Burnaby’s Frank Fillinger is truly a bowler for all seasons. A nine-time Western Canadian trialist, Fillinger was also twice named bowler of the year and is a member of the B.C. Bowling hall of fame. Known for his consistency over decades of competitive bowling, Fillinger set new records or maintained near-record averages for almost 30 years.
In the 1950s, Fillinger rolled the first-ever 260 average in five pins in the city posting a 267. Following an industrial accident to his throwing hand in 1958, Fillinger came back as good as ever, winning the high average three out of four years in the early 1960s. During that time, he also led his Western Canadian mixed team to a Canadian title.
In ’67, Fillinger was the Western Canadian trials champion, while also sharing the major B men’s tenpin team championship with a high 657 triple. In the late ’60s, Fillinger posted the all-time, all-star league high average for a second consecutive year, with a 276 average. He also bowled a perfect 435 game in five pins in 1967.
