August & September Reports

Tuesday August 4th

The day started with a Women's Singles tie between Jane Ward, defending Champion, and Sylvia Blackmore, previously a winner on numerous occasions. Sylvia started with a single, but Jane got quickly into her stride, with 2,4,1 to lead 7-1. Another single for Sylvia on end 5, followed by 4 shots from Jane and Jane led 11-2. Sylvia then scored a pair and a single to make it 5-11, but Jane was off again with two pairs and a single and a 16-5 lead. Only 5 shots needed for that Semi-Final place. Sylvia delayed Jane's success with a single and a pair, but Jane ended the game with two pairs and, as the coup de grace, three shots on end 16, to win 23-8. Jane will now play Janet Townley in the Semi-Final.

A late start for Alan Gough and Janet Townley, playing their Handicap match at 6pm, with Sandra Gough marking. Alan received a two shot start and quickly added to it with 4 shots on the first end. Janet responded well, winning the next 4 ends and levelling the scores at 6-6. Alan scored two on end 6 then Janet scored two singles and it was level again at 8-8 after 8 ends. Alan started to find his form and scored 2 shots on end 9, with a response of a single from Janet on end 10. Another 3 shots from Alan on end 11 put a little distance between the players, but Janet responded with a single on end 12, to trail 10-13. The momentum then swung to Alan, who saw out the game with two singles, two pairs and a three to win 22-10. This was a much closer game than the score suggests, with both players performing well and never being sure whether they would hold onto the shots they had secured until the last wood was bowled. Alan will now play the winner of the match between Sylvia Blackmore and Damien Cleary in the next round.

Thursday August 6th

David Lloyd faced Dave Ward in the Plate today. Knocked out of the Handicap by Damien Cleary, David was not in the mood for defeat in this consolation event. Giving Dave an 8 shot start, he conceded a single on the first end, but then powered home, winning 9 successive ends and winning 21-9. 

Friday August 7th

There were two club matches today.

In the Drawn Pairs, Graham Kennedy & Scott Jennings played Marilyn Mowatt & Neil Warley. Marilyn & Neil started with two shots on the first end, but rarely appeared on the scoreboard thereafter. Graham & Scott were in devastating form, winning the next 11 ends (1,3,4,3,4,2,2,4,1,3,2). Trailing 2-29, Marilyn & Neil finally managed a single on end 13, but two more singles to their one, meant that they were well beaten by 4-31. Congratulations to Graham & Scott, who progress to the Final.

In the other match played, Sylvia Blackmore was giving Damien Cleary 7 shots in the Handicap. In a one sided contest, Damien won 8 of the 9 ends played. He won the match 21-2 and now meets Alan Gough in the Semi-Final.

Monday August 10th

Two club matches today. First up was the Plate match between Linda Jennings and Chris Emmett, with Chris giving Linda a 5 shot start. A pair from Chris on the first end reduced the deficit, but Linda restored it on end 2. A single from Chris preceded a 3 end run of wins from Linda, adding 6 shots to her total and giving her a 13-3 lead. Chris scored 2 shots on end 7, but Linda responded with a 2 and a 3. After 9 ends, Linda was only 3 shots from victory at 18-5. Two shots from Chris on end 10 were not enough and Linda finished with a single and a pair to win 21-7. Linda's reward for beating Chris is a match against Wendy Cross in the next round.

Next up was the Seniors match between Janet Townley and Keith Walters. A 4 end winning start for Janet put her 5-0 ahead, before Keith replied with a single and a pair. There was a single apiece on ends 7 and 8, then a single to Janet on end 9. She was now leading 7-4 at the halfway stage. The second half belonged to Keith. He won 5 of the 6 ends played, scoring three pairs and 2 singles, to win 12-8. Keith will play the winner of the match between Alan Gough and Jon Samuel in the next round.

Tuesday August 11th

Today's first club match was an all Townley affair. Janet took on husband John in the 2 Wood Singles. A good start for John took him to 4-0 after 3 ends. Both players then scored singles, followed by a single and a pair from Janet to close the gap to 4-5. Another single apiece and it was still close. John then pulled ahead with a pair to put him one shot short of victory. Two shots on the next end and he had set 1 in the bag.

Janet won the first 2 ends of set 2 and led 3-0. A single from John was matched by a single from Janet, then John dominated the remainder of the set. He scored 1,2,2,2,1, to win 9-4 and claim the match by 2 sets to nil. John is now through to the Final.

