Reading is fundamental — with books and bowling lanes.
Bob “Goose” Faragon said reading the lanes and making quick adjustments were the reasons he was able to hold off Al Roth by two pins to win the Western Diner Northern Bowlers Association’s Stockade Open Sunday at Boulevard Bowl.
Faragon averaged “only” 214 over five games on an extremely challenging condition to beat a strong field of 77 bowlers. He finished with a five-game total of 1,071 and earned $1,100, plus another $300 or so in bracket money.
“I’m on a roll now,” said the
50-year-old Faragon, who made the semifinals in a recent event on the PBA Senior Tour.
“I prefer a tougher shot where there is a premium on spare shooting and avoiding splits. I noticed that the guys who hook the ball were totally dead out there. There was an out-of-bounds area outside of the 10th board. I shot the ball straight and firm between the third and fourth arrows. After I got a good-size lead, I just bowled defensively.”
Faragon said there was a lot of oil on the lanes early on, and the bowlers who throw hard were at a disadvantage.
“One of the key factors in the game is being able to read the lanes,” he said. “A lot of the guys were throwing the ball too hard, and it didn’t have a chance to react on the lanes. I knew you had to throw it softer and a lot straighter to be successful.”
Roth, 60, took the early lead with a 244 and still owned the lead after two games following a 232.
Faragon then moved in front after game three and held on the rest of the way, despite a strong finish by Jody Becker, who tossed a 235 in the fourth game and a 223 in the fifth game to finish just four pins back.
Roth needed a double in the 10th frame to overtake Faragon. He got the first strike but then pulled his next shot.
“I thought I needed two strikes, and it turned out that’s exactly what I needed,” said Roth. “Losing to Goose is no shame. The lanes changed, and I didn’t. They were very playable toward the end, though. It was a lot of fun.”
Rounding out the top five were Amsterdam’s Dan Furman (1,051) and Clifton Park’s Bob Kavanaugh (1,046). The top 15 bowlers cashed. Three cashers were seniors.
RESULTS
Cashers — Bob Faragon (1,071, $1,100), Al Roth (1,069, $550), Jody Becker (1,067, $325), Dan Furman (1,051, $225), Bob Kavanaugh (1,046, $175), Art VanBuren (1,045, $150), Steve Wagoner (1,042, $130); Bill Ray (1,041, $115), John Walther III (1,040, $105), Matt Sherman (1,035, $95), Clay Reiniger (1,025, $85), Lee Aiezza (1,021, $75), Dan White Jr. (1,010, $70), Craig Taylor (1,010, $65), Jim Thomas (1,005, $60).
Top top bowlers: Travis Winglosky 1,002, Ray Cyr 998, Russ Hunter 977, Mike Drexel 976, Jason Brown 974, Nick Miseno 974, Jaimie Diamond 956, Jeff Whitehouse 953, Craig Smith 952, Darrell Coonrad 951, Ken Stroud 948, Warren Guernsey 947, Jeff Zielonko 945, Rick Mochrie 942, David Brown 941, Jason Baker 939, Jeff Voght 939, Gary Bingham 937, Kyle Jaines 935, Mike DeGenero Jr. 923, Kris Negus 923, Tony Cacckello 922, Chip Tashjian 920, Andy Smith 919, Erik Cotch 912, Josh Trippoda 911, Isaac Paul 911.
Categories: -Sports-
