Congratulations to all the Cambridge Park & Friends on the Top Club award and also to Kevin K for his selection and play on the Celebrity match!

 

PS. We missed you Ann & Terry! x

Although we didn’t get anyone into the quarters or further this year, the whole of the players contributed to us winning the week’s TOP CLUB trophy!

Scores from all our 8 teams were added up and divided by 8 to get the average. Other groups with multiple teams were evaluated the same way and we won!

Mike collected the trophy from Greg Harlow & Andy Thompson on our behalf.
Well done everyone. A great finish to yet another terrific week!

Greetings from Hopton-on-Sea!

Another great week for the Cambridge Park & Friends Touring Party.

As usual the accommodation, facilities, meals and entertainment are exemplary.

Most bowls trousers have elasticated waists so returning to proper clothes at the weekend could be a problem!  The braised duck on Tuesday evening seems to have had the most 5* so far.  It’s Christmas Dinner tonight.

The bowls tournament is well under way.  Ann H, Kevin & Maureen K and Terry P have won all their 4 round-robin matches so their place in the final 16 is confirmed.  Stella, Barry with Val & Brian N have won 3 of their 4 games as have Tina, Mike, Laurence & Dawn who had 3 good wins and an absolute shocker of a loss in the last round.  It’s not often (if ever) that all 4 of us played like we’d never been on a green before at the same time! Having said that, the opposition from Kempston Park all played very well!

We await the outcome of the last two round-robin matches this morning, so won’t know until after 12:30 whether any of our other teams have got through.

Kevin was selected to play in Andy Thompson’s Celebrity Match team last night.  The pressure is on with just one rink in action and lots of spectators. Both Andy and Greg Harlow make it as relaxing and fun as possible but it’s still nerve wracking being so exposed!

Kevin did really well, even though his team lost.

IMG_2482 – click to see video.

Extra curricular activities organised by Laurence and Ann B (as his glamorous admin assistant) included Table

Tennis which had a new winner in Ron M (plays outdoors at Bishop Duppas) who defeated John D in a relatively close final.  Having looked up the game on google, the new format as introduced in 2001 which means games are now played to 11 shots and serve changes every 2 points.  We still stuck to our old-fashioned ways and played to 21, changing serve every 5 ends!

Iris M and Sally L have been trying out different activities whilst we are bowling including

‘Iris’ folding, Stretch classes, quizzes and Abba dancing. Laurence, Iris and Dawn tested the new hairdresser on resort.  Jacqui has gone off to explore Great Yarmouth by bus.  When we travelled up by train in 2022, it was pouring with rain and the town looked rather sad.  This morning, it’s crisp, bright and sunny so should look prettier.

All the bowls, banter, chatting, all-inclusive treats has been quite tiring and several have disappeared off for a post lunch snooze, including Cabbie Brian who decided to test out the lounge sofas!  He wasn’t the only one!

 

Prior to the evening shows, there is Bingo which is popular amongst our group and with Kevin having had a sizeable win on Monday evening, more of us are giving it a go!  Tina was 1 number off the £750 flyer win last night and will be back with eyes-down tonight.

The shows themselves have been excellent again with singers and dancers and all-round entertainers.  We have been treated to first class  performances from a variety of musicals to a brilliant 60s pop sequence.  The cast changing rooms must be really well organised as the costume changes are made in about 90 seconds between numbers!  Last night’s variety show only had 6 in the cast and they gave us a full 90 mins of really excellent singing from pop to musicals to opera.  A real treat.

Tonight is the Christmas Spectacular followed by Jack and the Beanstalk Pantomime.  It’ll all be fun and once you get into the style of the humour, you can enjoy it.

Thursday morning gave Laurence a chance to get the table football tournament going.

Lots of excitement, although all those playing in defence were having trouble waking their goalkeepers up as the balls slid past regularly!  It really helps if you have a left-hander playing in goal!  Videos available on our facebook page.  The tournament was won in style by Laurence with (virtually no-help-at-all) partner Dawn v Carol K & Ron M.

Off to watch bowls, sing Christmas songs, drink coffee and chat with friends now, so more updates later.

IMG_2469

 

 

With a change in the catering arrangements, please could all those who want to go to the Christmas Dinner on 15th December at 4:00 pm. sign up again with their menu choice and pay their £20 over the bar.
Thanks

A big morning for the CP teams.
The men play Richmond in the Denny Cup. 2 rinks at home and 2 at King George Field (Richmond’s Green occupied by gym club on Saturday mornings)

Meanwhile, the ladies play Croydon in the Yetton Plate. 2 rinks at home and 2 at Croydon. All matches start at 10:00.
good luck to everyone

 

A WIN FOR THE GIRLS! WELL DONE!

83-71 in shots with two winning rinks – Ann H, Marie, Carol B & Di away and Chris P, Stella, Jacqui & Teresa at home.
Ann B, Frances, Karen & Tina lost by one shot on the last end.
Tricia, Linda, Ange & Dawn turned up and contributed 15 shots towards our winning total but, to be fair, it wasn’t their finest game!

Regional Semi-Final next v Wey Valley we think on 7th December

Alas the men lost but they had some close rinks. Good luck to Richmond who take on Egham next.

A reminder from Stella that the club competition entries need to be in by Saturday 16th November.
Join Stella and team when they do the live draw on Friday 22nd at lunchtime!

Grab a beer or a tea and enjoy the oohs and aahs as the pairings come out of the hat!

Thanks to David H for doing all the background work for the leagues.

Two minutes’ silence at 11:00 am today.
A chance to remember those who fought for us – the ones that made it back and the ones that didn’t from wars over 100 years ago up until today.
For some of our members, they experienced the horrors and fears of World II as children, as young members of the Army, Navy, Royal Air Force and other branches of the military.  For most of us, we cannot imagine what they went through, nor would we want to have to experience it first hand.
Jean lost her Dad.  My great uncle was a Japanese PoW. He never spoke about it. Dad only spoke about his time in the Royal Navy in the last years of his life. Many of you will have other memories handed down over the years generation to generation

Some of our younger members served more recently. Memories relatively raw

Andy’s comment from last year which you may not have seen.  (He was on parade again today.)

As one veteran on parade said today, I am not obliged to come here but I wanted to – to remember and say thank you  I was one of the lucky ones

There is moving poem by Kenny Martin written in 2003. Copyright protected so you need to look it up. It’s entitled “I Do Not Know Your Name”.

They shall not grow old as we grow old

Age shall not weary them nor years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them.

Laurence Binyon. 1869-1943

For those not out and about, it’s a chance to join in from home watching the parade as it passes the Cenotaph.
Andy H is part of the parade and proud to be so.