BBC BROADCAST WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 20th    (Terry Norwood at the desk)

Some bits of info to start with:

1. The Pennants season has finished for the Grade Two team as they have a bye in the last round of competition. The Twos finished third in their section. However, the Grade Four team has one game to play and are currently leading the table!. The Fours travel to Taralga on Saturday to take on the ‘Tigers’ in a winner take all final round match. It’s very hard to win in Taralga, but the boys are in fairly good form and very hungry for victory. Bowl well fellows!
2. The Rookie Singles competition continues on Sunday the 24th with the playing of the semi-finals at 10am. One match will see Chris Forrester up against Arnold Lenczuk, while in the other Andy Connor will take on Terry Norwood. The final will be staged in the afternoon. Good bowling lads!
3. Bowlers turning out for social bowls on Wednesday October 18th will be offered a BBQ put on by the Men’s Bowls Committee. All that needs to be decided is whether the BBQ is held before play at 12 noon, or whether it is put on after play at 4.30. The Committee will be taking advice on the timing from bowlers over the next couple of weeks.
4. Welfare Officer Bob Edwards has recently visited Kel Limbrick and Keith Edwards a couple of our nonagenarian bowlers who are doing it a bit tough at the moment. Kel is in the ‘Abbey’ on respite while Keith is a bit roughed-up after a recent tumble. Get well quickly chaps!
5. And while talking of Bob Edwards, he joins the octogenarian club on Sunday the 24th! Best wishes for a great day big man!

Social Bowls

A very warm Spring day greeted the thirty-four bowlers who turned up for social bowls on Wednesday. It was a real slip, slop, slap day and the water barrel needed to be refilled a couple of times as the bowlers kept their fluid levels up. Play had been set down for the Wilson Green but was shifted to the synthetic Waratah Green when the Wilson was taken out for fertilising etc. Amongst the bowlers was Billy Dodwell, returning to the green after quite a long spell. It was great to have you back Bill, and it was also great to see a long time friend of the social bowlers in Julie Hayden. And as if we didn’t have enough to be grateful for, after a few ends we found newcomer Peter Flight watching on and he agreed to make up the sixth in a game that only had five bowlers. So, in the end the Match Committee was able to organise five games of triples and one of pairs.

In the usual 18-ender, this time on rink 8, Grahame Denman, Bill Pope and John ‘junior’ Cummins took on Billy Dodwell, John Fleming and Paul ‘the rowdy one’ Rubie. Now, the report is that Billy made an excellent return to the green right from the word go. However, as the game progressed Billy was to find that the bowls he had sold to skipper Cummins would come back to haunt him. The match was a tight affair at the start with John’s team leading 5 – 4 after six ends and then Paul’s team leading 8 – 7 after ten ends. So tight it was that with two ends to play there was still only one shot separating the teams. It was then that the bowls that Billy had sold to John proved the difference. Team Cummins roared home to win by six shots at 18 – 12.

Out of the kitchen and back on the green, Billy found form quickly!

In a triples match on rink 9, Denis Lees, Julie Hayden and Robin ‘coach’ Staples played Joel Hunt, Charles Stewart and Gordon ‘the cobbler’ Lewis. As expected by the Match Committee when they framed this game, both sides got themselves on the scorecard early to be locked at 4 all after five ends. Team Lewis then had a good burst but when they dropped two shots on the ninth end the scores were again even at 9 – 9. Robin’s team, with Denis leading particularly well, then edged to the front so that they led by five after sixteen ends. Not completely out of the game, Gordon’s team trailed by four after twenty ends, but a single on the last to team Staples saw them home at 23 – 18. The word was that Denis was the star, bowling excellent line on the narrow side as he led for team Staples.

Like Northampton Town, ‘the cobbler’ needed to kick a few goals!

In another triples match. Barry Werfel, Bill Meredith and Owen ‘the wily Scot’ Williams battled against Graham Hartnup, Ian Duncan and Arnold ‘the man in black’ Lenczuk. Both teams got into the game nicely from the start so that the scores were locked at 4 – 4 after five ends. Arnold’s team then won the next four ends and looked as though they had slipped into winning form. Owen and his men had a different idea however as they won the next three ends and held a handy three shot lead at the halfway stage. However, the man in black inspired his team to win five of the next six ends and race to a lead of 21 – 13. Team Williams staged a mini comeback, but Arnold’s team polished off a solid 24 – 17 win on the last two ends.

Arnold, the man in black shoes, had another good day on the green!

In the pairs game on rink 11, Alex Crowther and skipper Tony ‘sparky’ Oakes took on Wal Markow and skipper Ian ‘Cros’ Crow. Wal and Ian leapt from the blocks and had Tony really squirming when they notched up a mouth-watering five on the first end! Tony and Alex hit back immediately on the next two ends, but Ian and Wal pressed on to lead 10 – 4 after seven ends and 12 – 8 after ten ends. Ian and Wal still led after thirteen ends but Tony and Alex then turned the game on its head. With Alex on the jack and Tony drawing well, they won six of the last eight ends to finish with a solid 21 – 16 victory. They proved it’s never over until the fat lady (are we allowed to say that these days?) sings!

On rink 12, Mark Rundle, Jim ‘gentleman’ Starkey and Mick ‘the potter’ Flynn played Michael Hook, Richard Denman and Steve ‘Bundy’ Day. Mick’s team made the better start to this match and led their opponents 7 – 2 after the first five ends. However, under the astute leadership of Steve, team Day had edged itself closer at 8 – 11 by the eleventh end. But then catastrophe struck Steve and his men on the next end! Mick and his boys racked up a massive six shot haul and bounded out to a lead of 17 – 6. Steve’s team immediately dusted themselves off and won three ends to be back in the hunt. However, the Mick led team got their heads down to win four of the remaining six ends and run out convincing winners at 25 – 18.

‘Gentleman Jim’ caused the opposition quite a bit of trouble!

In the final match which had started with a swinger but picked up newcomer Peter after a few ends to make a triples, Ted ‘Mr Smurf’ McPhee, Terry Norwood and skipper Chris ‘the completely unflappable’ Forrester battled for bragging rights over Graham ‘leaning tower’ Hunt, Peter Flight and skipper Bob ‘wily leftie’ Edwards. Bob’s team won the first two ends, and when they notched up a scintillating five shots on the third, their eight shot total had their opponents on the ropes. However, Chris inspired his team to hit back and win the next four ends to be down by only one shot. But then, with newcomer Peter firing in some excellent bowls and Bob and Graham chipping in well, team Edwards won six ends straight to lead 21 – 7! Far from done, Chris and his men fought back to take five of the next seven ends, but, with the damage done early, they were only able to make the score respectable. The final score in favour of Bob’s team was 24 – 18.

‘Mr Smurf’ and the ‘leaning tower’ had a good battle as leads!