July 2026

Wednesday 1st

Our first match this month was away to Hurst in the OTL. We had won the Home fixture 4-1, scoring 88 shots to 70. This win had gained us 12 OTL points and we were keen to "do the double." We managed to get the desired win, but won only 3 of the 5 rinks. The score was 82-70 in our favour and we added 10 OTL points to our total. At the end of last season we had 81 points in the OTL. So far this season, we already have 58, so well done us.

Our highest winning rink was Rink 1. Margaret Bullock, Alan Gough and Jim Bland had a great start, winning the first 3 ends and leading 7-0. Hurst scored a single, then Shiplake scored 4 and 2, for a 13-1 lead. Another single for Hurst on end 7 was answered by 4 shots on end 8. Hurst scored another single on end 9, but Shiplake scored a pair on ends 10 and 11. Seven ends to play and Shiplake held a 21-3 lead. Hurst got slightly the better of the final ends, winning 4 (1,2,1,2) to Shiplake's 3 (1,1,2), but it was a resounding win for Shiplake 25-9.

There was another good win on Rink 5, Jane Ward, Mike Lovejoy and Wendy Cross had a shaky start and trailed 2-6 after 5 ends, but two shots on end 6 reduced the gap a little, Shiplake then put their stamp on the game with a 4 and a 2 in reply to Hurst's single and Shiplake now led 8-7 after end 8. It was all Shiplake from that point. Hurst managed three singles, but Shiplake scored 2,3,3,2,1,2,1 to run out easy winners by 22-10.

Also winners were Rink 2. David Lloyd, Lorraine Walters and Pete Leverett won 3 of the first 4 ends to lead 4-1. The next 4 ends went to Hurst, all with singles and they led 5-4. A 3 and a 5 pushed Shiplake into a 12-5 lead and the remainder of the game was evenly matched. Both sides won 4 ends, both scores 4 singles and the game ended with Shiplake having 16 shots and Hurst 9.

Commiserations go to the other two Shiplake triples, who had a rough time but contributed valuable shots toward the winning total.

Saturday 4th

Today, we played hosts to Long Crendon in a Friendly match. The result went in Long Crendon's favour by 95-70. They won on 3 rinks, lost on 1 and one rink was drawn.

Shiplake's winning rink was that of Neil Warley, Margaret Bullock and David Challis on Rink 4. They traded shots with LC for the first 6 ends and it was 3-3. Four shots on end 7 and a single on end 8 gave them a healthy lead, which they never surrendered. There was slight concern when LC won 3 of the next 4 ends to draw level at 10-10, but Shiplake soldiered on, winning the last 6 ends, all by singles, to win 16-10.

On Rink 2 Dave Ward, Lorraine Walters and Alan Gough had a very interesting match, with neither side able to apply the winning touch. The result of 19-19 was a fair one on the day. LC won the first 2 ends, then Shiplake won the next three (1,2,3), to lead 6-2. Three shots from LC on end 6 and the gap was down to one. Shiplake opened up a big lead with a pair and a 5, but LC replied with a 3 and a 5. After 10 ends it was 13-13. LC dominated the next 4 ends, winning 3 and adding 6 shots to their total. They were now leading 19-14, with 4 ends to play. Shiplake applied themselves to the task and drew level with 4 winning ends (1,1,2,1).

Sunday 5th

We played our second Plomer Cup match of the season at Caversham today. It was a good result for us, winning 3 rinks to 2 and 83-69. We also added 8 more points to our tally in the Cup.

Our highest winning rink was Rink 6, with Marilyn Mowatt, Keith Walters and Dave Bullock winning 23-12. They won the first 4 ends, to lead 5-0. Caversham scored 2 shots on end 4, but Shiplake replied with 4 and 2 and stretched their lead to 11-2. Shiplake won 5 of the next 7 ends to build an 18-5 lead. Three of the final 5 ends went to Caversham (4,1,2) to a 2 and a 3 from Shiplake.

Next best was Rink 2. Laurie Mowatt, Lorraine Walters and Sylvia Blackmore won the first end with a pair, then took a back seat whike Caversham won the next 4 ends to lead 6-2. Two singles and a three put Shiplake 7-6 ahead, but Caversham scored 3 shots on end 9, to retake the lead. Shiplake then started to gain the upper hand, winning 4 of the next 5 ends, to establish a 16-10 lead. Despite winning 3 of the final 4 ends, Caversham lost 13-18.