Also played today was the Seniors game between Pete Leverett and Graham Kennedy. Pete got off to a good start with singles on the first 3 ends. Graham scored a single on end 4, but Pete responded with a single on end 5. Two shots from Graham were matched by two singles from Pete and, with 8 ends played, Pete held a 6-3 lead. Graham took the lead with successive pairs, then Pete scored a single and it was 7-7, with 4 ends to play. Four shots by Graham gave him a good lead, but Pete held his nerve and closed out the game, with 2,2,4. A 16-11 win for Pete and a match against Ruth Copp in the next round.

Wednesday August 12th

Looking for his second Final place this year, John Townley took on Chris Emmett in the Semi-Final of the Men's Singles. Chris started well, with 2 shots on the first end, but John responded by winning 4 of the next 5 ends (1.2.3.2), to lead 8-3. Chris scored a couple of singles, but John scored 3 shots on end 9. The score was now John 11, Chris 5. Another single from Chris on end 10 was followed by another 3 from John on end 11. Chris responded with 2 shots on end 12, to reduce the gap at 8-14. Unfortunately for Chris, John now got into his stride and finished the game with 3.1.1.3 to win 22-8 and proceed to the Final.

Friday August 14th

There were two club matches today. The first was the 2 Wood Pairs game, with David Lloyd & Elaine Robinson playing Janet Townley & John  Townley. The Townleys started well, with 3 shots on the first end, but David & Elaine hit back with two singles. Janet & John launched a 6 end winning run, adding 10 shots to their score, for a 13-2 lead. The next 4 ends produced 4 singles; 2 apiece. A further single and two pairs gave Janet & John a commanding lead at 20-4 after 16 ends. With 5 ends to play it was mathematically possible, but unlikely, that David & Elaine could save the match. Despite a brave effort, with three winning ends (2,3,1), they conceded the match after 19 ends, trailing 10-20. Janet & John will play Jane Ward and Jean Buckett in an all J final.

The second match of this fiercely hot afternoon was the Novices match between Lorraine Walters and Sandra Gough. There was a good start for Lorraine, winning 4 of the first 5 ends and leading 5-1. Sandra responded with singles on the next 2 ends, then both players scored a pair and it was 7-5 in Lorraine's favour. Two more singles from Lorraine and a pair from Sandra maintained the difference at 2 shots. Lorraine now started to gain the upper hand. She won 4 of the following 5 ends, scoring 8 shots to a single from Sandra. After 17 ends, Lorraine held a 17-8 lead. Sandra struck back with two pairs and a comeback seemed on the cards. With 19 ends played, Lorraine held a 17-12 lead; only 4 shots from victory. Sandra's challenge was over, as Lorraine added a single, then 3 shots on end 21, to win 21-12 and go on to meet the winner of the match between Damien Cleary and Marilyn Mowatt.

Saturday August 15th

Lorraine Walters faced Marilyn Mowatt in the Women's Singles today. She started well with two singles and a pair and a 4-0 lead. Marilyn got herself on the scoreboard with two singles, then Lorraine added a 4,1,2 sequence to bring her lead to 11-2. There was now an exchange of singles for the next 4 ends, then Lorraine scored a single and a pair. She now held a 16-5 lead and needed only 5 shots for a Semi-Final place against Margaret Bullock. Marilyn scored a single, but Lorraine finished the game with a pair and a 3. The final score was 21-6. 

Monday August 17th

Linda Jennings played Jon Samuel in the Novices event today. Jon scored 2 shots on the first end, but Linda scored 3 and a single to take the lead. Jon scored a single on end 4, but then it turned into the "Linda Jennings Show." Linda won the next 9 ends, with 3 singles, 5 pairs and a 4, to win 21-3. Linda will now play Martin Hedges in the Semi-Final.

Linda's husband Scott followed her match with a game in the Plate against Sandra Gough. Conceding 7 shots, Sandra scored a single and a 4, to get within two shots, but Scott scored 3 successive singles, to lead 10-5. Sandra replied with 3 singles of her own and restored the balance. A single and a pair from Scott was matched by the same from Sandra and we were at 13-11 to Scott, with 12 ends played. Scott scored 3 shots on end 13 and Sandra responded with a pair on end 14. Two shots from Scott were followed by a single and a pair from Sandra and the match was evenly poised at 18-16 in Scott's favour. End 18 proved to be the final end of the match, with Scott scoring 3 shots, to win 21-16. Scott will now play the winner of the match between Keith Walters and Neil Warley.

