Handicaps

As some of you are aware I have been passionate about the handicap event for many years, just read my blog on it about five years ago.  This is my thoughts on the club’s handicap singles.

1. It should be the hardest event to win in our club. Being the hardest should give it the highest prestige.  The reason is this; take our club singles, it will be won 95% of the time by 5% of the players.  Therefore 95% of our members only have 5% chance of winning.  But with the handicap singles event, theoretically if handicapped correct (and it will never be perfect) will give 100% of the players with a chance to win.  Obviously by these statistics this event will be by far the hardest to win.
2. Players that cannot get into better teams have very limited chance to get their name on the honours board, this event gives them this chance.
3. Top players have a huge advantage because not only do they have good bowling skills, they are much more consistent for game after game especially in a long competition such as singles where players play ever second bowl. It is extremely unlikely for lesser skilled players to be at the top of their game all day long.  It’s just about impossible for them.
4. The system for allocating handicap scores in the past, skips 0, threes 2 etc has resulted in only the top players winning the event, contra to the spirit of this event. There is one exception to this when a first year player beat Neville Turnbull in a final but he really shouldn’t have won as luck played a major part in the final result.  Even since we have abundant this system of handicapping, the people allocating the handicaps haven’t been brave enough to allow the Bill Clelland’s of our club a good chance to win.  This year I hope my handicapping will.
5. We need to change this competition to an ends game rather than a score.  This will make it fair for low handicap players when playing high handicappers. We all know sometimes we don’t start a game well and if a low handicapper is playing a high handicapper and starts poorly or has bad luck then the game might be over in just a few ends if playing to 21 points.  I recommend we change the handicap singles to 16 ends, the low handicapper that has a poor start then can still catch up and win.  I’m trying to get this changed for this seasons event.
6. I want the handicap event to be the biggest challenge for our top players, I want it to be so hard for John Adams, myself and others that we have to play out of our skins to get to the final

Good luck and great bowling
Shoota Ballinger