BBC BROADCAST 22/26 SATURDAY MAY 23rd (Terry Norwood at the desk)
Club Triples Competition
Saturday saw the opening of the Club Triples Competition with an overcast sky and very chilly conditions. Fortunately, we managed to get through the day without any delays, although a short burst of mist didn’t help the bowlers. The Match Committee decided that the event could go ahead on the Wilson Green despite some overnight rain. The Wilson was running at approximately 12 and the heaviness meant that it was quite narrow on both sides. This first day saw the staging of the one first round match, and the playing of three of the second round matches. This triples competition is a two-bowl event with each game over twenty-five ends.
In the Round 1 match on rink 4, Peter Martin, Dugald Braithwaite and Oscar Whalin made a very strong start against Mark Barrow, Graham Hartnup and Mick Flynn with three shotters on the first two ends, and then advancing to a 10 – 1 lead after five. However, with Mick giving the lead, his trio hit back taking five of the next six ends to reduce the deficit to 6 – 11, but then dropped off the pace, conceding eleven shots over the next seven ends and be really under the pump. With Peter, Dugald and Oscar all in good touch, they kept the pressure on and were not going to allow the opposition breathing space. With an unassailable lead of 27 -12 after twenty-four ends, the match came to an end, and with this excellent win, the Whalin trio advance to the second round on Wednesday May 27th.
In the Round 2 match on rink 3, Ted McPhee, Chris Forrester and Robin Staples opened brightly against Gordon Lewis, Al McGhee and Ash Lewis winning five of the opening seven ends to lead 7 – 5 and looked to be handling the conditions well. However, Ash’s team then found better touch to win the next five ends and look ominously good at 14 – 7. They advanced the lead to 16 – 8, but an eye-watering five shotter to team Staples on the seventeenth had them only two behind and on the front foot. Ash’s trio had other ideas though as they got their heads down, put many shots in the head and dominated proceedings. With some scintillating bowling they cleaned up end after end, and when it was 30 – 15 on the twenty- fourth end, time was called.
In another of the Round 2 matches, Noel Fraser, Jim Neely and Gail Fraser dominated the opening against Rowena Coode, Charles Coode and skip Reta South to lead 10 – 2 after the first seven ends, and then 15 – 4 after twelve. As is their custom, Noel and Jim were putting many bowls in the head and Gail was skilfully adding or tidying up. Reta and her team were not bowling at all badly, but it seemed that whatever they could get in place was going to be bettered by team Fraser. 15 – 6 after thirteen ends began to really blow out as the Fraser machine won end after end . . . after end! Reta, Rowena and Charles will probably have nightmares about orange and green bowls clustered around the jack, such was the dominance. The final score to team Fraser, and passage to the semi-final was 30 – 10.
In the last of the Round 2 matches on rink 6, Barb Wainberg, Dave Charlesworth and Mick Fisher opened with a three shotter on the first against Ian Duncan, Peter Flight and Terry Norwood and followed with a single to show that they had no fear of the green or their opposition. However, the Norwood trio then started to get some bowls in the head for them to run together four ends and lead 7 – 4. Mick’s trio then moved the score to 7 all and this game looked as though it was going to be tight. It was then that Ian, Peter and Terry started to outpoint their opponents winning six of the next seven ends and taking a lead of 16 – 9. With a short burst, Mick’s trio closed the gap to three by the eighteenth, and looked threatening. However, Ian Peter and Terry had other ideas managing to top the opposition to win the remaining ends and close things at 26 – 13.
Future Matches
Wednesday May 27th will see the playing of the last of the Round 2 (Quarter Final) matches when Peter Martin, Dugald Braithwaite and Oscar Whalin take on Denis Lees, Arnold Lenczuk and Craig Babic.
Semi-finals will be staged on Saturday May 30th:
Gordon Lewis, Al McGhee and Ash Lewis VS Ian Duncan, Peter Flight and Terry Norwood
Noel Fraser, Jim Neely and Gail Fraser VS winner of Wednesday 27th Round 2 game