Words by Gutther Bawl.

It was the best of nights. It was the worst of nights.

After what had felt like an age, drama and passion descended on the lanes at Rowan's once again.

I pondered before the season began about how this would be the most challenging epoch for the league. A time where critics' eyes are sharpest, and one that, for the competitors at least, has the most riding on it. It's fair to say, after last week, the critics are going to have to wait just that little bit longer.

The second game, from beginning to end, was a classic.

Pinter Milan came into the evening knowing that after the season opener, nothing but their best was sufficient. They couldn't win the league on the night, but they could lose it. Even before the first balls, it was stacked against them. Without their talismanic captain - The Tickler - away on a press tour to Brazil, and joined by two new boys - Sweaty T and the Bad Boy - they had a mountain to climb.

And boy, did they climb it.

Captain on the night, Ibrapinovich led from the front. Commanding complete control of his bowling ball, and in a tight match up vs. the Rider's Wickerman, he put his Week 1 drubbing behind him, closing out the first game with a 180 score. The famed 200 was on the cards for a long stretch of the opening game, but in the end, after a couple of unfortunate splits, it eluded his grasp as it has done before to so many others. Nonetheless, this was a sign of things to come.

The Riders did best the Italians in the first game, but it was a close one - only 22 pins separated the two teams. The Riders are comfortably in the saddle of this season, another powerful performance from 1 to 6, a clean sweep with scores of 110+ pins for all in the first game.

In the second game, this titanic tussle swung back towards Pinter. Nae Strikes ensured that with an admirable 142, the Pinter boys collected both "Top Pinsman'' awards for the night. Pinter took 4 out of the 6 games and despite a victory margin of 80 pins, it was much closer than that.

Two of the 4 wins were separated by a point. In the number 1 match, Ibrapinovich managed to sneak past the Wickerman again, 137 to 136. A poor final frame cost the Rider, such are the fine margins and high standards of London's ultimate bowling league.

In the other single point game, jubilation came dressed in black and blue, as the Bad Boy - one of the Pinter's debutants - after coming close in his first competitive game, felled one of the league's best, The Don, 130 to 129.

Rumours had been swirling prior to his arrival, and rarely does reality match someone's fearsome reputation. He really is a bad, bad boy. After a valiant effort in game one, with a calmness of head and fleetness of foot, he got a win he truly deserved. He has risen to cult status almost immediately among the Pinter faithful, and his stock further rose after resurfacing triumphant in this baptism of fire.

After a false start, Pinter's recruitment engine is firing on all cylinders with this guy, he's no doubt one to watch for the rest of the year.

A very, very special mention has to also go to Rider's Balbert.

In his match up, an elected match up I must add after directly calling out his opponent, he took two H2H points from Pinter's Big Time. Despite the seemingly close scores, there was a gulf in class on the night. Pinter's most marketable asset looks to be suffering from a crisis of confidence at the moment, and Balbert took full advantage over his historic adversary, with the callousness of a serious competitor.

You'll have noticed that there's been almost no reference to the Rollers from the evening, and there's a reason for that. There was simply nothing of note in any of their performances, either as individual, or as a team. I asked the question last time out, whether this team could compete without No Show in their ranks, and this was the first indication of the answer. Their season is by no means dead, but this one will hurt for a while.

They did come away with a couple of records, however neither of them are worth celebrating. They combined to collect the lowest ever team points - 5 - with the lowest total pin count in a single game. 533, a paltry average of 89 points per player.

The Rollers' many captains have been left scratching their heads as to what went wrong. It's time again for them to comb through London's 26-35 year old male population in search of their next line up. They have gone from first to last, in the roll of a ball, and they simply cannot afford another performance like that, otherwise their chances of an inaugural title will slip further and further away.

Quite simply, season 3 has the lot. The ecstasy of victory, the despair of defeat.

With a bit of an extended break until the next game, there's no doubt all three teams will be hard at work. They'll need to, because if the season continues in this vein, we'll be in store for a very, very tight race.

Until next time, and as always: play hard, play fair, and keep them rolling.