Brent Watson sets new series record at Emerson Lanes
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PARKERSBURG -- For nearly four decades, local bowler Marty Brandjes held the series record of 856 at Emerson Lanes.
On Wednesday night during the Emerson Lanes Scratch League, Brent Watson had his best career effort with games of 275, 300 and 289 to establish a new house record of 864.
Watson, who used an Ebonite GB4 Pearl, said his brother Brian had just drilled the ball a few days prior.
"I hadn't thrown it but maybe one or two shots and next thing you know I break the record with it," said Watson, who rolled his fifth career 840 or better series at Emerson.
"I've shot 840, 843 twice and 845 and I had one 840 at Pike Street. It's just like a lifetime achievement. The ultimate goal is 900, but you
aren't going to shoot 900."
Watson said of his third game that he "had the front 10 strikes" and then on the 11th he left "a solid 8 pin.
"That would've got me an 875, which would've been astronomical, but I'll take 864."
His second game 300 was the 43rd of his career and he now has 33 career 800 or better series.
Watson, who rolled his previous high of 845 on March 1, 2016, quipped afterward that he was going to retire.
"It meant that much to finally beat a record we've been trying for all these years," said Watson of Brandjes' feat from 1983. "Brian has had multiple 840 series and I think his high is 846. He's on a different team. We're competitive. We've both been trying to beat his record forever.
"We've both been close. I was just fortunate enough to carry. I'm not saying it's going to hold. Me and Jay Hines called Marty that night. He said hello and before you say anything he said who broke my record. He already knew someone broke his record. He was a class act about it."
Following his perfect game, Watson said "I guess people came around once word got out that I had a chance to beat it. This is my third shot at it in the last three years and I've been close. It's ironic. This is the third chance and it was on the same pair of lanes. I shot 843 earlier in the year in the same scratch league on a different pattern on the same pair of lanes.
"We bowled on a new pattern (Kegel main street) that I never bowled on. Jay Hines, we've been friends for 30 years and he knows Marty really well and he kept me calm all night and kept me focused. I had a late 10 pin on the seventh frame of the second game when I shot a 300. I carried a messenger 10 pin. It was late and it was the break I needed. The 7 came across and knocked it down."
When asked about being able to one-up his brother, Watson replied "it's all good. I'm sure he wanted to break it as bad as I did or more than I did. It may happen next week.
"He may break it next week. It's just one of those deals where all the stars aligned I guess. Me and my brother have always been competitive and two of the better bowlers in town."
Although skill is definitely needed along with a little luck to break such a record, Watson also mentioned the following.
"I was really close the last year and a half," he admitted. "It's the same pair of lanes. It's crazy. Number 23 is my favorite number because of Michael Jordan and I was on lane 23 and 24. It was on the 23rd of February, too. I'm just saying."