GENTLEMENS FINAL
Barry Wocka's 257 at the start of round one gave him the tournament lead after the first game, but he was then relegated to fourth, his place at the top taken by Kevin Whiting who rolled a very useful 246 which, when added to his first game score of 233 earned him a spot at the top table. But from game three onwards the tournament belonged to Steve Thornton, despite Alan Wills valiant efforts in round one. After a seven year break from quite a successful bowling career, including 3 x 300's and 3 x 299's, Steve rekindled his love of bowling in January last year and hit a 296 league score in only his second outing, pretty good after such a long time off the lanes. There was a drop in form after that, including two modest Tenpintour results, so Steve started to work on his game in readiness for this years TPT, This performance has justified all the hard work he put in to improve his disappointing 173 entering average. His four scores in the final which ranged from 190 to 257 gave him a tournament total of 2100 (2510 handicap), 83 pins in front of second placed Steve Bose. This remarkable performance deservedly earned Steve his first BTBA Tenpintour title. Steve's entering average earned a 37 handicap and with 4 bonus for points for missing the cut twice, gave him handicap total of 41. His handicap however, has been slaughtered by the Scoremastergeneral to 24, with his average up to 189. Steve will have to maintain a scratch score of 201 to generate a 1350 round one score which may be enough to get him a place in the final at Romford. A pretty tough ask even for Steve, but he can do it!
Second place went to 'Local Knowledge' boy Steve Bose who finished the day with a 215 average over the ten games. The Tenpintour management committee are going to consider deducting handicaps from bowlers who find themselves bowling at their home centres, this may however prove to be an issue when we hold events at Poole!! Steve was quite simply awesome, which seemed to be a theme for bowlers named Steve all day! On two occasions only, did he dip below that magical 200 mark, they were a useful pair of 180 plus scores but his eight deuces ranging from 201 to 268 including a 246 and a 233 secured his second place finish. Steve is a very popular? and talented bowler who was the 2014 Tenpintour Champion without feeling the need to win any of that seasons events. He has since won at Tolworth in 2015, so he does have a winners shirt somewhere in the wash.
The high scoring that Alan Wills produced in the first round kept him in second place until the third game of the final. A disappointing run of scores was capped off by a 207 (250 handicap) that allowed him a comfortable third place finish, 51 pins in front of fourth placed Bill Bullock.
Twelve of the bowlers in the final maintained averages above the 200 line, Bill Bullock was the highest placed of these outside the podium places. The only bowler of the 86 competitors to bowl all their games over 200, was our Current Tenpintour Master, Steve Williams. His ten scores ranged between 202 and 234 finishing with the tournaments highest average of 217, and fifth place. The highest scratch score of the final was rolled by Ian Horrell, his 258 came in the final game of the day. Ian's scratch score of 2143 was bettered only by Steve Bose and Steve Williams but with his tiny handicap of 4 pins was only able to finish in 17th place. Last years OOM Winner Ketan Suchak maintained his 200 average starting his season off with 80 OOM points.
LADIES FINAL
Sue Cobb bowled steady all day, she had a couple of lowish scores, but mostly over her 164 average. It was in the final the she really pulled all the stops out, saving her best to last, recording scratch scores of 246 and 181 to finish victorious, well done Sue.
Round one leader Jacqui Cooper retained the top place after the first leg of the final, with Sandra Williams 51 pins behind her in second place, up from fifth with the highest scratch score of game one, 179. Sue Cobb moved up one place to third with a very nice 174 of her own. In game two Sandra Simmonds put the cat amongst the pigeons with a brilliant 225 (262) shooting straight to the top of the rankings, dislodging Jacqui who dropped to second place while Hilary Cooke jumped two places to third after rolling 194 (253). The settings on the embroidery machine at Hadley Morgan's workshop were almost finalised at the completion of game three. Why?, because last seasons Acocks Green Champion Sue Cobb erupted with a fabulous 246 (292) which shot her straight to the top from fourth position. Jacqui and Sandra Simmonds were both 21 pins behind Sue going into the final with a share of second place. Sue rolled a very good 181 (227) in the final game to cement her place at the top of the tree and winning The Acocks shirt for the second year in a row. Sue has now become the first bowler to be awarded two BTBA Tenpintour Winners Shirts. Our current Ladies Masters Champion Jacqui Cooper held on to second place quite comfortably, with Hilary Cooke just edging out Sandra Simmonds into third position by 2 pins.
