A Very Friendly Friendly

Nail-Biting Finishes in Norbury’s Home Friendly Against West Beckenham

A Super Sunday... in atmosphere at least, just not the big wins we were after! Our friendly against West Beckenham on 8 June served up sunshine, surprises, and some seriously dramatic ends.

Rink 1 started strong for Norbury. After West Beckenham took the first end by a single point, they didn't manage to score again for the next seven. We went into the 9th end with a commanding 10–1 lead, but the visitors weren’t about to lie down. Our lead narrowed slightly, but Norbury were still ahead 14–7 after 16 ends. 7 up with two ends to go — it was ours to lose. And lose we did! West Beckenham staged a stunning comeback, snatching 4 points in each of the last two ends to win it 14–15. Can you believe it?

Rink 2 had no shortage of drama either. With this being Clive’s very first match, and our opponents switching in a ringer halfway through (*), this was never going to be easy. But we kept our nerve — losing at times, but fighting back with a few key ends and by the final end, we were only two down at 12–14. We needed 3 for the overall draw. They were sitting on 3 with my final bowl in hand. This wasn't the finish we’d hoped for... but I bowled and hoped for the best — and bang! Their shot bowl went flying, and we took the end by 1 point. Not enough for the win, not even enough for the draw, but a satisfying finish nonetheless.
(* All "ringers" were agreed upon and welcomed!)

A big shoutout to Clive — superb first match — and to Sam for his excellent coaching! And a huge thank you to our wonderful (as always!) catering team. Our visitors were delighted with the spread. A truly friendly friendly all round.