Ryan Englot went to Hamilton, Ont., as one of three rookies on Saskatchewan's team for the Master Bowlers Nationals, and came home with a bronze medal, completely stoked and excited to try to be back next year when the nationals are held in Saskatoon.

Englot, of Weyburn, has been bowling since he was eight years old, and admits that in his 20th year of bowling he can be very excitable and loud when he's nailing strikes and spares.

Kasey Fowler, also of Weyburn, also attended the Masters as a men's single bowler, but he didn't fare nearly as well, finishing last in his class - but he still considered the trip well worth it, as an invaluable experience that he can learn from.

As a member of a team, Englot explained, there were a total of eight provinces represented, and the Saskatchewan team had to play each of the seven other opponents three times, or a total of 21 games, with each individual bowler going head to head with the bowler of the same position on the other team.

When the individual bowler beats the other one going head to head, points are earned, plus the overall team score is compared with the other team's, and at the end of 21 games, the points are totalled for the medal standings. In this case, Ontario and Quebec finished ahead of Saskatchewan, with Quebec ending up only a point and a half ahead for the silver medal.

"This was a higher calibre of bowling, and we had one of the highest ranked bowlers in Canada, Tom Paterson. His first team medal, I believe, was in 1978. He was pretty proud of us, because he plays these guys all the time," said Englot.

He added that Alberta and Manitoba usually field stronger teams than Saskatchewan can, but with Paterson on board he provided the edge in experience.

Asked how the bowling experience was for him, Englot said, "I'm a rookie for nationals. It's a pretty big high; I came off the lanes just screaming. I'm known as pretty intense, and by the end of the tournament my voice was getting to be hoarse."

As for the style of bowling, he said he does like singles, but prefers team bowling, and nothing but praise for his fellow Weyburnite bowler.

"Kasey has been at that level for a while. He's been at more tournaments than I have. For me, it feels pretty good getting a response from your peer bowlers," he said.

To give an idea of how intense the competition was, it came down to the last bowler; if he beat his opposite bowler for a point, they might have won the silver medal, but the bowler lost, so the team lost out on the medal by a point and a half.

To become a member of the team, Englot had to qualify out of four tournaments.

For Fowler, he said he had a rough first day, going 0-7 with his matches. After that, he did better, but he was already too far behind. The main problem, he said, was he punched a lot of centre pins, and punched them in bad spots which made it difficult to do well in his matches.

Despite his losses, he was glad he attended the nationals.

"It was a great experience. The results could have been better. I didn't bowl up to my expectations, but it was a great learning experience," said Fowler.

His sights are now on next year, when both the C-5 and Masters Nationals will be here in Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon, "so I'm hoping to make it back."