July Reports

Thursday July 2nd

Sue Reid & Chris Emmett played Jean Buckett & Elaine Robinson in the Drawn Pairs today. Jean & Elaine started well and scored consistently over the first 7 ends, winning all seven and leading 11-0. Sue & Chris enjoyed a mini revival, by winning ends 8,9 and 10, all with singles. Jean & Elaine responded with a single on end 11, then Sue & Chris scored 3 on end 12. With 6 ends to play, Jean & Elaine led by 12-6. A single and a pair from Jean & Elaine were matched  by a single and a pair from Sue & Chris, but time was running out for them. With only two ends to play they were 6 shots behind. All hope of a revival was crushed by a score of 4 shots on end  17 by Jean & Elaine. There was no point in playing the final end, as victory was beyond the reach of Sue & Chris. The final score was 19-9 in Jean & Elaine's favour. They will now play Graham Kennedy & Scott Jennings in the next round.

Friday July 3rd

Three Club Competition matches today.

Chris Emmett played Neil Warley in the Men's Singles. Neil started well. with a single and a pair on the first two ends, but it was all Chris from that point. He overpowered Neil with a powerful display of bowling, winning 9 successive ends to reach the 21 shots he needed to win. 

In the 2 Wood Pairs, Keith Walters & Barrie Jones came up against the strong pairing of David Lloyd & Elaine Robinson. The first 9 ends were dominated by David & Elaine, who won seven ends, scoring 9 shots to 2 from Keith & Barrie. Keith & Barrie started the second half of the game with two pairs and a single, but David & Elaine matched this score with their next 3 ends and we were back to where we were at the halfway point. With only 6 ends to play, Keith & Barrie were 7 shots behind, so still in with a chance. They scored a single on end 16, but scores of 1,3,2 from David & Elaine put the game out of reach. David & Elaine won the match 20-8 and will meet John & Janet Townley in the next round.

The final match of the day was in the Drawn Pairs. Lorraine Walters & Jane Ward played Ruth Copp & Pete Leverett. Lorraine & Jane started with two shots on the first end, but Ruth & Pete dominated the next 6 ends and built up an 8-2 lead. A single on end 8 interrupted the flow, but two single and a pair increased Ruth & Pete's lead to 12-3. Two more singles from Lorraine & Jane were outmatched by a pair and a single from Ruth & Pete. They now led 15-5, with 3 ends to play and the future was looking bleak for Lorraine & Jane. They won two of the 3 remaining ends, but were beaten 9-17. Ruth & Pete will play Damien Cleary & Jeff Harris in the next round.

Tuesday July 7th

There were two Club Competition matches today.

The first was between Jane Ward and Ali Uygur in the 91 Up. The players were fairly evenly matched for the first 6 ends, with Jane winning 4, Ali one and 1 draw. The score after end 6 was Jane 34, Ali 26. Jane won the next 5 ends, to lead 73-37 and it was not looking hopeful for Ali. He rallied to win 2 ends and draw two, to narrow the gap at 62-88 after 15 ends. Jane now needed only 3 shots to win and she got them by winning the final end 7-3, for a 95-65 win. Jane will play Janet Townley in the next round.

The second match was a nail biter in the Novices, between Lorraine Walters and Stuart Earl. Stuart started spectacularly, winning the first 6 ends and leading 10-0. Lorraine finally scored a shot on end 7, but Stuart replied with a pair on end 8. A single each on the next 2 ends, then Jane scored 4 shots on end 11. She was now 6-13 behind. Stuart won two of the following 3 ends with a single and he led 15-7 after 14 ends. Lorraine now found some form and scored 2,2,4,1 to take the lead 16-15 after 18 ends. She gradually played her way towards the elusive 21 shots required and took the score to 19-16 with 3 shots on end 20. A single on end 21 was matched by a single on end 22 from Stuart. A brilliant performance from him, but Lorraine finally scored the shot she needed for victory on end 23. Congratulations to both players for a magnificent match, which had the small but appreciative crowd on the edge of their seats. Lorraine will play Sandra Gough in the next round.

