Cranford Bowlers Fall to Roselle Park

Coming off two of their best efforts of the season, the Cranford varsity bowling team had trouble with a fiery Roselle Park squad, losing by a final of 7-0.

Junior Michael Milwicz led Cranford with a team-high series of 565, which included a strong 218 in the first game followed by a 192 in the second game.

"I was rolling it and I have a new style now," said Milwicz. "I'm keeping my hand under the ball more, instead of going backward sometimes. I did pretty well. I could have had a 600, but I came up short. I'm getting more consistent now."

The Cougars received solid performances from Tim Coda and Scott Belmont, who both continue to improve their overall averages. Coda polished off a 182 in his second game on his way to a 484 series, while Belmont couldn't have been more consistent, rolling a 166, 166 and 173 for a 505 series.

"Our team's overall performance was pretty decent," said Belmont.  "We didn't do as well as we could have. Individually, I did a lot better than I thought I could have, considering I bowled really consistent high games. But overall, I think most of the players bowled really well."

"I think we did the best we could," said Coda. "I felt at the end we were cheering each other on, we were actually getting into it more than usual. I had a rocky beginning, I got a bit more solid in the second game. I guess I'll take it. It's a new ball so I'm still getting used to it."

"Tim's doing much better now, he's got a new ball," said Milwicz. "He's been rolling it more, he had a good game. And Scott Belmont's been rolling well. He's got some high games too."

Roselle Park, who came in averaging 843 pins, was led by anchor Nick DiMaggio, who hit it out of the park with a pair of 223 games and a 201 on his way to a match-high 647 series. Jon Powers averaged a 210 for the day with a 630 series, including a 219 in the final game.

The Cougars were without one of their top bowlers, Chris Juliano. Still, they remain focused on the big picture.

"I think our team is getting a lot better," said Belmont. "If we continue to keep doing better, I'm sure we'll get higher in the rankings. And I'm sure next year we'll do a lot better because we only have one senior."

"I feel we're definitely getting more solid as a whole," said Coda. "We're getting more into it, cheering each other on. I think we're getting better."

Cranford's next test will be January 25 against Plainfield at Jersey Lanes.