Shiplake's other win was on Rink 3. Sue Pitcher, Ali Uygur and Jane Ward lost the first 2 ends and trailed 0-5, but hit back with 3 winning ends of their own. With 5 ends played, they were leading 7-5. A single for Caversham on end 6, then 3 more winning ends for Shiplake, who now led 14-6. Four of the next 5 ends went to Caversham, reducing Shiplake's lead to 15-11. Both sides won 2 of the final 4 ends, both teams scores 5 shots and it ended 20-16 to Shiplake.

There was a narrow defeat on Rink 4. Chris Emmett, Margaret Bullock and Pate Leverett won 3 of the first 4 ends, to lead 6-2. Five of the next 6 ends went to Caversham and the score was 9-8 in Shiplake's favour. Then a disastrous end for Shiplake; conceding 5 shots and trailing 13-9. Shiplake set to and won the next 4 ends, all by single shots. It was now 13-13 , with 2 ends to play. Caversham finished better and won them both by a single shot, to win 15-13.

Also narrowly defeated were Rink 5. David Lloyd, Jean Buckett (substituted by Neil Warley after 10 ends) and Wendy Cross lost the first 3 ends and won the next three, to trail 3-5. Scores were very low and four winning ends gained Caversham 4 shots and a 9-3 lead. Three singles from Shiplake and one from Caversham and  Caversham held a 10-6 lead. Four ends remained and both sides won 2 and scored 3 shots. The final score: Caversham 13, Shiplake 9.

Saturday 11th

Another blisteringly hot day and a very fast green at Trentham's for a Friendly match, which was shortened to 12 ends because of the heat. We managed to win on 2 rinks, but lost 39-73 on shot count.

On Rink 3 Neil Warley, Marilyn Mowatt and Elaine Robinson won the first end, but lost the next two, to trail 1-4. A single and a pair took them level. Trentham's scored singles on ends 6 and 7, but Shiplake came back with singles on ends 8 and 9, Scores were level again at 6-6 with 9 ends played. A single from Trenthams gave them the lead, but they were rocked back on their heels by a count of six from Shiplake on end 11. A single on end 12 sealed Trenthams fate and it was 13-7 to Shiplake. 

Shiplake's other winning rink was Rink 2, where Laurie Mowatt, Mike Lovejoy and Sylvia Blackmore gained a very narrow victory by 11-10. They won the first 2 ends, but Trenthams scored three shots on end 3 to lead. A single on end 4 brought the scores level, but four shots on end 5 took Trenthams back into a clear lead. Shiplake steadily fell further behind and were 5-10 down after end 9. A good finish, with 4, 1 and 1 meant that Shiplake just squeaked in by 11-10.

Things went less well on the other 3 rinks, so not the best of days for us.

Sunday 12th

This was a very long day for some of our lady bowlers, with matches in the morning and afternoon. We started at 9.30 with the County Top Club Quarter Final match against South Oxford. This was a match consisting of a Rink, a Triple, a Pair and a Singles match.

The Rink of  Sandra Gough, Lorraine Walters, Jane Ward and Janet Townley was a close match for two thirds of the game. Shiplake started very well, with 4 winning ends (2,1,1,3) to lead 7-0.  The next 7 ends were dominated by Sth Ox with 5 singles and a pair to Shiplake's solitary single. After 12 ends, Shiplake held a narrow 9-7 lead. The deadlock was broken by an amazing seven shots, followed by a three, to propel Shiplake into a 19-7 lead. A single from Sth Ox cut the lead, but the last 3 ends were all Shiplake. A single, 5 and 4 gave them a convincing win: 29-8. One Rink won and a step closer to the Semi Finals.

In the Triple, Sue Pitcher, Jean Buckett and Wendy Cross started with a single, conceded a pair, scored 3 then conceded 3. After 4 ends they were trailing 4-5. A pair and a 4 gave them a 10-5 lead, but Sth Ox scored 6 shots to 2 from Shiplake over the next 4 ends and the score after 10 ends was 12-11 to Shiplake. They boosted their lead with a run of 2,3 4 and gave themselves a 10 shot cushion, with 5 ends to play. Both teams won two of the next 4 ends, but Shiplake stretched their lead to 25-14. Sth Ox declined to play the final end. Two games won and another step closer to that Semi Final.

