Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-13
CHIPS FROM THE
MAPLEWAYS

IN these days when bowling averages
count for little and records for less,
your former fidgety alley owners,
= apparently having finally erased the
worry wrinkles from their brows caused
by the Juror over the raised gutter mania,
are sitting back and awaiting the next
move of the National Duckpin Bowling
Congress, hoping that 1t Is toward the
complete Standardization OF the great
pin sport.
Since late last season, when some OF
the owners boosted their cutters at the
pin end of the alleys to produce high
scores, which, of course. the bowling
public has weakness for. genera!
feeling OF uneasineSs has pervaded
Washington's pin plant proprietorS.
Self-defense as these more back
ward alley owners maintained, caused
them to raise their cutters also this
season.
CITIZEN" as one of them remarked,
everything was raised. including
a few roofs" Some raised their
cutters an inch, others more. Those
who raised them an inch raised rum
pus because others raised their cutters
a little higher, which, as almost every
bowler knows now, helps raise scores
what with the pins sweeping back ON
the alleys and knocking over those lett
standing, If any. ~
higher saw they could find nothing in
the N. D. B. C.'s od1cial rule book
about gutter measurements. Hence
the sky, or rather the alley level, os-
tensibly was the limit.
The contention is said to have start
ed when a group of Washington's star
pinmen went to New England last year
for an intercity battle and rolled scores
which. when published in local news
papers. seemed remarkable to wash
ington's bowling colony. They were,
however. only good scores for New Eng
land, for the Northern alleys are
equipped with rounded cutters. Those
here, with few exceptions. are fiat.
George L. Isemann, who has worked
tirelessly and most successfully since
the N. D. B. c. was organized in
1927, is the man to whom the alley
owners are looking to pilot them out
of this difficulty. They have every
confidence in the hustling secretary
Of the congress, for he probably
has done more than any other mortal
to elevate bowling to its present
heights.
TOHN S. BLICK, the country's biggest
maple magnate, said last night
that he was planning to order
rounded cutters for his 135 alleys in
Washington. He already has installed
them in Norfolk. Richmond and At
lanta and is having them installed in
Greensboro. Biloxi believes that the
installation of rounded cutters will help
remove the difficulty.
One Of the greatest surprises Of the
current season has been the strong
showing of the Petworth team in the
District League. Not in years has Pet
worth aggregation made a bid for top
place in Washington's fastest duckpln
loop and the showing Of Eddie Cotter's
crew has bowling followers Of that sec
ton all popped up.
Tomorrow night at Petworth the home
boys will entertain Red Megaw and
his band of Northeast Temple sharp
shooters. The Pets and Temple are
running a close race for the lead, the
latter club leading by one game.
Remembering that Lucky Strike was
heavy favorite to down them last
week, the Pets are non-plussed by the
general opinion that Temple will prove
too strong for them and hope to deal
them the same hand they dealt the
Enthusiastically a tightly CLOSED hand
on the whiskers.
Speaking Of matches, that one tonight
at the Recreation between Lucky Strike
me-. Neither team, albeit Boosting
crack line-ups, has hit its true stride
and tonight mey be the night one o.
both will bust loose.
When couple of teams. including the
pinmea, these boasts are three weeks
overdue. anything might happen.
The LuckieS are resting on the bot
tom of the league. an unfamiliar place
for them, but as Capt. Howard Camp
games We have had to match were over
600. You can't very well beat that
kind of bowling"
EIvE-DOLLAR prizes to bowlers who
l. roll the high game and high set
and make most spares and strikes
will be given on each Of the three
nights Of the Greater Washington
Sweepstakes, the first such event held
the event, which is expected to draw
more than 200 bowlers, is held at the
Columbia, Arcadia and Convention
Hall. starting November 81.
Unlike the usual run of sweepstakes,
a handicap system will be employed.
The maximum of ITO will be scratch
and bowlers whose league averages run
under that will be given two-thirds.
These prizes are expected to MAIN
tain the interest OF the bowlers who
get off to poor starts. The entry Zee
is IS, plus the cost of games. With at
least 200 bowlers expected to compete,
the event may prove to be one OF the
richest ever hSld.