LAKEPORT >> Lakeside Lanes had gone eight years without seeing a perfect game rolled there. The drought is over … times three.
In the span of three weeks, two Lakeport men combined to roll three 300 games during sanctioned United States Bowling Congress competition. Noel McCormack, 23, did it twice in February while Richard Dixon, 35, also accomplished the rare feat earlier this month. Dixon’s 300 was his first as was McCormack’s 300 on Feb. 17. His second came a little more than a week later.
Prior to rolling their first 300 game, which requires making 12 strikes in a row, both men had come close with 299 games. Dixon, a left-hander, did it last year while McCormack, a right-hander, bowled his 299 three weeks prior to his first 300.
Dixon was competing in the Thursday night league when he rolled his 300 on lanes 23-24 of the 24-lane facility. His first 11 strikes were perfect pocket hits — between the 1 and 2 pins for a lefty. The 12th strike was what is known in bowling parlance as a Brooklyn shot, the ball hitting between the 1 and 3 pins for a southpaw.
McCormack, who averages in the neighborhood of 225 while competing in several leagues each week, achieved another USBC milestone while rolling his first 300 — an 800 scratch series that also featured games of 225 and 279. His initial 300 came on lanes 19-20 and the second on lanes 23-24.
Prior to this year, the last 300 rolled at Lakeside Lanes belonged to Kenny White in 2007.
