Lynn bowler ties world record

PEABODY – Matt Penkul seemingly has tied the world record for three strings of candlepin bowling with a score of 514.Penkul, 31, of Lynn, was dead on his game Tuesday night at MetroBowl on Foster Street, where he is a member of the Nut League. He rolled strings of 155, 161 and 198. His previous personal best was 453.”I’m not positive that it’s a record-breaker but according to the International Candlepin Bowling Association (ICBA), it ties the world record,” he said Wednesday.Hundreds of bowlers gathered to watch Penkul roll the final frames of his third game.”He just kept hitting lots of strikes all night, three or four in a row. Two in a row might be normal, but not three and four,” said friend and teammate Joe Aizley. “He really went overboard, especially in those last three boxes. He was going crazy.”According to Aizley, their four-man team was down by 54 points when Penkul came on strong. “He picked it all up and more with three strikes,” he said. “Everybody in the place was cheering. There are 100 guys in our league and there were a couple more leagues on the other side, and they were all watching and cheering him on,” Aizley said.Penkul started bowling as a boy at the former Post Office Lanes on Western Avenue in Lynn. “My mom, Adele, taught me when I was a little kid. I’ve been bowling in a league for the past 13 years,” said the bachelor who works in the parts department at Ira Toyota in Danvers. “I’ve been bowling at MetroBowl in Peabody for about 10 years. We call it the Nut League and my team is the Almonds.”When the score sheet was tallied Tuesday and it appeared Penkul had bowled a record-breaker, an email was sent to the ICBA. “The score has to be emailed within 24 hours and the lanes have to be inspected within a 72-hour period,” he said, noting that Chris Sargent of Haverhill bowled a triple of 517 one night but the ICBA did not recognize it.”The ICBA said the alley foul lights weren’t on, so they wouldn’t recognize his score,” Penkul said. “They’ll be asking Joe Tavernesse, the alley manager, a lot of questions. We’ll see what they come up with.”To celebrate his achievement, Penkul and his girlfriend went to the Tavern at the End of the World in Charlestown. “I drank a lot of beer,” he said.