After having little success with a urethane ball at the outset of the Sneezy’s Monday Night League at Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion earlier this week, Ricky Daniels figured it was time to switch to another ball.
“I was really struggling and in the eighth frame I switched to a (Brunswick) Cutting Edge Pearl,” the 60-year-old right-hander said. “It took a couple shots to get lined up and then I struck out in the 10th frame in that lousy first game (a 151).”
Daniels’ fortunes changed dramatically from that point on as he proceeded to roll 12 consecutive strikes in the second game for his first United States Bowling Congress-certified 300 game after about 35 years of organized bowling.
“Once I changed balls, I felt comfortable and every ball was right there,” said Daniels, who said he was playing just outside the second arrow with a down-and-in shot. “And I wasn’t nervous at all, which shocks me, because I had eight in a row before and got very nervous.”
Daniels, a sub on Gary Gilman’s team, finished the night with a 177 game for a 628 series. His previous high game was 290. He has a 195 average for about 30 games in the league and also as a regular in the Thursday Men’s Triples League at his hometown lanes.
Married with six children, Daniels works at Ideal Innovation, a machine shop in Lockport.
Elsewhere around the Genesee Region USBC:
-- Batavians Jason Quilliam and Rich Wagner registered perfect games in the Mancuso Real Estate Monday Doubles and Toyota of Batavia Thursday 5-Man leagues, respectively, at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia.
Quilliam, a 41-year-old righty, started a bit slowly with a 213 before catching fire for 268 and 300, posting the last 17 strikes in a row on lanes 11-12, and finishing with a sparkling 781 series.
He said he used a new Hammer Black Widow 2.0 ball drilled by Brian Green of Striking Effects Pro Shop, located at the bowling center.
A sales manager for One Touch Direct (T-Mobile internet sales), Quilliam now has three certified 300 games to go with his high series of 805.
Wagner, a 38-year-old lefty, recorded his 41st perfect game to cap a 751 series on lanes 17-18.
He said he was lucky to add to his list of 300 games as he pulled the final shot, tripping a 6-pin. The big night raised his league-leading average to 232.
-- At Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen, Churchville resident William Yates continued his hot streak with a 776 series on games of 280-248-248 on lanes 3-4 in the Thursday Owls League. The 776 raised his average to 218.
Yates had a 299 game and 760 series the previous week.
For a list of high scores from last week, including the Genesee Region Youth Travel League, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.