Round one leader Jacqui Cooper retained the top place after the first leg of the final, with Sandra Williams 51 pins behind her in second place, up from fifth with the highest scratch score of game one, 179. Sue Cobb moved up one place to third with a very nice 174 of her own. In game two Sandra Simmonds put the cat amongst the pigeons with a brilliant 225 (262) shooting straight to the top of the rankings, dislodging Jacqui who dropped to second place while Hilary Cooke jumped two places to third after rolling 194 (253). The settings on the embroidery machine at Hadley Morgan's workshop were almost finalised at the completion of game three. Why?, because last seasons Acocks Green Champion Sue Cobb erupted with a fabulous 246 (292) which shot her straight to the top from fourth position. Jacqui and Sandra Simmonds were both 21 pins behind Sue going into the final with a share of second place. Sue rolled a very good 181 (227) in the final game to cement her place at the top of the tree and winning The Acocks shirt for the second year in a row. Sue has now become the first bowler to be awarded two BTBA Tenpintour Winners Shirts. Our current Ladies Masters Champion Jacqui Cooper held on to second place quite comfortably, with Hilary Cooke just edging out Sandra Simmonds into third position by 2 pins.
GENTLEMENS ROUND ONE
Alan Wills gave us a demonstration of his talent with a rather stunning run of scores from games two to five, 693 was the total for those three games. The other three scores were none to shabby either ranging from 182 to 196, a scratch total of 1253 giving an average of 209, 37 pins above his entering average of 172, but more importantly he generated a total score of 1511 to finish top of the tree! Steve Thornton was also on fire with high scores of 230 and 248 as he accumulated a scratch total of 1252, 36 pins over his average, which translated into 1498 handicap leaving him in second place 13 pins behind Alan. In third place was a third bowler with a 170 plus average, this time it was Gerry Wrathall who was lighting up the lanes with four scores over the 200 mark the highest of which was an opening score of 231. His 1215 (1416) left him in third place 37 pins behind Steve.
In fourth place was the first of our 'superstars' (these are the guys who average 200 or thereabouts, and are gutted if a '2' does not appear at the front of their score). This was a shy unassuming Brummie lad known as Steve Bose, he entered off 197 and averaged 215 including high scores of 268 and 242, obviously encouraged by his highly talented playing partner who rolled a 233 to compliment his 268.
There were too many high scores to pick them all out, but those bowlers who should be mentioned in dispatches are The Current Tenpintour Master Steve Williams who recorded the second best scratch series of the first round 1287 (1389) and failed to dip below the 200 mark all day. Alan Keddie recorded the highest scratch score of the day, his game four 279 was one of three 200 plus scores he rolled as he accumulated the third best set of the round with 1268. Unfortunately Alan's 238 entering average did not generate a handicap (bowlers with an average over 220 get no handicap), So despite averaging 211 five of his six games were below average and with no handicap he finished 44th! Newbie Ian Horrell made his mark with the highest scratch set of 1346 only one score below 200 and two above 250, his handicap of 4 gave him a total of 1370 for a spot in the final in 15th place. Welcome to the tour Ian. Paul Brunning is back on the tour and celebrated the fact with a very nice 268 in his third game earning him his spot in the final. Barry Wocka started his Tenpintour season with a 257 but failed to get close to that in any of his subsequent games, and although he qualified for the final he had to withdraw. Another newbie Danny Graham also qualified for the final first time out, with a high score of 222, bowling 16 pins above his average, well done Danny. Richard Hood is also new to the tour, but looking at his scores, not new to bowling, and finished on the cut with 1330, he bowled a very good set including two 230 plus scores for a scratch set of 1234 averaging 206, Well done and welcome to the tour Richard. Last years OOM Champion Ketan Suchak and England regular Mike Sykes both rolled five 200 plus scores and both had highs of 246. We have to welcome Frank Stander, Derrick Jephcott and Jeff Platten to the tour and welcome back Ray Lay. One of our sponsors Robert Bruce had his first tournament outing since surgery on his fingers, averaged 209 with scores between 171 and 245, but finished 40th. Another England bowler Keith Hodge finished with 1256 with a high score of 257 but with only a five pin handicap finished 38th.
THE CUT
This tour employs a straightforward mechanism to determine who goes through to the final. Its the top 33% (or one third to the great unwashed) We had 66 gentlemen bowlers in the men's section, so 22 men (cut 1330) go through to the final, Richard Hood in - Frank Stander out, right! easy! NO!
