By BILL SNIER
CANTON — Matthew Fowler has his share of honor bowling scores during his nearly 30-year bowling career.
But his 834 on Oct. 2 in the Todd Marion Memorial league at Eastbury Bowling Center meant just a little more.
After recording 28 800 series in his career with a high of 856, this marked his first United States Bowling Association-sanctioned 800. He had games of 298, 257 and 279 for the milestone. He does have five of his 41 300 games sanctioned.
The 43-year-old Carrollton right-hander has recorded past 800s in unsanctioned leagues at Embassy (now Strike Zone) and the former El Dorado Lanes as well as in tournament play, including a couple during the former Wayne Lanes Holiday Marathon in Wooster. He has 18 of his 800s in league play.
But the latest one comes after enduring an injury-plagued five-year period as well as a health scare last March at Eastbury.
“I had a shoulder issue in 2021 and just gave bowling up for a year,” said Fowler, who is employed as a Dish Network field service manager. “But I was able to come back the following year from that and averaged about 221.”
But the most serious injury came in 2023 when he had a fall while doing an installation at a customer’s house. He fell off a suspended staircase and suffered ACL, MCL and PCL tears to his left knee along with a meniscus tear. The injury sidelined him for about 18 months.
“It was in my slide knee so it was a process coming back again. Even when I did come back full time, I took another three months off because it was bothering me,” Fowler said, “But I did a lot of rehab over the summer months and it really hasn’t bothered me so far.”
But the final health scare came in March when Fowler passed out while bowling at Eastbury after what was diagnosed as an epileptic seizure.
“I went to the emergency room and I’m now taking medication to deal with that. But it’s fine now,” Fowler added.
Now, he is battling some tendinitis in his right elbow. But a compression sleeve also has helped that situation.
Bowling in just the one league, Fowler wasn’t even sure he was going to bowl full-time after his original team pulled out of the league due to health reasons. He missed the opening week, subbed for a team in Week 2 and then stuck with that group.
GOING FOR 800
The night of the 800, he started with his Roto Grip Gremlin Tour X. But until that night, he was not a fan of the ball surface.
“I just hadn’t like the way it rolled. I had about four games on it before (Oct. 2) and that morning I decided to put a 2,000 to 3,000 finish on it,” Fowler said. “It finally started rolling the way I wanted it to.”
He began the night with the front 11 strikes before leaving a 4-7 on his final ball in a quest for 300.
“I tugged it five boards inside, I knew it was bad when I let it go,” Fowler said.
But despite the 298, Fowler decided to make a ball change.
“I went to the (Roto Grip) RST Hyperdrive Pearl because it just wasn’t giving me the look I wanted at the end,” Fowler said. “The Hyperdrive gives me a little more length with more angular motion.”
He started Game 2 with the front five strikes before leaving three straight 9-pin spares — a pair of 10-pins and a solid 8 — before striking out.
But Game 3 did not start well as Fowler left a 3-6-9-10 spare and another 10-pin. So he switched again.
“I went back to the Gremlin and struck out for the 800,” he added.
Although his other 800s have produced some cash over the years, he receives some hardware for this 800 from both the USBC and The National Bowlers Association (TNBA).
“There has always been something … a 10-pin there or easy spares you miss … that gets you 799 ore the 790s,” Fowler said.
But this bit of hardware — although important — already has been claimed.
“My son (Cameron) has already claimed the ring, and the crystal is going to my wife,” Fowler said. “I get the accolades.”
A part of a solid bowling career, that has been missing for a long time.