iAM Bowling 5-Person Baker Team Championship
Old Mountain Lanes – Wakefield, RI – October 4, 2026
Event #1071
33 Teams | 165 Bowlers | 6 Finals Teams
The New England Bowlers Association made history at Old Mountain Lanes in Wakefield, Rhode Island, hosting its first-ever five-person Baker Team Championship as 33 teams and 165 bowlers gathered for a unique addition to the 2026 tournament schedule.
Unlike traditional singles and doubles competition, the Baker format required all five teammates to work together to complete each game, with each bowler responsible for two frames. Communication, teamwork and the ability to make adjustments together would prove just as important as individual shot-making throughout the day.
When the final pins fell, The Martell Method stood alone as the inaugural NEBA Baker Team Champions, completing an impressive run that included leading qualifying, overcoming a two-game deficit in the semifinals and ultimately capturing the championship.
The winning team featured:
Phil Macchietto
Brandon Hughes
Michael Martell
Chris Vietri
Tony Macchietto
For Michael Martell, the victory marked his second career NEBA title, while Phil Macchietto, Brandon Hughes, Chris Vietri and Tony Macchietto each celebrated their first NEBA championships.
The team name, The Martell Method, also represents Michael Martell's pro shop business, making the victory particularly meaningful for the group.
The champions established themselves as contenders early, leading qualifying with a 2,773 total to earn High Qualifier honors and the No. 1 seed heading into match play.
With the top two teams receiving first-round byes, The Martell Method entered the semifinals just one series victory away from competing for NEBA's first Baker championship.
Competitors faced the 2021 SYC Laurel Medium oil pattern, measuring 41 feet with 25.65 mL of oil and a 5.00:1 ratio.
While the pattern generally played as expected, the lane surface at Old Mountain Lanes presented an additional challenge that required teams to make adjustments throughout qualifying and match play.
Managing friction was one of the biggest factors in maintaining a consistent ball reaction. However, this event presented an additional challenge not typically encountered during regular NEBA competition.
In a traditional singles event, competitors generally share a pair with a maximum of five or six bowlers. During the Baker championship, 10 bowlers competed on the same pair, creating considerably more traffic and accelerating the transition.
With five different playing styles on each team, understanding how one bowler's line and equipment choices affected the next became an important part of the strategy.
Friction developed early, forcing many competitors farther inside to locate additional oil and maintain a controllable ball reaction.
For some, lower-differential equipment helped reduce the ball's response to friction. Others relied on hand-position adjustments to control their angles and maintain enough energy for the ball to finish through the pins. In many cases, a combination of both approaches was necessary.
The challenge extended beyond simply finding the right line. Teams needed to communicate what they were seeing, recognize how the lanes were changing and make adjustments based on one another's ball reaction.
With each player throwing just two frames per game, opportunities to settle into a rhythm were limited. The teams that communicated effectively and stayed ahead of the transition gave themselves the best opportunity to advance.
The 33 participating teams competed through 12 Baker games of qualifying, with the top six advancing to the championship finals.
| Seed | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Martell Method | 2,773 |
| 2 | Fuller House | 2,706 |
| 3 | Oddballs | 2,696 |
| 4 | Bowl Winkles | 2,669 |
| 5 | David Simard Pro Shop | 2,642 |
| 6 | FLS | 2,639 |
The Martell Method led the field with a 2,773 total, earning an additional $375 High Qualifier prize.
The finals featured a best-of-series elimination format, with the top two seeds receiving first-round byes. Opening-round matches were best-of-three, semifinal matches were best-of-five, and the championship was decided in a best-of-seven series.
David Simard Pro Shop defeated Bowl Winkles, 2–1.
David Simard Pro Shop advanced through the opening round with a 2–1 series victory over Bowl Winkles, earning an opportunity to face the tournament's top seed, The Martell Method.
Fuller's House defeated FLS, 2–1.
The opening-round matchup between Fuller's House and FLS delivered one of the most dramatic finishes of the tournament.
With the series on the line, both teams found themselves in a battle that would ultimately be decided by a single pin.
