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Shelter Island bowling report: Paints grow lead thanks to Springer

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO I I walk the line — Dave Clark taking yet another stroll down ‘Fix It Lane.’
BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO  I walk the line — Dave Clark taking yet another stroll down ‘Fix It Lane.’

BY CARA LORIZ
When top-ranked Paint by Numbers faced the Fabulous Five last Tuesday, the pins were the real losers. These two teams, both with a core of veteran bowlers, have the highest cumulative averages, over 700, and bring out the best in each other. To wit, these bowlers topped the stats sheet in every category this week.

Bounding past the others was Paint Linda Springer, who scored the highest game and series, highest handicap and most over average series for the week. Congratulations, Linda, that makes you our Bowler of the Week!

Setting the bar, Paints captain, Ginny Gibbs, kicked off the contest with a strike. It was matched by Fabs Donna Cass and Jackie Brewer, with spares picked up by Essie Simovich and Paint Phyllis Power. Not a bad start, but Linda had yet to warm up. Except for a 9 on frame 9, she closed every frame from 4 on for a 146 game. Jackie matched this score for the Fabs, but her teammates couldn’t keep up and the Paints won the first game.

Linda started game two with a spare followed by two strikes. She picked up three more spares for a nice 152 score, while Phyllis got mark happy, laying down three strikes and three spares in the last seven frames for a 164. The Fabs were unfazed as Jackie picked up seven spares and slammed a strike for a 162, a score matched by teammate Donna, who opened with a strike and later split two pairs of strikes with a spare. Adding in Essie’s solid score, the Fabs stung back with the highest team score of the week and a game two win.

Kat Franzoni, the fifth of the Fab Five, made a splash after sitting out game one and struggling in game two. Consistent with the theme, it was frame 5 when Kat got her first of five marks — a spare, another spare, a pair of strikes and one more spare for a 140 game. At 56 pins over her average, she notched her spot on the weekly stats sheet. Jackie opened hot in game three, cooled a bit but made up for it with a mighty foundation, adding 59 pins to her score in the last three frames and leading the Fabs with a 152.

Yet the Fabs did not have the corner on marks this game. While Linda only managed three spares in the first six frames, she followed a strike on 7 with one on 8, spares on 9 and 10, and a bonus strike to frost the cake. Her 166 was the high game score of the week. Phyllis picked up five spares across the early frames, and then nailed the strike on 9 and picked up extra pins with a spare on 10 for a 155.

Teammate Elaine Clifford added to the Paints tally, bowling a 46-pin over average series. The Paints won the final game and 8 of 11 match points. Kat’s 56 pins over average in game three equaled Linda’s over-average series total, but Kat bowled under average in game two, giving Linda the Bowler of the Week title.

There was another match this week, and an important one in the standings, but only five bowlers showed up when the Odd Balls met Mama P’s Chicks. Bev Pelletier and Jenn Wissemann made for an even (albeit very low) number of Odd Balls. Three related Chicks came to play, with Melissa Steinmuller carrying the team to a game one win on her three strikes.

Jenn bettered her average with a solid series, and Bev had a hot 154 in game two, a round that was unkind to the Chicks with just two marks between them. They had better luck in game three, with Lynda Steinmuller posting three strikes, but the Chicks could not out-bowl the Balls, who took 8 of 11 match points.

WEEK 18 STANDINGS
Team    Won    Lost    Total Pins
Paint by Numbers     96.5    57.5    29614
Mama P’s Chicks    89    65    29077
Fabulous Five    81    84    29485
Odd Balls    79    86    31242
Guttersnipes    50.5    103.5    28958