WHAT'S NEW

Friday, April 17th

A large number of members came to the club and helped to set up for the beginning of the season. We are now open fir business!

16 of those who helped stayed on for a roll up and a good time was had by all with the welcome return of bowling. The green bowled well and the drink in the clubhouse which followed was very welcome.

Monday, April 20th

The first Points session of the season was very well attended, with 28 members in attendance. Despite the changeable weather, everyone enjoyed being out on the green again.

Friday, April 24th

A good turn out fo the first Friday Points of the season, with 16 members participating.

Saturday, April 26th 

We had perfect weather for our Open Day. Support from our members was magnificent and the visitors received a warm welcome and help and advice on the green.

Sunday, April 27th 

Our first fixture of the season was an in-house match between the President and the Chairman. 27 members participated in glorious sunny weather, enjoying the competitive but friendly atmosphere. A warm welcome to Linda Jennings, playing in her first competitive match The day started with a "Spider", won by Pete Leverett.

There was a very tight contest on Rink 1, with the Chairman's team of Dave Ward, Ali Uygur and Elaine Robinson setting the pace and leading by 10-4 after 9 ends. The President's team of Marilyn Mowatt, Chris Emmett and Jim Bland hit back with two 3 shot wins to their opponents' single over the next 3 ends. This took the score to a much closer 11-10 in the Chairman's favour. A single on the next end and the scores were level, but a 4 on end 14 gave the Chairman's team the lead again. The teams swapped singles on the next 2 ends, before the President's team scored 4 to level once more. It was now all down to the final end, which was won by the Chairman's team with a single, giving them a 17-16 victory.

Rink 2 was a Pairs game, with Margaret Bullock and Jeff Harris representing the President and Laurie Mowatt and Jane Ward for the Chairman. This was another close match, with the score standing at 7-7 after 11 ends. A single, 2 and 4 from the President's team gave them a 14-7 lead with 4 ends to play. The Chairman's team were not ready to concede defeat and took the last 4 ends. scoring 1,3,2,and 1 to finish level at 14-14.

On Rink 3 the Pair of Janet Townley and Alan Gough were the President's team against the Triple of Sandra Gough, Barrie Jones and Keith Walters. The first 6 ends went the way of the President, for a 10-0 lead. A 2 in response was countered by a 2 from the President's team. End 9 was won by a single from the Chairman's triple, but a single and two 2's stretched the President's lead to 17-3. Another mini revival from the Chairman's side, with a single and a 2, was matched by a 3 and it was 20-6 to the President. Singles only scored on the final 3 ends and the President's team ran out 22-7 winners.

Rink 4 saw a convincing victory by the Chairman's team of Sue Reid, Pete Leverett and Sylvia Blackmore; winning 28-6 and never being troubled.

Rink 5 was equally one-sided, with the Chairman's team of David Lloyd, Jean Buckett and Graham Kennedy winning comfortably by 30-10.

The day finished with the players sharing the food that they had brought in and listening to the speeches from the President and the Chairman, who announced his victory by 96 shots to 68, winning 3 rinks, losing 1 and drawing 1.

Wednesday April 29th

Our first match of the season and a narrow win against Woodley in a Friendly. As it was the first match and the light was uncertain, there were no trial ends and a maximum score of 1 on each of the first 2 ends, but a 2 on end 3 It was quite a shock to the system to be out on the green in very gusty winds and far from warm weather, but everyone ploughed on for 16 ends, before the match was halted 2 ends early in decreasing light.

Star performance of the evening came from Sue Pitcher, Keith Walters and Wendy Cross. Winning 3 of the first 4 ends, they led 5-1. The next 3 ends went slightly in Woodley's favour, making the score 6-3 to Shiplake. Shiplake then scored 3 x 2's to Woodley's 2 singles and the lead increased (12-5). This was followed by 4,3,2 to Shiplake and they were very comfortable at 21-5. Woodley gained a consolation single on the final end, giving Shiplake a 21-6 win.

There was another fine performance on Rink 1, where Sandra Gough, Mick Lovejoy and Graham Kennedy had another comfortable win. They started slowly, losing the first 2 ends by singles, but a 2 on end 3 levelled the score. Honours were even on ends 4 and 5, before Woodley scored a 3 to take the lead. They were amply repaid for that win by a run of 4 winning ends from Shiplake (2,1,6,2) and the lead went to Shiplake by 14-6. Woodley made a minor revival by scoring a 2 on end 11, but Shiplake bounced back with scores of 1,4 3 to increase their lead to 22-8. Woodley won the last 2 ends with a single on each, but Shiplake ran out winners by 22-10.

