Split (bowling)
bowling
A split is a leave in tenpin bowling in which the first roll of a frame knocks down the front pin, the headpin, but leaves standing at least two non-adjacent groups of one or more pins.
On scoreboards, a split may be denoted by highlighting the number of pins knocked down in a different color or encased in a circle.
Notable Splits
7–10 split
One of the most infamous of splits is the 7–10, the leftmost and the rightmost pin in the back row. It has gained the nickname "goal posts," "bedposts," or "snake eyes" due to the appearance.
Due to the nature of the split being the two farthest pins of the pin deck, the split necessitates a pin to bounce and hit another pin in order to be converted. Various methods of achieving this include, after hitting a pin, having it bounce out of the pit area, bounce off the side wall, or clip a pin and slide it into the other, the last being incredibly rare. As a result, it is one of the most difficult splits to pick up.
Conversion History
Mark Roth was the first bowler to pick up the 7–10 split on television on January 5, 1980, at the ARC Alameda Open at Mel's Southshore Bowl in Alameda, California. Only three other professional bowlers have converted this split on television: John Mazza on February 16, 1992 and Jess Stayrook on July 13, 1991, both on the ABC broadcasts of the Professional Bowlers Tour, and Anthony Neuer, who accomplished it on April 11, 2021 during the U.S. Open Stepladder Finals on an ESPN telecast. All four converted their splits by bouncing a pin out of the pit.
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