The Indianapolis journal., 1902-03-30
PAST WINNERS IN |. B. |.
TEAMS AND MEN WHO HAVE CAR
RIED OFF FORMER HONORs.
Averages Have Greatly Improved Each
SeaSOn-N. B. &. Executive Com
mittee Meets To-day.

The Indianapolis Bowling League com
pleted its most succc cssful season last Fri
day night The Marion team won the cham
pionship for the third consecutive year. and
T. J. Carter OF the 8Iarions. carried off the
individual honors. II was conceded early in
the season that the Marion bowlers had
the best opportunity of again finishing at
the top of the championship ladder. as
they started the race with a determination
10 win and maintained a lively pace
throughout the season. The Marion team is
composed OF members of the Marion Club.
and It can be safely said it is the strongest
team OF its kind in the country. The men
have nearly always bowled consistently
and in this manner have won the large
number Of games that placed them at the
top Of the race.
The closing games of the season were all
exciting The Capital Citys. by taking six
games from the Nationals. managed TO tie
the Washingtons for second place. The
Pastimes and North Sides are tied for sixth
place. After the Marions gained such sub
stantial lead on first place the race was be
tween several of the clubs for second hon
crs and this is still in question owing 10 the
tie. The Capital Citys Washingtons Ko-
We-Bas and Turner's were strong candi-
dates for second honors many times during
the season. but toward the last the fight
was between the Washngtons and Capital
Citys The Washingtons would have car
ried off second place with little trouble had
they been pittCd against such easy game as
the Capital Citys had on the closing night.
The first season of the indianapolis
League was in 1896 and 1897 when there
were six clubs and nine pins were played.
j. =. G.. won the championship and Elmer
Gay carried off the individual hOnOrs with
average Of 143. Nine pins were also
played the following season. when the Lyra
Casino won and J. @. Mueller was the indi-
vidual champion. with an average OF IA
The league inaUguTated the game Of ten
PITS for the season OF 1859 and there were
ten clubs. The WashingtOns won the cham
piOnship. the Marions finishing fourth. Gus
Mueller won the. individual honor with an
average of 15S. The following season wit
messed the MariOnS go TO the front and
since then-fOr three seasOns-they have
finished nrSt. Ben Brown won the lndl-
vidual hOnOrs in lS99-O0, with an average OF
IL. The next season r. II. BrysOn ran
close race with NJ c. Knox and finished
first with an average of 176. This year wit
messed I. J. Carter, of the MariOns. carry
OF the Individual championship with an
average OF ~ BrysOn was second with lol,
Brown third and Knox fourth. The Marion
bOwlers have always been at the front since
they really got into the game three years
ago.
The present champion finished fifth in the
individual race last year. Mr.. Carter IS re-
sponsible for the present system of bowling
used by both the Indianapolis and Inde
pendent leagues 1t was through his efforts
and ingenuity that the plan of dividing the
teams into two divisions was successfully
worked out Before the two-divisiOn scheme
inaugJfrated there not much in
terest in bowling as there has since been.
Under the present system a stronger rival
~ is created not only among the various
teams but among the players of the same
teams. They strive TO get into the first di-
vision and stay there and they only do
that by making the highest average each
week
TIE averages. prize winners. official
standing, etc. of the I. B. L. follow: