Bowler leaves after 1st game of league

[NewToBowling]

Bowler from competing team left after first game. Avg is 210 or close to it. Bowled 140 and decided he wasn't feeling good and left. His second and third games were blinded so his 210 avg was used.

Not sure if he was really hurt or just didn't want to destroy his avg but pretty shady move on his part if it's the latter. I say man up and keep playing.

We collected all 4 points anyways.

[bubba809]

Aslan, it's confirmed. We've had an Iceman sighting!

[vdubtx]

After 70 pins under, his average has already suffered.

I would also say man up and make adjustments.

[NewToBowling]

Last night was week 11. If he had stuck around and played it through and averaged 140 all night his 210 would have dropped to 203.6 (204 rounded up).

As is, since he left after game 1 his average for the night was 187 and thus for the year it only dropped two pins down to 208. So a 4 pin difference (208-204) if he just kept playing.

[Aslan]

It happens.

I've seen people show up, try to bowl, but they were hurt or injured or sick...and they just leave after the first game or part way through. I've also seen people, on a slow night, where a bowler might decide, "okay, it's going on 10PM...we're not done yet...I got a 1.5 hour commute home or have to get up at 5AM the next morning...so, I'm gonna leave early."

I'd take the bowler on their word that they had something going on. Not to mention, a 210 average bowler throwing a 140...pretty good indication something is off. I'd actually be MORE upset if they just stayed and rolled more 140 games and sandbagged their average versus what happened in your situation.

[NewToBowling]

It happens.

I've seen people show up, try to bowl, but they were hurt or injured or sick...and they just leave after the first game or part way through. I've also seen people, on a slow night, where a bowler might decide, "okay, it's going on 10PM...we're not done yet...I got a 1.5 hour commute home or have to get up at 5AM the next morning...so, I'm gonna leave early."

I'd take the bowler on their word that they had something going on. Not to mention, a 210 average bowler throwing a 140...pretty good indication something is off. I'd actually be MORE upset if they just stayed and rolled more 140 games and sandbagged their average versus what happened in your situation.

I understand if it was injury. But if it just wasn't his night I say tough it out and play on.

[Stormed1]

We had that happen to us a couple weeks ago. 210 average bowler shot 208-128. Packed up his stuff and left. By tghem being able to use his average -10 we ended up losing game 3 by 1q5 pins

[fordman1]

The 1st game is the only game that affects his avg. To other two are absent games and as stated should be avg. minus 10. Unless you have some other rule like a womans league sometimes uses. Actually no rule against quitting at any point. Just a little childish.

[Ishkabibble]

Years ago I bowled a 127 my second game then followed it up with a 277. Don't remember what my first game was. I would imagine about 180ish which was my average at the time.
Never give up never surrender.

[billf]

I've bowled with a broken wrist, broken thumb and blind. An average is just a number that doesn't really matter to me. I don't bowl for an average, I do it for the fun. I do know others that their average does seem to define who they are.

[fordman1]

The person who quit after one game may be a "dick" but that isn't against the rules. He could have stuck around and bowled a 96 the next game and went out to his pick up truck and got a gun and shot up the place. Anyone who gets that mad let them go home. We don't need someone like that in my league.

[Tony]

Last night was week 11. If he had stuck around and played it through and averaged 140 all night his 210 would have dropped to 203.6 (204 rounded up).

As is, since he left after game 1 his average for the night was 187 and thus for the year it only dropped two pins down to 208. So a 4 pin difference (208-204) if he just kept playing.

I am not a rule expert but I seem to recall that averages are not rounded up.

I would also wonder, are games where avg -10 are used are counted for average, I would think it's just games bowled that count.

[Tony]

The person who quit after one game may be a "dick" but that isn't against the rules. He could have stuck around and bowled a 96 the next game and went out to his pick up truck and got a gun and shot up the place. Anyone who gets that mad let them go home. We don't need someone like that in my league.

