Author: Dawn Slaughter

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Sunday 5th September – Mixed Friendly Centenary v London Welsh – Home at 2.30 pm

Yesterday afternoon turned out to be a Ladies v Gents warm up with Sarah, Lucy & Tricia taking on Laurie, Gym & Kevin whilst Tina & Dawn played Mike C & Steve G.  With the green playing well and fast, the girls managed to get the edge on both rinks.  There was a lot of in-rink and across-rink banter and Lucy will be very happy to talk you through the afternoon’s success!    I just hope all we girls play as well on 25th!

This afternoon, we have our final friendly Centenary match of the outdoor season v London Welsh, who are bringing 5 rinks with them.  2.30 start

Margaret, Steve P, Lucy, Norman
Bernard, Joan, Teresa, Kevin
Sarah, Stella K, Laurie, Jean
Ray, Roy, George, Gym
Tricia, Corale, Dawn, Steve G
Captain:  Norman
Match Fee £3.50 including sandwiches
Whites with Centenary Shirts or Club ones if not.
Spectators welcome.
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Sue & Hannah from Bush Hill Park reached the semi-finals of the National Senior Pairs yesterday before going out to Suffolk, who won the title.  It was a great effort and they should be very proud of their achievement for their club and county.  The Mixed Fours sadly didn’t make it through their first match.  Yesterday was the last day of the Championships in which Middlesex were participating.  We are looking stronger for next year and, hopefully, Cambridge Park will have some county competition winners who will go on to Leamington.  The Championships will start a bit later as Victoria Park is hosting the Commonwealth Games Bowls Competition.
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Fingers Crossed for the Middlesex Senior Pairs

Hannah Hollis & Sue Apperly from Bush Hill Park went through two rounds of the Senior Pairs at Leamington yesterday, beating Doreen Hankin & partner from Egham/Surrey to take them into the quarter finals this morning.  They were one down going into the last end and Sue took 2 shots with her final bowl.  Absolutely brilliant!

Attilio from Uxbridge made it into the Senior Singles semi-final before going out and with Dave Pitt in the Senior Pairs, they went out by one shot in the first round.

The Mixed Four from North London – Betty Schiavi, Lisa Hamby, Duncan Burbage & Aaron Wallis (who beat Sarah, Kevin, Gym & Dawn in the area final) take to the green today and we wish them luck as well.

At home, the South Middlesex League v Stanwell was cancelled as they couldn’t get a team, so if anyone would like to come down for an informal roll up.  We’ll start at 2.30 pm for a couple of hours followed by a cup of tea and a piece of cake!

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Middlesex Mixed Successes

Ann Halliday started her challenge in cold, but not windy, Leamington weather.  By the time she’d finished, nearly 2.5 hours later, she was warm and the crowd were chilled to the bone!  A great effort to reach the Senior Singles after the very difficult year she has had. Ann went from being behind, then catching up, then going behind again and catching up again to reach 18-18.  Then her opponent from Suffolk managed to score 3 on the following 2 ends.  It was a mammoth game and the Men’s Senior Singles matches had already started when the girls came off the green!

Meanwhile on E green – as far from the Middlesex supporters as you could get, Attilio from Uxbridge started his Senior Singles challenge, dispatching his first opponent 21-6.  and his second 21-11 which puts him into the quarter finals today.  Supporters from both the men and ladies camp will be cheering him on!

This morning, Anna Mays & Rob Hackwell (who beat Dawn & Paul Cater in the Area Final) represent Middlesex in the Mixed Pairs.  They should be on the green now, so we hope they’re doing very well.  It’s Anna’s first time at Leamington but she was there Tuesday and yesterday acclimatising herself to the atmosphere and an extra fleece!

Tina’s victor in the Two Bowl Singles continued her run of wins and was on for her third National Title in almost as many days, but Ellen Faulkner of Cambridgeshire beat Stef of Somerset in the final.  Still, what a terrific achievement for one so young.  She is only the third lady to win the Singles and Two Bowls in one season and Sam Tolchard the first ever man to achieve the same.

