Mixed bag of results as we did better when we were playing other teams from Cambridge Park!  Tina, Teresa & Tricia had a very close triples against Sarah, Lucy & Ann on Friday afternoon.  They now await the winners of Ann H, Di & Dawn who are playing another team from Egham on Saturday 14th.

Di & Ann B had another close match on Sunday morning when they managed to beat Sarah & Lucy in the National Pairs by 5 shots.  They now face Kylie & Doreen at Egham in the next round.

Kevin K, Laurence & Gym went down to Steve G, Norman & Ian by 5 shots in the National Men’s Triples on Saturday morning.  They now play John Donaghue & co from Hounslow.

Dawn lost 18-21 to Kylie in the National Singles.

Dave P, Norman, Ian D & Steve G had a really, really close match v Camberley in the London & Southern Counties Fours with it being neckand neck the whole way, with Camberley being ahead after 17 ends by just one shot 9-7.  It squared up to 10-10 but Camberley had a ‘purple’ 21st end which our boys couldn’t match losing by 4.  Brilliant effort though.

Sarah, Ann B & Karen & Dawn were outbowled by Kerry, Wolfie, Lou & Amanda D at Egham in the Ladies Fours on Sunday night.  We were just not on our A or B game.  The Egham four, particularly Lou and Amanda played very well, putting all four of us under pressure on almost every end.   

Sometimes, if you win a few ends and put the jack up yourself, it’s easier to find a rhythmn but it wasn’t to be.  Hats off to Karen who played a sparkler of a draw, doubling our score after 11 ends!  We threw the towel in when there was not a cat in hell’s chance of picking up at least a 3 on the final 6 ends!

In Club Comps, Barry & Teresa had a good win v Steve P & Stella K and Kevin K & Gym had a solid win v Kevin L & Gordon, although there was definitely a good scrabble back into the game by the latter two.

More fun and games this week with Nationals and club comps.  The Middlesex Comp Draws should be out very soon, so we can have a go at those!

There were some good games in the World Bowls.  Did you manage to watch any of them?

Today’s schedule below:

 

For those heading clubwards, there are three matches this morning:

Ann B & Di are playing a National Pairs v Sarah & Lucy – very tight after 16 ends; Barry & Teresa are playing  club pairs v Steve P & Stella and are enjoying a comfortable lead at present; and Steve, Norman, Dave & Ian have the next round of the London & Southerm Counties Single Rink v Camberley 8-10 after 17 ends. That is a VERY tight game. It’s an 21 end match.

On the World Bowls front, there’s another good line up of matches to watch live or on playback today.

The World Bowls Tour started yesterday with some Open Pairs and continues today.

If you have a smart tv or smart phone or internet access to YouTube of Facebook, you can watch live or on playback on YouTube.

Go to YouTube and type in World Bowls 2023.  There are matches on during the day and quite often one in the evening.

The schedule is here  https://www.pottersholidays.com/world-bowls/schedule/

There should be a good match tonight with Wayne Wilgress & Les Gillett taking on Chris Carswell (not our own Chris Caswell!) & John Carswell from Scotland.

They trialled 3 bowl pairs for the last 2 years, but are back to 2 bowl pairs now.  Boy, does that put particular pressure on the lead to be on fire from the off!

With the weather today being somewhat inclement, it looks like a good day to watch some experts on the green.  Enjoy!

I’m not sure about January blues but there’s definitely a writer’s block! Hey ho  it won’t last.

There are roll ups today and tomorrow at 10:00 and an afternoon drive on Saturday at 2:00. Now that it’s warmed up a bit, it’s not such a drag to leave the house. The Club is warm too!

Leagues start again next week and the latest results will be put up at the club in the next few days.

The World Championships start tomorrow with some Pairs matches. Live streaming will be via Facebook. Nadine will no doubt be watching from across the ponds.

Kevin’s boys are playing their National Triple at the Club on Saturday morning, so why not pop along and give them some support.  I do believe they’re playing a team from Egham

Anyone found some good January bargains? How are the latest new year resolutions going? Are you all waiting to finish the Christmas chocolates before the dieting starts?!

Hope you all had a good Christmas and managed to meet up with family and friends and shared some fun times together.

