Boston Strong Balls On Brink Of Title
Lead By 4½ With Two Weeks Left

South Glens Falls - Tracy Clemmons converted a critical 10-pin spare in the tenth frame of the final game on Thursday afternoon, dredging up a huge point in the standings for Boston Strong Balls. Their 2-2 draw against the BYE team left them at 35-17, 4½ points clear of The Last Two and Leftover with two sessions remaining (8 available points).

Next week, The Last Two and BSB hook up down at the southern end of Kingpin's Alley in a contest that could clinch a title - or, put the upper standings in turmoil for the final matches.

The Last Two beat the defending champion Yanks 3-1 behind anchor Richard Minor's 170-493 that offset Mark Basso and his 200-193-552. Leftover and the Lady Slippers went mano-a-womano as Ray Davignon fired 213-561 to best Mickey Michels 3-1.

The Tomahawks were upset by the Marauders 3-1 as nemesis Audrey Baker and partner Roger Nelligan took the first and third games, along with total pins. Don Williams had a league-high 672 on games of 193, 245 and 234 as the Tommies slipped into fourth place, 5½ behind and a tough match next Thursday facing Fire And Ice.

The Marauders and BCs are each seven in arrears and the math won't work with so many teams in front of them. The BCs are involved with Leftover in Week 14, another marquee match.

Roy Brady (554), Bob George (543) and Chuck Boykin (500) had the circuit's other 500 or better sets. Williams improved to 205 and virtually wrapped up the average crown; Brady fell a pin to 201.

BSB Rebounds With Sweep; Toms Crawl Into Second
Brady Nets Lone 600; Butler, Williams Close

BSB (left) against the field

South Glens Falls - The Forever Young standings took a bit of a turn Thursday afternoon. Boston Strong Balls, leading the league for a dozen weeks, snapped its recent slump behind anchor Tracy Clemmons (201-200-557) to sweep the Lady Slippers. The win pushed their record to 33-15 with three weeks remaining.

The recently red-hot (10-2 over three sessions) Tomahawks defeated the Sir Bills 3-1 to climb into second place, 4½ points behind. Roy Brady (215-603) and Don Williams (212-598) provided the firepower.

The Toms jumped over Leftover and The Last Two. Leftover could only get one point against the BYE team (Ray Davignon flew solo to 193-178-530), while The Last Two were getting walloped by C&P. Paul Pribis tallied 194-480 in the shutout.

Floyd Butler had the day's near-miss with 599 on games of 213, 198 and 188. Fire And Ice won the opener, then fell 3-1 against The Singers as Joe Sycuro had another standout performance, putting 192 and 228 at the end of a 558 series.

Chuck Boykin (221-213-581) and Bob George (210-523) pulled the BCs to a 2-2 draw versus the always-tough Yanks. Mark Basso (183-198-502) and Mom Ingrid (182-151-470) came from behind in the finale to gain the split.

A dozen points remain available in a most competitive season. The Toms lead Leftover and The Last Two by a point, with the BCs another 1½ back. The Singers, Marauders and Lady Slippers are all knotted at 25-23.

Williams still heads up the average race at 204, with Brady at 203.

Next week: Boston Strong Balls vs. the BYE; Tomahawks vs. Marauders; Leftover vs. Lady Slippers.

Tide Has Turned In Forever Young; BSB Keeps Falling
Brady (669), Williams (609) Pull Toms Closer

Even Carnac is stumped...

South Glens Falls - The season-long-leading Boston Strong Balls continue to slide back to the pack in the Forever Young league, dropping a 3-1 decision to Leftover on Thursday afternoon at Kingpin's Alley. Patrick Scanlan and partner Tracy Clemmons eked out a 3-pin win in the opener and then fell to the ultra-smooth duo of Chuck Winney and Ray Davignon. Winney posted 198-548 and Davignon 215-561. The winners are presently just 2½ points behind, sitting in third place.