Mandy Simpson (Ladygate) reported that the umpires were working flat out on Tuesday as both the men’s and ladies’ two bowl singles were played from start to finish in one day – 6 rounds for those reaching the final.  154 sessions requiring markers for each, plus one umpire per green.  We didn’t see Mandy at the end of the day, but Ron Eden, Vic Perry and Darren Stanford wearily returned to the hotel on Tuesday night around 8.15 pm after the final matches and then they were all back out on the championship greens doing pre-match checks to start again at 8.30 am yesterday morning!  Well done to all of the markers and umpires.  They’re doing a great job.  If you think you’d like to attend a marking course or get a qualification, check out https://www.ebua.org.uk/

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Another Semi-Final – Closer to Home than Leamington!

Congratuations to Lucy & Kevin who squeezed their way past Ange & Dave P in what must have been a thrilling Middlesex Mixed Pairs last 16.

Lucy & Kevin were 2 up going into the final end and dropped a 2 thus forcing an extra end.  Can you feel the adrenalin racing and the breath getting harder even now?!   Then, would you believe it, the match was won on a measure!  Did anyone video it so we can watch on YouTube later?!

Anyway, commiserations to Ange & Dave and well done to Lucy & Kevin who now play the quarter final (and maybe semi-final) on SUNDAY (not Saturday – thanks eagle-eyed Mike C) 12th September – our own semi and finals day.  Mike & Tina Cooper are also through to the quarters to play on 12th.

Well done all of you!

 

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Go, Ann, Go!

A few ups (wins) and downs (losses) with the Middlesex players at Leamington but none have disgraced themselves with their play.  We’ve had tough draws as have had many people but bowls is winning.

Tina went out to Stef Branfield after putting up a great fight.  Stef won the Singles title just a few days ago, then went on to win the Two Bowl Singles.  She’s now in the Champion of Champions quarter finals, whilst Hannah H’s conqueror, Loraine Kuhler, faces Amy Gowshall from Lincolnshire.  These girls are really the top of the game and it’s such a privilege to earn your place at Leamington and a chance to play them.

However, today we see our own ANN HALLIDAY in the Women’s Senior Singles playing Jacqueline Edgar from Suffolk at midday.  We have loads of support for Ann up here and will be cheering her on during the event.

Attilio from Uxbridge starts his Men’s Senior Singles playing Keith from Caldicutt from Ross on Wye this morning at 9.30 am. Dave Pitt then returns to play with Attilio in the Men’s Senior Pairs from tomorrow and Hannah is back on the green with Sue Apperly (Bush Hill Park) in the Senior Pairs.  There is still a lot going on.

There is not a lot going on with the weather and it’s been grey, cloudy and quite frankly, cold!  Long trousers, CP fleece and a shell jacket are the order of the day!

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EIBA Indoor Competitions 2021-2022

With temperatures dropping the nights beginning to get dark by 8.30 pm *sob*, the indoor season is coming towards us at the end of September.

The draws for the club and individual competitions are now available on the EIBA website http://www.eiba.co.uk/bss/competitions_list.php

We are in Area C for the club competitions and Area 11 for individual events.  The ladies’ entries look considerably down on 2019-20 which is probably due to the wretched virus and indoor clubs being unable to open last winter.  We were very fortunate to have play indoors for those few weeks when the country was not in total lockdown.

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Mid Heatwave?

I’m not sure who started this heatwave rumour (Alexa?!) but 12-13 C doesn’t seem that warm up here in Leamington.  How is it in London?  Kevin & Lucy play Ange & Dave at 6.00 pm at Masonians tonight in the Middlesex Mixed Pairs.  Good luck to both pairs.

Some good matches in the Under 25 Boys’ Singles yesterday.  Ollie lost 18-21 after a good comeback fight.  Being 12 years old isn’t easy when you’re facing young men twice your size and age!  He is a very competent bowler indeed for his age and should do really well in the coming years, although needs a bit of assistance with etiquette and focusing on the match in hand, rather than worrying about those on the bank.  It’s still an emotional journey for someone so young.

The Junior Girls Pairs semis and final showed the skill and expertise of these youngsters who will be keeping bowls alive into the future.  Chloe & Becky from Huntingdonshire dispatched their Surrey opponents with ease and Devon’s Emma Cooper & Nicole Rogers took out Kent comfortably after a slow start.  All set for a great line up in the final.  Unfortunately the Devon pair struggled with the different green and made a very good middle game but not enough to stop Huntingdonshire claiming the title.

Today, there is a lot more interest for Middlesex as Tina Cooper (Bishop Duppas/CP), Isobel Morton (Bishop Duppas), Ashley Tanner (Ashford) and Kevin Ward (Holtwhites) all start in the Two Bowl Singles.  Tough games in store for all of them.  Tina has a bye in the first round and then comes up against one of two Senior Internationals for her first game.  However, bowls is all on the day and we have seem former champions going out in the first round.  Everyone has as good a chance as their opponent at winning.

