DOVER, Del. — Eleven-year-old Abigail Ticknor of Millington, who will be the first-ever Kent County, Maryland bowler to compete at Junior Gold Nationals in July, recently wrapped up her league season in the Varsity division of the Doverama Dragons Youth Bowling League.
Ticknor’s team, The Three Musketeers, finished third in the 11-team season standings with 70.5 points won versus 49.5 points lost.
The Varsity division is Doverama Dragons’ top division and is open to bowlers as old as 18.
Third was a theme to Ticknor’s season, her first at Doverama after bowling seven years in the Mid-County Youth League in Middletown.
Among Varsity division girls, Ticknor finished third in average (137.79), third in high scratch game (203), third in high scratch series (509) and third in high game with handicap (271).
She also was second among Varsity girls in high series with handicap (712).
After taking some time to adjust to her new league and new home bowling center, Ticknor finished the season strong, averaging 145.91 over the final 17 weeks of the 30-week season.
Ticknor qualified for Junior Gold Nationals in her very first attempt back in September, foreshadowing her league finishes by taking third place in a combined boys and girls U12 Division at a Delaware Junior Gold Tournament at Milford Lanes.
She went on to finish third or better in three of the next five Delaware Junior Gold Tournaments she has competed in this season; she was third in U12 girls at Bowlero in Wilmington in December and in U12 combined at Wilmington’s Pleasant Hill Lanes in February. She capped things off with a second-place finish in U12 combined at New Castle’s Bowlerama Lanes on May 10..
Junior Gold Tournaments are held on more challenging “sport shot” oil patterns, which vary from tournament to tournament and force bowlers into adjusting their games depending on the pattern.
Ticknor threw her highest single-game Junior Gold score of 190 at Pleasant Hill Lanes in the fourth game of a tournament on Feb. 9.
That score stands as her fifth-highest sanctioned game ever, including games bowled on more traditional “house shot” oil patterns.
Ticknor is continuing to train for Junior Gold Nationals, which will be held in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area July 10-19.
If you are interested in supporting Ticknor as she goes for the gold, see https://www.gofundme.com/f/abigail-junior-gold.