Runner-up The Last Two also lost 3-1 to the BC's as Chuck Boykin crushed a 221-245-168 for 634. Mac Brill and Richard Minor are now one game clear of Leftover as the weeks wind down.

The Tomahawks kept rolling along with a 3-1 win over the Gutter Dusters. Roy Brady posted a league-best 669 on games of 212, 221 and 236 while anchor Don Williams assisted with 220, 205 and 184 for 609. The Tommies are fourth, only 3½ out.

Cameron Mitchell flew solo for the Lady Slippers and provided a 4-0 sweep of the BYE team with a fine 214-214-231 for 659. Joe Sycuro bounced back strong from some recent sub-par outings with an outstanding 586 on games of 216, 165 and 205, prodding The Singers to a 3-1 victory over Last Dance.

Floyd Butler put 204 and 232 in front of a 598 for Fire And Ice in their 3-1 nod over the Head Pins.

Brady closed in on Williams in the average race, which now stands at 204-203 for Williams.

Next week: Boston Strong Balls vs. the Lady Slippers are the top matchup. Four weeks (16 available points) remain in what has turned from a BSB runaway into a most exciting race for the crown.

BSB Listing To Port After Mitchell Broadside
Standings Tighten Considerably With Five Weeks Left

"Here, Patrick... here, Tracy..."

South Glens Falls - A perfect storm of circumstances led to the sinking of the Boston Strong Balls express on Thursday afternoon as the Forever Young league wrapped up its tenth week of play at Kingpin's Alley. The river dredgers looked to have an easy time, facing a C + P duo that was absent - but, young area superstar Cameron Mitchell appeared to take over for Cathy Pribis and at least, make the match competitive.

Lo and behold, BSB was missing a key piece, as well. Anchor Tracy Clemmons was AWOL, placing extreme pressure on Patrick Scanlan to duel with Mitchell one-on-one. Cameron reeled off games of 219, 240 and 214 for a league-best 673 while Scanlan foundered with three games under his average - the result was a C + P sweep of the circuit leaders, dropping them to 28-12 and cutting their standings margin to a mere 1½ points.

Now resting tantalizingly close to the top spot is The Last Two. Mac Brill and Richard Minor took care of business in a big way, beating the no-show Lady Slippers 4-0 after a brush with disaster in the opener. Brill put 202 in the middle of his 490 set.

Third-place Leftover rode anchor Ray Davignon's 181-203-215 (599) and Chuck Winney's 204-540 to an important 3-1 victory over the defending champion Yanks. Mark Basso flew solo to a consistent 183-179-175 (537) for the losers.

The ever-dangerous Tomahawks swept The Singers behind Don Williams' 193-227-225 (645) and Roy Brady's 245-609. The Toms pulled within 5½ of the lead with the win. The winners received unexpected support from opponent Barb Trottier's grandchildren Taylor, Paige, Jordan and Maddie who formed a cheering section for Roy and Don.

The BC's (Bob George and Chuck Boykin) dropped the first game versus the BYE team, then roared back for a 3-1 triumph. The pair shot a session-best 454 (521 with handicap) in Game 2 and finished strong with 399 (466) in the finale. Bob tallied 606 on his 196-239-171 effort and Chuck went 215-228 after a poor opener for 589.

Floyd Butler rolled a steady 552 on games of 185, 180 and 187 to no avail as the Sir Bills beat Fire And Ice 3-1. Anchor Phil Hack continued his improvement for Last Dance, going 62 pins over average in their 4-0 shutout of the Gutter Dusters. Roger Nelligan registered 192-470 in the Marauders' 3-1 waltz over the absent Head Pins.

Williams raised his average a pin to 204, while Brady stayed at 201.

Next week: Boston Strong Balls vs. Leftover, The Last Two vs. BC's provide the juice as the league heads down the home stretch.