In the afternoon Hannah Hollis (Bush Hill Park) starts her Champion of Champions event against Loraine Kuhler from Oxon – another senior international with a Commonwealth medal under her belt.  So, now it is Hannah’s time to shine we think!

Good luck to all of them.  There are quite a few of the Middlesex supporters up here today backing every one of our players.

With the lower-than-forecasted/anticipated temperatures, Bowlswear Direct and the Aceit shops are doing very well on hoodies, fleeces and jackets!

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It Was All Down to the Wire!

Ah, so close in the Ladies Top Club yesterday morning.

Dawn lost the singles 18-21.  1-0 to Wanstead.  Cathy, Marie, Audrey & Janice were well up in the Fours, so we could count on that one.  1-1.  By the final couple of ends in the Pairs and the Triples, the overall shot score was neck and neck.  Mental arithmetic was being employed by Norman, Dawn, Ray Fortune (Middlesex but Janice plays for Wanstead!) and others.  We were 5 shots down, no just 2, or was it 3 or is it all level now?  Oh dear!

Jean was 5 down in the triples and played a tremendous shot taking the jack out.  With just our luck, it took the jack out of play, so dead end.  If the jack had stayed on the rink, it would have been a different scenario to worry over!  Ann & Ange dropped a 3 on the 17th end, but secured a 3 to win 16-13.  2-1 to Cambridge Park.  Jean, Margaret & Lucy dropped a 3.  2-2 in disclipines.  Players and supporters were roving up and down across the back of the rinks brains in full working mode for most and calculators in hand for the others checking and double checking the scoreboards..

As Mutley would have said “Drat, drat and double drat”.  68-70.  Wanstead won by 2 shots.  Just 2 shots after 635 (give or take one or two) bowls played.  You couldn’t get much closer than that!  We wish Wanstead well v Sawbridgeworth in Herts in the next round.  The winner of that tie heads off to Leamington.

There will have been some licking of wounds yesterday afternoon.  “If only I’d taken more green/drew more accurately/taken the weight off the runner/ etc. etc.” BUT we won the Middlesex Top Club and we reached further than we have done for a few years.  (Think Baldock Town in 2016 or 2017 was the last time we made it passed the Middlesex Final.)  So, well done to every team player – Jean, Ann, Ange, Audrey, Cathy, Corale, Janice, Lucy, Margaret, Marie, Nadine,  Sarah and Dawn.  Well done and thanks to Norman for marking all the singles’ matches too and for Corale and Tricia supporting us yesterday.  Thanks to  Ladygate and Hendon for hosting our “neutral” greens and for their members setting up the greens and providing us with drinks.  All very much appreciated.

Guess what?  We can all come back and have another go in 2022!

 

No Monday League today – tomorrow will be this week’s Monday!

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Bank Holiday Sunday

Well the girls are off to Hendon this morning for their Top Club match v Wanstead (representing Essex).  Wish us luck!

10.30 start if anyone wants to come along and support us.

I caught a little bit of the Rush for Gold on Channel 4 last night.  Another British husband and wife winning golds in the cycling events.  Such an amazing achievement.  Our swimmers did really well too.  It just goes to show what practice, training and hard work can achieve!

Up at Leamington today, the Middlesex Ladies Senior Fours from North London are playing at 9.30 am.  For those of you remember Steve Stockley (Putney Town then Hurlingham Park), he is playing in the DBE Singles at 3.30 pm.  Steve and Kay moved to Hampshire from Middlesex within the last 18 months.  Steve, an excellent bowler, lost a lower leg a few years ago but as soon as the prostethic was made and appropriate bowling shoe, he has been back on the green.  Another great achievement.  I’m hoping to make it to Leamington in time for tea, Steve and hopefully our Middlesex Senior Fours team in action!

The Club AGM will be on Thursday 30th September.  Time to be advised.  If you’re near the clubhouse, please sign up for daytime or evening preference.  If you can’t get there, please let Ange know your preferred time.

The Potters paperwork will be out at the weekend.  It’s taken a while to get my head around all the figures and adjustments from 2020, so apologies for the delay.

Thanks

Enjoy the Bank Holiday Weekend whatever you’re doing!