BOWLING WEDNESDAY MAY 31st (Terry Norwood reporting)
Some info and reminders for a start:
- Members are reminded that nominations for positions on the Men’s Bowls Committee close on Sunday June 4th. The AGM itself will be held on Sunday July 2nd.
- To date, ten men have nominated themselves for the men only pennants competition to be held Aug/Sept. We need at least fifteen bowlers to nominate a team so anyone else whose interested needs to add their names to the list on the notice board in the next three weeks.
- Members are reminded that the Men’s and Women’s Bowls Committees are organising a presentation evening on Saturday July 15th. Details of the evening will be published in the next couple of weeks.
- Membership renewal notices will be issued by the Club in the next week/ten days. Bowlers are reminded that renewal by June 30th will cost $120, while renewal beyond that date will cost $160. Let’s get in early!
- Two bowlers, President Bob Crowley and Terry Norwood will be heading north to the Gold Coast to participate in the National Championships in June. Both have entered the singles competition and will pair up in the Seniors pairs.
- It’s time to let members and bowlers know that Glenn Giese, one time vice-president of the Men’s Bowls Committee, part-time Bowls Secretary and enthusiastic organiser of social bowls departs Bowral for the warmer climate of Port Macquarie in mid June. While Glenn will be greatly missed by the bowling fraternity, we wish him and Claudette a safe, uncomplicated move up the coast. And as a final hurrah, Glenn participated in social bowls today!
Social Bowls Wednesday
Glenn Giese and thirty-one other bowlers turned up for bowls on a rather bleak Wednesday afternoon. The number also included our lady member Jill Harwood and a visitor from Melbourne George Hindi. As with last year, George is on his way north to participate in the National Bowls Championships in Queensland and called into Bowral to tune his game up along the way. It was great to see you again George.
With the surface of the Wilson Green causing most bowlers some concern, the Match Committee decided to hold social bowls on the synthetic surface of the Waratah Green. The Waratah is playing very well and is very quick compared to the Wilson. The weather was most unfriendly with an overcast sky and a strong, blustery, icy wind blowing from north-west to south-west. The wind, together with the slippery surface, made for challenging bowls. Given the numbers, the Match Committee decided to run two games of pairs and four of triples.
In a triples match on rink 7, Jill Harwood, Col Stone and skipper Peter Morales took on Joel Hunt, Ted McPhee and Chris Forrester. Although all found the bowling difficult, Chris’ team handled the condition better than their opponents winning eight of the first ten ends and taking a lead of 17 – 5. Peter’s team then had the better of the remaining ends, but as so often happens, found the deficit too great to pull back. When time was called after eighteen ends, team Forrester’s lead was 22 – 13.
Newcomer Jill Harwood in action!
The customary 18-ender was a pairs match with Bill Pope and Paul Rubie battling for bragging rights against Keith Edwards and John Cummins. And despite the conditions, this began as a battle royal! Neither side gave any quarter over the first eight ends and the score was locked at 5 – 5. On the ninth end however, with Bill and Paul both on fire, they notched up a 4 and never looked back. They won six of the remaining ends and coasted to a win at 17 – 9.
Bill and Paul mastered the elements better than their opponents!
In another pairs match on rink 9, Arnold Lenczuk and Steven Goddard took on Denis Lees and our Melbourne visitor George Hindi. In this keenly fought game, Arnold and Steven managed the conditions better at the start to lead 7 – 1 after five ends. George and Denis hit back immediately however, winning the next four ends to lead 8 – 7. The game remained close from that point, but team Goddard held the edge at 17 – 13 with two ends remaining. A winning lead … not quite! George and Denis scored four shots on those last two ends to grab an exciting draw at 17 – 17!
Arnold bowled as well as anyone in his match!
A triples game on rink 10 saw ‘the live-wire’ Glenn Giese in his last Bowral game when he teamed with lead Terry Norwood and skipper the ebullient Bob Crowley to take on Graham ‘the grouper’ Hunt, ‘gentleman’ Joe O’Donnell and the amiable nonagenarian Gordon Lewis. In a high-scoring opening, Bob’s team led 6 – 4 after three ends, but by the tenth end Gordon’s team had worked to a one shot lead. From that point though, Bob’s team seemed to have the edge. With Glenn bowling well, they took the lead and remained there to the end to win 24 – 17. As well as Glenn in great form, both skippers Gordon and Bob bowled very well given the trying conditions.
The ‘mercurial’ Glenn Giese bowled very well in his last game!
On rink 11, Grahame Denman, Keith Scriven and Don Chapman went head to head against Mark Rundle, Harold Wall and skipper Clive Neutze. With Clive’s team really struggling in the wind, Don’s team opened strongly to lead 8 – 1 after five ends. Team Neutze then found better touch and, with a five shot haul on the ninth end, hit the lead at 10 – 9. Unfortunately for them, it was the only time they would be in front. Don and his men dominated the second half of the game and, when time was called after eighteen ends, they led 25 – 14.
Keith Scriven and Mark Rundle battled it out as leads!
In the final match, a triples game on rink 12, Ian Duncan, Wal Markow and Mick Flynn took on Mike Hook, Barry Werfel and skipper Ian Crow. Both sides won ends early in this match for the score to be 5 – 3 in favour of Mick’s team. Ian’s team then swung into action taking the next three ends and the lead. At the halfway point team Flynn led by a shot and after seventeen ends Ian and his men were two in front. It looked like either side’s game until Mick’s team blitzed the finish scoring eight more shots and taking the game at 22 – 15.
Relative newcomer Ian Duncan is improving rapidly!