BSB Keep Rollin' Down The River; The Last Two Creep Closer
Mitchell Sparkles With 612; Williams Saves Tommies' Season

South Glens Falls - Scoring was certainly at a premium Thursday afternoon as the Forever Young league keglers fought for respectability. The circuit had the honor of being the first organization to compete under the facility's new ownership. The closing on the property now known as Kingpin's Alley occurred during play. Congratulations to the new owners, Alison and Doug "Bossman" Bohannon.

Cameron Mitchell subbed for the absent Bill Pike and teamed with Bill Eddy to hold back the Head Pins 3-1. Cameron had the lone 600 series of the day, a 612 on games of 216, 184 and 212. Eddy contributed 512 to the victory.

Chuck Boykin and Ray Davignon each stroked 578 in match splits. Chuck went 188-182-208 in BC's draw with the Lady Slippers and Ray shot 192-210-176 in Leftover's 2-2 result versus C+P. Richard Minor flew solo for The Last Two, whitewashing the BYE team 4-0 with 577 on games of 199, 176 and 202.

Don Williams (202-206-570) was placed in a familiar position in the second and third games for the Tomahawks after they were soundly thrashed in the opener against Last Dance. The middle game saw the veteran Tommie anchor needing a tenth-frame double and a good count to pull out a win, which he accomplished to win by four pins. Then in the finale, the task required all three tenth-frame strikes to eke out a one-pin victory. Williams ended the day with a five-bagger to seal that deal. The 2-2 split kept hope alive for the Toms. Partner Roy Brady had a pair of efforts in the 190s for 556.

Joe Sycuro and teammate Barb Trottier each broke the 500 barrier - Joe with 168-195-186 for 549 and Barb had 509 after finishing strong with 192 and 178 games. The Singers shut out the Gutter Dusters 4-0.

Mark Basso scrapped his way to 211-521, but a critical tenth-frame miss of a 10-pin cost the Yanks a point. Anchor Tracy Clemmons converted a solid 9-pin in the last frame to pull out a 2-2 tie for league-leading Boston Strong Balls

Six weeks remain on the FY schedule. Boston Strong Balls (28-8) are 5½ up on The Last Two and seven ahead of the Lady Slippers. Leftover is another half-point back, then a half-dozen teams are within a single point of each other.

Williams and Brady each lost a couple pins in average to sit at 203 and 201, respectively.

Next week's big showdowns feature The Last Two vs. the Lady Slippers, followed in importance by The Singers vs. the Tomahawks.

Burdick's 697 Pushes Lady Slippers Into Second
BSB Gains More Separation With Win Over Tommies

"One of these days, Alice..."

South Glens Falls - Three 600 sets and two near-misses provided the individual highlights as the Forever Young league returned from its July 4th hiatus and whizzed past the halfway mark Thursday afternoon at Pine Lanes.

The legendary Harry Burdick rolled an impressive 697 on games of 226, 223 and 248 as he capably filled in for anchor Cathy Tracy - pacing the Lady Slippers to a 4-0 whitewash of the Sir Bills. It was Harry's first go-round in the FY league.

The legendary (in his own mind) Don Williams managed a weird 641 set on games of 197, 211 and 233 that included a stretch of 14 strikes over 15 frames. Ray Davignon produced the other gem, a 603 (191-219-193). Chuck Boykin continued his emergence from a recent slump with 204-183-208 for 595 and late-bloomer Roger Nelligan pounded 188-209-196 for 593.

The marquee matchup of the session left everyone dissatisfied, except Patrick Scanlan and Tracy Clemmons. Boston Strong Balls dominated the Tomahawks over the first two games, winning by 59 and 18 to build up enough cushion to get that third total-pins point after a Tommie 6-pin squeaker in the finale. Clemmons led the winners with a consistent 184-172-171 for 527.