Rink 4 produced another fine win for Shiplake. This time it was Neil Warley, Elaine Robinson and Pete Leverett who added to the tally. Another slow start left them 0-4 behind, but they remedied that by scoring 4 on end 5 to go level. Two ends later, they scored a 3, but they were outmatched by Woodley's 4 shots over a 4 end period. End 9 and the score was 8-7 to Woodley. The final 7 ends were a different story, with Shiplake winning them all and amassing 13 shots, to win very comfortably by 20-8

Two rinks along, the very cold Triple of Lorraine Walters, Alan Gough and Jeff Harris had started in the shade and never experienced any sunshine. Despite that, they soldiered on and managed to win their rink 14-8. Winning the first 2 ends, they lost end 3 by 3 shots and then scored 1 single to Woodley's two over the next 3 ends and were behind 3-5. A run of 4 winning ends pushed them into a 10-5 lead, before Woodley scored 2 singles to make it 10-7. Shiplake dug deep and shrugged off the cold to win 3 of the final 4 ends and  win the rink.

On Rink 5 Marilyn Mowatt, Pete McCoubrey (in a welcome return to match play) and Jane Ward had a real fight on their hands and succumbed by 8-14.

The nightmare suffered by our remaining rink has forced me to leave them nameless, so as to spare their blushes!

Overall, a good start to the season and a win by 89-73.

Saturday, May 2nd 2026

Following on from our victory over Woodley, we hosted Trenthams in another 6 Triple Friendly match. We were lucky with the weather, which was sunny with light winds for most of the match.

We continued our winning streak, with a victory by 102 shots to 81 and a 3-3 split on rinks, before a torrential downpour cut short the contest on some of the rinks.

Top honours for the day went to Rink 1, where Margaret Bullock, Laurie Mowatt and Sylvia Blackmore won comfortably by 24-11. They were quickly out of the traps, to establish a 6-1 lead after end 4, before Trenthams hit back with a 2 to reduce the deficit to 3 shots. a single and a 4 pushed Shiplake bac into a 11-3 lead, but Trenthams were far from beaten. They bounced back with 3 winning ends in a row, to make it 11-8 in Shiplake's favour.  A dead end was followed by a pair apiece and it was 13-10 to Shiplake, with 5 ends to go. A great finish resulted in Shiplake winning 4 of the 5 ends, scoring 1, 6, 1 and 3. I n reply, Trenthams could only muster a single.

Following close on their heels was Rink 5. Neil Warley, Lorraine Walters and Alan Gough had a slowly played match, with a lot of measuring and only completed 15 ends before the rain intervened. However, in that time , they completed a solid win by 22-10. Honours were shared after end 2 and again after end 5, but then it was virtually all Shiplake. They won 8 of the remaining 10 ends, scoring 5, 2, 1, 1, 3,1, 1 and 4 to Trenthams reply of a pair and a 3.

Shiplake's other winning rink was Rink 3, where Dave Ward, Ruth Copp and Wendy Cross emerged victorious by 19-10. It was nip and tuck to start with and  the score was 4-4 after end 6. A 3 by Trenthams and a single and a pair by Shiplake kept the honours even after end 9. Shiplake then took control of the game, losing only 2 of the remaining 9 ends and conceding only 3 shots, while amassing 12 of their own, including a 6 on end 17.

The losses Shiplake endured were not severe. On Rink 2 Sandra Gough, Keith Walters and Jane Ward just failed to deliver, going down 13-16. Level at 2-2 after 4 ends, they scored 2 on end 5, but conceded 4 shots over the next 2. A score of 3 on end 8 put them back in the lead by 7-6. Trenthams started to gain the upper hand  and , by end 17, they were 16-9 ahead. A gallant effort by Shiolake gained them 4 shots on the final end, but it was not enough.

On Rink 6 Sue Pitcher, Mick Lovejoy and David Challis were 10-4 ahead by end 8, but were then made to take a back seat by a spirited recovery from Trenthams, who won 7 of the remaining 9 ends played. Their 13 shots outmatched the 3 from Shiplake and they were victors by 17-13.

Another close game took place on Rink 4, with David Lloyd, Sue Reid and Jeff Harris suffering a narrow defeat. They won the first end with a count of 2, then lost the next 7 ends, to trail 2-8. A good recovery in 3 of the following 4 ends brought them level at 10-10, but Trenthams started to reassert themselves by winning 5 of the remaining 6 ends, giving them the game by 17-11.

Overall, this was a good win for Shiplake, making it two from two and 12 Rinks occupied over the 2 matches.

