For the 2nd straight week, we had some unusually high scores, which surprised everyone and led to an amazing finish.  The fact that we also had a barrage of 9-Taps was NOT a surprise.  Leon Bemis started the day with 5-Taps and Skip Shear did the same a little later, but it was in the 4:30 squad that the Jackpot really got hammered.  For the 4th straightvisit to Narrows Plaza, we had a 9-Tap Jackpotpayout of $750.00 or more.  Earl Kleist actually had NINE Taps in his first 10 shots, stringing 7-Taps together from the 4th to 10th frames, earning$1,000.00 from the Consolation Bonus.  That pushes the Jackpot payouts to $18,375.00 for the year.  The surprising higher scores this week were very similar to last weeks, but achieved on very different conditions.  Narrows produced 13 series totaling 1000 or higher, along with a Cut-Line, well above the norm, at 968.

 

Another 1st-Time Champion Jason Parker, made a spectacular finish, and didn't even realize that he was in contention.  The storyline was truly poetic and another example of NEVER say "I CAN'T".  Joe Langer had an extra-large 1st squad score of 1109, that had bowlers questioning whether it was out of their reach.  But when the lanes are giving up BIG scores... ANYBODY can do it.  Last weeks Champ, Carl Nichols, didn't say "I Can't".  In the 2nd squad, he continued his 'Hot Streak' by topping his Career Best by 55 pins and taking the lead.  Carl's win last week required a perfect finish after he was seemingly out of contention.  Thisweek Jason didn't think he had a shot after his first two games, but it was still mathematically possible, needing the same kind of perfection as Carl the week before.  But, in Jason's 15 months on the Tour, he had only shot one 300 game (with or without hdcp).  However, when you're 'Hot' anything is possible, as demonstrated for the second straight week, with the winner finishing with back-to-back 300's to pull out the win, this time by just 9 pins.  Jason admitted that there were more than a few shots that were Brooklyn's or Nose-Jobs, in those games.  The fun part was that he couldn't understand getting so much attention after his last game, until someone FINALLY told him that he had just won the Tournament!  In the end, he topped his Personal Best series by a HUGE 120 pins on his way to a $1,998.00 payday.  He plans to use the Winner's share to pay for a trip back home to Fresno.  The instrument used for his miraculous finish was his Lane One 'Black Panther', drilled by Stan Lee.  Wife Lydia (Tour Member) was at Narrows with their boys Jeff & Ben at the beginning of the squad, but she took the boys to their nearby home before Jason's BIG Finish.  CONGRATS Jason for a GREAT win!

 

Other than a little spurt in July, Carl Nichols had been in a bit of a slump since April.  Not anymore!  He has climbed into contention for Bowler of the Year Honors with his two straight BIG finishes, this one worth a nice $899.00 for 2nd.  In 3rd Place, Joe Langer was seeking his first Title after tossing his 'PB' by 70 pins.  This was still his best finish, paying him $450.00 for his Giant score.