Prediction Records Tyson Nelson: 49 - 39 - 0 (Last Week: 5-3-0)
Trevor Cook: 52 - 36 - 0 (Last Week: 5-3-0)
Match #1: Enns vs. Devenney These teams started the second half slow and will be looking to bounce back this week. Team Enns had a couple of bowlers away last week but with a full team, they have a slim advantage in all of the 2-3-4 positions that makes them the favourites here. Glen Howarth has been getting better as the season has gone on and at his best he’s right up there with anyone in the league. He’s averaging 254 over the past 4 weeks and is a tough matchup for anyone.
Key Matchup
Jennifer Devenney hasn’t been at her best this season but we know what she is capable of. Her team might need her to have a big night tonight against Glen; if she can start to regain her form then Team Devenney definitely has a chance to pull off the win.
Tyson’s pick: Team Enns
Trevor’s pick: Team Enns
Match #2: Gelardi vs. King Team Gelardi’s 20-11 win over Team Cook last week opened the door for their opponents this week, Team King, to continue their charge up the standings and enter the A-side for the first time, taking a 7-point lead on ninth place with their 21.5-point night. Team King has just one loss since Week 6 but they will be putting that on the line tonight with a match against the league’s first-place team overall. Wayne King has been on fire recently, and will need to continue that against Dwayne to give his team a shot, but it will be a tough one against a very well-rounded opponent.
Key Matchup
Team Gelardi leadoff Mitch Dubell has a 204-188 edge on paper against Chris Fedorchuk and has an opportunity to give his team a big edge at the top of the lineup (he is also the third-highest leadoff average in the league). If he does that, Team King will be fighting an uphill battle to get it back against a team featuring Robbie Hendrickson and Dwayne Gelardi in their bottom three. If there is an upset to be had here, Chris keeping his match close will go a long way.
Tyson’s pick: Team Gelardi
Trevor’s pick: Team Gelardi
Match #3: Hurd vs. Cook Team Hurd snapped a drought in a huge way last week, becoming the first team to threaten the 4000 mark on the season and shooting 3997 for their 4 games. Team Cook, on the other hand, continues to look like a talented but inconsistent group as they hover around the middle of the league. They have an always-strong bottom half of the lineup and Jayson May is starting to play better, bringing his average now up to 210 with back-to-back 900s. But Team Cook needs everyone to be on their games tonight to have a chance, especially with Team Hurd leadoff Ryan Bannerman coming off his own back-to-back 900s.
Key Matchup The two teams’ leadoff and anchor situations may balance each other out here, leaving the key battles in the middle positions, in particular the 2-hole where Jayson May faces a 17-pin average disadvantage against Chad Hurd. Alyssa Campbell and Brett Hendrickson are two of the top 3rds in the league, so keep an eye on that matchup too.
Tyson’s pick: Team Hurd
Trevor’s pick: Team Cook
Match #4: Orne vs. Bartram
The first half of the season obviously didn’t go the way Team Bartram would’ve liked as they entered the season with a team that looked good on paper but has battled injuries and just flat-out struggled at times. They will try to turn it around in the second half but Team Orne provides a tough opponent for them, starting with the highest-average leadoff bowler in the league in Jennifer Duncan. David Wastle has been great in leadoff or second all year, and Linda and Darren are a combined 89-56 in the bottom two positions. With no weak points in the lineup, Team Orne currently sit 4th in the league and are heavy favourites heading into this one.
Key Matchup
Derek Sanderson finds himself back in leadoff and with a difficult test in Jennifer Duncan, but with the strides he’s taken in his game this year and competitive nature he will be a tough out. Team Bartram needs some big nights to keep up and I think there is the potential for one here.
Tyson’s pick: Team Orne
Trevor’s pick: Team Orne
Match #5: Lourenco vs. LaMonica Both teams lost to open the second half (a rarity for first-half champs Team LaMonica) and it’s been a struggle for Team Lourenco this season, but this might be a closer match than it looks like. On paper, there is no reason for Team Lourenco to have struggled this much and new addition Tabatha Gelardi is putting up a very competitive 206 average in leadoff so far. That takes away one of Team LaMonica’s biggest strengths. Their strength in third position with Andrew LaMonica is also canceled out by Ethan Buckman, an anchor calibre bowler, representing Team Lourenco in that spot.
Key Matchup Belle Lourenco hasn’t played much anchor in her Friday Night career, but she has earned this position with a 253 average over the past 5 weeks. Her first two matches here have been a big test with Tyson Nelson first and now Sam Gelardi, but if she continues this hot streak, she will not be out of place. However, this matchup will have to be competitive for Team Lourenco to find an upset tonight.
Tyson’s pick: Team LaMonica
Trevor’s pick: Team LaMonica
Match #6: Rodych vs. Stevenson Last week saw Team Rodych pick up their first win in a while, thanks in part to 903 from Lexie Sutherland and 978 from Matt Sutherland as spares. Lexie will be stepping in as a full-time replacement on the team as Amanda Devenney deals with injuries. In her official debut, the team takes on Team Stevenson who are coming off a rough week but overall, remain a pretty well balanced team. The top of the Team Stevenson lineup is going to be a difficult challenge for Team Rodych to keep up with as Erik and Tyler have a 418-374 average advantage against Hailey and Carter.
Key Matchup
The improvement has been there, but gradual for Hailey Roberts in the leadoff position but she has been a 200-average bowler previously so there is the potential here for her to put up a good fight against Erik Stewart. That looks like a key spot for Team Rodych to win if they want to build off of last week.
Tyson’s pick: Team Stevenson
Trevor’s pick: Team Stevenson
Match #7: C. Jeffers vs. B. Jeffers It’s the battle of the brothers, part II, but the teams have established themselves in different parts of the league so far with B. Jeffers sitting 3rd and C. Jeffers sitting 15th in the aggregate. C. Jeffers did, however, pick up a big 26-5 win last week as they are hoping to prove correct Tim Hooper’s prediction of being a top-half team in the second half of the season. Against B. Jeffers though, they might be a bit overmatched. Tyson Nelson holds the league high average and they boast a solid 1-2-3 to complement it, even if a little weak in the 3-spot. Still, this should be a more competitive match than the difference in standings would indicate as Team C. Jeffers are playing better lately, with 4 wins in their last 6 weeks.
Key Matchup I will be watching the match between Ben Jeffers and Tim Hooper here as both guys are capable of throwing big scores, but also small scores. If Ben gets hot tonight, we could have an insurmountable lead on the B. Jeffers side; if Tim does, this match could get interesting fast.
Tyson’s pick: Team B. Jeffers
Trevor’s pick: Team B. Jeffers
Match #8: Youzwa vs. Cousins Team Youzwa picked up a 20-11 win last week, getting their second half off to a good start while Team Cousins had a tough loss partly due to unfortunate circumstances. This looks like a fun matchup with Team Cousins stacking up pretty well at the top of the lineup, though they might have trouble with the young guns Chloe and Colton at the bottom of Team Youzwa’s lineup. Team Cousins will be looking for a spare in the anchor position with Cindy unable to make it tonight.
Key Matchup Team Cousins is looking for a spare in their anchor position tonight against Colton Youzwa, the league’s #5 average currently. Colton has gone ice cold with a 211 average over the last 3 weeks, however. He’s too good to keep that up for long, so it could be either a blessing or a curse for Team Cousins tonight. If Team Cousins can win the anchor position, though, the rest of the teams’ rosters are close enough to make this a battle.
Tyson’s pick: Team Youzwa
Trevor’s pick: Team Youzwa
