F
Funky Chicken
After much thought I finally made the decision to travel from Townsville to Brisbane, to compete in the Queensland Cup to be held at Kedron over the weekend of the 28th and 29th June, 2003. I thought it would be a great opportunity to test myself against some of the Countries best bowlers, as it was a Super 6 rated tournament.
I walked in Saturday morning full of hope and optomism, and then had a look at the names in each squad. I was feeling good until I got to squad B - Michael Little, Brandon Qualischefski, Jarrod Lean, Jason Belmonte, Carl Bottomley, Andrew McArthur to name a few. Then squad C reveals names like; Steve Lovell, Mark Sheehan, George Frilingos, David Turnage and Andrew Frawley.
It was about that time that I thought "Holy Hell I'm going to have to shoot about 200 over the card just to cut". So anyway the time of reckoning arrived and I gave it everything I had. At the end of game 9 I was feeling great. I had just bowled a 244 and was 160 over with 3 games to go, that magical 200 over mark was almost within reach.
But then as can often happen I put the cart before the horse, and as a result made some poor shots and bowled a pair of 181's slipping to 121 over with 1 game to go. Thankfully I was bowling with a very kind gentleman by the name of Barry "Jagga" Morgan who although he had only just met me gave me some very warm encouragement which saw me shoot a final game of 232 and finish at 153 over.
After watching some excellent bowling from the other two squads and just about chewing my nails to the bone I snuck into the top 16 in 14th spot. To say I was stoked is an understatement.
Sunday came and I was more excited than nervous, all I had to do now was bowl well and finish as high as I could (my goal was a top 10 finish). As it happens I bowled reasonably well and finished 11th, but along the way I had the opportunity to compete against some of the cream of Australian bowling. Let me share my thoughts on some of them;
Andrew Frawley - A true champion, and an excellent ambassador of the game. This guy has really put Australian bowling on the map.
Michael Little - Makes Shane Warne look like a straight bowler. The fact that this guy puts so much on a ball and is still super acurate is testament to his amazing skill and talent.
Steve Lovell - Bowling needs more Steve Lovell's. He is the ultimate showman and an absolute card who loves to crack a joke. He also happens to have been one of the countries premier bowlers for more years than probably even he cares to remember.
Paul Trotter - This guy is one of the most amazingly accurate bowlers I have ever seen. In an age where every one wants to rev a ball like Robert Smith(PBA), this guy takes accuracy and skill to a whole new level. If I could choose anyone to bowl a strike in order to save my life, this would the man.
Jason Belmonte - Mere words don't do justice to this guy. He is a unique and amazing talent, and if you haven't seen him bowl get out there and do so.
George Frilingos - This guy can certainly talk the talk, but unlike Anthony Mundine he can also walk the walk. I have seen him go from struggling junior to one of the countries top competitors, and he deserves every accolade he receives.
To all those bowlers out there who hold a 200+ league average and bowl the odd tournament, I urge you to give one of the super 6 tournaments a go. You will get a chance to see just how good you really are, as well as an opportunity to watch some of the countries best bowlers in action.
Finally I must say a big thanks to the staff of Kedron who were extremely helpful and friendly, and to Graham Williams for running this excellent site and for going out of his way to make everyone feel welcome.
I know I will definately be back next year, and I will make sure I bring some more NQ bowlers down with me.
King Regards
Steve Hunt
I walked in Saturday morning full of hope and optomism, and then had a look at the names in each squad. I was feeling good until I got to squad B - Michael Little, Brandon Qualischefski, Jarrod Lean, Jason Belmonte, Carl Bottomley, Andrew McArthur to name a few. Then squad C reveals names like; Steve Lovell, Mark Sheehan, George Frilingos, David Turnage and Andrew Frawley.
It was about that time that I thought "Holy Hell I'm going to have to shoot about 200 over the card just to cut". So anyway the time of reckoning arrived and I gave it everything I had. At the end of game 9 I was feeling great. I had just bowled a 244 and was 160 over with 3 games to go, that magical 200 over mark was almost within reach.
But then as can often happen I put the cart before the horse, and as a result made some poor shots and bowled a pair of 181's slipping to 121 over with 1 game to go. Thankfully I was bowling with a very kind gentleman by the name of Barry "Jagga" Morgan who although he had only just met me gave me some very warm encouragement which saw me shoot a final game of 232 and finish at 153 over.
After watching some excellent bowling from the other two squads and just about chewing my nails to the bone I snuck into the top 16 in 14th spot. To say I was stoked is an understatement.
Sunday came and I was more excited than nervous, all I had to do now was bowl well and finish as high as I could (my goal was a top 10 finish). As it happens I bowled reasonably well and finished 11th, but along the way I had the opportunity to compete against some of the cream of Australian bowling. Let me share my thoughts on some of them;
Andrew Frawley - A true champion, and an excellent ambassador of the game. This guy has really put Australian bowling on the map.
Michael Little - Makes Shane Warne look like a straight bowler. The fact that this guy puts so much on a ball and is still super acurate is testament to his amazing skill and talent.
Steve Lovell - Bowling needs more Steve Lovell's. He is the ultimate showman and an absolute card who loves to crack a joke. He also happens to have been one of the countries premier bowlers for more years than probably even he cares to remember.
Paul Trotter - This guy is one of the most amazingly accurate bowlers I have ever seen. In an age where every one wants to rev a ball like Robert Smith(PBA), this guy takes accuracy and skill to a whole new level. If I could choose anyone to bowl a strike in order to save my life, this would the man.
Jason Belmonte - Mere words don't do justice to this guy. He is a unique and amazing talent, and if you haven't seen him bowl get out there and do so.
George Frilingos - This guy can certainly talk the talk, but unlike Anthony Mundine he can also walk the walk. I have seen him go from struggling junior to one of the countries top competitors, and he deserves every accolade he receives.
To all those bowlers out there who hold a 200+ league average and bowl the odd tournament, I urge you to give one of the super 6 tournaments a go. You will get a chance to see just how good you really are, as well as an opportunity to watch some of the countries best bowlers in action.
Finally I must say a big thanks to the staff of Kedron who were extremely helpful and friendly, and to Graham Williams for running this excellent site and for going out of his way to make everyone feel welcome.
I know I will definately be back next year, and I will make sure I bring some more NQ bowlers down with me.
King Regards
Steve Hunt
