Oxnard Man Bowls 2 300s in Record 844 Series

Emanuel (Squeak) Manson is to area bowling what John Daly is to professional golf: a big guy with a big stroke that often produces extraordinary results.

Manson set a Ventura County record by rolling an 844 series Monday night at Buena Lanes in Ventura. Manson had consecutive 300 efforts in the first and second games.

Then, at Manson’s size, one might expect larger-than-life results. Manson, an Oxnard resident who played football at Channel Islands High, stands 6-foot-4 and weighs “somewhere between 400 and 500 pounds,” he said.

One bowler familiar with Manson said the ball “looks like a grape” in Manson’s hands and that he routinely tosses it 15 feet down the lane before it hits the hardwood.

“I’ve seen videotape of myself, and the size difference sure is something,” Manson said, referring to the contrast of the ball in his large hands.

Manson, 35, arrived only minutes before his first game Monday night, laced on his shoes and proceeded to fire off 24 consecutive strikes en route to the two 300 games. He had fallen asleep at home after dinner and barely managed to make it to the alley in time to play in his league, which started at 9 p.m.

“I walked in and they were wondering whether I was going to show,” said Manson, who graduated from Channel Islands in 1974 and attended Ventura College. “They were getting started, so I just put on my shoes and started throwing strikes.”

Manson’s record already has been sanctioned because it took place during American Bowling Congress league competition. The previous county record for a three-game series was 835, set last spring by Joel Chaffee of Oxnard, a friend of Manson’s.

Needless to say, once Manson found the groove, he drew a sizable crowd. “It was incredible,” he said. “Everybody stopped bowling. Then I threw the first strike in the second game, and I started to think, ‘Am I ever going to miss?’ ”

He misfired with his first ball in the third game but made a spare in the frame and a 244 total. On the night, he recorded 33 strikes in 36 attempts. Manson, who averages 216, had never before rolled a 300.