Anchorage Captures Inaugural Alaska Denali Cup

November 18, 2010

The Inaugural Alaska Denali Cup was won by Anchorage this past Friday by a score of 7 to 5 over rival Fairbanks.  Anchorage was propelled by a stellar comeback during the singles portion of the competition, winning 5 out of 6 possible singles points.

The inaugural event was as dramatic as anyone could have predicted with the winner being decided during the 12^th and final match of the night.  In a race to 6.5 points, Anchorage held a 6-4 point lead heading into the final two singles matches of the night.  A tie or win in either match and Anchorage would win the Cup.  Team Captains Andy Morton of Anchorage and Neal Johnson of Fairbanks squared off on the left pair of lanes, while the right pair of lanes had James Krafft of Anchorage and Jose Pluma of Fairbanks battling.  Johnson obliterated Morton by stringing the first 6 strikes of his game while Morton only managed 1 strike and 5 spares.  After an open in the 7^th by Morton, that match essentially became out of reach for Anchorage and the score was now 6-5 in favor of Anchorage.  The potential for 6-6 tie loomed, which would send both teams to a one-game roll-off using the 5-man baker bowling format.

Attention then turned to the match between Krafft and Pluma.  Pluma held a slight 10 pin lead until an open late in the game opened the door for Krafft in the 9^th and 10^th frames.  Krafft needed to get the next three strikes and nine pins on his fill ball to shut the door on his opponent.  Anything less and Pluma would have a shot to send the whole event to the tiebreaker.  Krafft never wavered and threw the next four strikes to end the match as the clock struck midnight.  Anchorage began its celebration on Fairbanks’ home floor.

"I think most everyone thought that we (Anchorage) would win this thing easily, but I’ve been pretty consistent in saying that Fairbanks really had the edge on their home-floor.  To come out of here winning the way we won is incredible and sets this rivalry and this event up for years to come.  My voice is literally gone.  That was insane.", Anchorage captain Andy Morton said following his teams come from behind victory.

Fairbanks, with a strong support from the crowd, came out hot early during the 5-man Baker bowling with scores of 219 and 233.  Beating Anchorage’s scores of 167 and 194 and giving Fairbanks an early 2-0 lead.  Anchorage snagged the third and final point of the baker games with a 211-210 win thanks to a double and 8-count in the 10^th frame by anchor Steve Brown.

Fairbanks proved dominant again in the scotch doubles matches winning 2 out of 3 points and giving Fairbanks a 4-2 edge going into the singles matches.  Fairbanks was lead by the performance of doubles partners Justin Unger and Jose Pluma who defeated Joe Krison and Doug Morton 216 to 181.   James Krafft and Andy Morton trimmed the lead to 3-2 with their win over Neal Johnson and Tod Richardson, 247 to 190. But the combo of  Alex Holan & Dan Peck again put the Fairbanks team up by two with a 195 to 179 victory over Steve Brown and Chris Clapper.

That set up the singles matches.  Anchorage took four straight with wins by Steve Brown (213 to 166 over Justin Unger), Doug Morton (207 to 204 over Tod Richardson), Joe Krison (205 to 188 over Dan Peck), and Chris Clapper (197 to 184 over Alex Holan).  Then Andy Morton lost to Neal Johnson 267 to 180, before James Krafft finished off Fairbanks by beating Jose Pluma 223 to 190.

“First off congrats to Anchorage.  My whole team and I agree it was the most fun we have had bowling in a while and cannot wait until next year’s competition when we have a chance to bring the cup back to Fairbanks. We appreciate the support that we got from our home house and hope that Anchorage can put on an equally good show next time,” said Fairbanks Team Captain Neal Johnson.

The Denali Cup trophy was on its way back to Anchorage Sunday night and will be on display at Center Bowl in Anchorage until teams from Anchorage and Fairbanks are assembled for the 2011 Denali Cup event tentatively scheduled to be held in Anchorage.

Alaska Denali Cup Match Summary

(A = Anchorage, F = Fairbanks)

Baker Matches

Fairbanks 219 – Anchorage 167

Fairbanks 233 – Anchorage 194

Anchorage 211 – Fairbanks 210

Scotch Doubles Matches

Andy Morton / James Krafft (A) 247 – Neal Johnson/Tod Richardson (F) 190

Justin Unger/Jose Pluma (F) 216 – Doug Morton/Joe Krison (A) 181

Dan Peck/Alex Holan (F) 195 – Chris Clapper / Steve Brown (A) 179

Singles Matches

Steve Brown (A) 213 – Justin Unger (F) 166

Doug Morton (A) 207 – Tod Richardson (F) 204

Joe Krison (A) 205 – Dan Peck (F) 188

Chris Clapper (A) 197 – Alex Holan (F) 184

Neal Johnson (F) 267 – Andy Morton (A) 180

James Krafft (A) 223 – Jose Pluma (F) 190