BBC BROADCAST WEEKEND NOVEMBER 23rd/24th (Terry Norwood at the desk)
The entrée before the main course:
- A reminder that any bowler interested in being considered for selection in the Bowral team to play against Bundanoon and Robertson in the Southern Highlands Cup needs to get your name listed on the schedule posted on the notice board. Game days are December 7th (Bundanoon), 8th (Robertson) and 14th at Bowral. Bowlers have until November 30th to get names on the schedule.
- The 24/25 Pennants competitions, open to both men and women, will commence in February 2025 and run for ten weeks. Any bowler interested in being considered for selection will need to enter your name on the schedule by December 6th. BBC will need to notify Region about our participation prior to Christmas so we need those names in asap.
- The Men’s Bowling Committee will meet again at 10.30am on Wednesday 27th. Minutes from that meeting will be posted on the notice board later in the week.
Major Pairs Championship
The weekend saw some cracking games of pairs bowling in the Club Championship. Preliminary rounds, plus one quarter final, were played on the Saturday, and the remaining quarter finals on the Sunday. Weather-wise both days were hot and players were under pressure to use the shade and to keep the fluids up.
Saturday Games
On rink 8, Ash Lewis and Mick Spong took on Andy Connor and Scott Kennon. And what a cracking game this was! Ash and Mick, the favoured pairing, opened with a four shotter and led 5 – 1 after three ends. It was then that Andy and Scott found some brilliant form and they dominated the next five ends to lead 13 – 5. However, the experienced pairing of Ash and Mick, with some excellent shot making, hit back to work their way to the lead. Despite some excellent bowls from Andy and and Scott, Ash and Mick held on to win by 23 – 18.
On rink 9, Noel Fraser and Jim Neely faced off against Graham Hunt and Terry Norwood. Graham and Terry had the better of the early ends to lead 6 – 2 after four. With Graham putting shots on the jack, they continued to outpoint their opponents and led 14 – 6 after eleven ends. A commanding lead. However, Jim and Noel dug into their experience, found some better form and began to match their opponents. But matching was all it was, as they were unable to reduce the deficit. The final score in favour of Graham and Terry was 22 – 15.
On the next rink, Ian Duncan and Robin Staples battled against the lesser experienced Bruce Yahl and Graham Hartnup. As expected, Ian and Robin burst from the blocks to lead 8 – 1 after five ends, and the signs were fairly ominous. However, a three shotter to Bruce and Graham got them going, and by the fourteenth end they were only three down at 9 – 12. And by the seventeenth, they were only two shots adrift – game on! However, experience came to the fore as Ian and Robin grabbed five shots on the next two ends, and moved on to a six shot victory at 19 – 13.
In a blistering start over the first four ends, Dugald Braithwaite and Al McGhee led 12 – 0 over Gordon Lewis and Bob Edwards. With both bowlers in very good touch, this dominance continued so that Dugald and Al led 15 – 3 after ten. Gordon and Bob then found some better form, got inside their opponents bowls, won six of the next seven ends and were in touch at 11 – 16 with four ends to play. However, returning to their best bowls, Dugald and Al dominated the closing ends and ran out 27 – 11 victors.
In the final Saturday match, a quarter final brought forward, Ted McPhee and Chris Forrester battled for a semi-final spot against Dave Charlesworth and Arnie Lenczuk. And this was one of those matches when one side is on fire and the other just can’t seem to get going at all. Ted and Chris dominated their opponents winning fifteen of the twenty-one ends, and, although there were no ‘blow out’ ends, they coasted home to a very comfortable win at 25 – 7.
Sunday Quarter Final Games
On rink 8, Dugald Braithwaite and Al McGhee battled against Graham Hunt and Terry Norwood. With excellent bowls from both bowlers, Graham and Terry grabbed a five shotter on the first end, and followed up on the next three ends to lead 9 – 0. And although they dropped a five on the fifth, they pressed on to lead 14 – 5 after eight. However, the class bowlers that they are, Dugald and Al found better form, and when they grabbed nine shots on ends 13 and 14, they hit the lead at 18 – 15. Not done, Graham and Terry won five of the last seven ends, including a single on the twenty-first to tie the score at 20 all. In the playoff end, both sides had shots in the head, but it was skipper Al who put one on the jack to take out victory. A cracking match!
On rink 9, Ash Lewis and Mick Spong took on Ian Duncan and Robin Staples. And this was a game in which Mick and Ash were in imperious form! Draw shots, kisses, playing with weight all worked perfectly for these very skilled bowlers. Ian and Robin didn’t bowl badly at all, but when they had shots in the head either Ash or Mick drew inside or took them out. In a masterful display, they dropped only five of the nineteen ends and roared home to a 26 – 7 victory.
In the last of the quarter final games, Stephen Della and Dave Coltman went head to head against Peter Flight and Mick Flynn. With Stephen on the jack and Dave not far away, they led 6 – 1 after the first four ends. Peter and Mick then found some better form, but by the the tenth end were still five behind at 5 – 10. The back half of the match was a very tight affair with each side matching the other, but Dave and Stephen holding onto the lead. With three shots separating the sides and one end to play, it could have gone either way. However, Dave and Stephen played a very steady final end to come away victors 17 – 13.