Teams compete in Irish Road Bowling contest

OAK RIDGE — The Irish Road Bowling contest at Jefferson Day saw 12 teams compete on Saturday, July 11.

The alley is a country road approximately one mile long, and it is not officially closed. For the event, the Arts Committee was allowed to use Catholic Charities Way off Weldon Road, the home of Wiegand Farms at the Department for Persons with Disabilities facility. No improvements were made to the road; and the road was played “as is” – uphill, downhill, and winding, and there are no bumpers along the edge of the roadway on either side. There was no stopping the ball when it was moving so players had to also watch out for rocks and holes.

The ball used was small, black and dense about the size of a baseball but six times as heavy weighing 1 lb. 12 oz. The bowler was allowed to throw it however he/she saw fit, but the most common approach was basically an underhand fast-pitch softball throw with a running start. Team members threw the ball in rotation, and the team who took the least number of throws to complete the course (similar to scoring for golf) was declared the winner.

The winning team for 2015 was Brad. Team Morris County Cannonballs came in second and team Racoon Island Bowlers were in third.

Visit the Jefferson Arts Committee at www.jeffersonarts.org or on Facebook.