By BILL SNIER
KENT — When you’re not striking much in practice and you leave a three-count on your first ball of the night, an honor score does not immediately come to mind.
Bur 39-year-old Cuyahoga Falls right-hander Brian Walker had other ideas.
After leaving a 1-2-4 spare in the first frame in the Kent Classic league at Kent Lanes on Sept. 11, Walker made a slight adjustment.
“I didn’t strike much in practice. It was just a bad shot,” Walker said of his opening frame. “I just took a little extra time the next frame, told myself to make a good shot … and then it was on.”
Walker left a 10-pin in the second frame and converted the spare. He didn’t fail to strike again until the sixth frame of Game 2.
In fact, he only missed one more time after that the rest of the night.
“After the 10-pin, I knew I was in the right part of the lane. I didn’t move my feet at all,” Walker said. “I just had to get the ball out to my target and down lane and I was good from there.
“I was just hoping they would start falling … and they kept falling for a long time.”
Opening with 279 in Game 1 after his start, the Master Builders Solutions logistics employee followed with his second 279 and finished with 299 for a career-high 857 series — one of the 10 best series ever recorded in Portage County.
The all-time record at Kent Lanes is 878, which belongs to Wadsworth’s Chris Steele.
Walker’s previous high was 849. He also shot 823 during the summer league at Kent Lanes, including a 300 (he owns 60 of those), to give him 15 career 800 series. In fact, he had a pair of 300s during the summer.
The night of the 823, he stood at 590 after two games.
“It was just unreal,” said Walker, who used a 900 Global Cove for his latest milestone — a ball he purchased just before the August Akron Open when he had 299 and also covered a 7-10 split at Station 300.
“I was pretty happy with an 825 until I shot an 849 (his previous career high). After the front nine on Thursday, I knew I had a real chance to beat that. And with two good shots, sure enough, I did it.”
His final shot of the 10th frame in Game 3 resulted in leaving a 10-pin.
“It was a really good shot. I did take a little extra time. But all three shots in the 10th were right on top of each other,” said Walker, whose target area was 18 (board) at the arrows and peaking at about eight down lane.
The same night, Patrick Adolph also shot 811 in the league. Walker completed his milestone before Adolph.
“We were both in the same side action, so it was neck-and-neck at the end,” Walker said.
What is it about the scoring early at the center?
“The shot seems OK. A lot of it depends on the weather conditions,” said Walker, who bowls in two leagues at Kent. “Tuesday, it was really dry. But on Thursday, everything just seemed to come together.”
Together enough for a career-high milestone.