After 50 years of bowling, Erle Townsend finally had his moment in the sun. Meanwhile, a group of talented Auburn area women are shooting for national honors.

Townsend, 76, rolled his first 300 game last Tuesday in the Independent/Business League at Falcon Lanes. He opened with 220, fired his perfect game, and then finished with 162 for a 682 series. He had 20 straight strikes during one stretch of the match.

“I couldn’t get anything going my last game, but everything fell into place for my 300 game,” said Townsend, who in the 1940s and ’50s was a pinsetter at Roman A.C. Lanes and the A.B.C. Lanes.

Townsend had a new Tropical Storm drilled a month ago. He initially had problems getting the ball to work, but clearly he’s gotten over those issues. His road to perfection included 12 good shots, along with some anxiety.

“When I got the eighth or ninth strike, I knew I had a chance,” the Owasco resident said. “I was nervous going into the 10th frame, but all three balls were right in the pocket.”

His previous single high was 289 “about five or six years ago at Starlite Lanes,” he said, and has five 700 series to his credit.

Townsend has two more weeks left to bowl this season, but he hasn’t set any high-reaching goals for himself.

“Who knows what will happen? I don’t predict anything,” he said with a laugh.

Patty Wright isn’t making any predictions, either. She, along with Denise Ryan, Becca O’Donnell, Michelle Crowley and Lisa Matty, will bowl team, singles and doubles events in the Open Championships next week in Las Vegas.

Four of the women figured they’d bowl right along with their husbands, who are perennial competitors in the national tournament. O’Donnell isn’t married but her father, Dennis, is also bowling.

“This is my first time bowling in the nationals; I may never get this chance again,” said Wright, who returned to the game in recent years after a hiatus of two decades. Her husband, Benny Appleby, will make his 32nd appearance in the championships.

Wright likes challenging conditions, and that’s exactly what she’ll get when she laces up at the Cashman Field Center. She’s bowled in the Pilat Design Sport Masters and the Super Bud Bowl, local tournaments that require extreme accuracy and consistency.

“I think I take the game more seriously than the other women, and I’ve been practicing a lot,” she said. “I want to put on a good show for myself, but it won’t be easy.”

Crowley, who bowls in the men’s classic league at Cedar House Lanes, will be a formidable partner with Wright in the doubles event. She said a recent hot steak has given her some confidence, but still has no expectations. She simply hopes to remain calm.

“I’m a better bowler if I’m relaxed and having a good time,” she said. “I’ll be nervous because it’s a whole production, and I’m a female bowling in what is basically a men’s tournament.”