Factor X Kicks of Tour Season with New Event
Posted by BowlerCluke Wednesday, December 31, 2008 5:56 PM

Factor X opened their 2008-09 season with their first ever trip to the New England Classic tournament, hosted by Burl Penton and Brattleboro Bowl. It was the inaugural year for the Classic tournament, which is being billed as a replacement to the now-defunct Gold Crown Open that was always so popular among the Factor X faithful.

“I’ve always wanted to run a December tournament,” director Burl Penton recalled. “I just didn’t want to compete with Robert [Bigelow]. My bowlers have always loved the Gold Crown Open, so when it folded, I decided to try running this tournament in its place. I called him to see if he would send me his mailing list, and he did.”

Based on the first-season numbers the tournament still has plenty of growing room, but Penton and his staff admit they are quite happy with the turnout for the event this year, especially given the state of the economy and the historic ice storm that hit right smack dab in the middle of the tournament. Unofficial numbers indicate that 49 teams participated in the tournament, as well as 120 sets of doubles and 189 singles.

Growing Room for Factor X, Too!

But if Penton’s brand-new tournament baby has room to grow, so too does Factor X’s 2008-09 performance on the lanes. For while the team bowled respectably for the most part, none of the team’s five participants – Bill Allen, Will Allen, Tom Clukay, Jimmy Girard and Matt Coe – will take home any cash in event number one of their tournament season as a result of their performances with Factor X.

The team’s 2949 scratch (2982 handicap) score proved woefully inadequate to challenge the 3400-plus scores that were needed in order to challenge for one of the top two slots in that event. Only two-of-five X Men broke the 600 barrier, led by Matt Coe (248-205-205-658) and Will Allen (221-194-190-605). Combined with 570s thrown by Tom Clukay and Jimmy Girard and lead-off man Bill Allen’s 535, X didn’t have to waste a lot of time after the tournament gathering any average verification forms.

“The shot was really high-scoring, but the back ends were pretty soft, so finding the right angle of entry and coming through the shot strong was really important. Anyone who did that bowled lights out, anyone who didn’t was gonna be in trouble,” captain Tom Clukay recalled.

The team also bowled five doubles events: Bill Allen/Will Allen, Tom Clukay/Burl Penton, Jimmy Girard/Matt Coe, Tom Clukay/Jimmy Girard, and Matt Coe/Sean Kilburn. But while most of those events were respectable and in the 1300s, none of them were anywhere near the 1400-1500 pace needed to cash near the top. In fact, the only score of the five strong enough to make the board was the 1359 scratch score thrown by Tom Clukay (709) and Burl Penton (650); the score finished tenth, high enough to earn some press on the leader-board, but not any money.

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