Candlepin bowling is a variation of bowling that is confined to the New England states of Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire and to the Canadian Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (with one isolated candlepin center in Cincinnati, Ohio). It was developed in 1880 in Worcester, Massachusetts by a local bowling alley owner, Justin White. As in other forms of bowling, the players roll balls down a wooden pathway to knock down as many pins as possible. The main differences between candlepin bowling and the predominant ten-pin bowling style are that each player uses three balls per frame (see below), the balls are much smaller and do not have holes, the fallen pins ('deadwood' or simply 'wood') are not cleared away between balls during a player's turn, and the pins are thinner, and thus harder to knock down. One of the results of these differences is that scoring points is rather more difficult than in ten-pin bowling, and the highest officially sanctioned score is only 245 out of a possible 300 points.

The maximum regulation ball weight is 2 pounds 7 ounces (1.105 kg), and with the regulated pin weight being only slightly heavier at 2 pounds 8 ounces (1.134 kg) the candlepin sport could be said to pose a greater challenge to the player—due to the almost non-existent difference of the weight between the ball and one candlepin—than any of the other forms of bowling that use ten pins in them.

Information and history

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Candlepin bowling is divided into ten rounds, often called a string in New England, each of these rounds being most commonly referred to as a "box," rather than a "frame" as in ordinary ten-pin bowling. In each box, each player is given three opportunities to knock down the pins. They roll their first ball at the pins. Whatever pins are knocked down are counted and scored (if a ball rolls into one of the gutters that run along either side of this pathway—called the 'lane'—no pins will be knocked down, and no points will be scored, even if a pin (or pins) felled by a previous shot, usually called dead wood in New England, partially protrudes into the gutter and knocks down a standing pin or pins after being struck by a ball rolled into the gutter). Then the player rolls a second and a third ball at any remaining targets. In the event that all ten pins were knocked down with the first ball (a 'strike'), they receive points and a bonus, and play passes to the next competitor. If all ten pins were knocked down with two balls (a 'spare'), they also receive points and a bonus, and play passes to the next competitor. A player has no more than three balls to play in each box, so even if they neglect to knock over all of the pins, after they have taken three shots, play passes to the next competitor. Another variation includes playing two frames (or boxes) at a time, then passing play to the next competitor.

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Candlepin bowling anyone? http://twitpic.com/tmfg7
burnsy06 (FKA kpbslu06) Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:29:20 -0000
Candlepin bowling anyone? http://twitpic.com/tmfg7
Nine days from New Hampshire. I better get in some candlepin bowling. And snow.
dellbillings (Dell) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:03:38 -0000
Nine days from New Hampshire. I better get in some candlepin bowling. And snow.
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mkeweb (Michael Webster) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:34:44 -0000
RT @PortSportMorgan: Wanna play Soccer & Candlepin Bowling w/@PortSports? Email portsports@portsportsmaine.com http://bit.ly/qbsiX Please RT
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PortSportMorgan (Morgan Surkin) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:17:48 -0000
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PortSports (PortSports) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:17:48 -0000
Wanna play Soccer & Candlepin Bowling w/@PortSports? Email portsports@portsportsmaine.com http://bit.ly/qbsiX Please RT
At Fairway sports in Natick, MA. Candlepin bowling is NOT the same as ten pin.
lincolnritter (Lincoln Ritter) Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:35:44 -0000
At Fairway sports in Natick, MA. Candlepin bowling is NOT the same as ten pin.

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