Last week in League we were finishing up practice when we noticed the team next to us getting wound up. They were not bowling against us, they were on the pair next to us, and have been most of the season. They seem like a decent bunch, just get a little excited when they are winning.
 Back to the problem. I ask my teammate what is up and he says they have no opponent. I look at the board and see the names of the guys they are bowling and think it strange that no one is here yet. When League starts they rush to the line and start bowling. Three bowlers into their game two guys show from the other team, and they start bowling faster. As soon as they cycle trough the Captain runs to the Secretary and has him come down. The opposing team is still getting ready and settled in. When their first bowler gets up to bowl the other team starts yelling that he can't start bowling. When he asks why the Sec. states they forfeit the first game. We are watching in disbelief at what is going on. While this is going on two more show up from this team and are getting ready to bowl. The Sec is trying to explain that because they were not here at time of start they forfeit that game and calm down the irrate Captain while the other Captain is trying to move arrows on the overhead so his team can continue.
 To the end of the first game: These guys that were on time have not won many games this season and are all excited that they just "took" two points from the other guys. The next two games they took a beating from the late team. When all is said and done they Captian from the late team heads to the Sec. and starts cursing him for not letting them bowl.
 I went home after that night and told my wife about it and she told me to ignore hese guys and they will go away. Unfortunatly we bowl the late team this week and will still have the other team beside us.
 I know that the late team should have been on time but the other guys were just being childish about rush to the line. I also think the late Captain owes the Sec. an apollogy, it was not his fault they had to forfeit. :rant:

 Sorry to Rant but I work with non-bowlers and they don't understand. But this helps deal with it.
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Ted Domey
 Columbia Resurgence
 Columbia Momentum
 Hammer Black Widow (Retired)
 Hammer Hawg (Retired)
 Ebonite Big Time Pearl
 I used to bowl Candlepin, but I have found Tenpin, and will Candlepin no more.

** A Sinner Can Reform, But Stupid is Forever.**

I agree it was a little childish to rush to the line, but is the team that was late usually on time? They need to show common courtesy to the rest of the league and show up on time.

Nothing I hated more than to have a team show up in the 3rd frame.  Then we have to play catch-up and get out of there last.

If I am not mistaken if you don't have a legal line-up at the beginning of bowling for score, then your team forfeits that game.
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Speed Kills
When in doubt, move out

Most leagues say you must have a legal lineup before the first ball is thrown to avoid a forfeit.

109b. Lack of Legal Lineup

When one or both teams scheduled against each other fail to present a minimum legal lineup and a postponement was not requested, the game(s) is (are) forfeited unless an emergency existed. The postponement committee or board of directors shall decide whether an emergency existed and, if so, the match shall be rescheduled under the postponement rules. Decisions made by the postponement committee can be appealed to the league’s board of directors.

Also:

109c/1
If a legal lineup is not present by the end of the first frame but a tardy player arrives before the designated tardy player frame, can the late bowler make up missed frames to avoid a team forfeit?

No, a league rule setting a specific frame for tardy players is separate from the legal lineup rule. First, a team must have enough eligible players present for a legal lineup. Tardy players could enter the game if they arrived before completion of the designated tardy frame, but the game would still be forfeited.

However, games two and three would not be forfeited since the team would have a legal lineup present.
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Majority of leagues have in their rules you will have a specified amount of members present to start bowling with a legal line up. Most leagues have rules that say we will give you to the third frame with a legal line up or forfeit. your league rules are what the league voted on and you have to go by them until they are changed. One of my leagues last week a team had to forfeit all three games because they only had one member show up. The one that showed up bowled and said hey I paid for it, I am going to bowl even though his team forfeited.  Many bowlers don't even look over the rules until something happens, nine times out of ten these bowlers are the ones that get bent out of shape.

jodyk24

The late team could have avoided the whole problem by phoning the alley and said they were in traffic or some other excuse.

Our league has a rule that states that a tardy bowler has until either anchor bowler bowls in the 4th frame on the adjacent lanes. This avoids the tardy player's team bowling slowly to give the late guy a chance to show on time. The adjacent bowlers usually bowl at a normal pace.
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3 holes of fun!!

Just wondering, how do they do totals with a forfeited game? I've never seen this and was just curious.
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BLARGH

Every league I have been on in the last 10 years at least has a rule that you have to have a legal line up at the start of bowling.  A legal lineup for a four person team is two bowlers and for a five person team is three.  The other team does not have to finish the first frame when the house turns on the scoring and says good luck and good bowling with out a legal line up it is a forfeit.  
As far as total goes we would add in the blind scores for the first game for totals, the rules say you forfeit the game not total even if we bowl unopposed we have to bowl within 40 pins a game and 120 pins for series, for a team of four bowlers, of the team average to win the point, stops someone from bowling 100 pins a game below their average to bring it down.