The warmest night of the year attracted 55 throwers to our monthly Switcholio at WCCC Wednesday Night @ The Winner’s Circle, presented by Route 1 Vapors.
There was a lot of star power in the finals, as reigning WCCC Player of the Month Rich Bushway teamed with local stalwart Sandy Peacock to face off with veteran Maine campaigner Ryan Goding & Brian Kelly.
Bushway & Peacock got off to a hot start, with a Bushway 4 and a Peacock 5 making it a quick 9-0 after two rounds. Goding responded with a deuce, and it looks like another wild swing was in store as we have seen in recent weeks in the finals. This time, however, Bushway & Peacock simply meted out a vicious beating, with a pair of Peacock deuces interspersed with two washes making it 13-2 before Peacock laid down half a dozen and Bushway hit lucky number 7 to finish off a 26-2 bloodbath after nine rounds.
Game 2 started a bit more slowly but still in favor of the Game 1 winners, with Bushway & Peacock taking a 3-0 lead after three rounds. Goding then responded with a deuce, but unlike Game 1, this did not spark an unrepentant beating. Bushway & Peacock were able to take a lead of 6-2 , but in the seventyh round Kelly, who heretofore had been largely anonymous in this final, came roaring to life with a 3, then followed a Bushway deuce with a 5, and all of a sudden after nine rounds Goding & Kelly had their first lead of the finals at 10-8. THIS is where Bushway & Peacock responded back hard, a Bushway single followed by a Peacock fourbagger making it 15-10 and setting up what appeared to be a sweep. The next four rounds did nothing to dispel this notion, as they built a 19-11 lead after sixteen rounds and were poised for the knockout blow. However, in a flurry that would have flattered Muhammad Ali, Kelly posted a deuce, Goding followed with a 5, and Kelly then struck for half a dozen, a stomach punch that turned a 19-11 deficit into a 24-19 victory in three short rounds, knotting the series at 1 and setting up a winner-take-all Game 3.
Bushway & Peacock were able to stem the tide to open the decider, a three by Bushway giving them a foothold. Goding & Kelly weren’t about to let their wave crash that easily, a 4 by Kelly and a 3 by Goding swinging things back to them at 7-3, They then traded singles, and after a wash the score sat at 8-4 in favor of Goding & Kelly after six rounds. Bushway & Peacock, who had started things with a Game 1 rout and then led 19-11 in Game 2 before everything collapsed, were staring into the abyss, but chose violence instead. A deuce by Bushway was followed by a Peacock 5, and Bushway ground out a dirty 6-2 round for a 4 and a complete reversal of fortune, that 8-4 deficit transformed into a 15-8 lead after nine rounds. A single for Peacock extended the lead, then Goding & Kelly were able to slow the rapids with a wash and 3 straight singles to make it 16-11. A grandstand finish seemed imminent, but Bushway & Peacock fired off matching 4 spots to get over the line 24-11 and take an epic finals.
Dramatic doings were not limited to the finals, as Brian Johnson & Dan Leahy, making his 2023 debut, squared off against Chris Cole & Steve Marshall for the bronze. Cole & Marshall were dominant early, a Marshall opening 5 beig the first salvo in what brought his side to an 8-2 lead after five rounds. Johnson managed to slow it down with a single, but Marshall scored one whole hand for the 2nd time in the match, making it 13-3 and putting the podium in sight. After trading deuces, Johnson dug deep and posted half a dozen and Leahy found his own reserves to follow with a 4, levelling proceedings at 15 after eleven rounds, A wash then set up the wild finish. Marshall hit yet another big one, a 4 putting them in the brink at 19-15, but Johnson two-upped him, a six-shooter being the final blast in a crazy 21-19 finish, giving Johnson & Leahy the final podium spot.
In the Consolation Tier final, Zach Magee & Todd Rabeau defeated Sean McKinnon & Connor Kelly by a score of 23-16.
Three players topped the 8 mark in PPR, with Brian Johnson leading the way at 8.21. Tying for the 2nd spot were Jesob Rockwell & Rich Bushway with identical 8.08s. Sandy Peacock led the way with 11 fourbaggers.
Airmail has gotten healthier by the week, and came oh-so-close to the $600/bag mark, settling at $2393 for $598/bag. WCCC debutant Adam Johnson had the beginner’s luck, getting called to the mark to take his shot. Four bags later, the pipe remained empty, and the entire amount rolls over to next week.
We would like to thank our sponsors that make it all happen!
Rich Electric
We’ll see you next week!
