IMG_0026

As you will see from the video (hope it works – thanks Audrey!), no, it didn’t!

Margaret B did a fantastic job co-ordinating the whole event with support team in the kitchen Of Beryl B & SHirley O, Alan B and Brian C out under umbrellas and what-have-you manning the BBQ and Laurence and Dawn provided the indoor games with golfing challenge PuttOut (won by Laurence who donated the prize money to the RNLI); bowling sponge ‘bowls’ into a scoring wedge (no firm results there as it took a while for anyone to score with only 4 bowls – they needed a few goes); and last-man-standing Dan Headland taking the Crazy Golf-Bowls title after a four way play out over one extended hole which took them all six goes before the other three were disqualified for knocking down the hurdle!

Many thanks to everyone who came – all 50+ – and lovely to see lots of generations of the Curwood family including two tinies.

A big, big thank you to Margaret and helpers.  I don’t think she sat down from when she got to the club at 8.30 am to when she left at 7.30 pm.  Absolutely brilliant!  There are a few photos on the Cambridge Park Facebook page.

A quiet weekend ahead although Cathy T is in the Final of the Middlesex O55 Singles playing Rose M of Rosedale Park at Hayes BC on Sunday.  We wish her the best of luck.

Friday night leagues are on 31st August and 7th September and the Club Finals are over the weekend of 8th/9th September.  Cathy will post the timetable after the last semi-final is played on Monday 4th.

It all started on Friday when the Middlesex Ladies took on Surrey across all 6 rinks.  The groundsman assisted with extra watering from Jane, Terry & Laurence during the previous fortnight, had the green in a fantastic condition with 90% grass visible and only the odd patch of brown.

There were up and down scores across the rinks and Middlesex lost by just one single shot overall.  Margaret, Sheila and Audrey served all the players and officials with teas/coffees on arrival; Kim, Martin, Kerry & Ellie served an excellent meal and Jane and Ann were keeping everyone hydrated with soft and alcoholic drinks from behind the bar.

On Saturday, with the sun blazing down on the green, the Middlesex Ladies had their Finals Day for all the National Competitions.  Although the majority of the finalists in the various disciplines would be heading off to represent the county at the National Championships in Leamington next month, the winners and runners up of the Unbadged Singles and the runners up in the Senior Fours have to be satisfied with County glory!  That’s pretty good in itself!

Singles Championship – Sue B beat Janine – both from West Ealing

Unbadged Singles – Karen Ryan (West Ealing) beat Carol Daines (Ashford)

2 Bowl Singles – Jane P (Broomfield) beat Frankie C (Brentham)

Pairs – Sue B & Megan H beat Janine and Lu – all from West Ealing

Triples – Birthday girl Sue A, Maureen & Sarah from Holtwhites beat Mandy, Angela and Cynthia from Ladygate

Senior Fours – Phil, Elaine, (apologies)   & Kay S from Hurlingham Park beat Wanda, Jo, and (apologies again)  from North London

and last, but not least – the Cambridge Park – Cathy, Nadine, Jean & Ann beat Sue, Lu, Janine and Karen from West Ealing in the not-so-old-girls Fours!

Sarah H had kindly provided Norman with a pinny, oven gloves etc and he cut a dash in the kitchen preparing Ploughman’s Lunches.  Sheila M, Audrey were serving teas/coffees/cake all day and both looked exhausted by the end of the day.  Beryl B assisted Sheila & Audrey in the morning and Rita McD and Sarah H volunteered to help and were roped in for later in the afternoon.  Jane and Ann did a great job behind the bar too.  Laurence & Dawn marked two of the finals as their contribution.

It was lovely that so many people came to support their teams then stayed to enjoy most of the singles’matches before heading off home.  Thank you.

Thanks also to the Middlesex Executive who, without a specific Competition Secretary, all joined forces to run the competitions throughout the season and did all the admin on Finals Day.  On top of all their other committee tasks, they did a grand job and all of us players are very grateful to their diligence and commitment to the County on our behalf the whole year round.

We received the sad news that Rita Fenton passed away this morning.  She had been unwell for quite a while and, although she had hoped to bowl indoors again this season, just wasn’t able to make it.

Rita & Martin devoted many, many hours to the club in a multitude of capacities.  They were always very encouraging to new club members and bowlers and personally I learned a lot from them.

Another long term devoted Club member who held various committee positions was Jean Jacobs and she too has concluded her earthly life.  I hope the bowls club in the sky has welcomed this new Ladies’ Pairs with as much as love as they gave and shared here.

Our thoughts, sympathies and love to Martin Fenton and family as well as both Jean’s daughter and family.

 

Jean’s funeral is on 23rd July.  Details for Rita will be posted soon.

Opening on Monday, the new ABC Sports Injury Clinic will be launched.

Stiff muscles, sore back, creaky knees?  Book an appointment with one of the highly-skilled therapists.  Special rates for CP members but the clinic is also open to non-members.

More information from scottcumine@yahoo.co.uk or 07794 304 336 or 07973 654 877

ABC Cambridge Park Leaflet

abc_door_poster

We had a great week at Potters and were a bit heavy headed on this our last morning – Congratulations to Steve G, Tricia G, Barry & Teresa F who WON the whole competition – fantastic bowling! 

Thanks to Laurence for organising the:

Table Football competition – winners Laurence  & Ann M

Kerling competition – winners Ted & Jim P

Crazy golf – Laurence (seems like a running theme here); and

Table Tennis – winner Dawn

We’ve played, we’ve chatted, we’ve danced and we’ve eaten.  Boy, oh boy, have we eaten well! We’ve also walked through the snow which magically came down yesterday morning.  All gone now though so that’s better for the journey home.

There are plenty of photos on the Cambridge Park Facebook page of the various activities.

It’ll be interesting coming back to the club and playing on a green carpet at least 3 yards shorter than those we’ve played on this week.  Hope we have good memories of how to play as we have matches on both Saturday and Sunday!

It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of long time member and former Cambridge Park President, Arthur Carter, yesterday.

Arthur and Betty had enjoyed a lunch together for Betty’s birthday, when it was time for him to depart this earth.

Although he hadn’t played for the last couple of years, Arthur was familiar figure on the outdoor green, with his outstretched leg and very large woods heading off down the green.  A man who upheld the traditions of the game with pride and had a delightful sense of humour.

Our thoughts to Betty and family.

Funeral details to follow.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FAB FOUR!

Ann Halliday, Jean Staples, Nadine Mullins

& Cathy Taylor.

Winners of the Ladies Fours at the National Championships at Victoria Park, Leamington Spa on Thursday 10th August

Although no strangers to the National Championships, having reached the quarter-finals in 2010 and the semi-final in 2012, the Cambridge Park Fab Four started their challenge for the 2017 trophy on Monday7th August in glorious Leamington Spa.  The draw meant they had to play an “Early First Round” in which they toppled a Lincolnshire 4 by 26-13.  Great start!

Bright and early on Tuesday morning, the girls donned their Middlesex uniform and headed off to support the team from Grovelands compete v Herefordshire.  Undeterred by their loss, Ann, Jean, Nadine & Cathy launched into the second round v Northamptonshire and after a tense battle came through victorious 25-21.  Phew.

The heavens opened on Wednesday morning when they headed off to play Leicestershire at 9.30 am.  (Rumour had it the supporters were not over impressed by the early start!)  In yet another tense match where the Middlesex President’s nails were bitten down to the quick, the girls triumphed 20-19 on the extra end.  Not content with the emotional and frazzled state of their supporters, they launched into the quarter final v Cornwall and managed to grab the bull by the horns for a 16-14 victory. following yet another nail-biting match.   Hardly daring to peer through the fingers in front of their eyes, the supporters cheered the team on to a 25-16 semi-final v Cambridgeshire, skipped by World No.1 Ellen Faulkner, who had been interspersing the Fours with the Champion of Champion competition—no mean feat.  By this time, the sun was shining across the greens and the mood was extremely buoyant as they stepped onto ‘A’ Green for the final.  All those matches and all that way to play next door county rivals, Surrey!

They knuckled down with true grit and determination as the tension mounted.  To be fair the Surrey lead never really got going but the No.2 more than made up for it with consistently landing her woods next to the jack.  A surprisingly poor 17th end by the Surrey No.3 leaving their skip to a difficult save, gave our girls the chance to go a few shots into the lead. It was still anyone’s game though when it reached the 21st end but Cathy put a dream of a bowl right on the jack loading immense pressure on the Surrey team.  It was down to the last two bowls by the Surrey skip who missed trailing the jack back to 3 waiting woods (which would have given them the win) by a cat’s whisker and a very relieved Ann did not have to bowl her final wood.   Actually I think it was all the teams’ supporters who were as relieved as Ann!

 Whoopee!!

A fantastic “bowls’ life-time” achievement for all four girls who will now be representing England in the British isles Championships next June in Belfast