Wenesday July 8th

Three Club Competition matches today, starting with the Novices game between Roger Horton and Damien Cleary. Roger started very well, winning the first two ends, each by 2 shots. Damien responded by dominating the rest of the game, giving Roger no chance to intervene with his progress to the next round. Damien overturned Roger's 4 shot lead very quickly and was 10-4 ahead by end 7. Roger managed a single on end 8, but Damien turned on the pressure, with 5 winning ends and another 13 shots added to his total. The final score was Damien 23, Roger 5. Damien will play the winner of the match between Marilyn Mowatt and Jenny Ward in the next round.

Next up was John Townley v Laurie Mowatt in the Men's Singles. A powerful performance from John saw him win the first 2 ends (3,4) then Laurie scored singles on ends 3 and 4. John launched a winning streak of 4 ends and increased his lead to 16-2, before Laurie scored a single on end 9. John needed only 3 more ends to finish the match, scoring 2.2.4 to win 24-3. John will play Graham Kennedy in the next round.

The final match of the afternoon was another Novices contest, this time between Neil Warley and Jon Samuel. This was the closest of the afternoon's contests. Jon started very well, scoring 4 and 2 on the first 2 ends. Neil replied with a single and a 3. Two pairs from Jon overshadowed a single from Neil and it was 10-5 to Jon, with 7 ends played. Jon scored 3 shots on end 8 and Neil scored two on end 9.The next 4 ends were tied, 3 shots apiece, and a pair from Neil on end 13 narrowed the gap to 10-16. That was Neil's final contribution to the scoreboard. Jon won 4 of the remaining 5 ends played, with one tied end, adding 6 shots to his total and winning 22-10. Jon will play the winner of the match between Ken Ellison and Linda Jennings in the next round.

Friday July 10th

The blistering heat knocked out two of today's three scheduled matches, but three brave souls turned up to play the Handicap match between Martin Hedges and Sandra Gough. Alan Gough was the foolish marker!

Starting with a 7 shot lead, Martin added to his total with a single on the first end, but Sandra scored a pair and a single to peg him back. Two shots from Martin on end 4 outmatched a single from Sandra on end 5 and he held a 10-4 lead. Three and a single and he was 14-4 ahead and it wasn't looking great for Sandra. She scored three on end 8, but from then on it was all Martin. He played really well and, even on the occasions when Sandra held shots, he found the shot that stole it away from her. With a four end winning run (2,3,1,1) the match was over and Martin had won 21-7. He will play Jane Ward in the next round.

Monday July 13th

Only one club competition match today: the 91 Up between Elaine Robinson and Wendy Cross. Elaine won two of the first 4 ends 8-2 and Wendy won the other two 6-4. The score was then Elaine 24, Wendy 16. Wendy won the next 2 ends and narrowed the gap to 29-31. A win by 9-1 put Wendy level, then Elaine took the lead again with an 8-2 win. The next end was a draw and the following was won by Elaine 7-3. Eleven ends played and Elaine was leading 60-50. End 12 was drawn, then Elaine turned on the power to win 3 ends and build up a lead of 87-63. With only four shots needed, Elaine was in a very strong position. She secured the victory, despite losing the last end 4-6. The final score was Elaine 91, Wendy 69. Elaine will play John Townley in the next round.

Tuesday July 14th

There were 3 Club Competition matches today; all in the Seniors competition.

First to play were Janet Townley and Chris Emmett. Janet started well, with three shots on the first end. Chris responded with a pair on end 2. Janet added three shots to her score with singles on the next 3 ends, but a pair and a single from Chris cancelled them. Ends 8 & 9 went to Janet, with a pair and a single. Chris replied with a pair on end 10. At this point it was Janet 9, Chris 7. Janet now took control of the game and scored 1,1,1, 2, to lead 14-7, with only one end to play. The players decide to play the final end and Chris scored one shot. Janet will play the winner of the match between Keith Walters and Margaret Bullock.

Next up were Jeff Harris and Dave Ward. Jeff started with two on end 1, but Dave scored two singles to level the score. Another pair from Jeff gave him the lead, then each of the players scored two singles over the next 4 ends. After 8 ends, Jeff was leading 6-4. He now put on a powerful surge, winning 5 successive ends, adding 8 shots to his total and making it impossible for Dave to win. The final score was Jeff 14, Dave 4. Jeff will play the winner of the game between Tony Reid and Ruth Copp.

