SOCIAL BOWLS WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 14th
A beautiful sunny day greeted the 36 men who’d listed their names for social bowls. This was the third time in as many weeks that this number had turned out and this is keeping organiser Glenn Giese happily busy. Although the day was comfortably warm, a noticeable breeze was blowing from the north, and this promised to have some impact on play. With the Waratah Green still under renovation, play was set down to run east – west on the Lewis Green.
On rink 15 we saw the usual 18 end Cummins Vs Rubie match, although there was a change to the line-up on the Rubie side. Given the thumping they’d received the previous week, it seems that someone thought that Paul needed reinforcement, so the wily Don Chapman was drafted in as the skipper. This seemed to do the trick as Paul Rubie, Kel Limbrick and Don raced to a lead of 8 – 1 after six ends. Not to be denied, Laurence Vipond, Keith Scriven and skipper John hit back to take the next four ends and be down by only two shots at the halfway stage. Team Chapman then steadied and took a comfortable lead and looked set for victory. However in a miraculous finish, and with Keith continuing his great leading, team Cummins won the last five ends (including a scorching 4 on the 18th end)! They ran out triumphant winners 16 – 12.
On the adjacent rink, Arnold Lenczuk, Steve Goddard and the meticulous Robin Staples took on Richard Denman, Graham Hunt and the equally meticulous Gordon Lewis. Team Staples made the better start to lead 7 – 2 after five ends. Skipper Gordon then whipped his team into better action, and by the tenth end they were trailing by only two shots. Unfortunately for team Lewis, the opposition then seemed to take control of the match and charged ahead. With Arnold, Steve and Robin all out-bowling their opponents they dropped only three ends in the run home. Victory went to team Staples by 24 – 14. As skipper Gordon conceded after winning only seven of the twenty-one ends, “they put the cleaners through us!”
Ted McPhee (back into the fray after a hand injury), Glenn Giese and skipper Chris Forrester took on Andy Connor, Clive Neutze and the ageless Mick Flynn. With the whole team bowling well, team Forrester literally blew the opposition away at the start to lead 11 – 1 after five ends. The next three ends were a complete reversal with Mick’s boys grabbing 11 shots and the lead! Unfortunately for team Flynn, the opposition then hit top form and totally dominated the remainder of the match. With a final score in their favour of 33 – 14, Ted, Glenn and Chris looked very pleased with themselves over a refreshing beer in the club.
On the adjacent rink 18, Graham Denman, Col Stone and skipper, the affable Joe O’Donnell were opposed to new-comer Horrie Harwood, Graham Hartnup and skipper Harold Wall. And what a cracker of a game this turned out to be! Four all after six ends and 9 – 9 after eleven ends, this game had turned into a real dog-fight. Harold and his team then got the better of the next four ends to lead 19 – 12, the largest lead of the game. Not to be denied, Joe exhorted his team into a fight-back and, with a mouth-watering 5 shot haul on the twentieth end, had squared the match at 23 – 23. In a nail-biter, team Wall took shot on the final end and came home winners 24 – 23.
Joel Hunt, Don Coleman and skipper Viv Gear were matched up against Ian Crow, Owen Williams and skipper, that wily leftie Bob Edwards on rink 19. Viv and his off-siders literally burst out of the blocks to win the first five ends and lead 10 – 0! Stung into action, the pendulum then swung as Bob and his boys won ten of the next eleven ends and held a three shot lead. Perhaps it was the wind dropping, perhaps it was inspiration, perhaps … well the pendulum swung back and team Gear found top gear and charged back into the lead 19 – 16 with one end to play. In a gripping last end, Bob’s team fell just one shot short when they took two. Victory to team Gear 19 – 18.
In the final match-up on rink 20, Wal Markow, Barry Werfel and skipper Terry Norwood took on Mike Hooke, Paul McInerney and skipper Jim Starkey. Although Jim and his team won the first two ends, they surrendered seven shots on the next two including an exhilarating 6! Unfazed, and with Mike leading well, team Starkey stormed to a six shot lead 18 – 12 by the twelfth end (including a 6 of their own). At this point, team Norwood won the mat, and Wal started rolling shorter ends. Obviously to his liking, Wal then consistently put bowls near the kitty, and with Barry craftily bowling against the breeze to great effect, team Norwood dominated the second half of the game. A huge haul of 5 shots on the nineteenth end gave them a solid lead, and they went on to win 27 – 22.
