FNPL '26 Exeter @ Academy 3 | Week 20 | 2026-01-23

2026 Friday Nite Pro League
👍 PLEASE CLICK "LIKE" IF YOU'RE LOGGED IN so that others can see this video!
ℹ️ Three strings, 2 matchpoints per string, 2 for total, ties split points, and these points determine the standings.
🏁 STANDINGS / STATS: https://tinyurl.com/25-26FridayProStats
💗 Exeter Lanes: Jonathan Boudreau, Eric Pelletier, Jeff Surette, Dave Barber (capt.), Chris Boisvert
🔴 Academy 3: Shaun MacDonald, Glen Gill, Dave Hodge-Mallahan (capt.), Steve Poulin, Scott Lapierre
📍 Academy Lanes, Haverhill, MA
🎙️ Paul Grant, Greg Gouillart

*CANDLEPIN FAQs IF YOU'RE NEW*
Q: What the heck am I watching?
A: Normal bowling. 🤷‍♂️
It's our proud regional sport, which we also call Candlepin, Candlepins, or Candlepin Bowling. Sure, the small ball makes it more accessible, but the thin pins, lack of lane oil, and lack of ball technology make it much harder to score. Welcome to our world! 🙂
Q: What are the rules?
A: Two big ones: 1) In Candlepin alone, fallen pins are NOT swept -- it's legal to play where it lies as long as you stay out of the gutter. 2) Like other small ball games, you get THREE balls per frame ("box") to score up to ten -- or as you might expect, a spare or strike if you need just 2 or 1.
Formats vary (like how many games/"strings"), we'll explain as we go.
Competition official rules are set by the ICBA (International Candlepin Bowling Association) and are searchable online.
Q: What's a good score?
A: Men's averages top out at the 120s with rare 130s, women range up to the 110s/120s. Official record scores are 210 by Jenny Rowe (in 2024), and 245 by Ralph Semb (1984) and Chris Sargent (2011). 200+ scores require a magical alignment of skill, luck, and favorable house conditions.
Q: Where can I play?
A: With rare exceptions, Candlepin is only found in northeast North America: Massachusetts (where it was invented in Worcester in 1885), New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Q: Bummer, that's not close enough for me. Maybe someone might open a Candlepin house where I live?
A: That would be amazing. Candlepin should be for everyone. The major obstacle is that no new pinsetters are in production since no companies actively produce them. That means lanes and houses currently can't be built unless machines are transferred or another solution is invented. (Strings aren't it: they'd tangle too often since we play the wood!)
Q: How do I read these scores & graphics?
A: X isn't a strike, it's a Roman numeral ten. Spares are marked with a triangle, strikes are marked with two triangles or a square.
Non-standard, but I also try to mark headpin hits with yellow bricks on the scoresheet and headpin "splits" with red bricks. If the scoreboard is visible, matchpoints (points you get in the standings) will be on the left and "open marks" (unfilled strikes & spares) to the right. Those open marks are key to understanding who's really ahead!
Q: What are the dimensions of the equipment?
A: The pins are the tallest in bowling at 15.75 in/~40 cm. Pins weigh 2 lbs 8 oz, the balls weigh slightly less: between 2,4-2,7. Balls are 4.5 in/11.43 cm in diameter, pins are less than 3 in. wide at the red stripe.
Q: I'm curious about something else.
A: Feel free to chime in with a question in our chat or in comments. Maybe someone else can answer, and sometimes we can get to your question on-air!