Alongside the above match, Alan Gough played Sylvia Blackmore. Sylvia won the toss and put up the jack. It was a loose end, but Alan managed to score a single. Three shots on end 2, followed by two on end 3 and 4 on end 4 and Sylvia conceded the match, because she was unable to reach the jack. Alan will play the winner of the match between Jon Samuel and Laurie Mowatt in the next round.

Friday July 17th

Another four club matches were played today, starting with the Seniors contest between Keith Walters and Margaret Bullock. Keith started with 4 shots on the first end, then added four more over the following three. He then handed the scoreboard to Margaret, who won 4 ends to draw level. Back to Keith with a pair and a single, then Margaret scored two shots. After 11 of the 15 ends, Keith held a narrow 11-10 lead. He had to dig deep, but did so with 4 singles in a row, to win 15-10. Keith will play Janet Townley in the next round.

Next to play were Janet Townley and Lorraine Walters in the Handicap. Lorraine started with a 3 shot advantage, but Janet erased that on the first end. A single apiece and scores were level after 3 ends. Janet then set off on a winning spree, interrupted only by 3 shots from Lorraine on end 5. Janet won 7 of the 8 ends, adding 9 shots to her total and leading 13-6. Lorraine scored another single on end 12, but Janet hit back with 1,3,1 to increase her lead to 18-7 after 15 ends. Lorraine scored a pair on end 16, but Janet was in no mood to slow down and sealed Lorraine's fate with a single and three shots, to win 22-9. Janet will play Alan Gough in the next round.

The third match of the day was in the 2 Wood Singles between John Townley and Damien Cleary. Damien got off to a good start, with singles on the first 2 ends, but John kept Damien off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first set. Scoring 2.1.2.1.1.2, he wrapped it up 9-2. The second set was a different matter. Again, Damien took the first 2 ends with singles, then John levelled with a pair. A pair and two singles from Damien beat the single from John over the next 4 ends and Damien was leading 6-3. John drew on his reserves and scored two pairs and a single to lead 8-6. Damien wasn't beaten yet and scored a pair to level at 8-8. With his first shot, Damien rested on the jack, but John played a magnificent shot to remove Damien's wood and stay. Damien was unable to reverse the situation with his remaining wood and John progressed to the next round 9-2, 9-8. John will play the winner of the match between Janet Townley and Elizabeth Ellison.

The final match of the day was in the Novices, between Martin Hedges and Laurie Mowatt. Martin got a good start with a three and a single, but Laurie pulled back a single and a pair. Two 3's from Martin gave him a 10-3 lead, but a three from Laurie narrowed the gap to 4 shots, End 8 was won by Martin with a pair, but Laurie won the next two with singles and the gap remained the same. Martin now dominated the remainder of the game, scoring three 3's and a single to Laurie's solitary single. The end result: Martin 22, Laurie 9. Martin marches on to a meeting with Keith Walters in the next round.

Monday July 20th

Just one club competition match today, between Pete Leverett and Lorraine Walters in the 91 Up. A good start from Pete gave him a 9-1 lead on the first end, but Lorraine held him to a draw on end 2. Another 9-1 and a 6-4 and Pete was 29-11 ahead. The next 2 ends were drawn, but then Pete won the next three by 7-3 and held a commanding 50-30 lead after 9 ends. Despite Lorraine's best efforts, Pete was playing very well and was proving too strong for her. He won the next 4 ends and Lorraine trailed by 44-86 after 13 ends. Lorraine held him to a draw on the next end, but Pete had the shots he needed to win 91-49 and proceed to the next round where he will play the winner of the match between Keith Walters and Tony Reid.

Tuesday July 21st

There was a match today, between Ken Ellison and Linda Jennings in the Novices. Linda started well, with 3 shots on the first end. Ken then scored 3 successive singles to draw level. Two singles from Linda were matched by two singles from Ken and it was 5-5 after 7 ends. The scores remained level 4 ends later, with Linda winning 3 ends with 1,2,1 and Ken scoring a 4. Ken's 3 was matched by 3 from Linda and there was still nothing to choose between them. Ken then had a 4 end winning run, adding 5 shots to his score. Linda replied with two singles and Ken added a pair. On end 21 Linda scored 3 shots and Ken conceded, as he was struggling to continue. Linda will play Jon Samuel in the next round.

