If the first week of bowling
was about Bowlway Lanes redeeming itself from last year’s humble defeat, then the
final week was about Elgin Lanes not giving up without a fight. In what was by
far the most competitive and entertaining matches ever seen in the history of
the Elgin Cross-Town Classic, Bowlway Lanes held on by a mere 15 pins to claim
victory and its fourth Mayor’s Cup.
Since its inception in 2013, the Elgin Cross-Town Classic has continued to evolve and grow into something special as two weeks of tournament action showed. Coming into the second week, Elgin Lanes was down 7-0 in points and trailed by 126 pins. All Bowlway Lanes had to do was win one game or end the series with the higher pin total – both of which were easier said than done.
During the first game at Elgin Lanes both teams wasted little time getting started. The sound of strikes filled the building with almost every shot being cheered by the large crowd. A late surge by Bowlway, led by Dan Martin’s 235 and Sean Hargadon’s 216 was not enough to surpass Elgin’s Drew Perly (254), Dan Svehla (247) and Keith Davis (244). Elgin took game one 1101-1079 and was now trailing 7-2 in points and by 104 pins to Bowlway.
Since its inception in 2013, the Elgin Cross-Town Classic has continued to evolve and grow into something special as two weeks of tournament action showed. Coming into the second week, Elgin Lanes was down 7-0 in points and trailed by 126 pins. All Bowlway Lanes had to do was win one game or end the series with the higher pin total – both of which were easier said than done.
During the first game at Elgin Lanes both teams wasted little time getting started. The sound of strikes filled the building with almost every shot being cheered by the large crowd. A late surge by Bowlway, led by Dan Martin’s 235 and Sean Hargadon’s 216 was not enough to surpass Elgin’s Drew Perly (254), Dan Svehla (247) and Keith Davis (244). Elgin took game one 1101-1079 and was now trailing 7-2 in points and by 104 pins to Bowlway.
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| Team Bowlway 2017: Front row left: Dan Martin and Chris Geimer. Back row left: JJ Meyer, Sean Hargadon, Don Betts, Mike Grocke, Norm Grocke, and Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain. |
The lanes
began to change in game two but the scoring pace remained steady. Both teams
kept battling all the way into the later frames. Led by a strong effort from
Perly (238) and Ken Buhlman (224), Elgin was able to claim a narrow victory
1017-992 as Chris Geimer’s 235 and Dan Martin’s 212 were not enough for
Bowlway. Elgin was now trailing 7-4 in points and by 79 pins.
With
everything hinging on the last game, Elgin would need to win by 80 pins to
retain the title. The scoring pace picked up with Perly once again leading all
players by firing a 247 followed by Dan Svehla’s 215, leading to a 1049 team
score. Bowlway responded with Mike Grocke’s 216 and Don Betts’ 212 for a 985
score. This brought Elgin to a 7-7 tie in points, but when it came down to total
series, Bowlway prevailed by 15 pins, thanks in large part to Betts’ clutch strike in the
tenth frame that secured the win and brought the Mayor’s Cup back home to
Bowlway Lanes.
BOX SCORE
Team Bowlway 1079 992 985 =
3,056
Team Elgin 1101 1017 1049 =
3,167
Team Bowlway: led by Dan Martin with a 652 series, Chris Geimber (621), Mike
Grocke (617), Don Betts (601) and Sean Hargadon (565). The team finished with
3,039 total pins for a team average of 203.7.
Two week total pins: 6,095.
Team Elgin: led by Drew Perly with a
739 series (a record), Dan Svehla (661), Keith Davis (640), Ken Buhlman (572)
and Kurt Strebel (555). The team finished with 3,167 total pins for a team
average of 211.1.
Two week total pins: 6,080.
RECAP
Game one: Team Bowlway leads Team Elgin 7-2 in points.
Game two: Team Bowlway leads Team Elgin 7-4.
Game three: Team Bowlway leads Team Elgin 7-6.
Series totals: Team Bowlway is tied with Team Elgin 7-7.
Game one: Team Bowlway leads Team Elgin 7-2 in points.
Game two: Team Bowlway leads Team Elgin 7-4.
Game three: Team Bowlway leads Team Elgin 7-6.
Series totals: Team Bowlway is tied with Team Elgin 7-7.
Team Bowlway leads in total pins by 15 and wins Elgin
Cross-Town Classic V.
