Cumberland County is now home to a world champion. Rob Henderson of Springhill recently returned from the World Candlepin Bowling Championships in Halifax where his team, MacLaughlin's Truck and Trailer, reclaimed their title it fitting style - over the team that ended their four-year run last season.
"It's a real sweet victory this year," Henderson said. "We beat the same team that beat us last year when we were going for our fiftth consecutive championship. We crushed them. You always remember your first victory, but they don't get much sweeter than this one."
Henderson said a hometown crowd helped the club this year while there was not as much pressure on the team this year. Last year, the club was trying to set a new world record and the pressure played a role in its defeat.
"We had the weight of the world on our shoulders last year because no one wanted us to break the record and everyone wanted to be the team to knock us off," he said. "It just seemed as though we were refreshed and hungry again."
Henderson's team lost only one round robin match during the five-day tournament that featured the top six candlepin bowling teams from Canada and the six best from the United States. The club earned a bye through the first round of the playoffs and won its next two rounds to win the championship.
"It's luck of the draw, but our side ended up being one of the toughest divisions in the history of the tournament," he said. "By getting the bye we were well rested."
With six championships under his belt, Henderson is already looking ahead to next year's event in Bangor, Maine where he will have a chance to tie the world record for most team titles.
Henderson said hard work and practice were key to his club's success, but he quickly pointed out that team chemistry is just as important as talent.
"I've seen a lot of teams that look good on paper, but we just seemed to have great chemistry. We're not worried about individual results, but winning a title as a team," he said. Henderson, who said he had a lot of support from the King Pin Bowling Lanes and the Fundy Bowling Lanes in Springhill, is joined on the team by Tim Carrigan, Pat Birchill, Chris Hollett, Tony MacLaughlin, Sean O'Flaherty and Davey Sommerton.
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