The Washington herald., 1922-12-12
DUCKPIfyNERS
INCREASE In
BIG NUMBERS
Small Pin Game Gains by
Leaps and Bounds In Popu-
larity and Devotees.
By LEONARD w. COLLINS.

by LEONAhD w. COLLlNS.
THE duckpin game had a rath-
er tough row to hoe during
the first few months after
It's introduction on the old Subway
alleys. Tenpin bowlers, almost I'd
Q man, were dead set against 1t,
and many were the disparaging
remarks hurled at those who had
taken up the game. The big pin
bowlers were quick to realize that
duckpins was fast encroaching
upon their game.
At first but three drives were
turned over to the duckpin bowlers.
the management advancing the
argument that the small pin game
had a far greater deteriorating eff.
feet upon the alleys than tenpins.
That was some argument in those
days. but try and put 1t over now.
As the game steadily increased in
popularity and number of devotees
IL was found necessary, in order TO
meet the demand, to spread the
small pins all the way across the
seven downstairs drives. And 1t
was only few months later that
the Palace proprietors were practi.
eally compelled to allow the little
pins to be rolled on the alleys up-
stairs.
MAKES GREAT HEADwAY.,
Duckpins had hit the National
Capital like no other sport ever has
or had By this time the tenphfners
had their backs to the wall. They
could foresee the inevitable. Wash
ington had gone duckpin mad, and
the small pins were completely over
shadowing tenpins as a bowling
game In an effort to stem the
tide the Palace management, for
reasons Of their own. tried to bar
the little game off their alleys after
: p. m They might just as well
have locked the doors and thrown
the key down a well.
During the first few weeks after
the game got a start on the Subway
drives those that could be seen al
most every afternoon hitting the
wood included Billy Warren. Harry
Yates. Gene Fariee. Harry Armiger,
Henry Bright, Eddie Bennett. Roy
Champion, Frank McKnew, Crom-
well, Stewart Marshall, Gerry, and
List
1t was not so long after that Al
Rodrick was into the game up to
his neck. as was Hank Bailey,
Harry Waters, the late Jack Bros
nan, and other tenpin stars. Pot
games were all the rage and the
tenpin bowlers used the argument
for rolling the game that they found
1t profitable.
Rodrick, Brosnan and Harry
Krauss practically dominated the
small pin game during the first
year Of its existence. In other
words this trio could step out and
grab the grapes anytime the
grapes were worth grabbing Bros
nan. undoubtedly. was the best
money-bowler the National Capital
ever had.
BROSNAN BEST OF ALL.
Nonchalant to almost exaspera-
ton. Brosnan had an indifferent
attitude when shooting pot games
that generally proved most discon-
certing to an opponent. There were
any number of bowlers who could
make just as many strikes and
spares as the Fat Mems star, but
Brosnan's success lay in the fact
that he was the best third-ball
bowler in the game.
No matter what the break. IL a
third ball was necessary. Brosnan
kept plugging for the wood. He
took more pains on the third shot
than he did on either the first or
second. 1t was the pins he picked
up in his fiat boxes that more
often than not offset light counts
on marks by his opponents.
Rodrick and Krauss were two
more who were always after the
wood Cutting out one and five
only meant to them that they had
to get the remaining eight sticks
on their next two shots. Seldom
indeed did it ever happen that they
dribbled the ball down the alley
after running into a split.
That is why they stood out and
that represents the difference be-
tween the good bowler and the av-
erage bowler of today. You will
find the pinner who is gathering
I'm the wood shooting with just as
much care on that third shot as
he does on the first or second. A
pin picked up here and one picked
up there may prove the margin by
which some bowler beats out an
other by only a few pins.