MENS BOWLS NEWS WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 2nd Prepared by Terry Norwood
So here we are in November … already! It seems like only yesterday that we were grappling with COVID and masks and sign ins and very wet weather and now we’re in November. We might still be battling the weather, but hopefully all the other stuff is behind us.
The first item on this agenda is a reminder of the upcoming final of the Mens Major Championship Fours. This event will be staged at 12.30pm next Saturday November 5th. The two semi-finals last Saturday were both cracking games, and the final should be a good one as well. Members are encouraged to get along to the Club and take in some/all the action. The two teams in the final are:
Terry Butt Dave Coltman Ashley Lewis Mick Spong
Terry Norwood Graham Hunt Glenn Giese Bob Crowley
Secondly, we need to make mention of the work done over the last couple of years by Glenn Giese. Glenn, as vice-president of the Mens Bowls Committee, took on the organisation of bowling during COVID and has effectively acted as the Bowls Secretary and Mr Everybody. Glenn is now having a well deserved break from committee work, and all bowlers thank him warmly for all the work he has done on their behalf.
Many thanks Glenn Giese!
SOCIAL BOWLS
Wednesday 2nd November wasn’t a particularly pleasant day for bowls with a strong, blustery westerly sweeping across the green. To make matters even more challenging, the wind was extremely cold and the strong gusts varied between north-west and south-west most of the afternoon. Nonetheless, twenty-two keen bowler signed up for a hit-out and enjoyed a day of warm camaraderie and friendly complaints about the presence or absence of the gusts of wind! The Waratah Green, after some gentle TLC from the greenkeeper, was a little slower than the previous week, running at about 14/15 and provided an excellent surface on which to bowl.
Because Bill Pope and John Cummins were unavailable, the usual 18-end triples match between Rubie and Cummins was abandoned in favour of a pairs game with Laurence Vipond and Paul Rubie taking on Graham Denman and Harold Wall on rink 12. One of the features of this match was the good form displayed by the two leads Graham and Laurence. As the leads battled it out, the scores remained close through the first half with team Rubie leading 6 – 5 after nine ends. It was then that Paul and Laurence got on top and they ground out a win of 15 – 11.
Graham Denman had a good day! Laurence Vipond led well!
On rink 9, Joel Hunt, Neville Tanner and skipper the mercurial Glenn Giese butted heads with Denis Lees, Richard Denman and the genial Don Chapman. And the feature of this game was the scintillating form of Joel Hunt! Joel was on the jack on just about every end and most bowlers on the adjacent rinks were well aware of what was happening with all the triumphant calls. However, despite Joel’s efforts, his team found themselves trailing because of some fine counter bowling of their opponents. Team Chapman, with a massive six on the ninth end, led by 14 – 6 at the half way stage, and had team Giese under great pressure. Not to be denied, however, and with Joel leading the way, team Glenn and his boys stormed back into the game to level the scores 19 – 19 with four ends remaining. Don and his boys then steadied however, won the next three ends and finally ran out winners 24 – 21.
In another match, Graham Hartnup, Owen Williams and skipper the affable Steve Goddard took on Paul McInerney, Joe O’Donnell and the congenial Bundy boy Steve Day. And, most surprisingly, what a one-sided affair this turned out to be! Perhaps it was the wind, but team Goddard got away to an absolutely flying start to win the first nine ends! And then, down 20 – 1 after twelve ends, Paul, Joe and Steve were really reaching for the oxygen canisters! The oxygen must have done the trick because team Day took the next three ends to lift their total to 7 and almost bring a smile to their faces. However, their run fizzled, the frowns returned, and team Goddard pushed on to run out impressive winners 29 – 9. Ouch! A final score as a single figure must be an incentive for revenge!
In the final match, on rink 10, Ted McPhee, Kevin Gould and the exuberant Chris Forrester went head to head against Terry Norwood, Graham Hunt and the unflappable Gordon Lewis. And the opening end was a cracker — with team Lewis holding five shots (including three from Maestro Gordon himself), skipper Chris put down a wonder bowl to take shot. Having fired his team up, they then pushed on to lead 8 – 2 after six ends. It was then that the magic of Gordon came to the fore. Team Lewis won the next seven ends with the skipper taking shots away from the opposition on four of these ends. A three shot haul on the fourteenth got team Forrester back in the match momentarily, but they could win only one more end as Gordon, Terry and Graham stormed to a 28 – 12 victory. And, as promised, we won’t talk about the mouth-watering SEVEN SHOT haul on the nineteenth end!
The exuberant Chris Forrester! The unflappable Gordon Lewis!