The third match of the day was the 91 Up contest between Pete Leverett and Keith Walters. The first end was a 5-5 draw, then Pete won end two 8-2. Another draw was followed by a 9-1 win for Keith, to lead 21-19. The lead changed hands for the next 7 ends, with Pete slightly gaining the upper hand with 4 wins to 3. At the end of end 11, Pete was in the lead by 57-53. Two drawn ends followed, then Pete scored 7-3 and 10-0. He was now 84-66 ahead and only 7 shots short of victory. Keith wasn't beaten yet and scored two 7-3 wins, to make it 80-90. Despite a good comeback, it was a tough ask for Keith. He had to win the next end 10-0. The result was a 5-5 draw and a 95-85 win for Pete. He will play the winner of the match between Janet Townley and Jane Ward in the next round.

Tuesday August 18th

Jon Samuel played Alan Gough in the Seniors competition today. A good start by Alan, with 3 singles, was met by a single on end 4 from Jon. Alan scored 3 shots on end 5, but Jon replied with two singles. After 7 ends, Alan held a 6-3 lead. He then won 3 successive ends, with two singles and a pair. With 10 of the 15 ends played, Alan was looking comfortable with a 10-3 lead. A single from Jon received a reply of three shots from Alan and the task for Jon was looking very tough. With 3 ends to play, he needed 10 shots to win. He scored singles on the next two ends and the task was impossible. The players decided to play end 15, which gained Alan another 2 shots. The final result was 15-6 for Alan, who meets Keith Walters in the Semi-Final.

Wednesady August 19th

Janet Townley played Jane Ward in the Semi-Finals of the Women's Singles today. Jane started with 3 winning ends and was 5-0 up. Janet responded with 3 shots on end 4, but Jane came back with two 3's and a single, to make it 12-3 after 7 ends. Two singles from Janet reduced the gap, but Jane scored a single on end 13, to which Janet replied with a single on end 14. With the score at 14-8, Jane now saw out the match, with a single, two pairs and a three, for a 22-8 victory. Her reward is a place in the Final against Margaret Bullock or Lorraine Walters.

Thursday August 20th

Today we had the Men's Singles Semi-Final between Alan Gough and Damien Cleary. Damien started well, with 3 shots on the first end, but Alan levelled with 3 shots on end 2. Both players scored singles, then Damien established a clear lead with 4 winning ends, scoring 3 pairs and a single. A single from Alan broke the run, with Damien responding with a single and it was Damien 12, Alan 5. Alan then scored a pair and a single, to trail 8-12. Damien then strung 3 winning ends together and increased his lead to 16-8. A single from Alan and a pair from Damien and the winning score was close for Damien at 18-9. Alan was not beaten yet and scored 2 shots on end 18, to keep himself in the game. However, Damien scored successive singles and was poised on the brink of victory. A single from Alan delayed the result, but Damien secured victory with a single on end 22. This was a real battle, with Alan playing well, but Damien playing better. The final result was Damien 21 Alan 12. Damien will now play John Townley in the Final. Alan and Damien will meet again in the Semi-Final of the Handicap, when Damien will have a 4 shot start.

The second match of the day was a Handicap match between Ali Uygur and Jon Samuel. Jon had a 6 shot start and capitalised on it, with two shots on the first end. Ali replied with two shots on end 2 and we were back to the starting position. The players exchanged singles, then Ali took over the reins. Seven successive winning ends (1,2,4,3,1,1,1) took him into a 15-9 lead. Jon scored a single on end 12, but Ali quickly recovered and scored 1,3,2 to win the match 21-10. He will play Martin Hedges in the Semi-Final.

Next to play were Martin Hedges and Keith Walters in the Novices competition. Martin got off to a flier, scoring two 3's, a pair and a single, with a solitary single against. With 5 ends played, he was up by 9-1. Keith came back with 2 pairs, to a single from Martin and it was 10-5. Two shots from Martin were matched by two singles from Keith, then the same again and it was 14-9 to Martin, with 14 ends played. Martin scored two shots, but Keith scored 2 shots on the next 2 ends and reduced the gap to 13-16. The next 3 ends saw two singles from Martin and one from Keith, then Keith scored three successive singles and the game was poised at 18-17 in Martin's favour with 23 ends played. A single and a pair were enough for Martin to win the match 21-18 and progress to the next round, where he will play Linda Jennings.

