We had another fun and successful event this weekend at AMF Shea Village Lanes. We had a total of 68 entries. We had more new members welcomed to the Strike Force Tour Family and welcomed back some longtime members we haven’t seen before. I would like to give a shout out to Robert Nix a new member that made the quarter finals and also Jim Arnone for stopping by and saying hi! Jim, I hope I spelt your name right! We had a total of 68 entries and 20 cashers which is a 1 in 3.4 cash ratio!
I would like to take this time to celebrate our 10th tournament anniversary since being back. It has really been an incredible start and it’s all because of the current SFT family and its continued support and word of mouth. Through 10 events we have had over 190 memberships, 780 entries, 210 cashers, and paid out over $40,000! Through 10 events we have averaged a 1 in 3.7 cash ratio, had 4 - A division champions, 6 - B Division champions, and 9 - $1,000 winners! If you would have told me that at the beginning of March, I would have called you a crazy person! I am very excited for the future of this club and its members.
Now to the exciting stuff, the weekend story lines! There were quite a few, from Devin Johnston shooting 790 scratch in his home house to Brian Waugh’s bad break in the A division semifinal match. It seems like no matter what, there are always great moments and memories every weekend. Devin Johnston, who has bowled a few events but has just barely missed the cut, really showed off his striking ability on Saturday. Shooting a nice scratch set of 790, and a handicap score of +277 was not only a record so far for SFT AHT, but an impressive feat. Devin went out in the first round of the quarter finals but put on a very memorable qualifying performance that is going to be hard to top.
The semifinals and final match were, as usual, very entertaining. The A division had Brian Crayton making his first semi-finals appearance facing off against Brian Waugh, who has been one of the most consistent bowlers throughout the season. The battle of the Brian’s was back and forth but Brian Waugh had a chance to seal it with a strike in the 10th but had a pretty tough break. His ball entered the pocket just a little high and what could have been a 4 pin or a 9 pin was a 4, 9 split. He wasn’t able to convert it in the 10th which left the door wide open for Brian Crayton who just needed good count and mark to win. Brian threw the first strike in the 10th to win not only the A division title, but the battle of the Brian’s.
Gary McCurdy defeated the Jesse Decker in the B division finals. Jesse, who is also proving to be one of the more versatile players on the tour, made a ball change for that match that ended up being his demise. Gary defeated Jesse 212 to 188.
Gary was having thumb issues but borrowed some electrical tape from a fellow SFT AHT member to get through the final match, and won the final match against Brian Crayton in a grueling grind out, 206 to 185. I would like to thank everyone for coming out and hope to see you all at Brunswick Kyrene Lanes on June 30th and July 1st.