Also played today was the Seniors match between Pete Leverett and Wendy Cross. A good start for Pete saw him score 1,3,2 to lead 6-0. Wendy pegged back 2 shots on end 4, but Pete scored a single and a pair to lead 9-2. Three winning ends and 5 shots scored edged Wendy closer and she shrugged aside the single scored by Pete to add another 3 winning ends and add 3 more shots to her total. With 13 ends played Pete had a 10-9 lead. He added a pair and a single to lead 13-10 and Wendy conceded, with 3 ends to play. Pete will play Graham Kennedy in the next round.

Wednesday July 22nd

Only one match today, between Janet Townley and Elizabeth Ellison in the 2 Wood Singles. Janet proved her class in the first set by giving Elizabeth little chance to contribute. Janet started with a pair on the first end, then Elizabeth replied with a single on end 2. Janet then proceeded smoothly to victory in the set, winning 5 ends (2,2,1,1,2), for a 10-1 victory. The story was much the same in the second set. Janet won the first 3 ends, with a single and two pairs, before Elizabeth managed two shots on end 4. A single from Janet was matched by a single from Elizabeth, then Janet finished the job with two singles and a pair, to win the second set 10-3 and proceed to a match against husband John in the next round.

Thursday July 23rd

Two club competition matches today.

First, the 2 Wood Singles match between Jane Ward and Jim Bland. Thus was a match dominated by Jane. In the first set, she won the first 4 ends and established a 6-0 lead, before Jim scored a single. Two shots on the next end and Jane was one shot away from tying up the first set. Jim struck back with singles on ends 7 and 8, before Jane scored the shot she needed to win the set after 9 ends.  Another good start in the second set gave Jane a 5-0 lead after 3 ends. From there it was singles all the way, with Jane scoring three and Jim one, leaving Jane one shot away from overall victory at 8-2. Jim rallied with singles on the next 2 ends, but Jane completed her task with a single on end 11, for a 2 sets to one triumph. She will meet the winner of the match between Elaine Robinson and Barrie Jones in the next round.

We also had the Drawn Pairs match between Janet Townley & Laurie Mowatt and Marilyn Mowatt & Neil Warley. Janet and Laurie started well, with a single and a 3 on the first 2 ends. Four shots from Marilyn and Neil levelled the score. They added 4 more singles, to take the lead 8-4. A single apiece, then 4 shots from J & L levelled the scores again (9-9). Eight ends stiil to play and three shots from M & N gave them a 12-9 lead. J & L won ends 12, 1 3 and 14 and edged ahead by 13-12. M & N were not done yet and had their own 3 end winnig run, adding 4 shots to their total. With one end to play, they were ahead by 16-13. A single on the last end was not enough for Janet and Laurie to avoid defeat. Marilyn and Neil will play Graham Kennedy & Scott Jennings in the next round.

Friday July 24th

In the Drawn Pairs today, Jean Buckett & Elaine Robinson faced Graham Kennedy & Scott Jennings. J & E started well, winning 4 if the first 5 ends to lead 7-1. Two pairs from G & S redressed the balance, before J & E scored successive singles. With half of the allotted ends played, Jean & Elaine had a 9-5 lead. They had the better of the next 5 ends, winning 3 and outscoring their opponents 4-2. With only 4 ends to play, G & S trailed by 7-13 and needed something special to get back in the game. They provide it with 4 shots on end 15. J & E responded with a pair on end 16, putting them 4 shots clear. Their 4 shot lead was erased by G & S, with a single and a three, leaving the scores level at the end of the allotted 18 ends. We now witnessed a dramatic extra end shoot out. With two shots scored, Graham and Scott moved through to the next round 17-15. They will play Neil Warley and Marilyn Mowatt.

There was a great battle in the Women's Singles between Margaret Bullock and Wendy Cross. A good start by Wendy saw her win 2 of the first 3 ends and build up a 5-1 lead. Four shots from Margaret levelled the scores after 4 ends. Wendy scored a single on end 5, then Margaret launched a 4 end winning run (2,2,1,1), to lead 11-6. The momentum now swung back to Wendy, with her own 4 end run of wins (3.1.4.1). It was now Wendy 15, Margaret 11 with 13 ends played. Two singles from Margaret were followed by 2 singles from Wendy and Wendy led 17-13 after 17 ends. Margaret now started to dominate the match. She lost only one of the 6 ends remaining, scoring 9 shots to Wendy's one and winning the game 22-18. Margaret will play the winner of the match between Lorraine Walters and Marilyn Mowatt in the next round.

