Silent Strikers

Unggoy Broadband bowlers prefer perfection over talk

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — In spite of their loud neon green uniforms, members of the Unggoy Broadband bowling team have been a rather quiet bunch thus far this season.

Reason being is likely because they’ve been repeatedly forced to honor one of bowling’s unwritten laws.

“It’s kind of like a baseball pitcher going for a no-hitter,” Aaron Garden said. “You don’t want to go up and talk to him … break his concentration … until he gets it.”

On Nov. 10 in Thursday Night Hawkeye League action at Comet Bowl, Garden’s teammate Matt Weir found himself in a lonely, isolated spot.

He had spent the whole night getting there. After rolling a 204 in the first game, Weir began to lock in as he rolled a 280 in the second game. Then in the third …

“I just got in a groove,” Weir said in reference to capping a 784 series with a perfect “300” game.

As of last week, the series is the highest among all league play at Comet Bowl this fall-winter season. But the 300 is not the highest game … or at least not the “outright” highest game.

On Sept. 8, Unggoy Broadband gave Garden the silent treatment when he rolled the season’s first 300 at Comet Bowl.

It was Garden’s fifth perfect game.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s your first one or fifth one,” Garden said. “You still get nervous at the end.”

Garden’s previous 300 was achieved three years ago. All of his perfect games have been at Comet Bowl.

“But I was glad my dad was here to see me roll my last one,” Garden said of his father Mike Garden, who also bowls for Unggoy Broadband.

For Weir, this season’s 300 was his second one — first rolled at Comet Bowl. His other 300 came during State Tournament play in 2009.

Garden is a right-handed bowler; Weir is a lefty.

“I was pretty much in the pocket the whole game,” Weir said. “It was only my 12th strike where I went ‘Brooklyn’.”

“So that was finally when you hit it on the right side of the headpin,” said Garden, who also had a double-digit strike game on Nov. 10 with a 289.

Going into last week’s Hawkeye League play, Unggoy Broadband was in first place with a 9.5 point lead over second place Cambrex.

Unggoy Broadband is the defending Hawkeye League and City Tournament team champions.