Meanwhile, the Pair of Elaine Robinson and Sylvia Blackmore completely dominated their opposition. They won 15 of the 18 ends and never looked troubled. It was 1-1 after end 2, but Shiplake scored 2, 6, 1, 3 before Sth Ox scored a single. After 7 ends, Shiplake led 13-2. Sth Ox scored a single on end 9, but that was their final contribution to the game. The remaining 9 ends were all won by Shiplake (1,1,2,,7,3,4,5,2,4), for a resounding victory by 43-3. We now had three rinks in the bag and a guaranteed place in the Semi Final.

The final game to be played was the Singles. Margaret Bullock faced a very tough opponent in Jennie and trailed 0-6 after 4 ends. Margaret scored a pair on each of the next 2 ends to reduce the deficit. An exchange of singles left Margaret trailing 5-7, with 8 ends played. The next 6 ends were close, with Jennie edging slightly further ahead at 11-7. Two singles apiece from the players and we had a 4 shot gap after 18 ends had been played. Margaret went two shots further behind on end 19, but responded with a 3 and a 4, to finally take the lead 16-15. The marathon continued, with the next 3 ends going Jennie's way and leaving Jennie two shots from success at 19-16. Margaret wasn't finished yet and scored singles on ends 25 and 26, to make it 18-19. She finally succumbed to singles on ends 27 and 28: 18-21. Commiserations to Margaret after a very good effort and a gruelling marathon in the heat. Congratulations to Jennie on her team's only win.

The overall result was a massive victory for Shiplake: 3-1 on rinks and 115-46 on shots.

After a short break, we played our OTL fixture against Tilehurst. Having lost there, we were keen to redress the balance on home turf. This task was successfully completed, with an 86-69 victory; winning 4 rinks to 1 and gaining 12 OTL points to 2. This was the margin by which we lost at Tilehurst, thus making it all square on the fixture. Owing to the extreme heat, it was decided that there would be no trial ends, but 1 on each of the first 2 ends.

The highest winning rink for Shiplake was Rink 5. Ruth Copp, Alan Gough and John Townley started poorly, winning only one of the first 6 ends and trailing 1-9. End 7 saw the start of an amazing turnaround, with Shiplake scoring 8 shots in 4 ends to draw level. They were then rocked by 4 shots from Tilehurst, but then took up the reins again and never looked back. Six winning ends in a row, including a 6 and they were leading 23-13. Tilehurst staged a minor comeback on the last end, with a pair, but it was all too late and Shiplake had won by 23-15.

On Rink 1 Margaret Bullock, Janet Townley and Jeff Harris were 4-1 ahead after 4 ends, before conceding a single on end 5. They then won 4 ends in a row, adding 7 shots to their total and leading 11-2. Tilehurst got the better of the next 4 ends, winning 3 and adding 6 shots to Shiplake's one. With 13 ends played, Shiplake held a 12-8 lead. An exchange of singles was followed by an exchange of threes, then Shiplake won the final end with a single. The game was over and Shiplake had triumphed by 17-12.

Next door, on Rink 2, Sandra Gough, Keith Walters and Jim Bland were 4-0 ahead after 3 ends, then conceded a three and a single to go level. A run of 5 singles put them ahead again, but Tilehurst kept it to a two point gap with 3 shots on end 11. Three, two and one on the next 3 ends gave Shiplake an eight shot lead after end 14, giving them a cushion with 4 ends to play. Tilehurst rallied to win 3 of the final 4 ends, but only succeeded in closing the gap to 11-16.

On Rink 3 Chris Emmett, Jane Ward and Wendy Cross started slowly and were 1-5 down after 4 ends. They then hit their stride and scored 9 shots in a 6 end winning run. A slight disruption, conceding two shots on end 11, was brushed aside with another 3 winning ends and another 6 shots. Shiplake now led 16-7 with 4 ends to go. They appeared home and dry, but 6 shots from Tilehurst on end 15 gave them a shock and reduced the lead to three. Shiplake held their nerve and won two of the remaining ends for a 19-15 win.

The only losing rink for Shiplake was not disgraced

. David Lloyd, Lorraine Walters and Pete Leverett had a slow start and trailed 1-7 after 5 ends. They then scored a couple of singles, but Tilehurst replied with a pair and a single. Two pairs from Shiplake and they were 3 shots behind at 7-10. The next 5 ends were an overall gain of one shot for Shiplake and they were 11-13 behind. It was all down to the last 2 ends and Shiplake had it in their power to prevail. However, Tilehurst provided the stronger finish, adding 3 more shots to their total and winning 16-11.