Andrew Hall stepped up for FLS and delivered three consecutive strikes in the 10th frame, applying tremendous pressure and forcing Fuller's House to answer.
Frank Fuller responded with three strikes of his own in the final frame, allowing Fuller's House to escape with a one-pin victory and advance to the semifinals.
It was an early reminder of just how quickly momentum could swing in the Baker format, where every frame and every pin could determine whether a team's championship hopes continued.
The Martell Method defeated David Simard Pro Shop, 3–2.
The tournament's top qualifiers entered the semifinals as favorites, but David Simard Pro Shop had no intention of making their path to the championship easy.
The Martell Method quickly found itself in unfamiliar territory, falling behind 2–0 in the series and facing elimination.
With their championship hopes hanging in the balance, the team responded.
The Martell Method battled back to win the next two games, forcing a decisive fifth game with a spot in the championship match on the line.
Trailing late in the deciding game, The Martell Method put together a string of strikes to climb back into contention, giving themselves an opportunity to complete the comeback.
With the pressure mounting, Michael Martell stepped up and delivered a clutch spare conversion that helped secure the victory.
What began as a two-game deficit ended with three consecutive victories, completing a remarkable reverse sweep and sending The Martell Method into the championship match.
For a team that had dominated qualifying, the semifinal comeback demonstrated a different kind of strength: the ability to respond under pressure when the tournament was on the line.
Fuller's House defeated Oddballs, 3–2.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Fuller's House continued its impressive run with another closely contested series.
After surviving its opening-round matchup against FLS by just one pin, Fuller's House faced the Oddballs with a trip to the championship at stake.
The two teams battled through all five games before Fuller's House emerged with a 3–2 victory, earning its place in the championship match.
Having survived two consecutive deciding games, Fuller's House entered the championship with plenty of experience performing under pressure.
The championship match of NEBA's inaugural iAM Bowling Baker Team Championship featured The Martell Method, consisting of Tony Macchietto, Brandon Hughes, Phil Macchietto, Chris Vietri and Michael Martell, taking on Fuller's House, represented by Jack Scanlon, Brandon Vallone, Sean Buck, Ben Darrow and Frank Fuller.
With the championship decided in a best-of-seven Baker format, both teams would need to rely on communication, timely adjustments and clutch shot-making to claim the historic first title.
The opening game saw both teams trading strikes and navigating difficult spare opportunities. The Martell Method built momentum with a string of strikes from Martell and Tony Macchietto, while Fuller's House answered with timely contributions from Vallone, Buck and Darrow. Frank Fuller delivered a crucial strike to open the 10th frame, helping Fuller's House secure the opening game and take a 1–0 series lead.
The Martell Method responded emphatically in Game 2, opening with seven consecutive strikes. Phil Macchietto's stubborn 9-pin in the eighth ended the team's pursuit of perfection, but the early scoring barrage proved too much for Fuller's House to overcome. Chris Vietri's strike in the ninth effectively secured the victory and evened the series at one game apiece.
Game 3 brought another tightly contested battle. Both teams struggled with carry at times, but the match remained close heading into the final frames. After Frank Fuller left a single pin in the 10th, Michael Martell delivered a clutch double to secure another victory for The Martell Method and give his team a 2–1 advantage.
The fourth game continued the competitive exchange, with The Martell Method building a lead behind strikes from Hughes, Vietri and Tony Macchietto. Fuller's House attempted to close the gap, but Michael Martell delivered another crucial strike in the closing frames to extend his team's series lead to 3–1, moving them within one victory of the championship.
Facing elimination in Game 5, Fuller's House responded with its strongest stretch of the match. Frank Fuller ignited a five-strike run that continued through Scanlon, Vallone and Buck, putting significant pressure on The Martell Method. Despite continued strikes from Tony Macchietto, Phil Macchietto and Vietri, Fuller's House held on to claim the game and force a sixth, keeping its championship hopes alive.
With The Martell Method holding a 3–2 series advantage, the sixth game presented an opportunity to close out the championship, while Fuller's House needed another victory to force a decisive Game 7.
Throughout the match, the right lane had
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