Did the team that you were bowling against bowl on the same lanes? If so, it's real simple: shoe up, shut up, and bowl. The  cream ultimately rises to the top.

And just how were they illegal?

The rule is simply you must apply 3 units of oil minimum.

The fact there was more than amount applied doesn't make the lanes illegal.

You may have felt the lanes were too tough or favored a certain style but that doesn't make them illegal.

Illegal? As long as it had a minimum of 3 units of oil it wasn't illegal. If they have a lane machine that strips and oils, it doesn't take but a few minutes to do a lane! I don't understand how he can spill oil on the back if the lanes are done by machine! Both teams had to bowl on the same condition, so it wasn't illegal! It sounds like the other team won and that's what the post is truly about! If you're team would have won, then we probably wouldn't have an issue! Sorry about your night, but there's nothing that you or anybody else can do! Before we got our new lane machine, our old wick machine messed up and oiled gutter to gutter and it was tough! We adjusted and a couple of us moved deeper and didn't hook the ball and shot really good! Of course everybody else complained to the owner, but he said the same thing! Everybody had to bowl on the same condition and some adjusted and some didn't move and complained! Just my $.02, Bruce

BatBowler is correct on this. As long as the pattern had 3 units of oil then it is good to go. Whether they hand oiled all the way to the pins or the lane machine messed up and did not strip correctly. Whatever the case is, a pattern is out there and both teams had to bowl on the same shot. Yes it may suck not being able to throw strikes at will. Make your spares and I am sure you will come out on top. Learn to adjust to what you are bowling on.

Thanks for the responses...

I think the phrase "learn to adjust" is the most overused and arrogant term used on this board.  Fact is, poster is frustrated to have bowled on something very different from the norm on a position round night.

Even if the pattern didn't have the minimum 3 units, the USBC has no real power to punish the offending house especially once that sanction sticker is on the front door.

He may be frustrated, but the fact remains that the other team had to bowl on the exact same condition and evidently they wonn. Didn't seem to be a problem for them, so what's to gripe about really? There's nothing you can do about the shot, the only way I could see it being truly "unfair" is if the rest of the league was bowling on the regular league shot and only the OP's pair was affected, which could then be grounds for a protest or whatever procedure USBC or the league has in place for such a situation, because really, in a position round, they could have conceivably been jumped by a lower team or teams because their pair was unfairly different from the rest of the league.

Good luck proving it though.

Bowled a Sr regional a few years back.  New house.  Guy started on lane 1 stripping and oiling.  Didn't realize the machine ran out of oil on lane 15 (16 lane house).  Nothing like using a heavy oil ball on one lane and plastic on the other.  Consensus of most of us bowlers was great shot, added a different twist to the competition.  Winner was the guy that could hit the last pair.