BBC BROADCAST WEDNESDAY MAY 28th         (Terry Norwood at the desk)

Some hors d’oeuvres before a second course of social bowls:

1. It was a great pleasure to welcome eight bowlers from the Picnic Point Bowling Club in Sydney as they joined the Bowral group for social bowls on Wednesday May 28th. We hope they felt welcome and Bowral members certainly enjoyed their company as we scattered them amongst the teams. Russell Freshwater and Merv Crutchley as skips had the better of a couple of locals, as others featured well in the matches. But more of that below.
2. The Club Triples Championship continues on Saturday May 31st with the playing of the semi-finals at 12.30. Gordon Lewis, Ash Lewis and Mick Spong will take on Peter Watson, Stephen Della and Dugald Braithwaite in one game, while Graham Hartnup, Ian Duncan and Dave Charlesworth will do battle against Richard Denman, Peter Flight and Stephen Day. Good bowling gentlemen.
3. Although the major bowls event on Saturday will be the Triples Championship, there will be social bowls for those who wish to have a roll. Names will be needed by 11.30 as usual.
4. To date, very few have nominated for the handicap pairs event to be staged in June, so the Match Committee is keeping nominations open for another week to close on Wednesday June 4th at 5pm. Open to men and women, this competition will see those nominated placed in pairs randomly by the Match Committee in the hope of having a fairly even event. Come on ladies and gents, get your names down so we can have a less serious, good time event!
5. The second edition of the Newsletter ‘Jack Chat’ should be out early next week, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Ian Duncan is working on that at the moment.

Wednesday Social Bowls

With the eight visitors from Picnic Point joining thirty-two Bowral bowlers, the Match Committee had a nice round forty to organise for social bowls, and so formed six games of triples and one of pairs. Although the sky was clear and there was no chance of rain, an antarctic blustery southerly wind kept bowlers well rugged up as well as guessing the line when they stepped onto the mat!

In the pairs match over twenty-five ends on rink 7, Pam Freshwater from Picnic Point and Bowral’s Steve ‘makeover’ Day took on Neville ‘nifty’ Tanner and the ebullient one Chris Forrester, and although they dropped a couple of shots on the first end, Pam and Steve were soon into stride to lead 11 – 2 after six. It was then that Neville and Chris mastered, well almost mastered the wind to collect four threes and a double and snatch the lead by the twelfth. However, by the fifteenth Pam and Steve had regained the lead by a shot, and were still one in front after twenty-two ends. But at this point, the Pam/Steve engine apparently ran out of steam, which allowed Neville and Chris to roll home to the tune of 29 – 24.

On the next rink, Maureen Wilson from Picnic Point, Peter ‘Virgin’ Flight and John ‘junior’ Cummins battled against Shane ‘newknee’ Harvey, Graham ‘hardnut’ Hartnup and Terry ‘preston’ Norwood. In the testing conditions, John’s team settled better to lead 9 – 0 after four ends. However, team Norwood swarmed the jack on the next end for a four shotter, and by the ninth were only a shot behind at 8 – 9. And then, embarrassingly, the wheels fell off the Norwood cart completely and they dropped a six shotter on the tenth, and when they dropped a four on the twelfth, they were eight behind and languishing! Playing the better bowls, John’s team maintained the upper hand and drifted home comfortably at 27 – 18. Ambidextrous Peter was the pick of this lot as he consistently taunted the opposition!

On rink 9, Ted ‘Barry’ McPhee, Ian ‘Mr Cool’ Duncan and Picnic Point skip Russell Freshwater jostled for honours against Picnic Point’s Ray Hunt, Bowral’s Graham ‘leaning tower’ Hunt and the evergreen Gordon Lewis. Both sides won early ends but it was the Russell led team that surged and, after a sweet four shotter on the eighth end, they led 13 – 4. With Ted having a blinder and Ian not far behind, team Freshwater led 17 – 6 by the twelfth. Smelling salts time for Gordon’s lot; well they grabbed a three and then had a short run to be within seven shots with two ends to play. However, there was to be no miracle finish for team Lewis today, as Russell’s team grabbed a couple of singles and a nine shot victory at 23 – 14.

In the next game, Picnic Point’s Garry Metcalfe, Peter ‘admiral’ Watson and Clive ‘dasher’ Neutze tussled against Denis ‘rowdy’ Lees, Richard ‘ten pin head’ Denman and Merv Crutchley from Picnic point, and it was the Merv led trio that blitzed the opposition early to lead 9 – 0 after five ends! Wow, oxygen puffer needed on rink 10! Well, something worked because Clive got his group on the card, and by the twelfth end had reduced the deficit to seven at 6 – 13. However, matters weren’t to proceed kindly for them as anything they came up with was matched by Merv’s men, who cracked a four shotter on the seventeenth to lead 21 – 7. Clive’s team got to double figures, but overall it was a 24 – 10 massacre by Denis, Richard and Merv.

On rink 11, Grahame ‘dragon’ Denman, Steve Mason from Picnic Point and the wily Bob Edwards faced off against Wal ‘speckles’ Markow, Don ‘gentleman’ Chapman and Viv ‘second’ Gear. It was Bob’s team that had the better of the early ends to lead 4 – 1 after four. However like an old fashioned diesel motor, team Gear eventually warmed to the task and by the seventh end led 7 – 4. And then team Edwards went on a strong run of eight of the next nine ends to lead 16 – 9. Still in the game, Viv’s team won three ends, but the singles weren’t enough to substantially improve the overall situation. In a low scoring game, it was Bob’s team that got the chocolates at 18 – 12.

On rink 12, Barry ‘smerfel’ Werfel, Mark ‘very rowdy’ Rundle and Bob ‘chin-sock’ Crowley (great to see you on the rink again Bob) went head to head against Mark ‘straw’ Barrow, Owen ‘very wily’ Williams and Joe ‘skip’ O’Donnell, and it was Bob’s team that had the better of the opening ends to lead 5 – 1 after five. They continued to get the better of Joe’s trio to lead 13 – 3 after eleven and looked in control of proceedings. And then the turnaround came! Team O’Donnell won the next five ends to take the lead by a shot and it was game on! Bob’s team edged in front by a shot on the eighteenth, but team O’Donnell took the last three ends to get home 19 – 15. What a great close one!

In the final game on rink 15, Alex ‘wides’ Christlo, Robert Waterer from Picnic Point and coach extraordinaire Robin Staples battled against Paul ‘ricochet’ Rubie, Arnie ‘dickie knee’ Lenczuk and the mercurial potter Mick Flynn. Both sides scored early but it was Robin’s team that led narrowly 6 – 3 after six ends. At the tenth end, the lead had been reduced to one shot at 10 – 9 and things were as tight as the proverbial Scotsman’s wallet! It was Robin’s team that then broke free to lead 17 – 10, only to drop a monstrous, eyewatering SEVEN shotter on the fifteenth, and when they dropped the next two ends, had surrendered the lead to team Flynn at 20 – 17. Undaunted, team Staples battled on, and when they notched up a four on the twentieth, they regained the lead and a single on the last got them home 24 – 21 in a very close one.