Monday, July 23, 2007

1st @ New South Wales Open

The New South Wales (NSW) Open is one of Australia's hardest event to win in recent years. The condition has been extremly tough and out of the last 6 years a lefty has won it 5 times.

Format:
10 Games qualifying that is then followed by the top 30 playing a further 4 games the next morning. From there the top 15 men have earnt the right to play in a 3 way round robin formatt. 1st on the paid gets a bonus 20, 2nd gets 10 and last gets nothing.

I qualified quite well, coming in 3rd after the 10 games, missed a few spares that i shouldnt of, but over all i felt quite happy with my performance.
The pattern was not quite as tough as previous years but you still had to make great shots.
The bowling centre (AMF Castle Hill Bowl) is fitted with GSX Brunswick machines and pro anvil lane surface, meaning the lanes played much straighter because of the surface and carrying is very hard because of the GSX machines.
If you bowled a 250 plus game, you bowled a great game. Just a little speed or angle of entry variance you left a corner pin for sure.

My good friend George Frilingos was leading by 150 heading into the round robin part of the event.
George is by far the hardest bowler in Australia to beat, he has won 12 national titles and like Tiger Woods, once is in the lead heading into the final day, is extremly hard to catch.

We started the round robin and i knew the only way i was going to catch George was to win as many round robin matches i could, to get the bonus pins and to strike alot.
I did just that, the 7 game round robin saw me average 249, i won 5/7 matches, a tie for 1st in another and 2nd in the other match.
That didnt stop George from doing the same though, George won 4/7 and 2nd in the other 3 matches.
It came down to the last game. On my pair was George and Shaun Cummings. Shaun had injured his left knee and was basically crawling to the line, so that left just me and George in a head to head battle.
I down by 30 or so pins, that meant i needed to beat George by 20 scractch, get my 20 bonus, and that should be enough.

It came down to the 10th frame and the crowd were feeling the presure just as much as we were.
I was up first, threw the ball and threw it bad. Was just way to fast, i just hit the head pin, leaving the 2 pin.........WAIT A MINUTE........ a pin has come from no where and rolled the 2 pin for a strike. "That's one for me" i screamed.
I needed the next one in the 10th to shoot 240 and shut George out. I let it go perfect, i knew it off the hand, the 10 pin the last to fall before a screaming messenger smashed it into the wall. .

I have won the 2007 NSW OPEN.

George, like the sportsman he is shook my hand and gave me a hug and said "great bowling". Not easy to do when you have lead the entire event untill the last frame of the last game.

This was the first national title i have won in my own home state of NSW, so i am extremly happy to break that drought.

I used a T road Solid all weekend and it truly is one of the best balls i have used. It does everything i need it to do.

Till the next event, which i think is in Indonesia in 2 weeks......Be good and keep on rollin!

Monday, July 9, 2007

Thats how the high roller goes!

To win the high roller you need a combination of skill and lucky. You can not make it on skill alone and no matter how lucky you are, you need skill to have any chance.
Now if you are not on your game and you dont have any luck, you will be exiting the event in the 1st round......like i did.

I bowled well for 4 frames of the game, my opponent bowled well for 5 frames, he had more luck than i did, hence when he through a bad shot it struck, when i did it was split.
I have only myself to blame though, dont get me wrong, it should never of come down to luck to win the first match. If i bowl well, then i have the match won early and thats the end of the story, but i played awful.

Dis-appointing is really the only word that comes to mind, but i am young, i will getover this loss and i know the next time i put my shoes on, i would have forgotten this horrible end to a great event.

Jason

Friday, July 6, 2007

Some more High Roller news

Sorry for the late reply.

Bowling starts at 10am and finishes about 10pm, its a all day thing, you never really get to leave the bowl, so the last couple of nights i have been drained......but i think i have just enough energy to update you :)

I played great today, i made both $1000 rounds and i feel like as each day comes i am playing better and better.

The lanes play a little easy on the fresh but with every game that is played, the lanes get drier and drier and its not long till i am lofting the left gutter.
I am using a Fired Up, with a touch of polish on it and it looks great, but thats all i have that looks like i can shoot big numbers..... Just hope it holds up in the super final.

Will let you know how it all goes tomorrow

Jason

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

How your luck can change!

Las Vegas..... A place where in a single moment your luck can change from great to crappy and of course crappy to great.

I played in the high roller again today, i bowled well but the cut scores were so high again that an un-timely corner pin would be the difference from 240 to 220 and of course that it can take to knock you out of any round. No cash for Jason again at the high roller :(
Good news for the Aussies though is that Glen "Chip" Loader bowled great and made it not only to the cashing round but he went on to make it to the super final of the high roller, giving him a chance to win the main event.
So just wanted to say WELL DONE CHIP!!!!!!

After the high roller qualifying was a $5000 sweeper. 3 games in a set, 2 squads and the best scores over both squads gives you there placings.
My first attempt was miserable. I bowled games 142, 143 and 144. Ok so i didnt try for the whole set but i had no look, no chance of cashing.....nothing.
I debated with myself if i should just call it a night and try and forget that today ever happened, or have one more go and hope a miracle occured.

Well a miracle did occur, i shot 268, 268 and 222 (758) to win the sweeper and the money.
My day went from a nightmare to a kick arse dream :)
I have so much more confidence now and i am ready to throw a million strikes for the rest of the week.

As one of my best mates Andrew Frawley would say.............IT'S GAME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Jason

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Not to plan!

Ok so i started bowling for the high roller today.

Its simple......1 game, beat 3/4 of your division move into the 2nd round. From there beat 1/2 of the guys in your division, the you claim $1000 (sweet) and then on the to 3rd round. The 3rd round, again in your division you take the top 6 scores, those top scores then reward you a spot in the rand final.

I played 3 games. 237, 233 and 236, It wasnt till then 3rd attempt i made the 2nd round. The scores are extremly high this year, normally 215 makes the first cut and 200 makes the 2nd round for a $1000......not this time.

But thats Vegas, today was today and you can bet every dollar in your pocket that tomorrow will be totallt different.....lets hope so.

Talk again soon

Belmo

Sunday, July 1, 2007

VIVA LAS VEGAS

"Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas"

Thats the sign you see as soon as you drive into Las Vegas.

My trip started in Orange, we had a terrible snow storm and all roads to get to Sydney were closed. I drove 3 hours in the other direction so i could drive around the snow (where the roads were open) total drive time was almost 8 hours, plus the 14 hours to LA, plus the 1 hour to San Fransico and then on top of that Victor Meyerhoff (one of my best mates from the states) drove 9 hours to Vegas, total travel time 32 hours to Vegas.

Vegas is simply one of those cities that anything you want, need or see can be done at any time any day.

The bowling tournament is at Sam's Town Hotel Casino. Its a cowboy style casino, really targeted at the older generations and is not a place i would say it worth visiting, but that where the High Roller is, so this is the most logically place to stay.

There are 3 events on at Sam's Town. The high roller, the A Game and the Red Hot. I bowled tonight to try and qualify for the A Game, bowled greatm 130 over for 5 games and have made the semi finals, which start tomorrow.

Vegas is hot this time of year, i mean it is a desert :) so shorts and shirts are all you need. I hope to maybe have some relax time and hit the swimming pool.

Will keep you updated day by day...hope i keep having good news

Jason