Mike Edwards Hits His Stride in 2015 Match Game Bowling Tournament

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Submitted by Drew Robertson

olympia bowling tournament
Mike Edwards came out the winner in the 2015 Match Game tournament held at Westside Lanes, Tumwater Lanes and Aztec Lanes.

On January 24 and 25 2015, Olympia’s best bowlers came together for the 35th Annual Match Game tournament. It is a scratch bowling tournament, open to men and women in Thurston County.

The tournament opened on Saturday with 57 bowlers converging on Westside Lanes for the first three-game set of qualifying, each hoping to be one of the 16 finalists retuning to Aztec Lanes on Sunday. All participants spent Saturday bowling a total of nine games; three games at Westside Lanes, three games at Tumwater Lanes and three games at Aztec Lanes.

After a full day of bowling (12:00 to 7:30 p.m.), the top sixteen bowlers qualified to bowl in Sunday‘s double elimination finals held at the recently stylishly remodeled Aztec Lanes, hosted by proprietors Dan & April Brathovd.

The number one qualifier was Caleb Hathaway averaging 230 (225-225-257-191-199-204-239-286-248), this being the 20-year-old’s fifth finals of 7 attempts and first time leading the qualifying round. Mike Edwards qualified tenth averaging 213 (267-222-184-214-235-235-165-210-188).

Caleb is the most talented bowler out of the Thurston County junior program since Tim Britton, Collin Silvernail and Kassy Williamson. This is his first year in adult leagues. He has won multiple junior tournaments in the area, including last year’s Olympia Junior Match game tournament. Part of his success is lessons he has taken from two-time PBA champion Matt Surina of Daffodil Bowl in Puyallup. Axis Point Pro Shop at Westside Lanes drills Caleb’s equipment.

Edwards started the morning against 7th qualifier Dave Johnson, a former PBA member from Lynnwood.  This match would result in a close 246-237 win for Edwards.  Without any break, the second match was a blow out against second high qualifier Corey Hensley, (226 avg) the 2007 champ, 289-191.

As each bowler loses a match, they drop into the losers’ bracket and will be out of the tournament with their second loss. Edwards then came up against the only female qualifier to make a 16 bowler cut in the history of the tournament, Kassy Williamson. She is very well known in the Olympia area as she set the all-time record for highest female league average in Thurston County last year with a 217. She also played two years of varsity fast pitch for Southwest Baptist University in Missouri until an injury ended her fast pitch career.

Kassy, likewise won her first two matches, 216-215 against Mike Karch, and 233-203 win over two time champ Frank Deremer. Kassy relied on her Storm Optimus, recently drilled at Axis Point Pro Shop at Westside Lanes.

At this point only four bowlers remained in the winners’ bracket; Edwards against Williamson (14th qualifier, 210 avg), and Drew Robertson (5th qualifier 220 avg, two titles, former PBA member) against Justin Clement (8th qualifier, 217 avg, 1 title, former PBA member).

Robertson survived a big match the game before against fellow lefty and three-time winner, as well as defending champ Rich Cook (4th qualifier, 221 avg), 223-219. Robertson started the day using a dull Storm Sync ball, but would finish the last three games with a Storm Byte (drilled by Axis Point Pro Shop). This dumped Cook into the losers’ bracket, meaning he would have to bowl six more games to win the title. That did not happen and the tournament remains with no back to back winner. Cook finished in 7th place.

Clement came out of the hole quickly with a 259, using a polished Storm Hy-Road ball (Tumwater Lanes Pro Shop). Clement lost his focus the next two games shooting only 175-194. But, due to the luck of the draw, dispatched Steve Soto and Drew Robertson to the losers bracket.

Edwards was able to keep his groove, using a polished Lane #1 Time Bomb, and sent Williamson into the losers’ bracket 226-205. Edwards commented, “I wasn’t planning on using the Time Bomb, but during the practice session, I threw it a few times and noticed its great ‘reading’ of the lane. Aztecs’ oil condition makes it difficult to carry the corners out, but not today.”

With Robertson, Cook, Deremer, and Hathaway in the losers’ bracket now, only Clement remained between Edwards and being the lone bowler in the winners’ bracket. Edwards strung the front 8 before leaving a weak 10 pin, Clement being shut out by the 8th frame with a final score 268-225. After having four wins in a row, Edwards was guaranteed a spot in the championship match. Aztec Lanes had many spectators watching the best local bowlers go head to head. No one was watching closer than Edwards himself as he sat and watched four matches to see whom he would bowl for the championship title.

First it was Robertson ending teammate Hathaway’s bid, with a 221, then Boesel, now in his fifth game, ended Cook’s attempt to be the first defending champ to win back to back. Now, Robertson against Boesel, in a relatively low scoring match stopped Boesel from returning to the title match, last time in 2003, with a 215.

Edwards commented, “At this point I was hoping Clement would beat Drew. I didn’t want to worry about the lefty having a better shot then me, and I had already beaten Clement once.”

It was Clement who secured the spot in the title match, beating Drew in the highest scoring match of the day a 277-248.

Edwards reviewed his choices that day saying, “Bowlers bring and change the bowling ball they are throwing depending on the lane conditions and their ball reaction. I brought four this weekend. In the finals, I used the Lane 1 Time Bomb for all six games I bowled. I debated switching balls the last game and decided against it.”

Edwards contnued, “This is the one that got me here, and this is the one I take to the end.”

As Edwards and Clement started the final match the crowd was quiet, the only sound was the pin machines, re-racking for the next ball.

The first match resulted in Edwards having his first loss of the day 227-222. The difference was Edwards’s missed 10 pin in the 7th. Since Edwards was in the winners’ bracket, Clement would have to beat him twice. The two moved to lanes 5 and 6 for the final game of the day. Clement never seemed to get loose and many shots hooked high. When Edwards doubled in the 8th and 9th, it was over – final score was 235 to 203.

With the win in hand, Edwards became visibly emotional and took a minute with a long embrace with his wife, Sarah, and their son, Jaden, before he could talk about what this win meant to him. Not only had Edwards bowled this tournament for years, and, coming close to a win, but also it had been a rough year for Edwards with his mother dying less than six months ago.  Edwards stated that he felt like he was bowling for both of them, always wanting to call his mom in Florida to tell her he won, and additionally it was 11 years to the day that Sarah’s mother died. He stated, “I was bowling for both of them.”

His first win was worth $613. He averaged 247 for the six games in the finals. He also thanked Dan Brathovd of Aztec Lanes for sponsoring him in the tournament and making it possible for him to bowl.

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