Championship Bowling: Fred Lening vs Billy Hardwick [1964-1965]
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- čas přidán 8. 06. 2013
- Here is another installment of the famous TV show "Championship Bowling." This clip was recorded at the Firestone Bowl-A-Rama in Akron, Ohio. It features Fred Lening and Billy Hardwick! Fred Wolf and Bill Bunetta are your announcers.
- Sport
![Championship Bowling: Don Scott vs George Howard [1964-1965]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ic5cVHkc9-8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Championship Bowling: Don Scott vs George Howard [1964-1965]](/img/tr.png)
Love these old matches. The crowds are quiet and respectful . . . so much more pleasant to watch than today’s loud, flashy shows - in my opinion.
Dam strait.
I remember going to the bowling alley with my dad in the late 60s and early 70s. My dad was in the Army from 1961 until 1967. I was born in 1965. When I started bowling in the youth league in 1979...I used his shoes which were a little too big lol
I always liked being around dad whether he was bowling, playing softball, or going with him when he officiated high school football in Pennsylvania. My dad is 81 now and still bowls, pitches horseshoes, and still officiates high school in Pennsylvania.
He is still my hero.
Thanks for sharing. May he live a nice long life
@@irishpogi you're welcome and thank you for the kind words.
I enjoy these older videos.
That is a beautiful story. You're lucky to have been raised by a wonderful dad! 😀😀👍👍
@@irishpogi thank you and you're welcome.
@@louiemorales6459 I am and he is still going strong now at 83.
Look at these guys. Using one ball for every shot. Shows how much equipment upgrades have changed the game. I love watching Lening because he's so animated. Thanks for the upload.
One ball much easier when a bowler used straight ball, or small curve. Yes indeed, equipment and strategy have changed.
Can't tell you how much I enjoy watching these Championship Bowling episodes that I haven't seen in so many years.How the game has changed!
Right in my area...awesome....cradle of bowling, football and rocknroll .....feel lucky being raised in NE Ohio 🤘😃🤘
irishpogi,you've got gold.Thank you kindly for a seat in the ride of the "timeless" way back machine.Amazing it's ability to elicit many long dormant memories "back" into my collective conscious,some gray hazy,others as technicolor vibrant as the NBC peacock unfurling across the screen.1969;My dad bowling in a tournament with the superstar ,"living legend ", Mr. Billy Hardwick.I was 7, my brother 5, our dad tells us he's going to go bring Mr. Hardwick over so we could meet him.We got so worked up about meeting this great bowling,T.V.star,we go and "hide" in the mens room, too nervous to meet him.Standing there,who walks in,our MOM! WITH BILLY HARDWICK!! 45+ yrs. later,like it was 45 MINUTES ago.1st thought, telling mom she had to get out of the MEN'S ROOM. NNOOWW! 2nd,"embarrassed" that MR. Hardwick" knew"why we were in the restroom, and lastly,that our MOM was STILL THERE in the men's room.Mr. Hardwick,soon to be,"You and your brother can just call me Billy,managed the moment like he managed the lanes,as easy as could be,walking us out to where dad was waiting for us,he, trying to apologize for us,and "Billy" having no part of that, shaking our hands,thanking my mom and dad for inviting him over to meet their "two,fine young men",He then telling my brother and I how much he enjoyed meeting the both of us,and after he and dad went back to finish bowling,my brother and i laughing that"your so happy you laugh uncontrollable" laugh that we met, and now "knew",Billy.Thanks again irishpogi for sharing.My brother and i just got done laughing about it, just like then,all over again.And Mr."Billy" Hardwick...I just remember as nice,even nicer, than anyone you'd ever meet.
Love looking at the equipment we had in the early 60's. The "washboard" masking units would cut you to ribbons every time. I carried band aids with me. Let's not forget the Lazy Susans. I could replace the entire guts of that return in under 60 seconds.
Crazy, how the black and white footage from the 50s and 60s compared to the 1970s and 80's color footage is far superior in quality. Much better to watch. Thanks.
Boy... Lening was quite animated on the lanes. Thats awesome! I wish I bowled in this time frame
I bowled crossing lanes with many of these ancient pros back in the 50ties and 60 ties. Of course I was a youngster in those days, now in my 80ties.
My little brother and I looked forward to these matches every weekend. Guys like Don Carter, Ray Bluth, Dick Weber, and all the greats. This was more fun to watch for us than football or any other sports.
Thank you so much for this clip. My favorite part was when the announcers were trying to unravel the mystery of how hardwick can bowl well.
Bowled at Fred Lening's center in Fairless Hills, PA as a kid. Knew Fred well and even bowled in an exhibition as a 10 yr old as an opening for one of his scratch tourneys for the Phila area bowlers.
"How does he do it, Chris? Everybody wonders how Hardwick does it." Nelson Burton Jr.
