The Washington times., 1927-12-29
SPOTLIGHT
|. |SHELDBY
WHALEN
By r. D. Thomas

By r. D. Thomas
The most confident bowlers In
the world, Washington's crack duck
pinners, have been taken down a
peg. And a new star has risen to
pale the light of the great Glenn
Wolstenholme. at least temporarily.
Convention Halls quint, COM
posed Of five Of the 10 high ranking
bowlers Of Washington. shot duck4
pins with Phil SpinelEa's all-star
team Of Brooklyn and came out ex,
actly even in the first 5.game set
Of a 10-game series, which will be
concluded in Brooklyn on Janu.
ary z.
The Convention Hall team was
Fat favorite, inasmuch as its mem.
bers are all-star duckpin rollers and
the Brooklynites' regular game Is
tenpins. The score was 2S1s to
1919.
WOlstenhOIme, who has never
been defeated in a major singles
battle. today Is trailing Phil
Spfnella, who for years has been
claSsed rs a retired star. by four
pins. The famous Barney Spin.
was
pose Glenn. pulled out at the
i last moment and his cousin was
substituted. Barney distinctly
was off his game and Phil had
done pretty well in the doubles.
Young Jack Whalen, whose lack
Of experience in big-time competi-
tion made him doubtful asset,
despite his average OF 100 in the
District League. Swiped the spot
Hight from Wolstenholme. Whalen
was the high man for both teams
In the five-man event with a set of
618 and in the doubles, paired with
Red Megaw, he gave a capacity
crowd at Convention Hall the
biggest thrill of the bowling season.
This came in the last box of the
final game. Barney and Phil were
leading by fairly comfortable mar
gin until the last box. Megaw had
blown a couple of spares that would
have clinched matters for Conven-
tion Hall and Phil and Barney had
made few that created tough
situation. Those Brooklyn boys are
tough hombres. They seldom fail
when the going is precarious. Bar
ney didn't miss a one-pin break all
night and Phil never once muffed
m object pin. He shot in the
j doubles and singles.
The Convention Hall hackers
had just about given up i'm
the doubles when Megaw and
Whalen each spared in the
eighth frame Of the last game.
This revived hope, which was
almost extinguished. when the
brilliant Barney pulled a trick
spare in the ninth.
There was pause as the par
Elephants took account of the sit
uation. It was found that mark
by Whalen in the last box with a
heavy count would at least make
matters even, provided the Brook
1yn anchor man, Barney. didn't
mark, too.
Whalen spared in the ninth. He
let fly with a speedy and accurate
shot In the tenth. 1t was a strike.
The crowd held its collective breath
as he poised for the roll-off. He
got eight on his first ball and
cleaned 'em up with the second.
This mad it necessary for Barney
to mark to win or get 10 to tie.
The little Brooklyn sharpshooter
ripped out the middle and left three
on one side and two on the other.
His attempt for spare hit the
object maple, but too full. His
second shot, aimed at a cleanup
and a tie, also was too good, leav-
ing four pins standing. Megaw
and Whalen triumphed by that
margin.
But before the victories finally
are decided. in teams, doubles and
singles, five more games must be
rolled in Brooklyn. The contract
calls for 10 games in each event,
0er a purse of $1,000. The doubles
resulted in score of 1,135 for
Megaw and Whalen against 1892
Tor Phil and Barney Spinella.
In the singles Phil SpineIIa
defeated WOIstenhOlme, 558 to
6S4, and this was q distinct uD-
set, even though the famous
Glenn was 'Off his game" Only
SpasmOdically did he resemble
the WOlstenhoIme who time
after time has vanquished for
midable opponents i'm the last
several years.
Wolstenholme'S dismal showing
was a feature of the evening. His
"a in the first game of the team
set was the lowest ever shot by
Glenn in a brilliant career as an
intercity performer. He finished
with S5, pitiful string in a pinch
Tor this "bear-down" wonder. To
his credit. however, it must be men,
toned that WolstenE olne spared in
the last frame, thus bearing out a
national reputation that he can "get
EN- when they're needed"
That spare saved Convention Hall
from temporary defeat even though
the count was only two. Glenn
cut through the middle
Wolstenholme the Great left the
scene Of conflict with mien which
carried the challenges: Another day
will come" He has five games to