Earlier up the page Barry Wocka announced that he was not staying for the final, so he dropped out and it changed to Frank Stander in - Chris Taaffe and Gary Baker out (cut now 1325) Then it transpired that Jeff Gilbert was not going to stay for the final either, so now the cut was 1323 which was the score that Chris and Gary had each accumulated. The tie is broken by looking back at the last high game with handicap, which went to Gary. Mr Taaffe then went into panic mode and discovered that Ken Burton was not in the centre, he then rushed to the entrance doors to prevent Ken from entering the building in a vain attempt to get into the final. He managed to accost Ken at the doors and lied to him, telling him he had not qualified. Ken didn't believe him. Taaffe then inadvertently trapped himself between the two right hand pairs of doors, but quickly extricated himself. He managed to get back to registration at the same time as Ken and told him that he had missed registration and was disqualified. Ken didn't believe him. Ken took his scorecard and went to the lane, Taaffe went back to control and sulked and started to plan his revenge on Senior Bowler of the year Gary Baker!! (This isn't over)
Round one average was 188,
129 200's bowled,
highest scratch game Alan Keddie 279,
highest scratch set 1346 Ian Horrell
Bowlers who averaged 200 + 20.
This tour employs a straightforward mechanism to determine who goes through to the final. Its the top 33% (or one third to the great unwashed) We had 66 gentlemen bowlers in the men's section, so 22 men (cut 1330) go through to the final, Richard Hood in - Frank Stander out, right! easy! NO!
Earlier up the page Barry Wocka announced that he was not staying for the final, so he dropped out and it changed to Frank Stander in - Chris Taaffe and Gary Baker out (cut now 1325) Then it transpired that Jeff Gilbert was not going to stay for the final either, so now the cut was 1323 which was the score that Chris and Gary had each accumulated. The tie is broken by looking back at the last high game with handicap, which went to Gary. Mr Taaffe then went into panic mode and discovered that Ken Burton was not in the centre, he then rushed to the entrance doors to prevent Ken from entering the building in a vain attempt to get into the final. He managed to accost Ken at the doors and lied to him, telling him he had not qualified. Ken didn't believe him. Taaffe then inadvertently trapped himself between the two right hand pairs of doors, but quickly extricated himself. He managed to get back to registration at the same time as Ken and told him that he had missed registration and was disqualified. Ken didn't believe him. Ken took his scorecard and went to the lane, Taaffe went back to control and sulked and started to plan his revenge on Senior Bowler of the year Gary Baker!! (This isn't over)
Round one average was 188,
129 200's bowled,
highest scratch game Alan Keddie 279,
highest scratch set 1346 Ian Horrell
Bowlers who averaged 200 + 20.
LADIES ROUND ONE
Our reigning Tenpintour Master, Jacqui Cooper came out top of round one, by the time all the balls had been bowled, and the knee and elbow supports returned to their hiding places! This performance underlined her convincing victory at The Masters in Stroud. Jacqui bowled 22 pins above her average over the six games, her lowest game was 10 pins over and her highest was 41 over. Any one of us would be proud to bowl that much above our average. On The home page it says
"The premise of the tour will remain he same, it is a handicap tour catering for Senior bowlers (over 45's) of all standards with averages and handicaps carefully monitored giving every bowler the opportunity to be competitive"
Jacqui's success at The Masters and again at Acocks demonstrates exactly that paragraph.
"The premise of the tour will remain he same, it is a handicap tour catering for Senior bowlers (over 45's) of all standards with averages and handicaps carefully monitored giving every bowler the opportunity to be competitive"
Jacqui's success at The Masters and again at Acocks demonstrates exactly that paragraph.
England bowler Sandra Simmonds finished in second spot with some incredibly consistent scoring. Sandra's entering average was 173 and like Jacqui she never scored below that, starting with 177, followed by four 180 or above scores to a very tidy 215 game six, finishing with a creditable 1130 scratch total, eleven pins above her average.
Another England favourite, Catherine Wills was next on the list and once again the handicapping system seems to have proved its worth. Catherine has a high average of 183 and her scratch score justified her low handicap. in order to finish third Catherine had to bowl well and she did! She averaged 197 in the first round with scores ranging from 180 to the rounds top score of 235.