 Overall, a very successful day for Shiplake. We now have 70 points in the OTL. In the entire season last year we scored only 81, so a very good position to be in.

Many congratulations to the ladies and we wish them success in their next match against Kidlington on July 26th.

Wednesday July 15th

In the absence of a match tonight, it was decided to hold an event, which had not been held for many years at the club. This was a "YARDSTICK". All woods within the reach of a yardstick scored 1 point.

This was a sign the sheet and all can play event. It was a little disappointing that only 9  members turned up, despite 12 signing the sheet. However, we soldiered on and drew teams and positions randomly, with Jean dropping out to give her arm a rest. This left us with two pairs matches, which were played over 12 ends.

Ruth Copp and Chris Emmett played David Lloyd and Neil Warley. Ruth and Chris consistently out scored hte other pair for the first 6 ends and were leading 21-10, when the change of positions took place. The next 2 ends were drawn, but three fo the remaining ends went to Ruth and Chris. They won the game 40-29

The other game was more evenly matched. Sandra and Wendy won the first 2 ends, but the next two went to Mike and Alan. After 4 ends, the men led 11-9. A draw on end 5 was followed by a win for the men on end 6 and it was 19-15 to them at the changeover. Ends 7, 8, 9 went to the men and they were 30-22 ahead. A draw on end 10 was followed by a win for the ladies, then a drawn final end. The end result was Alan & Mike 39, Sandra & Wendy 33.

This was a fun event and it was a shame that it was not better supported. The World Cup game between England and Argentina didn't help. I hope that the Yardstick can become a regular feature of the calendar.

Saturday July 18th

Today we played our third Plomer Cup match of the season, having won the first two. We played Didcot, who we had already beaten at Shiplake, so we were fairly confident. Our confidence was justified, with wins on 3 of the 5 rinks and a shot total of 87-81 in our favour. By the end of the day we had gained another 8 valuable points.

The highest winning rink was Rink 5. Marilyn Mowatt, Keith Walters and John Townley led from the start, with a single on end 1. Didcot scored two shots on end 2, but Shiplake replied with two pairs on the next 2 ends. An exchange of singles left the score at Shiplake 6, Didcot 3. End 8 was a 5 shot success for Shiplake and gave them a good lead. For the remainder of the game, Shiplake held a clear ascendancy, winning 8 of the 10 ends, scoring 5 singles and finishing in a gallop with 3, 7, 2. for a resounding 28-8 victory.

On Rink 4 Laurie Mowatt, Lorraine Walters and David Challis lost the first end by a single, but responded with two 3's and a single for a 7-1 lead. Didcot won 3 of the next 5 ends with 2 singles and a 3, compared to Shiplake's single and a 3. Shiplake's lead was now reduced to 11-6. Three shots from Didcot and the gap was only 2 shots. Shiplake rallied well with a five, followed by 3 singles, to re-establish their lead at 19-9. Didcot had the better of the final 4 ends, winning three and scoring 3 shots to Shiplake's two, but Shiplake won 21-12.

The third winning rink for Shiplake was Rink 6. This was a much closer result. Sue Pitcher, Ali Uygur and Jim Bland started with a four shot count on the first end, but Didcot replied with a single and a pair to close the gap to one shot. Shiplake responded to this by launching a 7 end winning run, scoring 5 singles, a pair and a five. They now led 16-3 and it looked to be all over for Didcot. Didcot had not read that part of the script and started their own 6 end run, scoring 4 singles, a pair and a 3. This cut Shiplake's lead to 4 shots. Shiplake increased this with two shots on end 17, but Didcot had the final say with three shots on the final end. The final result was 18-15 to Shiplake.

On Rink 3, Janet Townley, Mike Lovejoy and Pete Leverett were narrowly beaten by 13-19. They won the first two ends with singles, then Didcot won 4 ends (2,1,1,1). Three winning ends (1,1,2) by Shiplake gave them a narrow lead at 6-5, but Didcot's 4 on end 10 shifted the momentum back to them. Shiplake hit back with a pair, but another 4 from Didcot put them 5 shots behind. A pair and a 3 restored the balance a little, but Didcot saw out the game with a 3 and 3 singles, to win 19-13.

