Evening star., 1939-12-10
Scratch Performers
Also Given Break
In Cash Awards
Nearly $1,000 Awaits
Winners in Gigantic
'Grob- Bag Porty
By ROD THOMAS.

Yea, man, there's a Santa Claus
He's bringing a bulging bundle of
that most welcome of gifts, cash,
to the bowling horde of Washington
but there won't be something on the
tree for all who come to the biggest
duckpin party on record-the 18th
annual Yuletide tournament spon-
sored by The Star.
This will be somewhat of grab
bag party. with not even the boldest
prophet venturing to predict who
will come up with any of the prizes
and there are SO of them.
With every league in the Metro
politan Washington area entered III
toto. the tournament will open
formally tomorrow. Several leagues
were permitted to beat the barrier
because they had no matches
scheduled this week and league play
will constitute the qualification test.
Entry Unguessable, Too.
Almost as much of guess as to
who will gather the prizes is how
many will attempt to. For the
first time in history virtually the
entire organized bowling popula-
ton of city plus many not aftil-
lated with leagues will compete in
one tournament and nobody knows
how many duckpin shooters there
are in Washington. The tournament
will come close to telling. That 1t
will be the largest duckpin event
ever held is undisputed.
Liberal handicaps, based on league
averages, will be dealt vast
majority so that the giant. field
will be almost on equal footing.
Both men and women will receive
handicaps up to 18 pins a game,
based on two-thirds of the differ
ence between their averages as OF
December l and scratch-l2S for
men and 118 for women.
Not only will the tournament be
q record breaker in entries and
possess a qualification system unique
in the sport, but it will be the only
one in the country contested at all
of a city's public alleys with
common value placed upon scores.
Also it will be one of the few public
tournaments without an entry lee.
Prize Fund Totals $1,000.
Twenty-Five per cent of the parti-
cipants at each alley will qualify
and shoot the final set-five games
for men and three for Women-at
the same plant.
The prize fund totals nearly 81 900
with 80 prizes for men, who have
big margin in entries, and 80 Tor
women. To this fund the alley
owners contributed dollar a drive,
making up nearly half OF 1t.
Formerly the top prize for each
sex in The Star tournament was
$50 plus a gold medal. This time
500 will go along with the medal,
with second place worth $50; third,
$40, and the other spots from $l5
down to 81.
Star bowlers who formerly were
discouraged by the big handicaps
against them will look with greater
favor on the 1899 prize list for 1t
includes some fat plucklngs Tor
scratch scores. High sets from
scratch in both preliminary and
rolloff will pay OF at $25 apiece
and high games at $40. In past
tournaments they were worth only
IS, And the buffers get in, TOO,
on the special awards for there Will
be s25 plums for top sets with handl-
caps. With grand slam, poWler
would collect $240 and a medal.
Alley Managers Cautioned.
With thousands of scores to be
tabulated, alley managers are cau-
toned to keep careful watch and
single out high ones as the tourna-
ment progresses. This will save lot
of toll when time comes to pay
league scorers write on the score
sheets the handicaps OF all who rate
them.
The tournament management
wishes to emphasize once again to
all concerned that the first league
set rolled by bowler with more than
one league affiiation will count as
the qualification test. The list OF
qualifiers at each plant will be pub
lished after the conclusion OF the
prelim next Sunday. On Saturday
and Sunday bowlers not members OF
leagues and league substitutes Will
take their turns. The rolloH Will be
held during Christmas week.
The prize list: