It was a good start to the league season with a 2-1 rink win over local rivals and friends Teddington.
Most bowlers coped with the speed of the green, although, as always, it’s a bit heavy during May without much turn, but still pretty good.
Top rink was Laurence, Ange, Roy E & Dawn on this occasion. Long may it continue, although Teddington will be polishing up their bowls for revenge later in the season!
Subscription invoices will be sent out at the beginning of May.
The Board of Directors has agreed the following subscription fees for 2019 – 2020.
New members – half price for first year i.e.
Combined £115 (£100 plus £10 towards indoor green and £5 for new locker);
Indoors £60 (£45 plus £10 towards indoor green and £5 for new locker)
Outdoors £75 (£70 plus £5 for new locker)
Another cracking day of bowls with the spectators on the edge of their seats!
Results:
Mixed Open Pairs – Jean Staples & Norman Chart – down to the final end
Men’s Open Pairs – Dave Ayton & Mike Brown – after they clawed their way back from a slow start
Ladies’ Drawn Pairs – Amanda Miltenburg & Jeanett Stewart – on the extra end!
Ladies Challenge – Sheila Cowmeadow
Men’s Singles – Dave Ayton
Ladies’ Singles – Ange Cumine – on her first go in the championships! It was pretty much nip and tuck all the way.
Thanks to Ange for preparing the jacket potatoes and chilli and grating all that cheese; to Ann D & Laurence for getting everything heated up in time for when the players finished their morning matches; to everyone who helped behind the bar; to Ann B, Barbara and Dawn for the cakes; and yet again the number of spectators who chipped in and washed up, cleared up and put everything away while we were on the green.
Also a big thank you to Ron Eden, the umpire for the day.
That concludes the indoor season for 2018-19 as the changing rooms have now been emptied and the men have been in already to take all the old lockers away and start work on prepping, decorating and installing new lockers.
Thank you.
A great day with some super bowling!
3 Bowl Daytime Pairs – Sheila Cowmeadow & Graeme Dale
Mixed Drawn Pairs – Ange Cumine & Brian Noel – down to last end!
Open Triples – Victor Jerabatnan, Peter Judge & Dawn Slaughter
Men’s Challenge – Ian Dale – what a cracker of a match!
2 Bowls Open Singles – Laurence Gatfield – another match right down to the wire!
Ladies’ Open Pairs – Ange Cumine & Dawn Slaughter
Thanks Vic Perry, the umpire for the day; to Jane and volunteers behind the bar; to Ange for organising and doing most of the preparation for the Ploughman’s Lunch; to Ann B and Dawn for the cakes; and to the multitude of members who helped clear and wash up whilst some of us were on the green. Good team work!
Thank you to everyone who has nominated/proposed/seconded committee positions.
The AGM is at the Clubhouse at 7.00 pm
Another great day of competitive bowls with a good mixture of pairs. Some excellent bowling from Katharine (Amanda said she didn’t do anything) saw the girls with a good win over Bernard (who had staggered from his sick bed to play) & Joan.
The other ladies’ pair of Jeanett & Suzy saw Suzy as skip for the first time in her life and a very good job she made of it. They won more ends in their match v Ange & Ian but only were winning 1s whereas Ange & Ian had some 2s and 3s.
Dawn & Laurence managed to pull their socks up in the second half of their match v Richard & John on Rink 2 and secure a victory there before heading onto Rink 1 to take on Ann & Archie, who had beaten Gym & Colin by the last bowl on the last end of their previous match. On Rink 3 Audrey & Peter T were having a really close match with Roy & Peter J, who unfortunately dropped a 5 and didn’t have enough ends to claw their way back up.
Kevin & Ian had a good win over Ray & Ranjani who weren’t playing badly but were unlucky in finding ‘holes-for-bowls’! Kevin & Ian came up against Dick & Di, who had won the Charity Pairs, in the quarter finals and Dick, Di and Rink 4 got the better of them! Ange & Ian had a welcome win v Audrey & Peter T so faced Dick & Di in the semi-finals. Ange & Ian were up then Dick & Di caught up and overtook them, leaving Ange & Ian to find 5 on the final end for a draw …. and they did! This led to the one-bowl-each tie break end. On winning the toss, Ange & Ian decided to give the mat away. Di promptly put her first bowl right on the jack! Ange put her bowl behind and Dick followed that one up leaving Ian to play a shot needing to be accurate within 1″. The crowd were on the edge of their seats (and feeling mighty grateful they didn’t have to play the shot!). Ian just missed, putting Dick & Di through to the final.
In the other semi, Laurence and Katharine were having a real battle on as leads but eventually Laurence & Dawn won through. This left them facing seasoned winners Dick & Di in the final. Di was ‘hot’ and so was Laurence(!) putting the pressure on both Dick and Dawn to nick the winning shot from the other. In the end, it was Laurence & Dawn who made it to the finishing line first.
Thanks to Ange who made lasagne for all of us for lunch and to Di, Ann D, Colin, Suzy, Joan and everyone else who leapt into wash up and clear up when we were on the green and to everyone who stayed until the end to watch. Great to see Nadine back in the clubhouse too!
After expenses, we started the Carpet Sinking Fund off with around £240.
Dawn
Lovely afternoon and great to see Dave N and his grandson – even though they were on the opposition! Ember only have two indoor fixtures during the winter months, so we are very lucky to have one of those games. Adam and his team are always up for sharing banter and bowls. It was 2-2 in rinks but we’re claiming the shot victory!
Thanks to Kim who prepared a delicious lasagne and to Ann & Archie who helped dish up as Kim was on her own yesterday. (Hard luck to Kerry who had played in the National Triples yesterday morning, but lost to a very strong Norfolk team.)
Ember start their outdoor season at Easter whereas we have to wait until 27th April. Hopefully we will have caught up with those two weeks by the time of the outdoor fixture against them in July.
The four different semi-finalists this year – Victory, Cyphers, Wey Valley and St Neots & District played some tight matches. St Neots, Cyphers & Wey Valley all had youngsters up in Nottingham in the Under 25s, so some new team members were brought in. Some of the Victory team had lost at Nottingham on the Saturday and drove down very early Sunday morning to make the competition at Cambridge Park, then they had to drive back to Nottingham for the Over 60s Fours at 9.30 am on Monday morning!
St Neots and Cyphers had a battle but St Neots held out as a stronger team in their semi-final battle. On the other rinks, after a hesitant start both Victory and Wey Valley had one winning rink and one losing rink and it came down to just a few shots as they went into the final ends. Wey Valley made a last dash to the finishing post in a very exciting match.
After a short lunch break (thanks to Kim and team for breakfasts and lunch!), Wey Valley and St Neots took to the green. Wey Valley made a good start on both rinks and then St Neots ‘clicked’! After that it was neck and neck all the way with often only one shot either way. The heads were exceptional and the controlled shots producing tap and lay and nudging bowls just an inch out of the way was incredible to watch! Towards the end there was a lot of shouting at the bowls as they came into the head. Funnily enough, it seemed to work for these chaps unlike the rest of us whose bowls totally ignore instructions!
Wey Valley were just behind when one rink went into the 21st end and the other on 20th, then disaster struck for Wey Valley following a terrific end by the St Neots bowlers who picked up a 5. Match over. So disappointing for the runners up but bowls can be a cruel game and that final end gave St Neots the edge.
Whereas the losing semi-finalist teams picked up cheques for £100 for their club, Andrew Richardson was presented with a cheque for £500 for Wey Valley
St Neots under their Captain Wayne Bailey celebrate with the cup and cheque for £1,000 for their club!
Well done to everyone and thank you to all the supporters and spectators, Jane and volunteers behind the bar and cake makers/eaters! A great day with excellent bowling.
Congratulations to Laurence who was awarded his Middlesex Indoor County Badge on Friday by the President, Andy Docker. As you can see, Laurence is very happy! (Happier than he was when he gave George H his wrong bias certificate!!)
Laurence will be sewing it on his blazer himself but we will check it’s the right way up before he goes to a match!
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Betty after a fall at her home.
Betty was a longstanding member of the club and could always be found with a wide and welcoming smile and sense of fun whether it be bowls, pouring tea or catering for various meetings. She was very encouraging to new bowlers and supported the club wholeheartedly.
Her husband, Arthur a fomer President and Life Member of the Club, died last year. Now happily reunited but we pass our deepest sympathies to the family.
Funeral Friday 22nd March at 2.30 pm at St Peter’s Church, Petersham
The Wake will be at The Tudor Rose (just below The Petersham, on the Petersham Road) from 4.00 pm and all are welcome.
Family flowers only but donations can be made to the Sea Scouts and/or the Church and there will be collection boxes at the both the church and the Wake. If you cannot attend either, please pass any donations to Jane Whittle who will forward them to the family.