With Boxing Day over, today is another Bank Holiday.  Great for those getting an extra day off work, but not so good if you’ve spent Christmas on your own and facing another long lonely day ahead.

The sun is rising nicely and it doesn’t feel too cold out there at the moment (going up to 9C later) so a short walk might be an option or dig your Freedom Pass out and go for a long bus ride – don’t try the trains, they still seem to be all over the place.  Harlequins are playing at home, so avoid the A316 area.

If you’d rather settle down on the sofa, Hello Dolly! is on BBC2 this afternoon at 1:30 followed by Funny Girl, then Coppelia after which there’s the usual Tuesday evening quiz programmes – Only Connect (If I get one right, that is beyond belief) and University Challenge.  The Christmas Special of One Foot in the Grave is on at 9:00 pm on BBC4.  I wonder if that is as funny now as it was when it was first shown in 1990?  I mean, we’re all 32 years older now ……

ITV4 have Live Racing from Kempton Park at 13:30 – maybe some of you are heading off there? – followed by less typical Christmassy films of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Mummy and Die Hard.

Hopefully Jean and Norman will have Amazon Prime as both the Chelsea v Bournemouth and Manchester United v Nottingham Forest matches are on there at 5:30 and 8:00 pm respectively.

If you have Sky Sports, you’re spoiled with everything from Darts to Football to Rugby, Cricket, Golf, NFL, Australian and English football.

If you’re worried about getting square eyes, the radio channels are almost back to normal schedules.  Darts and rugby are being covered by Talksport with BBC5 Sports Extra focussing solely on cricket.  The Goon show pops up on Radio 4 Extra at 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm then at 8:00 pm there is TED Radio Hour relating to age.  The RT write up includes “Of course there are challenges – some part of your body is going to fall apart!  But can age be seen as an asset, rather than a liability?  The advice from anti-ageist activists is to stop using negative language about ourselves, and being coy about revealing our age.  “Walk faster, find your mission – and squeeze all the juice out of retirement.”.  After listening to this, you’ll feel like a spring chicken again.

Tomorrow, you’ll be able to get back to playing bowls and meeting up with the others for exercise and a beer.  That is another great option for feeling like a spring chicken again!

Whatever is on your schedule for today, enjoy it to the full.

 

 

Despite a roaring start, we had a mid way wobble allowing Bromley back in to the game and they went on to beat us 12-9 to secure their place in the quarter finals. Well done to them and we wish them well  in the competition.
Also through are two teams we beat in the round robin and one team we lost to by one shot. It’s all in the draw!

Anyway, we have had a really good fun week and we hope it has been the same for those of you still around Cambridge Park.

Mike, Tina, Lucy & Dawn are through to the final 16 at the Potters Champion of Champions tournament.
We had 2 wins today, giving us an overall 3 wins and 1 loss.
We play Bromley tomorrow morning. Bromley is only one of two teams to win all four league matches.
We’re looking forward to it. Early night. No alcohol. Studying YouTube videos. And if you believe that last bit ….
(Actually Tina & Lucy are playing bingo and Mike & Dawn are playing cribbage!)

We have just learned that Maureen Lawford passed away last weekend.
Maureen has been part of MIddlesex Bowls both in playing and committee positions for many, many years. With her husband , Tommy and Liz Dutton, they have been county team sectors for the last few years.
Our sympathies go out to Tommy and the family.
The funeral won’t be until after Christmas

Lucy and I have learned a new skill today and we would like to teach you – now that we’re obviously experts.
it’s a good warm up for bowls and bingo wings

IMG_0336

 

 

 

Ok, well I did run for the bus but it’s definitely warm, warm, warmer out today. It’s wet underfoot so watch out for those pesky, slippery leaves.

You may also need an umbrella!

Last week of leagues before Christmas and roll ups continue each morning as usual.
On Tuesday 27th, it’ll be just a normal morning roll up without cottage pie and Prosecco.
On New Year’s Eve at 2:00 pm, there’s a roll up and everyone is welcome. Get those limbs moving before you head off to those wild parties (Oh, those were the days!)

Tina, Mike, Lucy and I are off to Potters today for the Champion of Champions Week. The finalists get to play the final on the portable rink during the World Championships. That would be something, wouldn’t it?  We will do our best and update you on progress.

Whether bowling, shopping or just doing normal activities, have a good week.