Lucky 13 earns record-breaking Queen of the Roads title for Tulk

A fortunate break helped earn the first ever four-in-a-row.

Wed, 25 Sep, 2024 - 07:03

Seamus O’Tuama

American sports are almost obsessed with statistics, there is a number for every facet of every sport. Bowlers take a more off-the-cuff approach, but sometimes the numbers reveal the facts behind the story.

Kelly Mallon will have some numbers tossing around in her head this week. The most important number is 14. That’s the number of throws she needed in her Queen of the Roads semi-final to beat the line. When she reels back the tape a little, she will compare opening the big corner in five in the semi-final and six in the final. It’s those small margins that ultimately prove critical. She knows that 14 will almost always guarantee victory, 15 puts you in the frame, but 16 leaves you exposed. She will also know that she should have absolutely beaten the line in 15 and even at the creamery 14 was still possible.