By BILL SNIER
Matt Frock has 31 800 series and 74 300 games during his bowling career.
But his latest one in the Northeast Ohio Travel League at Wabash Lanes in New Philadelphia was admittedly “one I never saw coming.”
The 49-year-old Canal Fulton right-hander, who turns 50 in two weeks to advance to senior status, had games of 300, 269 and 257 for an 826 series. His career high is 835, shot a year ago.
Not only didn’t Frock see this milestone coming, he admitted it was the “luckiest” honor score of his career.
His opening 300 started the drama.
“The 11th shot was just horrible. I had a Brooklyn strike in the third frame, but I don’t know how the 11th one even touched the head pin on the left side,” Frock said. “It was left off my hand.
“I looked straight down at my feet and looked up to see the result. Something went flying across and took out the 10-pin and it tapped the 6-pin. The six then fell forward. As soon as I let that shot go I thought it was over. I called myself a couple of choice words.”
He then buried the 12th shot for his opening 300.
But the run of Brooklyn cross-over strikes continued for the rest of the night. He did run 20 strikes in a row to start the night, including the front eight in Game 2.
“There was probably a Brooklyn in there somewhere,” Frock said. “Jordan (Norris) was on the pair next to us and was messing with me that I was halfway there (to 900). I told him I will never pick up a ball again if I did that. But the 20 was a personal best to start the night.”
Two 10-pin spares led to his final Game 2 count. In Game 3, he had a run of six strikes after a 4-pin spare in the second frame and another in the ninth.
“From there, I knew I just had to stay clean in the 10th. I rolled a double and then just tried to keep the ball on the lane the last one,” said Frock, who does have 23 strikes in a row to close a series in his career. “I probably had six or seven Brooklyns on the night … no joke. I felt bad for (Jeff) DiMarzio’s team.. My whole team carried a lot of stuff and they did not.”
Frock used his Hammer NU all night.
“I was playing 10 (board) straight up. I stood on the big dot and had a little tug room and, if I leaked it right, it still rolled up nicely,” Frock said. “I had a lot of carry. When I hit the second arrow, I had a good feeling it was going to carry. It was one of those nights.”
Up to this point, it has not been a good season for Frock, who is averaging between 218 and 220 while bowling in three leagues. Dealing with personal issues, including the loss of a child, and work-related problems have contributed.
“I don’t know really what it is. I just have had no focus with everything that has gone on,” Frock said. “It was a difficult time.”
But in two weeks, he will become a senior bowler which opens some new possibilities.
“I’m looking forward to it. I can bowl those junior-senior events with younger players and some of those 50-50 events now,” Frock said. “That will be different.”
But Wabash also has been a good center for Frock.
“I was bowling with Jordan and Scott (Vandegrift) and we came within 10 pins of the house record there and I had 300,” Frock said of the 2023-24 NEOTL season. “That place is hit or miss, but I like the place and the owner (Aaron Shanklin) does a really good job.”
There will be no summer bowling for Frock.
“That’s time for golf and boating. There will be a couple of tournaments, but that’s it,” he added.
And the run of NEOTL milestones continues.