Help, Match Point Problem

**Larry Shivers** · December 22nd, 2007

Our league utilizes a match point system which includes one match point for series. Here's the situation that came up this week. Bowler #1 on Team A was absent and Team B had all their bowlers. During the second game Bowler #2 on Team B sustained an injury was unable to complete that game or third game. As per rule 100k Bowler #2 on Team B was moved to the first position for the third game to be paired up against the other team's absent bowler. My question now is, what do I do about the series match point since some of the bowlers bowled against more than one bowler.

**Frank Goebel** · December 22nd, 2007

The points should be awarded based on the scores against which the bowler is competing. I will presume that the injury score was correctly calculated as you do not ask how to determine this.

Bowler #2 for Team A bowled the first two games against Bowler #2 for Team B. He then bowled against bowler #1 for Team B for the third game. His three-game series should be compared to the sum of the first game bowled by Bowler #2 for Team B, the injury score for the second game, and the third game bowled by Bowler #1 for Team B.

I'm presuming that your league rule is that a bowler competing against an absentee must bowl his average less ten pins (or better) to win points. For Bowler #1 of Team B, he bowled against his average minus ten for games one and two, and against Bowler #2 of Team A for game three. So I would suggest that his series should be compared against the sum of his own average minus ten, counting that score twice as it applied for two games, and adding the third game bowled by Bowler #2 of Team A.

As for Bowler #2 of team B that only bowled one full game: The series point would be awarded to the team only. It would in this case be his first game plus the injury score for game two plus his absentee score for game three, compared to the scores bowled by Bowler #2 of Team A for games one and two plus the absentee score of Bowler #1 for Team A for the third game.

For Bowler #1 on Team A, compare his absentee series score to the first two games bowled by Bowler #1 on Team B plus the absentee score for Bowler #2 on Team B. Since the bowler is absent, again the point only goes to the team.

In theory, there should be the correct number of wins and losses for both teams. Apply this to your actual scores bowled and check for this. If you like, you can supply the actual scores plus handicaps for someone here to check for proper application.

**Larry Shivers** · December 22nd, 2007

This is how we calculated the points on Thursday night. We use a 27 point system, 4 for the game, 1 for each match point, 1 for team hi game and 2 for total wood.

**Frank Goebel** · December 23rd, 2007

For simplicity, I will only use handicap scores here.

John 1 had a series of 694. He bowled against Mark's 194 and 214 plus Seth's 234. That total is 642, so John 1 gets the series win.

Seth had a series of 644. He bowled against Scott's blinds of 218 and 218 plus John 1's 258. That total is 694, so Seth gets a series loss. The fact that John 1's handicap series (694) matches the 694 calculated as scores against which Seth is bowling is merely a coincidence.

Mark had a net series of 616 based on his game actually bowled, injury score, and absentee. He bowled against John 1's scores of 196 and 240 plus Scott's absentee of 218. That total is 654, so Mark's slot gets a series loss. This loss is charged to the team, but not to Mark himself since he did not complete the series. The 654 total happens to match Scott's net series, but this also is a coincidence.

Scott had a net series of 654 based solely on absentee scores. Those were counted against actual game scores bowled by Seth of 189 and 221 plus Mark's absentee of 218. That total is 628, so Scott's slot gets a series win. That win is credited to the team, but not to Scott himself since he did not bowl.

Based on what I've described, it looks as though the points should be 17-10. I would imagine that BLS would get the series points correct by default since a glance at the above sheet shows 654 opposite 644, and 694 is opposite 616 although those aren't the actual numbers that need to be compared (as illustrated above). But for individual points, while numerically they'd be correct for the teams, would call for an override since the circled 164 absentee would represent a win (but on the sheet is lined up against the 246) and likewise, the bowled 181 is a loss even though it beats the average requirement since lined up on the sheet against an absentee, is actually bowled against the 246. But those individual points were already addressed correctly.

Further, if there should be an argument on whether Scott's absentee slot should win the series point (since one game was settled based on the team earning the team points for game three): Scott's team won the total wood, so that would also result in them earning the series point that way, if instead the series were entirely between two absentees.