One year we should have named our team "Career Night".  Because it seemed like at least one person on the opposing team had a career night when they bowled us.

When it started happening on a regular basis, I actually asked a couple of them why they bowled so well against our team.  One answer was interesting.  He said, usually most weeks they will drink 2-3 beers each while bowling during league.

But the night they bowled us.  No drinking.  So they were more focused and bowled better.

I wonder if that's the case across the country and maybe no one catches on.  I know it is true for me personally.  If I am bowling what I perceive is a tougher opponent (or I am at a tournament), my concentration or focus level is higher vs a regular league night.  Whether that is taking an extra half second on the approach to focus or just trying to flatten my release with my strike ball on a corner pin because I forgot to pull my spare ball out and I don't want to take 20 seconds to go get it out of the bag. (and maybe miss it because of that laziness).

I recall reading posts from people here that you should try your best always or you are "sandbagging" to some level.

But I would guess that the same bowler in the same house on the same shot bowling a mixed league vs a scratch league will have a different average?

I know I would.

My team is the scratch team in our handicap league, and for the last 4 years, we have won more points than anyone else by a landslide. This year, we have won 2 or 3 games in the last 6 weeks...

I think superior talent often brings out the best in inferior competitors.  One big reason is that the difference in talent level is often as much about concentration and focus as it is about physical talent. 

As an example, when I was younger I was almost always the high average bowler in my leagues over the course of a season.  It wasn't about the big series I bowled on my good nights, but my ability to salvage a 600 on the bad nights that separated me from the rest of the guys. 

+1  I agree 100%.  Your better bowlers will be able to shoot 600 on the bad nights.

Hey Gom,

just my opinion here, but losing 311-315 should not be possible.  No matter what the HDCP setting is, the max score should be 300.  In your example above, it should have been a tie at 300.

I would guess that no one in the league averages 240 but if they did, and got no pins for hdcp, they could not beat 300.  So the 311, or 315 is not beatable.

I would be making a rule change that caps the score at 300.

I know that it happens but I as well as lots of other bowlers consider it "wrong".

If you are a scratch bowler in that league (granted - using 240 as the hdcp base pretty much means everyone gets hdcp but it can happen) you cannot bowl more than 300.

And even so, still if you are averaging 230 in the league, you only get 9 pins of hdcp so your maximum score if uncapped is 309.  So in the example from above, you score the maximum you can and you still lose??? 309 to 311 or 309 to 315.

I have run hdcp brackets in leagues for over 10+ years, and I state it up front.  Max score is 300 (including hdcp).  Don't like it, don't enter. 

WORSE CASE SCENARIO, IF YOU BOWL A PERFECT GAME IN ANY MATCH PLAY LEAGUE OR BRACKET, IT SHOULD BE A TIE.

rant over...  LOL