BBC BROADCAST SATURDAY MAY 30th (Terry Norwood at the desk)
Pearls of wisdom to get us started:
- The Club Triples Competition has reached the final stage after the playing of the semis on Saturday, so more on that below.
- On Thursday the 28th, 26 men joined the women for a day of mixed bowls. The weather wasn’t at all kind with mist ensuring there was dampness in the air all morning. However, there was much conviviality as the women put on a fine show to demonstrate to the men how well organised they are. Many thanks! The next combined day will be a Wednesday when the men will organise the afternoon.
- As we keep being reminded, the financial year will close in a month, so annual fees will be due prior to July 1st. The Men’s Bowling Committee has been working on reducing the cost, and members will be notified very soon.
- Bowlers will have noticed that a new windsock now flutters from the pole, a recent purchase to replace the last one that ‘disappeared’. To attempt to look after the windsock, it needs to be taken down by a Committee member after each bowls session and placed in the drawer of the desk in the office. Occasionally we forget!! Members, if ever you notice the windsock still out when bowling has finished, please let one of the Committeemen know so that it can be retrieved.
- And another reminder that the AGM of the Men’s Bowling Committee will be held in August so it won’t be long before nominations will open for committee positions.
BBC Triples Competition
The last of the quarter final matches was played on Wednesday 27th, with the semis rolling out on Saturday.
In the quarter final, Peter Martin, Dugald Braithwaite and Oscar Whalin dropped a three on the first end against Denis Lees, Arnie Lenczuk and Craig Babic but then began to dominate to lead 11 – 3 after six. Peter was setting the trio up very well as lead and Dugald and Oscar were on song to follow up. Despite some fine bowling from Craig to keep his team in most ends, the opposition was managing to better even the good bowls that Denis and Arnie put down. Struggling with the sluggish green, Denis and Arnie found it difficult to find the jack as the ends ticked over and Oscar’s trio was never going to make it easy for them. In the end, it was a huge win to Peter, Dugald and Oscar at 36 – 8.
Semi Finals
On rink 4, Gordon Lewis, Al McGhee and Ash Lewis struck first on the opening ends against Ian Duncan, Peter Flight and Terry Norwood and then led 4 – 3 after four. On the sixth end, Peter fired in two beauties to help his trio snatch the lead with a four shotter, but they were soon under the pump. With Ash calling the shots, and Gordon and Al responding well, team Lewis ran together five ends to push the lead to 14 – 7. Terry’s trio grabbed a couple of ends to get to within four, but by the seventeenth were six adrift. And the eighteenth was then a turning point . . . six down in a tight head, Ash drew his last bowl to the jack for a seven shot turnaround. Two ends later, Ash’s team grabbed a five shotter, and it was all over bar the shouting! 27 – 15 was the final score with Gordon, Al and Ash all outpointing their opposite number.
On rink 2, Noel Fraser, Jim Neely, and Gail Fraser had slightly the better of the opening ends against Peter Martin, Dugald Braithwaite and Oscar Whalin to lead 5 – 2 after five. However, Oscar’s team then settled into their work winning five of the next six ends to lead 10 – 7, and then the game settled into a dogged battle. In the tightest of struggles, the scores were 11 all, then 12 all, then 13 all, 14 all . . . and 15 all with three ends to play! From the 14th end to the 22nd, the result had been singles in this closest of encounters. All bowlers were on fire with this game going down to the wire. Gail’s team snaffled a single on the twenty-third end, and then another on the twenty-fourth for a two shot lead. On the last, Peter put team Whalin on the jack, only to be matched by Jim whose bowl couldn’t be bettered by those that followed. What a great match, and an excellent win to the Fraser/Neely combo at 18 – 15.
So, the final on Saturday June 6th will see a battle between Gordon Lewis, Al McGhee and Ash Lewis and the trio of Noel Fraser, Jim Neely and Gail Fraser. Should be a beauty well worth watching!
Saturday Social Bowls
Two triples games were organised for the twelve who decided to brave the very chilly breeze for a roll on Saturday afternoon.
On rink 8 closest to the bar, Mark ‘wheel’ Barrow, Barb Wainberg and Chris ‘Tooheys Old’ blitzed Peter Marshall, Graham Hartnup and the maestro Robin Staples on the first end with a six shotter and then led 14 – 2 after five. Robin’s trio reduced the deficit to seven with a four shotter on the ninth, but then Chris’ team steamed off into the night not to be sighted. When stumps were pulled after eighteen ends, the numbers read 30 – 12!
In the other game, Jill ‘Hollywood’ Harwood, Owen ‘wily’ Williams and Arnie ‘dickie hamstring’ Lenczuk were left at the starting line by Charles ‘morse’ Coode, Richard ‘gazelle’ Denman and Dave Charlesworth to be 0 – 7 after six ends and then 2 – 13 after eleven. This became 3 – 15 until Arnie’s trio found the jack to take four ends and scramble to 9 – 15 by stumps. Ah, the Guinness helped narrow the deficit!!