The ninth week of Fall 2024 saw some flips happen in the bottom portion of the standings. JoAnne Barber dazzled with this week’s high game (138) and series (405) for the woman, keeping the non-existent competition on their non-existent toes. Meanwhile, for the men, Seth Gunderson brought the heat with a stellar 247 high game, and Matthew Taylor dominated with a high series of 626. Read on for all the flipping details, and check of your bingo results too!

First up, on lanes 1 & 2: Stealing Pins in the Burrows faced off against Scooter's Succulent Sausages™. Nathan Burrows led the charge with a hypnotic 478 series, backed by the unstoppable Most Valuable Bowler JoAnne Barber. The Pin Thieves executed a flawless heist, sweeping the Sausagemakers clean off their feet. Scott Murdock did everything he could, carrying his team with a solid 441 series, but the crushing sweep left Scooter's Succulent Sausages™ reeling. As Stealing Pins in the Burrows leaped one spot in the standings to 3rd place, Scooter's Succulent Sausages™ remained painfully stuck in 2nd, licking their wounds as well as their tasty juices.

On lanes 3 & 4: Sun Dolphins were taken down by Scootytang in a clean sweep that left the Dolphins sinking in the standings. Birthday boy Scott Thompson did his best to keep his team afloat with a 440 series, but even his birthday wishes couldn’t save them. On the other side, Seth Gunderson was in rare form, blasting a 589 series as Tang strutted their way to victory, aided by the ever-impressive #1 Power-Ranked Nick Kinney. As the dust settled, Sun Dolphins slipped one more spot into the sadly familiar watery depths of dead last, while Scootytang surged ahead, clawing their way out of what had been a very out of character last place stint and into 5th.

Not even going Bowls Deep into each other was enough to turn things around.

Finally, down on lanes 5 & 6: The underdogs Bowls Deep clashed with the formidable Squid Row in a showdown that was a more realistic David vs. Goliath story than the traditional version. Despite a valiant effort from Nicholas Knight to get his bowls deep with a 398 series, Deep could only manage one win. On the other side, Matthew Taylor was a force to be reckoned with, leading Squid Row with a scorching 626 series, while #1 Head-to-Head bowler Dennis Walling wriggled his tentacles in to secure 3 big wins. Bowls Deep tumbled down to 4th place, leaving their hopes sinking, while Squid Row kept all their legs and suckers firmly on top, proudly defending their 1st place throne.

Bowlers slipping under the velvet rope in front of The 200 Club include: Aaron Barber (203), Ben Spencer (215), Dennis Walling (209), Matthew Taylor (225,233), Nick Kinney (229), and Seth Gunderson (247)

In this week's Tournament of Champions brackets: Dennis Walling got the better of Division 1, while Scott Murdock staked a claim for the Iron Throne in Division 2. JoAnne Barber decimated Division 3, and Nathan Burrows shut down Division 4. In terms of overall points: Dennis Walling governs Division 1; Scott Murdock leads Division 2; JoAnne Barber and Buck Nasty are both in the driver's seat (on each other's laps?) in Division 3 in a tie; and Nathan Burrows tops Division 4.

NEXT WEEK:

• First, on lanes 1&2, 6th-place Sun Dolphins (hcp 24) will chuck some balls with 4th-place Bowls Deep. Dolphins are expected to maintain their current strength as they lose the series but avoid getting swept; while Bowls are forecast to hold steady as they enjoy their victories.
• Moving to lanes 3&4, 2nd-place Scooter's Succulent Sausages™ (hcp 65) will compete against 1st-place Squid Row. Sausagemakers might maintain their current strength as they lose the series but avoid getting swept; while Mmmm Calimari ought to hold steady as they enjoy their victories.
• Finally, on lanes 5&6, 5th-place Scootytang will battle 3rd-place Stealing Pins in the Burrows (hcp 145). Tang is predicted to maintain their current strength as they sweep the series; while Pin Thieves are anticipated to hold steady as they endure a rough night.

^*(Remember, the predicted results above are based on mathematical extrapolations and can be changed by all sorts of factors. If you don't like how your team's results are predicted, you and your teammates have the power to prove the math wrong!)

THIS WEEK'S MVB JoAnne Barber Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Nick Kinney Runner Up: Matthew Taylor	#1 H2H BOWLER Dennis Walling Runner Up: Matthew Taylor
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Where are the other holes in this bowling ball? And more importantly where is the dolphin's penis?" Aaron Barber, noticing something concerning about the recap sheet's illustration for Scott Thompson's birthday.