BBC BROADCAST WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6th    (Terry Norwood in the chair)

Some points of interest for a start:

1. The funeral service for Brian Payne will be held at midday on Wednesday 13th September. This will be a graveside service at Penrose Cemetery, Victoria St Penrose off Kareela Rd.
2. As Brian would have wished, social bowls will still be run on that day. For those not attending the funeral service, bowls will commence at 12.30 the usual time. Bowlers arriving from Penrose will be able to join social bowls as they arrive at the Club.
3. There will be no Pennant bowling on Saturday so both the Waratah and Wilson Greens will be available for social bowls. Let’s see if we can get a big Saturday turnout now that we are in Spring.
4. Nomination for the Rookie singles to be run this month will close on Saturday 9th September at 5pm. The chart is on the notice board for anyone wanting to put their name forward.
5. Welfare Officer Bob Edwards visited Kel Limbrick recently and found him well and in good spirits. Kel is in the Abbey on respite while his wife is in hospital. He sends his regards to all bowlers.
6. All members are asked to keep in mind the AGM of the Club Ltd which will be held at 10.30am on Sunday October 15th.
7. The next meeting of the Men’s Bowls Committee will be held on Saturday September 9th at 10.30. Minutes from the meeting will be available to all bowlers shortly thereafter.

Social Bowls Wednesday September 6th

On a bright sunny Spring day, forty eager bowlers turned up for social bowls. This number included visitor Graeme Kenny joining the group for the first time. Also present was Greg Lewis whom evergreen Gordon Lewis thought might need a few pointers to sharpen his game!  Given the numbers, the Bowls Committee organised one game of pairs and six games of triples. Play was assigned to the Wilson Green with the usual 18-ender on rink 7 of the Waratah green.

Well, taking the 18-ender first, which turned out to be a 20-ender, Richard Denman, deputising for Junior Cummins led John Fleming and Keith Edwards against relative newcomer Geoff Williams, Keith Scriven and the rowdy one himself Paul Rubie. Both teams got on the scorecard early but it was Paul’s team that stamped authority on the game to lead 13 – 4 after ten ends. The Richard led three were gasping for breath and found themselves even further behind at 6 – 21 after fifteen ends. From that point the game was turned on its head!! Richard’s team scored seventeen shots on the next five ends for the game to finish in their favour at 23 – 21! Wow! I guess the moral is ‘never give up’. Or is the moral, keep to eighteen ends which would have seen Paul’s team in front!

Winning skipper Richard Denman!

The pairs game was on rink 1 of the Wilson Green where Arnold Lenczuk and Steven Goddard took on the Lewises, Greg and Gordon. And, as the Match Committee expected, this was a very hard-fought game. For most of the match it was nip and tuck with the teams trading touchers and nudging each other off the jack. The score was 4 – 4 after five ends but four shots on the next put team Goddard in front. By the eleventh end, Arny and Steven had edged to a six shot lead, and by the seventeenth end they still led at 18 – 13. The final four ends were of a very high standard of bowls with the shot bowl changing regularly, but all four ends went to the Goddard team and they got home at 24 – 13. Great bowling by all four men!

Winning skipper Steven Goddard!

In a triples match on rink 2, Grahame Denman, Terry Norwood and skipper, the wily Scotsman Owen Williams did battle against visitor Graeme Kenny, Graham Hunt and skipper ‘gentleman’ Jim Starkey. And what a close encounter this game was! Team Williams had the better of proceedings at the start and led 6 – 2 after five ends. However, by the seventh end the scores were locked at 6 – 6, and from the point, the difference was never more than two shots … until the last end! The scores were eight all after eleven ends, ten all after fourteen, twelve all after seventeen and thirteen all after nineteen! The skippers Jim and Owen were having a great battle pinching shots with their last bowls and the game entered the last end with only one shot the difference. And then, when the opposition least wanted it, Graham Hunt put his three bowls on the jack on the last end and it was game over. Victory to team Starkey at 18 – 13.

Winning skipper Jim Starkey!

In the game on rink 4, Mark Rundle, Joe O’Donnell and skipper the wily leftie Bob Edwards took on Denis Lees, Paul McInerney and Tony ‘sparks’ Oakes. Tony’s team got away to a sparkling start in this match to lead 9 – 1 after five ends. Bob was just about to call in the FRS when his team broke through with four shots on the eighth end and got them breathing again. Bob’s team then matched it with their opponents so that by the sixteenth end they were only one shot behind at 12 – 13. Bring it on was Bob’s cry! However, Tony’s team then won the next three ends, but when they gave up three shots on the twentieth, they led by only three and Bob’s men were still within reach. However, cool heads prevailed and team Oakes took the last end and victory at 19 – 15.

Winning skipper Tony Oakes!

In the triples match on the next rink, Barry Werfel, Col Stone and ‘coach extraordinaire’ Robin Staples went head to head against Wal Marko, Ian ‘the’ Crow and skipper Stephen ‘bundy mayor’ Day. The ‘coach’ soon had his team focussed and they led 5 – 1 after five ends. Team Day then found better line and length and had closed to within two shots at the eighth end. Robin and his men then had a very good run winning six of the next eight ends to lead nicely at 16 – 7. Far from done, Stephen fired up his team which took the next two ends to be within four shots with three ends to play. However, two shots on the next end had Robin feeling a little more comfortable and they held on to win by three at 18 – 15. A fine match with some very good bowls.

Winning skipper Robin Staples!

In the game on rink 5, Shane Harvey, Mike Hook and Mick ‘Mr Stoke’ Flynn took on Brian Bailey, Neville Tanner and Peter ‘miraculous’ Morales. Mick’s team leapt out of the blocks to lead 7 – 1 after three ends. They extended this to 10 – 3, but then some ‘magic’ started to come into the game and by the tenth end Mick’s lead had been cut to one shot at 10 – 9. With plenty of chat, Mick’s team had again edged to the lead only to have team Morales match them by the sixteenth end at 16 – 16. The scores were level again on the eighteenth 18 – 18 and the twentieth 19 – 19. This thriller was now going right down to the wire! In an exciting finish, Mick’s team took a shot on the last end to win 20 -19. The game was a real credit to both teams who hung in despite the pressure.

Winning skipper Mick Flynn!

In the final game on rink 6, Joel Hunt, Ted McPhee and the ebullient Bob Crowley did battle against Phil Payne, Chris Forrester and another wily leftie Clive Neutze. Although they won the first end, Bob’s team soon found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger at 1 – 5 after three ends. They then found some better form and by the ninth end had reduced the deficit to 7 – 8. It was then, however, that Clive and his men took a strangle hold on the match; they won the next seven ends on the trot to set up a massive lead of 19 – 7. Down on their knees but not quite out, Bob’s men took a couple of ends and when they score a double on the twentieth they leapfrogged into double figures. Phew! Clive’s team then took a shot on the last end to round off a very successful day with a 21 – 11 win.

Winning skipper Clive Neutze!