BBC BROADCAST SATURDAY DECEMBER 28th (Terry Norwood at the desk)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Some reminders to kick off proceedings:
- All you mad keen triples bowlers limbering up for the Club Triples Championship will have to wait until May to show your stuff. Given the congestion of January, the Match Committee has deferred the Triples until May 17, 24, 31 all Saturdays.
- The Pennants selectors will meet on Saturday January 4th at 5pm to organise teams for the Pennant trial matches which will be staged on January 18th commencing at 10.30. Bowlers who listed their names for Pennants will need to check the notice board shortly after the 4th to see who will be needed in the first of the trials. The second round of trials will be staged on January 25th.
- The BBC Fours Championship will get underway at 12.30 in the afternoon of January 4th. There will be two matches in the first round with team Spong up against team Edwards, and team Flynn battling against team Staples. The sides of team Lenczuk and team Braithwaite have a bye on the Saturday and move directly into the semi-finals on Sunday. Best of bowling fortune to all bowlers!
- The next meeting of the Men’s Bowling Committee will be held at 10.30 on Wednesday January 15th.
SATURDAY SOCIAL BOWLS
The weather was perfect for bowls on this last Saturday of 2024, with the fluky breeze out of the west keeping the bowlers refreshed, but giving them something to take into consideration when on the mat. It was a cracking day, one to be bottled and cracked open every bowling day. Eighteen bowlers made it easy for the Match Committee to organise three matches of triples.
In the first game on rink 8, Richard ‘denman’ Denman, Terry ‘puff’ Norwood and Chris ‘ebullience’ Forrester traded blows with Peter ‘virgin’ Flight, Dave Coltman and Stephen ‘doc’ Della. Despite dropping a couple of shots on the first end, team Della bounced out to a 5 – 2 lead after four. With Richard on the jack, Chris’ team then got the score back to 5 all on the sixth, but were belted on the next end when the Doc slotted a couple in for a four shotter. Down 6 – 11 after nine ends, Chris then revved his team up to win six of the next seven ends and to claw their way in front by three. With Chris supreme, they then edged out to six in front with one end to play. Down a couple of shots on the 21st, the Doc killed the end with a splendid drive and players settled into a replay. Chris’ team all then got the wobbles, spraying their bowls, but miraculously got home by a single shot when Stephen’s team could only come up with a five shotter. Phew! 20 – 19! In a fine game of bowls, the skips, Chris and Stephen both had super games.
Chris had a cracking game to get his team home!
In the match on rink 9, Grahame ‘dragon’ Denman, visitor Roger Squires and the wily Bob Edwards crossed swords with Mark Barrow, Harold ‘stentless’ Wall and skipper in waiting Arnie ‘dickie knee’ Lenczuk. And it was Bob’s team that flew from the blocks, smashed the opposition into submission and led 9 – 1 after six ends! Where was the oxygen was the cry from team Lenczuk! Well they certainly imbibed something as they won three ends and had the score back to 8 – 13 by the eleventh. However, when Bob’s team notched up an eye-watering five shotter on the twelfth and were all smiles at 18 – 8, the signs were very ominous. And then the turnaround exploded! In a blistering run home, Arnie’s team won the next five ends to be within two shots, and it was game on! Bob’s team grabbed a shot but by the twentieth end it was locked up at 19 all! In a great finish, Arnie’s team completed this astonishing comeback and got home by two 21 – 19. What was that in the water?
Arnie could forget his dickie knee after a super comeback!
In the final game on rink 10, Barb Wainberg, Barry ‘smerfel’ Werfel and skipper, the evergreen nonagenarian Gordon ‘cobblers’ Lewis battled for honours against Jill Harwood, Ian ‘smooth’ Duncan and the maestro himself Robin Staples. In a solid start, the three shots to Robin’s team gave no indication of the mayhem that was to follow! With Gordon in superb form and Barb chipping in well as lead, team Lewis absolutely annihilated the opposition over the next eight ends to lead by a staggering 17 – 3. This was another rink where the oxygen and stimulants were needed so it seems! However, although Robin’s team did win the next two ends so that the score was 17 – 6, there was to be no miracle turnaround in the back half of this game. Team Staples did hold their own in the run through the back half sharing the ends, but were unable to make any impression on the deficit. The final score was 24 – 13 to team Lewis, and meant another notch in the long belt of success on the green for Gordon Lewis AM!
Gordon still working magic on the green!