About 250 spectators gathered closely together behind eight lanes Sunday morning at the far end of Fiesta Bowl in Spanish Springs. There were 16 competitors, remaining from the original 64, bowling to remain in the 2018 Properties of The Villages Invitational Knockout Scratch Bowling Tournament. The eight winners today moved on to Round 4 on March 18. First place is $1,000 and a trophy to commemorate the achievement.
Each time a strike, or double strike, was thrown by a competitor the crowd would show their appreciation. Many had a favorite bowler they were watching. They tried to stand behind the lane their bowler was on, mostly concentrating on the person they came to watch.
Then in the second game, on the far two lanes, defending champion Chuck Richardson started throwing strikes. One, then two, then three, four, five, six and even seven. The crowd seemed to sense something special was happening. The hundreds of spectators crowded closer to his lanes. There seemed to be an eerie silence each time Richardson stepped to the lane. Strikes eight and nine were perfectly thrown to the applause of the spectators. After each strike Richardson would return to the seating area and stand alone by the wall. He had a look of pure determination on his face. When Richardson stepped up for his 10th and final frame, he needed three more strikes for elusive “perfect game,” a 300, He stood alone as even the other bowlers had stopped to watch. Ball one perfectly curved into the 1-3 pocket exploding all ten pins into the pit, strike number 10. Ball two rolls down the lane, it looks wide, you could hear some murmuring in the crowd. It hits light in the 1-3 pocket scattering nine of the pins, leaving the 2 pin wiggling. After what seemed like minutes it finally toppled over. The crowd erupted and Richardson turned with a big smile and took a bow. However, he still needed one more strike. Richardson slid to the foul line, and released his ball perfectly into the 1-3 pocket for a perfect strike! He had done it, the perfect game – 300! The crowd, as well as other competitors, erupted in applause as Richardson turned with a huge smile on his face. There were high fives from all the competitors around him as well as friends leaning from the crowd.
Richardson won his match and now goes into the round of 8 attempting to defend his championship from last year. When asked how he felt today Richardson said, “believe it or not I was a little more nervous than usual today at the start. I knew Pete was going to be a tough match.”
He went on to say, “At the beginning I was taking deep breaths and concentrating hard on my lines.” As far as the 300 game, “I really hit my line on 11 of the 12 strikes. The 11th ball was a little outside, but I was fortunate it carried,” Chuck went on to say, “I changed my lines a little today, but actually the lanes were very good.”
The eight bowlers who advanced to bowl on March 18 are:
Chuck Richardson vs Rich Giragosian
Phil Cone Vs Bob Hafer
Bob Geoffroy vs John Rovelli
Carol Teel vs Robert Vega
