Forgot to mention the last placed team walked away with about £80 each using the prize money per point style.
Admitedly not much per person, but at least they had the chance to make money every week of the season.
The prize money for 1st place etc was not that high, you had to accumulate your winnings each week.
I always thought it to be a fair system even when I finished down the table.
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Happy go lucky bowler from the UK.
   Did someone say tough luck

I guess I’m missing the point of the post.

I thought the object of the post was to get more bowlers into the scratch league not to line the pockets of the top teams with more money.

To get more bowlers you have to make more of them feel they have a chance at the added money.

The new bowlers are most likely not going to be on teams that have a chance of finishing in the upper tier. So the added money on the top is of no inducement to them. You have to make the new bowlers feel they have a chance at the money.

/sarcasm on/
Of course some of this goes by the wayside if you put a cap on the league but if you were real scratch bowlers you wouldn’t be caught dead bowling in capped leagues because that is handicapping the field. Real competition is no holds barred bring your best team.
/sarcasm off/

You could have an end of the year tournament.  Hi-low doubles to keep the averages fair.  Typically no tap, but I doubt a scratch league would like it.  Pay $400, $300, $200, $100.

How about something like the Virtual Tournament site does?  Come up with a random score (one for individual game, individual series, team game, team series) and give $250 for each catagory during position round.  All teams would be there and everyone should have a pretty equal chance of winning.
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Penn State Proud

Ron Clifton's Bowling Tip Archive

How about a winner-takes-$1000 "skins" pot, that covers the entire season, as follows.  The "skin" score for your game is your game minus the next lowest bowled score across the league, during the same game.  You can win the pot shooting 150 if the next lowest game that same game is 116 (skin score = 34) which would be better than shooting a 300 if the next lowest score is 279 (skin score = 21).  Just about anyone has a chance of winning, it is mostly luck.

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Kill the back row (or maybe this should read "make your spares, dummy")

Hey... a camp with you, Billy Hall, Stephen Padilla, and Randy Stoughton will be one hell of a camp. I would go. Seriously... but again.. that would cost you so much money just to even schedule it.


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-Jeremy Vitug

If you are wanting to fill just a scratch league try having an end of the year tournament.

Get the qualifiers from the league, hi game for the month, high series, most points won, etc.  Only let a person win 1 month.  With just those 3, you should have 27 people in the final at the end of the year.  Let them shoot for the $1000.  May have a semi final elimination tournament until you are down to the last 5 guys, then split the $1000 up into skins.

Gives everyone a chance, plus with $1000 up for grabs, you should have a waiting list to get on the league.
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~~~SrK - Have balls, will travel

1st law of combat, "Bullets always have the right of way"