Damien Cleary faced Pete Leverett, current Men's Champion, in the third match of the day. Damien has proved himself to be a very good bowler, so this was not going to be easy for Pete. The players swapped singles and it was 3-2 to Damien after 5 ends. Pete scored 3 shots, to open a bit of clear water between the players, but there he stuck, as Damien dominated the rest of the game. Nine successive winning ends netted 19 shots for Damien and he emerged the victor by 22-5. Damien will play Alan Gough in the next round.

Monday July 27th

Jim Bland played Alan Gough in the 91 Up today. Jim started very well and was 30-10 ahead after 4 ends, having won 3 and drawn one.  Alan won the next 2 ends 8-2 and 9-1, to close the gap to 6 shots. The next 2 ends were drawn, then Alan won 7-3, 6-4 and the scores were level at 50-50. Another drawn end  was followed by two 8-2's from Alan and he was 71-59 ahead. Jim hit back with 6-4, 8-2 and trailed by only 4 shots. Then disaster struck for Alan, with 4 loose shots allowing Jim to win the end 10-0 and go 83-77 in front. A 6-4 win on the next end put Jim 2 shots short of victory and, despite Alan winning the last end 7-3, it was enough to give Jim victory by 92-88. Jim will play John Townley in the Semi-Final.

Tuesday July 28th

Jane Ward, on a zero handicap, faced new member Martin Hedges with 12, in a tough match. Martin is far better than his handicap would suggest, so this was a bit like climbing Everest in carpet slippers for Jane. Jane started well, with a single on the first end, but Martin responded with 2 shots on end 2. A single from Jane restored the original deficit in the scores. Martin scored successive singles and Jane's task became even harder. She responded well, with a 3 and a 2, leaving her 7-16 behind with 7 ends played. Two shots from Martin left him only 3 shots from victory, but Jane wasn't ready to concede and scored three singles, to trail 10-18. Martin proved too strong, however, and added a single on end 12, before delivering the coup de grace on end 13 with 3 shots. The final result was Martin 22, Jane 10. It was a very close contest, with both players notching up some great shots. It would have been a very exciting scratch contest. Martin will now play the winner of the game between Ali Uygur and Jon Samuel in the next round.

Thursday July 30th

Tony Reid and Ruth Copp played their Seniors game today. Ruth was always in control and established a 7-1 lead after 5 ends. A single and a pair from Tony closed the gap to 3 shots by end 7, but Ruth then dominated the remainder of the game, winning all but one of the final 6 ends. Tony conceded the game with 2 ends to play and a 9 shot deficit. Ruth will play Jeff Harris in the next round.

Friday July 31st

Margaret Bullock & Keith Walters faced Wendy Cross & Tony Reid in the Drawn Pairs today. W & T claimed first blood with a single, but M & K hit back with 4 singles of their own. Two singles apiece followed and we were at the halfway stage, with M & K leading 6-3. Two shots from W & T narrowed the gap, but a single and a 3 increased M & K's lead. Ends 13 and 14 saw each pair score a single and their was a pair for W & T on end 15. They were trailing 8-11 and it was still doable, but M & K scored a three and a single and the game finished an end early as they could not be caught. The final result was 15-8 to Margaret and Keith. They will play Ruth Copp and Pete Leverett in the next round.

Also played today was a titanic struggle between John Townley and Graham Kennedy. Despite being in poor health, Graham's bowling skills kept him in the game for a long time and, in fact, he looked as if he could win at one point. Both players scored a pair and a single in the first 4 ends, then John scored 4 shots to take the lead. Graham cancelled those 4 shots with a pair and 2 singles. After 8 ends it was 7-7. The next 4 ends were won with singles, two to each player, and it was 9-9 with 12 ends played. Two singles and a three gave Graham a 14-9 lead, but John responded with two shots on end 16, to trail by 3 shots. Two singles from Graham put him 5 shots from victory, but John was not in the mood to lose. He regained the jack with 2 shots on end 19 and did not lose it again. Six successive winning ends, all singles, gave him a 19-16 lead after 25 ends. He finished the job with 3 shots on end 26 to win 22-16. John's reward is a semi-final match against Chris Emmett.