Thank you, Irish pogi for allowing access to these bowling episodes.
Dad taught me to bowl this way in '68! He passed in early '71 and I stopped. School-Work-Life and I didn't bowl. Completely missed urethane. Now I have finally found a league that fits my schedule and i'm all in. Only now there are high-tech reactive balls, lanes are different. I would love to just use his old Ebonite rubber and bowl Hardwick style but i'm not sure. I'm trying to work with reactive resin and my best is 234. I've also had some games lucky to break 100. There is no respect for skilled straight style bowling (for one thing they can't sell you a different ball every week!). I feel like Rip Van Winkle!
Yeah I miss the days when you could bring one ball and bowl in any center in North America. Nowadays if you throw a hook you’ve got to be a chemist and an engineer to bowl.
6 games combined, zero open frames. Not too shabby!
Thank you for these uploads. Does anyone happen to have any uploads of this great show with the great Jack Drees announcing? I remember two local tv stations playing the retro episodes with Drees & Bunetta reporting. It stirred my bowling appetite to see Dick Weber, Harry Smith, Ray Bluth, Johnny Guenther, Bo Burton Jr., on those shows!
This is when bowling was a mans sport! 16 pound nonreactive hard rubber balls, unstable lacquer finish , solid wood no voids pins, 16 pound balls to compete at the highest level, super accurate bowlers and no cranking 2 handed bowling! League bowlers that average 200 plus now a buck 70 and lower then. In a town of 100,000 maybe 2 bowlers around 200 average. That was with an early league and a late league 5 days a week. The conditions by the late league were brutal. U had to throw hard to keep it on the lanes by the late league. I learned to bowl on these conditions and i am a stroker to this day. I may not have the biggest game but im always hi average or close to it and i have won the hi scratch series several years. It made u learn to be accurate. I watch these young folks yank and crank and i know they wouldnt average 170 then
Was sent here by Chris Hardwick, Billy's son. Anyone else?
Yep
LIKE IT
Bring back rubber and plastic thats when it was fun and challenging.
Thank you irishpogi very much for posting this match!
Billy Hardwick is one of my favorite bowlers of all time.
How did he do it?
How could he roll it so straight and so slow and get such carry and such accuracy?
I wish I knew so I could do it too!
When will we get the final 3 matches in this series?????
Thank you for these uploads. Fred Lening was one of my favorites. Another great bowler from the East I admired was Ralph Engan. Are there videos of him anywhere?
I wish I had footage of Ralph. I have heard so much about him. He was Ernie Schlegel's idol.
Lenning is ripping the rack with a bowling ball as hard as the granite countertops in my house.
I still prefer using paper to keep score lol
Computers confuse me. Lol
Yep! Feel same way. Can't find lanes for open bowl that don't have the Cosmic/moonlight setup. Can't see the arrows!
Does anyone have access to the final 3 games of this championship match? Love to see it
Lening's enthusiam reminds me of Billy Welu.
Yes, the bald man from Texas. I also liked watching the animated Harry Smith.
Billy Welu and Ray Bluth are seated front row in the audience.
Billy Welu and Ray Bluth both in the audience.
From a time and place when the bowlers, and not the equipment did all the heavy lifting.
Could you put on CZcams the 2nd half of this final match? Thank you.
Geez Billy looks at Fred like .. well I'm not saying, but the 1930s comes to mind!
Wheres part 2 of this at?
I wish bowling would go back to it's roots, although this will never happen. At the league level the game has become a joke. I am 63 and average 220 and I don't consider myself a really good bowler, although I average two-o on sports conditions. Not sure that makes me a good bowler either. Would rather go back to the old days where accuracy was a premium.
Yes I agree at 77, note only 2 balls on the ball return turntable. Lening was blowing out the 5 but Hardwick's ball had no finish especially on the right lane but high scores by both.
@@leroy1927 Hardwick was able to get a better entry angle into the pocket because he was further right than Fred. Billy made his bread and butter playing right of everyone. This explains why Liz Johnson does well against the men.
wonder what there now or is the alley still there?
Where is the final match of the championship?
is that billy welu sitting behind the bowlers? looks like him!
yes
+irishpogi ty irishpogi.........keep up the good work!!!!
+dettigs more on the way! much more!
+dettigs Yes, Ray Bluth next to him
Blll Bunetta did spectacular analysis. Great stuff
Billy was water
Dr12-24-2022
It was demolished late in 2011.
Google Firestone Bowl-a-rama and look for an ohio dot com article.
How many men wear a cravate in the audience nowadays?
When bowling was pure skill. Now they just throw these hi tech hand grenades and as long as it’s within 12” of your mark..you strike
Loved the Columbia yellow Dot I had. Little counter Ballance and 2nd arrow to the pocket!