Tuesday August 25th

The first match of this busy day was in the 91 Up, between Pete Leverett and Janet Townley.  Jane won the first end 7-3, but Pete stunned her with three 9-1's and two 7-3's, giving him a commanding 44-16 lead. Janet hit back with 6-4, 8-2, 9-1 to trail 39-51, then Pete won 7-3. Janet returned to winning form with 6-4, 6-4, 8-2, 6-4. The game was now very close at 72-68 to Pete. He won end 15 by 6-4, but Janet saw out the game with 7-3, 6-4 and 9-1 to win 94-86. She will now play either John Townley or Jim Bland in the Final.

Alan Gough played Damien Cleary in the Semi-Finals of the Handicap today. Damien had a 4 shot start and very quickly added to his score. Bowling very accurately and consistently, he outplayed Alan from start to finish, winning the first 7 ends and building up an 18-0 lead. Although Alan was not bowling badly, Damien was just too good and Alan now had an almost impossible task to pull back. He managed to stem the flow, with a single on end 8, but Damien scored a single and a pair and it was all over. Damien will meet the winner of the match between Ali Uygur and Martin Hedges in the Final.

Following on from the Handicap match, Linda Jennings faced Wendy Cross in the Plate. Linda had a 12 shot start, so Wendy's task was enormous. It was made even more onerous when Linda started with two singles. Wendy clawed back one shot on end 3, but Linda responded with 4 shots on end 4. At 1-18 down, Wendy needed to call on all her reserves of skill, nerve and experience. She scored 3 shots on end 5, another 3 on end 6 and two singles and a pair on the next 3 ends. Now only 11-18 in arrears, she had given herself a chance, but Linda won the next 2 ends with singles and Wendy was only one shot away from defeat. Wendy scored two shots on end 12, but Linda completed her task with a single on end 13 and it was all over. Linda will play David Lloyd in the Semi-Final.

Wednesday August 26th

Ali Uygur and Martin Hedges played for a chance to meet Damien Cleary in the Final. Ali was giving Martin an 8 point start and Martin swiftly capitalised on his advantage. He scored  3 shots on the first end, but Ali equalised on end 2. Martin then took control of the game and Ali never troubled the scoreboard again. With scores of 1,1,2,4,2 he completed his task for the day and marched to a Final meeting with Damien.

Thursday

August 27th

In the first of today's matches John Townley played Jim Bland for a place in the 91 Up Final. John had the best of starts, with a 10-0 win on end 1. The next 2 ends were drawn, then John won 9-1, 7-3 to lead 36-14. Wins by 7-3, 7-3, 6-4 brought Jim within 12 points, then the next end was drawn. Three of the next 4 ends went to Jim and John's lead was down to 6 points. John won 6-4, 7-3 and then there was a drawn end. After 16 ends, the score was 86-74 in John's favour. Despite winning the final 2 ends, it was not enough for Jim and he went down by 84-96. John will now play wife Janet in the Final.

Alan Gough and Keith Walters played for a place in the Final of the Seniors competition. Keith scored a single on the first end and Alan levelled on end 2. Another single from Keith was followed by a 4,1,3 run from Alan and it was 9-2 to Alan, after 6 ends. Keith rallied with two singles, but Alan then won 4 successive ends (2,1,3,1) and Keith was in trouble, trailing 4-16 with only 3 ends to play. He scored a single on ends 13 and 14, but there was no point in playing the final end. Alan won the match 16-6 and will play either Ruth Copp or Pete Leverett in the Final.

Friday August 28th

The second semi-final of the Seniors competition was between Pete Leverett and Ruth Copp. Three shots on the first end gave Ruth a good start, but Pete then took over. He scored 1.1.3.4.2.1 to establish a big lead of 13-3 after 8 ends. Ruth scored a single and a pair, but Pete was not in a charitable mood and scored successive pairs, to lead 17-6, with 3 ends to play. Ruth scored two shots on end 13, then they called it a day, with Pete the winner at 17-8. Pete will play Alan Gough in the Final.

The second match of the day was between Lorraine Walters and Marilyn Mowatt in the Semi-Final of the Novices competition. Lorraine was not in the mood to take any prisoners and scored 3 shots on the first end. Marilyn scored a single on end 2, but Lorraine then moved into overdrive, with 3,4,3 to lead 13-1. Marilyn battled on gamely with two singles, but Lorraine powered to victory with a final flourish of 2,3 4 and a 22-3 win. She will  now play Martin Hedges in the Final.