Lindsays, Bowlacade pin squads to Woodstock Sports Wall of Fame
The teams many consider two of the greatest squads in the history of candlepin bowling in Atlantic Canada will be inducted into the Woodstock Sports Wall of Fame on Saturday, May 10 in ceremonies set for the Carleton Civic Centre.
The Woodstock Lindsays and its successor, the Woodstock Bowlacade, were legendary formations which, from 1974 to 1982, won the N.B. Men's Senior B division's provincial title four times (1974, 1976, 1977, 1981) and silver three times (1975, 1978, 1982).
Building upon the success of its 1974 N.B. crown, the Woodstock Lindsays, which were runners-up a year later, evolved into the Woodstock Bowlacade in 1976 after one of its team members, Bill Hamilton, built the Woodstock Bowlacade in Jacksonville.
Before its shift to the newly-constructed Bowlacade, the Lindsays had been based primarily at lanes in nearby Houlton, Maine because there was no facility in the Woodstock area to practice or gear up for the championships until the creation of the Jacksonville alley.
After the squad decided to make the new centre its home base, the success continued.
Some say the teams are a provincial dynasty the sport may never see again, because of the talent, and consistency, of the squads' talented lineups.
Building upon the great results from the 1974 title team, the Woodstock Lindsays and Woodstock Bowlacade later compiled a record which made them one of the most dominant tournament and challenge cup candlepin teams in Atlantic Canada.
From 1974 to 1978, a span in which the squads made five straight final appearances, they also smashed records which haven't been surpassed.
The Lindsays' 1974 won-loss total of 79-9 still stands as the tournament record at the N.B. Senior B Men's.
In 1976, the Bowlacaders posted the tournament's second-best championship record of 78-10.
In addition to its triumphs at provincials, the Woodstock Bowlacade was one of the most successful challenge teams of the 1970s - what's now called the ‘Golden Age' of international and Atlantic candlepin bowling.
They repeatedly challenged for, won, and defended The Marven Cup, The Hatfield Trophy, and The Blake Memorial International Challenge Trophy.
The Blake Memorial was named in honour of 1940s Woodstock bowling legend Jap Blake.
On Nov. 19, 1976 the inaugural match was held in Woodstock and, to much fanfare, the host Bowlacaders defeated the Houlton Hilltops to successfully capture this trophy.
The 1974 title squad included Glen Milheron, Bill Michaud, Ebbie Miller, the late Steve Polchies, Jim Cluff, the late Rick Cole, and Robert Johnston.
The 1975 Lindsays had primarily the same lineup, with George Castle replacing Johnston in the ranks on the second place winners.
The same squad as 1975, now called the Woodstock Bowlacade, won the crown in 1976.
On the 1977 title-winning team, Hamilton joined in place of Castle, and the success continued.
In 1978, the lineup was Hamilton, Michaud, Cluff, Miller, Cole, Milheron and Polchies for the silver medal winners.
By 1981, Milheron, Hamilton, Cluff and Rick Cole were still part of the team, joined by Bruce Cole, Dave Atherton and Winston Gormley on that year's title-winner.
The 1982 runners-up featured Cluff, Bruce Cole, Larry McHatten, Milheron, Rick Cole, and Hamilton.
Milheron, who put the team together a quarter-century ago, served as the team's anchor, and captain, for many years.
In a May 5 interview with the Bugle-Observer, he said he and his teammates had great success on all levels because they would come through in the clutch and had great camaraderie.
"I have always been proud to say I was part of these great teams, because we played as a team," he said. "We were the kings of candlepin bowling for all those years when candlepin was king, which meant a lot to us because we worked hard every year to be the best athletes we could be. My teammates were people that I loved and respected and wanted to succeed because of who they were as people and as athletes."
Milheron said the teams' success was due to many factors.
"We had a lot of support from our families, our friends, our fans - but especially each other," he said. "No matter what event we were at, we always encouraged each other in good times and bad times - especially when someone was having a bad box or a bad game, or when we needed a big string to pull it out. Over those nine years, we made it to the finals seven times - primarily against opponents who came from bigger bowling centres like Moncton and Saint John. This, to me, was a huge accomplishment. When you come from a small area like we did, the odds were sometimes not in your favour because you were competing against other lanes who had literally hundreds of players to choose from. Looking back, it was a great era for our sport and I'm proud we had so much success as a team. I was captain for a few years, but we would shift from time-to-time. Jim was also captain, as was Bill. No matter who was captain, or who was on our teams, we had the ability to come through in the clutch. Each one of our teams' members brought their own unique talent, and touch, to the lanes. Sometimes, in sports, you're only as good your weakest player. On our teams, no matter what event we were at, someone would come through when we needed it. It was almost like we could anticipate each other and what was needed to win the big game. That's the biggest thing which stands out in my mind. For example, Steve was our lead-off man and he could, and would, often times get the ball rolling for us towards a big score or a big win."
Hamilton echoes his teammates comments.
"You can't win a big event, or a tournament, like we did unless you play well as a team," he said in a recent interview with the Bugle-Observer. "We had a lot of team spirit. Many of us, like me, had been in the sport since we were young kids and had fallen in love with it at an early age. We'd bowl every day of the week if we could. A lot of us had bowled at the competitive level for many years before we joined forces.
By the time the mid-1970s came around, I guess the time was right for us and for our teams to have a lot of success at provincials. We had talented bowlers who could win the big games. Sometimes it was the person you'd least expect to get the big strike or the big string, but we'd always seem to get it."
"Sometimes we entered a tournament with lower (per game averages) then some of the other players, but that didn't matter to us," Milheron said. "When it came to the tournament, we'd always get the big score we needed. To win in this sport, especially at the tournament level, you have to forget about what's gone on before and concentrate on the box, or the string. What we'd try to do is keep focus. It's one ball at a time in this sport. If we'd miss a strike or a spare, we'd focus on the next box."
Milheron said Hamilton's decision to build the Bowlacade lanes in Jacksonville also played a huge factor in the team's success.
"At Houlton, we could only bowl one day a week," he said. "When Bill built the Bowlacade, we had unlimited opportunities to practice and get together in the weeks and months prior to provincials, or a big challenge event. Everyone involved in candlepin bowling in the Woodstock region looks to Bill's efforts as being one of the biggest things to happen to this sport in our area over the last 30 years. Bill's a great guy and he should be thanked for all he has done."
All former members and the general public are invited to the Woodstock Sports Wall of Fame's Ceremony of Induction for the year 2008, set for Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m. in the community room at the Carleton Civic Centre.
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