Sue Cobb won The TPT event here at Acocks last year and was looking to repeat the feat by clocking up a very nice set of scores, only one of which was below her 164 average. Her best score came along in game five, the 192 did her cause no harm at all. Our First Lady (as in first lady winner) Sandra Williams took the fifth spot, with only one low score, Hilary Cooke was not far behind in sixth and ever popular Tina Taylor took the last spot for the final.
This Tour is not just about winning and averages and prize money, its also about comeraderie, friendships and the people who make you feel welcome. There is an atmosphere within this tour that keeps us together, and makes us want to compete and come back for more.
Lynne Walker bowls for Wales, a very talented bowler who has been to the World Championships in the past and will probably be going again. ( There are some talented English ladies on this tour who represent England at World Championships as well). The point is that Lynne has had an enforced rest from bowling for medical reasons, and she is determined to get back to her competitive form to continue her international career. This event was her first outing to find out how she would fare in a competitive tournament. She done good!! Her entering average of 201 generated a very low handicap of 14, and despite recording three 200 plus scores, averaging 197 and having the highest scratch series, she was still 30 pins off the cut!
A very welcome return to England stalwart Sandra Boswell, this was her first TPT Event 'under new management' and we were all very pleased to see her. She bowled just around her average and with a high score of 234 Sandra demonstrated her fearsome competitive potential, finishing in eleventh place, four places off the cut. Lynne Palmer, Mary Taaffe and Ruth Stander are more new faces on the tour who we welcome with open arms.
Last years OOM Champion and the current holder of the highest number of Tenpintour Titles to date, Liz Griffin, bowled a set that is best left unreported. However we were very happy to report on her successes last season, so its only fair that we get the opportunity to watch her epic progression to this years title from a very modest result at the beginning of this season.
Another England favourite, Catherine Wills was next on the list and once again the handicapping system seems to have proved its worth. Catherine has a high average of 183 and her scratch score justified her low handicap. in order to finish third Catherine had to bowl well and she did! She averaged 197 in the first round with scores ranging from 180 to the rounds top score of 235.
Sue Cobb won The TPT event here at Acocks last year and was looking to repeat the feat by clocking up a very nice set of scores, only one of which was below her 164 average. Her best score came along in game five, the 192 did her cause no harm at all. Our First Lady (as in first lady winner) Sandra Williams took the fifth spot, with only one low score, Hilary Cooke was not far behind in sixth and ever popular Tina Taylor took the last spot for the final.
This Tour is not just about winning and averages and prize money, its also about comeraderie, friendships and the people who make you feel welcome. There is an atmosphere within this tour that keeps us together, and makes us want to compete and come back for more.
Lynne Walker bowls for Wales, a very talented bowler who has been to the World Championships in the past and will probably be going again. ( There are some talented English ladies on this tour who represent England at World Championships as well). The point is that Lynne has had an enforced rest from bowling for medical reasons, and she is determined to get back to her competitive form to continue her international career. This event was her first outing to find out how she would fare in a competitive tournament. She done good!! Her entering average of 201 generated a very low handicap of 14, and despite recording three 200 plus scores, averaging 197 and having the highest scratch series, she was still 30 pins off the cut!
A very welcome return to England stalwart Sandra Boswell, this was her first TPT Event 'under new management' and we were all very pleased to see her. She bowled just around her average and with a high score of 234 Sandra demonstrated her fearsome competitive potential, finishing in eleventh place, four places off the cut. Lynne Palmer, Mary Taaffe and Ruth Stander are more new faces on the tour who we welcome with open arms.
Last years OOM Champion and the current holder of the highest number of Tenpintour Titles to date, Liz Griffin, bowled a set that is best left unreported. However we were very happy to report on her successes last season, so its only fair that we get the opportunity to watch her epic progression to this years title from a very modest result at the beginning of this season.
ACOCKS GREEN SUCCESS
What a brilliant start to the season, we had to increase the number of bowlers per pair of lanes from four to five. This allowed us to increase capacity from 72 to 90 bowlers. We were at capacity for last seasons TPT 1 at Peterborough but we have exceed that by 14, we have also beaten the total achieved for last years event at Acocks by 16 bowlers. Romford will definitely involve a good few pairs of lanes with five bowlers. The team were very pleased how smoothly the event went with very few breakdowns, and the whole thing ran on time most of the day and only finished about 20 minutes later than our estimate. Well that's enough trumpet blowing about how popular the tour has become. see you all at Romford!!
One of our superstars Rob Bruce in action
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The rest of our superstars ready to roll
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