PERRY TWP. — The common belief is that the better player wins MOST of the time.
Frank Testa knows better after Thursday’s title match in the Hall of Fame Summer Series’ third event at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes.
After rolling 235 in his semifinal match, the second-seeded Testa suffered splits on two of his last four shots but was able to survive with a 167-165 win over Mark Walters for his first win in the series.
“Mark clearly bowled the better game, but it kind of turned at the end,” said Testa, a 40-year-old Massillon right-hander who will be opening Ten Back Pro Shop at Park Centre Lanes on July 5. “It turned into a battle of attrition.”
Testa had no problem with the fresh-oiled pair during his semifinal match against Rob Weary, a 38-year-old Louisville right-hander. He started out with three strikes and struck on six of his last seven shots en route to a 235-172 win.
Weary, who said early he would “live or die playing the gutter,” had to adjust his strategy in the fourth frame and moved deep inside against Testa after grinding out a 168-140 win in the quarterfinals against defending champion J.D. Jones. He had a double in the fourth and fifth frames to close a 32-pin gap to just 13.
“It was a grind during qualifying, but I had a pretty good idea of what needed to be done. Against Rob, I just kind of put that same plan into place,” Testa said. “But when Rob moved in, I thought the match was going to be a lot closer.
“I thought I had the advantage playing the part of the lane that I was while Rob had to be perfect to get his ball to the 1-3 (pocket). Once he moved in with that double, I definitely felt I had to keep the pedal to the medal.”
Walters, a 42-year-old Cuyahoga Falls right-hander and the top qualifier with 781 total pinfall (an average of 195.2), took the lead early in the title match by staying clean through the first five frames while Testa missed a 2-6-10 spare in the first.
But a 6-10 split in the sixth frame followed by a failed 6-10 spare conversion in the eighth were Walters’ undoing.
“You miss spares, you lose games. It’s that simple. All day it was a grind of just making spares and trying to catch a double every once in a while,” said Walters, an AT&T employee. “If you miss a spare against someone like Frank, you are usually not going to win.”
Testa left a 3-4-7-10 split in the seventh frame and a 3-4-6-7-10 in the 10th frame to leave the door open for Walters, although he nearly converted the latter. But after striking in the ninth frame, Walters left a 9-pin on his first shot in the 10th and, needing a strike to tie after a spare, got just eight pins on his final shot.
“The left lane started off really good, but as the game went on it was blending out. I couldn’t get the ball off the spot,” said Walters, who threw the Motive Blue Tank most of the night along with the Tank during the final match. “It would either fade or start early.
“If I tried to bump left, I couldn’t get any down-lane reaction. If I bumped right, it burned off my hand and I had nothing. So I just tried to stay behind it and make spares.”
Testa was surprised how the pair changed despite having just three games bowled on hit during the stepladder finals.
“The left lane was the easier of the two against Rob, but in our match (against Walters), both lanes were not very good,” said Testa, who won $284. “I made a couple of decent shots near the end, but it was just unclear whether I should go left or right.
“Everything just went away, but it didn’t help that my execution wasn’t very good either.”
But for Walters, just bowling in the finals of an event was an accomplishment in itself.
RETURNING FROM INJURY
In November 2020, Walters had a serious fall from a ladder that nearly cost him his life.
“I had to have a cage put in from my skull to the top of my back,” said Walters, who was unable to bowl for over a year. “I lost the use of my left arm. I still have major nerve damage and only feel about half of my right hand.
“It was a grind to even try to to get back. I had to drop down to 14 pounds (bowling balls) to compensate for what I didn’t have anymore. I really have to use my ring finger a lot and focus on grip pressure.”
The permanent damage from the injury also has affected his style of delivery, which is very deliberate on the approach and at the foul line.
“It may look similar, but it’s so different from where I was. I don’t have the flexibility to get into the position that you are used to when delivering a shot,” Walters said. “I had to get more vertical so I could hit my target.”
Walters began working with Akron’s Don Hogue of NorthStar Pro Shop about three months ago in his return to the lanes.
“I’ve made so many changes over the past three months, all due to Donnie,” Walters said. “He can do some magic, no question. It’s because of his guidance that I’ve gotten to this point.”
NEXT FOR TESTA
Testa, who used the Brunswick Midnight Melee and the Track Stealth during the event, was coming off of a second-place finish during the Spins Bowl-Akron doubles sweeper Sunday.
“It’s been a good week. It was good preparation for this weekend,” said Testa, who left for Las Vegas on Friday to participate in the USBC Open Championships. “I wanted to get in as much lane time as I could to be as sharp as I could be.
“There’s not better way to do that then on these brutal types of patterns.”
In the opening match of the stepladder, Jones had one double in the middle of the game and topped 20-year-old Canton righty two-hander Jordan Norris 179-151.
NOTEBOOK: The tourney drew its largest field of 31 players on the 2019 U.S. Open oil pattern. … High game of the event was 236 by Walters in Game 2, with Testa having the second high game during the semifinals. There were nine 200 games thrown during qualifying. … Tony Confalone earned the final cash spot with 723 in sixth place, missing the cut to the stepladder finals by one pin to Norris. The former shot just 120 in Game 3, but bounced back with 203 in Game 4 as Norris closed with 217 and 179. … The next event will be at 6:15 p.m. July 7 on the 2020 U.S. Open oil pattern. Entry fee is $40, with a practice session also scheduled for July 5. … Bowlers earn points each week toward the end of season event Aug. 11, which will include the six winners and the top 10 from the points list. Bowlers must bowl at least three events to be eligible for the finale. … For information on the Summer. Series, contact T.J. Owens at 330-265-4900 or contact him on Facebook her at TJOWENS1992@gmail.com.
HALL OF FAME SUMMER SERIES NO. 3
Championship finals
Match 1: J.D. Jones d. Jordan Norris 179-151. Norris wins $70.
Match 2: Rob Weary d. Jones 168-140. Jones wins $80.
Match 3: Frank Testa d. Weary 235-172. Weary wins $100.
Championship: Testa d. Mark Walters 167-165. Testa wins $284; Walters wins $160.
Other cashers
6, Tony Confalone 723 total pinfall, $50 earnings.