The Shiplake team on Rink 2 are considering a change of sport to something less trying, like Tiddleywinks!

Sunday July 19th

Another match in the OTL today. This time, we were playing Pangbourne who are bottom of the table and could manage only 4 Triples. The result was a 9-5 win to us, with 2 rinks won and a winning shot count of 70-58. The win leaves us only 2 points short of our total last season, with 6 matches still to play.

The highest winning rink for Shiplake was Rink 5. Ruth Copp, Jane Ward and John Townley lost 3 shots on the first end, but made up for it with successive 4's on ends 2 and 3. Pangbourne came back with two singles and a pair, to trail 7-8. A single apiece and no change after 9 ends. Shiplake retook the initiative with 4 winning ends and 10 shots added to their total (19-8). Three singles from Pangbourne were almost their last resistance, as Shiplake scored a two and a three; conceding the final end to a single. A win for Shiplake 24-12.

Our other winning rink was Rink 3. Sue Reid, Jeff Harris and Jim Bland led 3-0 after 2 ends, but lost 2 shots on end 3. They then won 3 of the next 4 ends, adding 4 shots and conceding two. Both sides scored a pair, then Pangbourne scored a single and a pair to level the score at 9-9. Six shots on end 12 gave Shiplake a healthy 15-9 lead, but Pangbourne were not done yet and scored a single and a pair. Shiplake responded with a pair and a three and it was 20-12 in their favour. The last 2 ends went to Pangbourne, both with singles, but Shiplake prevailed 20-14.

On Rink 2 Neil Warley, Janet Townley and Elaine Robinson lost narrowly by 13-14. It was 1-1 after 2 ends, then Shiplake scored 6 shots in 3 ends to lead 7-1. The initiative swung to Pangbourne, with 8 shots scored in a 7 end winning run. Shiplake now trailed 7-9. Both teams scored a single, then Shiplake scored a pair and it was level again, with 3 ends to play. Two of them went to Pangbourne (4 shots) and 1 to Shiplake (3 shots), leaving Pangbourne winners by one shot.

On Rink 4, Sue Pitcher, David Challis and Wendy Cross lost the first 2 ends, but score two on each of ends 3 and 4, to lead 4-2. They won 2 of the next 3 ends with singles and led 6-3. Pangbourne then scored two pairs and Shiplake replied with a three. At 7-9 behind, Pangbourne responded with  a 5 end streak, adding 11 shots to their total. This put them 18-9 ahead with 3 ends to play. Shiplake won all 3 of the remaining ends, but managed only 4 shots and suffered a 13-18 defeat.

Wednesday July 22nd

A trip to Watlington in the Plomer Cup, having won our previous 3 matches was a cause for optimism. However our hopes were severely dented with a heavy defeat; losing 1-4 on rinks, 64-86 on shots and 2-10 on PC points.

The only bright spot was Rink 2, where Damien Cleary, Jane Ward and John Townley put their opponents to the sword, winning 13 of the 18 ends. Scoring singles and a pair, they established a 6-0 lead after 5 ends, before Watlington won the next 3 ends with a pair and two singles. Back to singles and pairs, Shiplake built their lead to 13-4 after 14 ends, then Watlington scored 2 shots to narrow the gap. Shiplake closed out the game with a 4 and a 3 in response to Watlington's solitary single. A fine 24-7 win and 2 PC points.

Narrowly defeated on Rink 5 were Sue Pitcher, Jeff Harris and Wendy Cross.They matched scores with Watlington and were 4-3 ahead after 7 ends, but Watlington score a 3 and a single to take a 7-4 lead. Shiplake score 3 shots on end 10 to level, but Watlington responded with 4 shots on end 11. A single from Shiplake was outmatched by 2,1,1 from Watlington and Shiplake were 8-15 behind, with 3 ends to play. They finished strongly, scoring 2,1,3 on the final 3 ends, but it was not quite enough. They lost the game 14-15.

On Rink 1 Margaret Bullock, Alan Gough and David Challis matched ends with their opponents 9-9 and were level at 6-6 after 11 ends. A loose end on end 13 resulted in 4 shots to Watlington and Shiplake were up against it, in a very close game. Despite winning 3 of the final 5 ends, they could not match scores and went down 10-16.