The win pushed BSB's record to a gaudy 26-6, a full 7 clear of the Lady Slippers and 7½ in front of The Last Two and Leftover. Seven weeks of competition remain in the season (28 available points), so today's victory looms large for those pesky river dredgers. Eleven teams are within five points of each other - from the 19-13 Lady Slippers to the 14-18 Yanks and Gutter Dusters. A lot of kegling remains.

Next week, the league leaders square off against the defending champ Yanks in mid-house (lanes 13&14). The dynamic duo of Ingrid and son Mark Basso served notice that the race ain't quite over yet, with Ingrid blasting 202-490 and Mark 227-189-557 in a 3-1 win against Fire And Ice. Floyd Butler started like gangbusters with 243, but fell to end with 553.

Rookie (80 years young) Phil Hack endured the absence of teammate Virginia Muller and, using a freshly-drilled sphere from the "Bossman", flashed a well-above-average 375 to give the juice to a 4-0 Last Dance triumph against the BYE team. Next week, Mr. Hack and Ms. Muller get the beloved Tomahawks.

Chuck Winney paired with Davignon, contributing 202-187-547 in Leftover's 3-1 decision versus the Head Pins.

Williams jumped past Roy Brady (203) into the average lead with 205. Davignon moved up to 196, while Floyd sits at 189, Boykin 187 and Bob George 180. Mr. Basso is knocking on that door with 179.

Brady (658), Williams (640) Hot As Tommies Surge
BSB Holding On As High-Noon Showdown Approaches

Same bullshit fifty years later...

South Glens Falls - The league-leading Boston Strong Balls had a bit of a slip Thursday as the Forever Young circuit neared the halfway point of the season at Pine Lanes. Tracy Clemmons and Patrick Scanlan faced the absent Head Pins and came away with only a 2-2 draw, bringing their record to a formidable 23-5. After dumping the first two games, BSB rebounded smartly to avoid disaster with Tracy (185) and Patrick (159) having their best games in the finale.

The Last Two are now 5½ back in second place after a 4-0 sweep against Fire And Ice. Linda Butler had an outstanding 190-179-154-523 effort in the defeat.

Third place to ninth is separated by a mere game-and-a-half. The Tomahawks (15½-12½) managed three points against the actual BYE team, with Roy Brady (231-170-257) and Don Williams (253-193-194) firing 658 and 640, respectively. The Tommies are tied with Leftover, who edged the Sir Bills 2½-1½ behind anchor Ray Davignon's 209-561.

The Lady Slippers and BCs are next at 15-13. The Lady Slippers couldn't follow up on last week's upset of the Tommies, dropping a 3-1 decision to Last Dance, who welcomed Phil Hack as Virginia Muller's newest partner. The BCs handily took care of business with a 4-0 nod over the vacationing Gutter Dusters. Chuck Boykin had 202-212-182 for 596 and teammate Bob George added 202-551.

The aforementioned Fire And Ice joins the Marauders and The Singers at an even .500 (14-14). The Marauders used their 47-pin handicap-per-game edge wisely, beating the struggling Yanks 3-1 despite Mark Basso's 196-218-573. The Singers bested C&P 3-1 in other action.

All trained FY fan eyes will be on July 11th's marquee showdown between BSB and the Toms. A strong dredger showing could cause the league to fold its tent early and just give Tracy and Patrick the crown. Williams and Brady have other ideas, however.

Brady improved his average to 207 and Williams stayed within earshot at 204. Davignon (195) and Floyd (190) are the other pair of keglers at or over 190.

Few problems surfaced as the league got its first taste of the new scoring system.

The will be no bowling next Thursday (July 4th).

BSB Dredge Up Another Sweep
Boykin Lone Bowler Over 600

Lady Slippers Surprise Tommies

South Glens Falls - The seafaring duo of Boston Strong Balls ran their record to a gaudy 21-3 Thursday afternoon via a sweep of the Sir Bills. Patrick Scanlan paced the win with a steady 157-158-168 for 483.

