CANTON — Brian Ball takes great pride in being the “old man” in tournament stepladder finals.
“The older I get, I don’t have the speed that (his son) Branden (Ball), (Jordan) Norris or (Chase Barstow) have. They can just flat wail on the ball,” the 49-year-old Massillon right-hander said.
“I have to ‘trick’ the ball to get it do what I need it to do.”
After finishing fourth in the first event of the second annual Hall of Fame Summer Series two weeks ago, Ball was the lone stepladder finalist to return to the top five Thursday. He made it pay off.
Using a different ball on each lane of the championship pair, Ball stopped top-seeded Curtis Duffield 203-187 to claim victory at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes.
“The right lane hooked a lot more, so I went with the weaker ball, more rounded and more controllable,” said Ball, who used a Storm IQ Tour and a 900 Global Reality Check on the title pair. “It just came down to execution.
“I had a couple of bad shots, but I also made a couple of good shots that didn’t strike. I knew I needed to move left, but I just didn’t want to chase carry. You can get where your angle is just a touch too open and, if you miss it, you can leave a washout.”
But in order to get to Duffield, Ball first had to stop his son, Branden, during the semifinals.
FATHER VS. SON
It was the first time the pair had ever met in a tourney matchup.
“I never got to bowl my dad in a stepladder like that,” Brian said of his late father, Greater Canton Bowling Association Hall of Fame left-hander Lee Ball. “When I was Branden’s age, I wasn’t that good.”
Branden, a 22-year-old Jackson Township right-hander in only his fourth stepladder appearance, was third-seeded entering the stepladder and stopped No. 4 seed Keith Zeigler 186-158 in his opening match.
“I was more nervous to bowl against Keith,” Branden said of the 36-year-old Zeigler, a Plain Township right-hander who throws without a thumb in the ball. “I was a little shaky there.
“I really thought I was going to be more nervous (against Brian), but I really wasn’t.”
The problem was being unable to get lined up against his father on the lanes. After starting his opening match with three strikes, Branden didn’t strike until the 10th frame in the semifinals. Brian, on the other hands struck on seven of his first eight shots en route to a 243-162 win.
“I just lost everything I had from qualifying through that first match against Keith,” Branden said. “There was nothing there for me. I threw what I thought were good shots and ended up getting six.
“He had a better look. Mine went away and his showed up. It happens.”
“He’ll live and learn,” Brian added. “The old guy got one. That’s really all I can say.”
DUFFIELD ‘JUST GLAD TO BE HERE’
After missing the cut by 22 pins during the first Series event, Duffield left no doubts this time. He was the lone player to have four 200 games during qualifying en route to the No. 1 seed with 832, 36 pins ahead of Brian Ball.
“I’m just glad I did as well as I did today. I was really consistent and shot 200 every game,” said Duffield, a 42-year-old Perry Township right-hander who was making his 10th stepladder finals appearance overall.
A little over a year ago, he wasn’t sure if he would have another opportunity for a win.
“I’m just glad I have the opportunity to still come out and do this,” said Duffield, the Louisville YMCA’s membership director who continues his road to recovery from drug addiction and mental health issues. “There was a time when I didn’t know if I would ever bowl again. I didn’t even know honestly if there would be a life again.
“I’ve been through so much. I’m just glad to be here.”
TITLE MATCH
Brian Ball didn’t start as quickly in the title match, leaving solid 10-pins on his first two shots on the right lane before a double in the fifth and sixth.
But Duffield, after leaving a 6-7-10 split in the second frame, was unable to strike until putting up a double in the fifth and sixth frames. Disaster hit in the seventh frame when he failed to cover a 1-2-8-10 washout.
“I just didn’t come through it,” Duffield said. “I was probably a little fast, but I did correct that.”
Ball then left a 1-2-10 washout and failed to convert in the eighth frame following another 10-pin. With a chance to tighten his 27-pin deficit, Duffield left a stone 7-pin in the eighth frame before covering the spare.
“That really hurt right there,” Duffield said. “If I strike there, I still have a chance to beat him. But it happens.”
Ball then connected for a crossover strike in the ninth and struck on his first ball in the 10th frame to put the match out of reach.
“Tricks don’t really work on house shots, but they work on sport patterns,” Ball said. “You can make a ball turn the corner a little harder or back off a little bit by tweaking your hand a bit. On house shots, you don’t see that because there’s just too much artificial hold.
“If you need to make a ball go an extra foot on a spot shot, you can make it do that.”
Duffield took the loss in stride despite battling some anxiety at the outset of the finals.
“I calmed down a little. I really don’t know what it is, but I still struggle with that,” Duffield said. “I just took some deep breaths and went outside for some fresh air and worked my way through it.
“When we were down there practicing, Brian said there are times when you need a Brooklyn strike to win. It all evens out. He bowled well as usual.”
In the opening match, Zeigler stopped No. 4 seed Tony Confalone 190-183 as the former got a break on his second strike in the 10th frame by tripping a 2-8 late for a double on a crossover. It came after missing 3- and 6-pin spares in the eighth and ninth frames.
Confalone, a 55-year-old Perry Township right-hander making his second stepladder appearance, had a pair of doubles, but failed to cover a 1-2-6-8-10 washout in the second and a 1-3-6 spare in the sixth. A three-count following that early double also didn’t help his cause. Then, after a Brooklyn strike to open the 10th frame, he left a 3-10 split on his second shot.
As for Ball, a Carter Lumber employee, it’s another win with some subplots.
“A win is a win,” Ball said. “I’m going to enjoy it and come back in two weeks to see what happens.”
He also has more stepladder appearances than the remainder of the finalists combined.
“All that means,” Ball said, “is that I’m old.”
NOTEBOOK: The tourney drew a 31-player field on the U.S. Open No. 2 oil pattern. … Ziegler and Confalone were 14th and ninth, respectively, heading into the final qualifying game before shooting 234 and 235, respectively, to move up. … Frank Testa got the final cash spot in sixth with 761, missing the cut by five pins. He shot 222 and 232 his final two games to move up. Testa finished 10 pins ahead of Alex Lincoln. … Confalone had the high game of 235. … There were 19 200 games shot during his event, with only three in Game 1. … The next Series event, sponsored by Jimbo’s Landscaping, will be at 7 p.m. June 22 on the 2023 USBC Masters oil pattern. The pattern will be available again for a practice session at 7 p.m. June 15. Tourney entry fee is $45. For information, contact TJ Owens at 330-477-7226 or via Facebook.
HALL OF FAME SUMMER SERIES NO. 2
(Thursday at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes, Canton)
Championship finals
Match 1: Keith Zeigler d. Tony Confalone, 190-183; Confalone wins $80.
Match 2: Branden Ball d. Zeigler 186-158; Zeigler wins $100.
Match 3: Brian Ball d. Branden Ball 243-158; Branden Ball wins $120
Championship: Brian Ball d. Curtis Duffield 203-187; Brian Ball wins $275; Duffield wins $240.
Other cashers
(Based on four-game qualifier)
6, Frank Testa 761, $60 earnings.
