Because of his work schedule, Ron Aul was unable to bowl the first half of the Strikes & Spares League last season.

But he made up for lost time.

The Butler resident averaged 227 over 37 games in the second half of the season, which marked the highest individual average in the Butler County Bowling Association for 2004-05.

Ron Henry averaged 226 in 84 games in league play at Sherwood Lanes last year. Kevin Richardson averaged 225 in 90 games at Bon-Aire Lanes.

Aul, 38, bowled on Tuesday nights at Family Bowlaway — and was not credited with the highest average in his league.

"I didn't bowl the minimum number of games," he said. "You have to bowl at least 45 games to be eligible for our high average award."

Nelson Johnson averaged 214 over the full season in the Strikes & Spares League and received that award.

Aul had to settle for the best half of his bowling career.

"I usually average between 204 and 208," he said. "I never expected anything like this."

Aul bowled with Strikes & Spares for four years before missing four years of bowling because of a change in work schedule.

This season is his fourth since coming back to the league, but he never expected to bowl a third season last year.

"I took a new job and was working evening shift in Grove City," Aul said. "I thought I was done with bowling. My wife and I used to bowl together in a mixed league, but she's not bowling now.

"I didn't think my schedule would change."

But it did. And one of the eight bowlers on Aul's Randall & Associates team — sponsor Ken Randall — doesn't bowl in the second half of each season because he works on tax returns.

The opening was there for Aul and he took full advantage.

"I had not picked up a bowling ball from the end of the previous season to the beginning of the second half last year," he said. "I'm not a serious, highly competitive bowler. I don't practice."

He didn't need to. Over 12 weeks in the second half, Aul rolled a 700-series in nearly half of them. He never threatened to roll below a 600.

Included in that second half was Aul's first and only perfect game. He had bowled a 299 during the 1995-96 campaign.

"My average was at 234 most of the way before it tailed off toward the end," he said of last season. "I took a lot of teasing from the other guys when I kept getting high scores.

"I kept saying, 'It's just luck, it'll stop.' Only it never did."

Included in that 227-average last season was a career-high 779 series. Aul followed that up with a 773 the very next week.

Aul's teammates were Gary Brown, Bob Green, Butch Ritzert, Curt Dorcy, Neil Dorcy, Randy Lineman and Bill Albert. Randall & Associates won the second half of Strikes & Spares last year.

The league does not permit pre-bowling, so a team needs to have a deep roster.

"Six guys bowl each week and the top five scores from each game count," Aul said. "The low guy sits out the next game, so everyone who shows up bowls at least two games.

"It's competitive bowling, yet it's fun to me. I've been asked to join the Traveling League, but that's a little too serious for my liking."

Aul was introduced to bowling by his grandmother and bowled in a junior league at Sherwood Lanes at age 11. He went on to bowl in the military as well.

Aul and his wife of 15 years, Karen, have two children: 15-year-old son Andrew and 12-year-old daughter Ashley. Both compete in junior bowling leagues.

"The sport has always been a part of my family," Aul said. "My grandmother bowled in leagues for years and I first got exposed to the game watching her. My parents bowled in a couple of leagues, too."

He has never bowled more often than once a week.

It's my one night out," he said. "It's all I do."

This year, Aul is averaging 208 in league play.

"I'm back to normal," he said. "Last year was one of those things. It's a season I'll never forget, especially because of that 300. That may never happen again."