The lead ballooned to seven games over Fire And Ice and the Lady Slippers. The Butlers were upset 4-0 by the BCs despite anchor Floyd Butler's decent 582 on games of 201, 198 and 183. The winners got 617 from anchor Chuck Boykin (194-208-215) and 194-533 from Bob George.

The Lady Slippers handled the Tomahawks pretty easily in a 3-1 shocker at the northern end. Mickey Michels was well above her average all three games, while Tommie stalwarts Roy Brady (204-560) and Don Williams (574) were pathetic.

The Last Two defeated the Marauders 3-1 and moved into fourth place alone. Leftover rode Ray Davignon's 203-189-202-594 and Chuck Winney's consistent 179-185-191-555 to a whitewash of Last Dance.

Joe Sycuro just missed 500, but never wavered with 167-166-164 for 497 as The Singers pasted the defending champ Yanks.

Lackluster attendance has left only six teams above the .500 level after six sessions.

The Last Two vs. Fire And Ice headline next week's matchups.

Brady Shoots Season-Best 703 In Tommie Draw
Boston Strong Balls Continue Assault On Standings

South Glens Falls - Roy Brady opened with eight consecutive strikes Thursday afternoon on his way to 263, then added 223 and 217 for a Forever Young season-high 703 - but, the Tomahawks were unable to capitalize despite anchor Don Williams' 235-234-639 effort as Leftover Ray Davignon put 217 and 242 at the end of a 628 series and leadoff man Chuck Winney threw a consistent 548 (188-181-179). The result was a 2-2 tie between the teams.

Boston Strong Balls (17-3) were victorious again, losing the first game and coming back for a 3-1 nod over Last Dance. Tracy Clemmons flirted with that magic 600 number with 237-596.

Fire And Ice took four points as the Pribis family were marked absent. Floyd Butler had a steady 567 (196-181-190) for the winners. Floyd and Linda are three behind the dredgers after five sessions.

Brady catapulted to a 209 average after his huge performance, with teammate Williams sitting at 205. Davignon is third (196) and Floyd fourth (194). Three keglers (Mark Basso, Bob George and Chuck Boykin) are all at or around 180.

Budding young superstar Cameron Mitchell made his FY debut as a pacer with 618 on games of 235, 187 and 196.

The Tomahawks and Lady Slippers meet in the marquee matchup next Thursday.

BSB Continue Rampage With Another Sweep
Three 600 Sets In Week 4; Brady Best With 627

"You talkin' to me?"

South Glens Falls - Fire And Ice were edging closer, but they ran out of time. Boston Strong Balls (formerly known as the Dredgers) won the opener by a comfy 59, then hung on for 23- and 8-pin victories to sweep the match and push their record to a superb 14-2 in the Forever Young league on Thursday afternoon at Pine Lanes. The losers retained a share of the runner-up spot with a 10-6 mark. Floyd Butler finessed an outstanding 616 on consistent games of 201, 204 and 211 but the league leaders countered with a huge handicap-fueled performance from leadoff man Patrick Scanlan (538 scratch which became 712 with assistance).

The Lady Slippers slid into a tie with the Butlers via a 3-1 win at the expense of The Singers. The Tomahawks fell to The Last Two 2½-1½ despite a league-best 627 from Roy Brady, who put 258 in the middle and finished strong with 207. Tommie anchor Don Williams had myriad problems with sticky approaches, shooting a sub-par 561 series. However, the Hadley superstar lived up to the legend by throwing a clutch tenth-frame bomb in the finale to salvage a half-point.

Ray Davignon had the circuit's other 600, a 606 on games of 170, 219 and 217.

The league voted unanimously to boycott the lanes next week and extend the season a week, due to a scheduled influx of 275 Queensbury Middle Schoolers. According to sources, it was the first unanimous vote ever recorded in any bowling league, anywhere.

Brady and Williams each sport 203 averages after a dozen games, with Roy having a 6-pin overall advantage. Floyd and Ray are in the 190s, at 195 and 193, respectively.