When the world number one bowler lines up in his own tournament on home lanes against local bowlers - most of them juniors - you would expect the world champ to come away with a sizeable win.
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But Jason Belmonte, the best bowler in the world, and probably of all time, was beaten by two Orange juniors at Orange Tenpin Bowl's Good Friday doubles tournament.
They had help - and a lot of it - from their handicaps, but it's official and undeniable: Murphy Gavin-Sims and Connor McCallum defeated the world's best bowler.
He came up to me and said 'I beat Jason Belmonte'"
- Aldo Belmonte
It was the stuff of dreams.
Belmonte had a day to remember himself as he was able to play alongside his son Hugo for the first time in an Orange tournament.
However, not only did Jason and Hugo get the chance to play together, the family's patriarch Aldo was playing in the same lane, with Hugo's sister Aria and cousin Armilla Hammond also bowling on the day.
The elder Belmonte said he was actually due to line up in a pair with his grandson, but was sensationally ditched when Hugo discovered Jason had a break in his schedule allowing him to come home and take part in the tournament.
"He turned to me and said 'I can probably win if I play with dad'," Aldo Belmonte said, laughing.
While father and son played together, coming second on the back of the world number one - unsurprisingly - hitting the highest scratch score of the day, Aldo said Hugo more than pulled his own weight.
"Hugo bowled really well, he was above average, and if he didn't do his part then they wouldn't have come as high as second," he said.
Aldo proved he still has some touch on the lanes, racking up the second best scratch score of the day bowling with junior Isaac Fishlock.
However, the day belonged to winners Gavin-Sims and McCallum, who Aldo said "nearly fell over" when he read out their names as the winners.
"Murphy isn't 10 years old yet, but he's been bowling since he was five or six," he said.
"He came up to me and said 'I beat Jason Belmonte' and before I could say he had a 100 handicap he said 'I want to be the best bowler in the world'.
"Here he is at age 10 and he wants to be the best in the world, you love that."
The centre was full over the long weekend, with the Good Friday tournament booked out to its 64-person capacity, and Aldo said it was a brilliant weekend.
"Jason's not home much and we don't get to see him bowl in tournaments often, so it was good for people to see him," Aldo said.
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Max Stainkamph
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
Max joined the CWD in September 2017, leaving the big smoke of Melbourne to come to Orange, where he stayed until 2020.
