all 11 points.

Week 7 Recap

Week 7 once again saw a number of close games and a number of bowlers stepping up for their teams.

Force vs. Pin Smackers

Force was short-handed with only 4 guys. Facing the Pin Smackers is tough enough, but to do it without a full squad is just asking for trouble. Pin Smackers won game 1 easily 809-697. Abhi and Eugene bowled a 202 and 203 respectively, Sony put in a new career high of 178; while Prince rolled a 202 and Roswell rolled a 155.

Game 2 was much closer. For Force Razi stepped up and rolled a 146 and Prince did his best to carry the team with this week's league high of 233, but it wasn't enough, as Abhi struck out to get a 216, Eugene rolled a 148 and Sony added in a 146 to squeak out a win 714-709.

Game 3 was a no contest as the Pin Smackers got the sweep 758-628. Abhi completed a great day of bowling with a 214, while Eugene and Sony added in scores of 183 and 150. Force had Alan roll a 169, while Prince threw in a 159.

Pin Pals vs. Asian Sensation

A lot of smack talk on both sides led to confrontation both teams could not wait to have. In game 1, Asian Sensation showed a lot of balance as Khalil, Latif, and Yash all bowled games in the 140s, and Khaled bowled a 151 game. However the Pin Pals showed an even higher level of balance. Chris, Dave, and Moe matched those scores with a 142, 152, and 139 respectively. Asif just about bowled his average of 182, and anchor Ayaz bowled a league game 1 high of 225. Pin Pals won game 1 840-713.

Game 2 saw Asian Sensation really step up their games to get a win. Adam bowled his season high of 189, Yash bowled a great game of 163, and Khaled bowled his season high of 210. With a team score of 805, that should get you a win in almost every game. But the Pin Pals once again denied Asian Sensation with games of 231 from Asif, 193 from Moe, and 181 from Ayaz. Pin Pals won game 2 823-805.

Game 3 was all but a forgone conclusion. Asian sensation lost their focus and couldn't get any hot streaks going. Meanwhile, Pin Pals just kept playing their game. Dave put in another solid game with 164, and Ayaz bowled a leauge game 3 high of 223. Pin Pals get the sweep with a game 3 win 769-611. These teams will re-match next week, so look for Asian Sensation to get revenge, or for the Pin Pals to continue their dominance.

Strike Kings vs. Strikes 'n' Spares

Anyone who thought Strikes 'n' Spares(SnS) couldn't compete has been proven wrong at this point. After taking 2 outta 3 from Force each of the last two weeks, their run was expected to end at the hands of the Strike Kings(SK). In game 1, SnS hung around against the SK with a 156 from Naeem and a 149 from Mufty. Meanwhile Don and Jason were both slightly off their games bowling a 176 and a 179. In the 10th frame, anchor Hamza struck out and finished with a 173, which gave SnS and 2 pin win (744-742) over SK in game 1.

Game 2 was more of the same. Naeem once again stepped up and bowled a 161, captain Nadeem subbed in and bowled a 158. For SK, Ammad did his best to help the cause bowling a 155, while Jason bowled a 181 and Don bowled a 182. This game also came down to the anchors of the 10th frame. Don closed out his 10th frame, but left it open for SnS by not striking out. Mufty bowled 2 strikes in the 10th and finished with a 178 to give SnS their 2nd win, this one by 6, 742-736.

Game 3 saw both teams slip up a bit, but SnS really fell off after 2 big wins. Nadeem tried to keep his team in it with a 165 game, but got little help from anyone. SK got another great game from Don with a 192, and even though Jason bowled his lowest game of the season, SK easily won game 3, and won the pin total as well, with a 714-641 win.