I have bowled against a few guys, seems like every league has one or two, that are so pissed off on most nights that I wonder why they ever come back.
There is a guy I bowled against last week that was pissed and cussing, kicking the ball return every single time he didn't get a strike, like every shot was perfect and he was robbed every time. We had a guy like that last year in another league, who was so bad that the league secretary told him after the banquet he couldn't come back.

[taxexpert2]

I have bowling in leagues where they have players leave if they are not bowling well so they get the average -10 for other games. And I have seen leagues where a team will call in a player that has been posted as absent if they feel they are in danger of losing and that player will do better than the average -10. I think is called maximizing your chances. As far as I know there are no rules against it and I don't see how there could be. Maybe it just seems that way to me, but currently I bowl in a league where the official line up is 5 bowlers but each team has 7 or 8 members that rotate so this is a real possible scenario.

[Kells]

I thought about this thread last week when a friend of my mine on the opposing team wasn't doing too well. He's one of those 230+ guys that rarely has a bad night. After his first 2 shots he said something to the effect of "This is going to be one of those nights". He never did quite put it together but he didn't leave after the first game or anything crazy like that. I feel like if you get down on yourself so early, it's going to be even harder to focus and dig yourself out of that hole. But you should always keep going because you can always learn something, even while bowling poorly

[fordman1]

Any time a bowler has to, or chooses to leave in the middle of a game they would get an absent score for the rest of that game. It would not count when figuring their avg. Most modern score keepers would refigure the score when you change a bowlers status from bowling to abs. Just do it before their next turn.

[bowl1820]

For those interested:

If a bowler can not complete a game they have to show cause as to why, otherwise they get a 0 for each frame missed.

If they can show cause, they get 1/10 of their absentee score for each missed frame added to the actual score for frames they already bowled

Example for a 200 average bowler:

A leagues absentee score is the bowler’s average less 10pins, so the absentee score would be 190. 1/10 of 190 is 19, so the bowler would get 19 pins for each missed frame added to the actual score for frames they bowled.

So say they only bowled the first 5 frames and had a score of 60 at that point. For the missed last 5 frames, they would get 95 (19X5) added to the 60 for a game score of 155.

This is covered by Rule 108 – Failure to Complete Game

It shows your team is probably better off having you completing the game (if you can) even if you are bowling bad, you can then quit after the game ends if you have to.

[fordman1]

OK I can't complete the game because I have a migraine headache. I feel sick to my stomach and feel like I might throw up on the approach. Do they have to bring a note from their dr.?

[bowl1820]

OK I can't complete the game because I have a migraine headache. I feel sick to my stomach and feel like I might throw up on the approach. Do they have to bring a note from their dr.?

If there's doubt about the reason a bowler left the game and someone wanted to argue the point, then it's up to the league board of directors to decide if the bowler had cause or not (rule 108b)

So you never know, a Dr.'s note might conceivably factor into it. So puking on the approach might be a way to cover yourself just in case.:rolleyes:


In the real world though, nobody will care why a bowler left (Unless their in a real hardcore league and there are some. A house in another county here years back, had a list posted on the wall with the names of people who violated rules ).

They will either think you had a good reason or you were just being crybaby about bowling bad and you'll get your score anyway.

The thing is just to make sure they use the proper score and not just give them their regular absent score.

[fordman1]

I would like to see what USBC says about a dr. note.

[Jessiewoodard57]

If there's doubt about the reason a bowler left the game and someone wanted to argue the point, then it's up to the league board of directors to decide if the bowler had cause or not (rule 108b)

In the real world though, nobody will care why a bowler left (Unless their in a real hardcore league and there are some. A house in another county here years back, had a list posted on the wall with the names of people who violated rules ).

They will either think you had a good reason or you were just being crybaby about bowling bad and you'll get your score anyway.

The thing is just to make sure they use the proper score and not just give them their regular absent score.

I think that is a fair way to solve it . Personally if I am paying for the games anyway I would finish if possible but hey If I am unable too for the safety of my teammate health I'm out of there.

[Blomer]

A few weeks back I joined my first 9 no tap tourney. One of the guys I was matched with left after the first game of a three game match. Lol. He was frustrated he wasn't doing well.