BBC BROADCAST WEEKEND NOVEMBER 29/30th         (Terry Norwood at the desk)

Some bits to chew on for a start:

1. The semi-finals of the Minor Singles competition were played on Saturday, so more on that below.
2. The schedule for the Consistency Singles, to be played in January, is now posted on the notice board. There are already quite a few entries but we have room for plenty more, so, come on girls and boys, get your names down for this challenging event.
3. The first round of the Southern Highlands Cup between Bowral, Bundanoon and Robertson was conducted on Sunday, so more on that below.
4. The draw for the first round of the Major Fours Championship, set down for Saturday December 6th, is now posted on the notice board. The sides skippered by Al McGhee and Mick Flynn move directly into the second round with a bye.
5. The participation figures for November have now been registered so the totals for July-November will be posted on the notice board this week. Currently with the most appearances on the green to this point are Peter Flight and the venerable Gordon Lewis on 37.
6. And a reminder that the Men’s Committee intends to have an Xmas/Awards afternoon on December 13th so please get your reply to Ian Duncan by Wednesday 3rd so we have the numbers for catering.

Minor Singles Competition

In the semi on rink 9, Denis Lees was marker for the encounter between Chris Forrester and Paul McInerney, and Chris racked up a triple on the first end to set the game alight. However, Paul won the next three ends collecting an impressive seven shots, and was still in front 9 – 7 after nine ends. It was then that Chris put together four solid ends to take a handy 15 – 9 lead, and was looking to be handling the strong, gusty (semi gale!?!) wind better. Paul managed to get the score to within four, but a full house of four shots on the twenty-first end put Chris in the box seat at 22 – 14. Three ends later it was all over with a single giving Chris the shot he needed for a 25 – 15 victory and passage into the final.

Chris, the victor, and Paul, the runner-up on the mat!

In the other semi on rink 8, Graham Hunt was marker when Ted McPhee took on Terry Norwood and this game quickly turned into an absolute blood-letting massacre!! With Ted in hot form and hugging the jack, and his opponent in no-mans-land, Ted raced to a massive 15 – 1 lead after just nine ends! Playing with the wind, Ted was drawing brilliantly, while his opponent, trying to play into the wind, could find neither line nor length. The further the game went, the better Ted bowled, and he handed Terry a massive bowling lesson. In all, the game lasted just eighteen ends, with Ted claiming fifteen and his battered opponent a very miserly three ends! What an emphatic win at 25 – 5! Ouch!

Ted ‘the hammer’ and Terry ‘the hammered’ on the mat!

And so, the final will be between Chris Forrester and Ted McPhee on Wednesday December 3rd with Graham Hunt as the marker. Bowl well fellas!!

 

Southern Highlands Cup

Bowral was host for the first round of the 2025 Cup between Bundanoon, Bowral and Robertson on Sunday, with the format being the same as 2024, i.e. the clubs each being represented by two triples teams and two pairs. Each of the four teams played an opposition side two games of eleven ends, with three competition points being earned by a side winning both games. In the case of a draw (one win and one point each), a tie break game was played, with the winner then earning two points overall,  and the loser one point.

In the first of the pairs matches, Chris Forrester and Ash Lewis won both their eleven end matches and so earned Bowral the maximum three points. The result was the same in the other pairs game where Oscar Whalin and Dugald Braithwaite notched up two wins and collected three competition points.

The triples team of Reta South, Gail Fraser and Robin Staples won both games, so they also earned Bowral the maximum three points. The team of Noel Fraser, Dave Coltman and Al McGhee won one of their two games, but they then won the tie-breaker to collect two competition points.

So, in an excellent opening to their defence of the Cup, Bowral notched up a very impressive 11 competition points, to sit at the top of the competition ladder from Bundanoon on 5 and Robertson on 2. However, let’s not get too carried away, because we need to keep in mind that this round was at home on the Waratah Green, and that the next two rounds will be away at Bundanoon and Robertson where the conditions will be quite different. Anyway, the Bowral teams can be well satisfied with a great home performance in the first round, and can have confidence moving into the other rounds.