Sunday May 3rd 2026

Today, we had a double whammie. The main event was visit from a County Touring Team from Essex, but before their arrival, we had a visit from 4 ardent Midsomer Murders fans from Denmark. They had seen the episode filmed at Shiplake on Danish TV and were keen to visit the location of the filming, so they contacted the club via the website, to arrange a visit. This just happened to coincide with the tour match. The Danes arrived at the club late morning, en route for Heathrow. They were delighted to be able to look around the club and speak to some of the members who had been involved in the filming. An explanation of how lawn bowls works was well received, as they do not have bowls in Denmark. Sandra Gough gave them a practical demonstration of how bowls works and they were very interested. As we had catered for the visiting team, provision had been made for the Danes to buy lunch and they were able to purchase drinks from the bar. Having eaten lunch and taken lots of photographs, they were able to watch the beginning of the match. On their return to Denmark, they contacted the club to say how much they had enjoyed the experience and how wonderful it was to experience something so quintessentially English at first hand. It is hoped that this will be the start of a good relationship and will lead to further visits from fans of Midsomer Murders. Many thanks to John Townley, who sourced a plaque, commemorating the filming, and to Barrie Jones, who obtained payment for the cost of the plaque from ManningUK Insurance Brokers.

Having had the hors d'oeuvre of the Danish visit, we moved on to the main course. The touring team of County players from Essex had chosen us as the first match of their tour. They had come with 6 Rinks of 4 male players to pay against our mixed team. This was a major challenge for us, as many of our players had never played Rinks before and finding 24 players rather stretched our resources. Many thanks go to Wendy Cross for organising the event, Margaret Bullock, Elaine Robinson and Sandra Gough for making rolls and those members who turned up to play, support and help with the smooth running of the day, especially our Chairman Graham Kennedy, who stocked the bar with just enough alcohol to assuage the thirst of our visitors.

The match itself was a close run thing, with Shiplake failing to gain the victory by only 5 shots and both teams winning 3 Rinks.. The Essex team were delightful company and we wish them well on the rest of their tour.

The best result for Shiplake was on Rink 2, with David Lloyd, Ali Uygur, Jane Ward and John Townley winning by 22-12. They got off to a flying start and were 7-0 ahead after 2 ends. Essex fought back with 3 consecutive winning ends, to make it 7-4. Seven shots over the next 3 ends and Shiplake had a healthy lead at 14-4. They retained control by winning 3 of the following 4 ends and now led by 19-5, looking very comfortable indeed. They added to their lead with 3 shots to Essex's one over the next 3 ends and a 22-6 lead. However, you cannot write off a County team that easily and Essex took the final 3 ends (3,2,1) to reduce the deficit.

Close second for Shiplake was the other half of the Townley marriage, with Janet Townley, Laurie Mowatt, Dvae Bullock and Sylvia Blackmore winning 22-15. A score of 5 on end 2 gave them a healthy 5-1 lead, before Essex scored a pair and a single to peg them back. Two 3's took the score to 11-4 in Shiplake's favour by end 6. The next were won by Essex 3 shots to 2 and Shiplake led 13-7. Essex managed a 3 and a 2 on the next 2 ends and reduced the deficit to 13-12. The next 3 ends went to Shiplake (3,1,1) and it was back up to a 6 shot lead. In the final 3 ends, Shiplake scored a 4, to beat Essex's pair and single and won by 22-15.

Rink 3 was Shiplake's other winning rink, by 19-15. Margaret Bullock, Sue Pitcher, David Challis and Wendy Cross started well, with a pair on the first end. Essex pulled one back, then Shiplake scored 1, 2 and 3  on the next 3 ends for a 8-1 lead. End 6 was won by Essex with 3 shots and ends 7 and 8 were won by Shiplake, with 2 on each. Eight ends played and Shiplake were leading 12-4. They won 3 of the next 4 ends, scoring 6 shots to a single from Essex and looked to be romping home, the score being 18-5. That was when the wheels started to come off, with Essex running rampant and winning 5 of the remaining 6 ends, scoring 10 shots to Shiplake's 1. Shiplake had done enough, though, and held on for the win.

Two other Shiplake rinks suffered narrow defeats. On Rink 4, Keith Walters, Sue Reid, Pete Leverett and Elaine Robinson started very slowly, losing the first 4 ends and trailing 8-0. A pair and a single reduced the deficit to 5 shots by end 6. Only 2 of the next 6 ends went to Shiplake and they were 5-13 behind. The next 3 ends witnessed a spirited recovery, with scores of 2, 4, 2 and they were level, with 3 ends to play. Essex scored 4 on end 16 to dash Shiplake's hopes, but they didn't give up and scored a single and a pair, to lose narrowly by 16-17.

Rink 6 was another close finish from Sandra Gough, Pete McCoubrey, Jean Buckett and Jim Bland. The lead changed hands for the first 6 ends and it was 6-6 after end 6. The next 4 ends followed a similar pattern and it was 10-10, after end 11. A score of 4 on end 12 put Shiplake ahead, but Essex came back with scores of 2,2,1 and 2 to lead 17-14. Despite a pair on end 17, Shiplake lost the final end to a single and the game by 16-18.

The team on Rink 1 have gone away to lick their wounds and have asked for "No Publicity."

The match was played in a competitive, but good natured, atmosphere and even the weather was on our side. The forecast was for rain, but the clouds that appeared failed to produce any rain. Essex provided boisterous, lively company and justified the stocking up of the bar, as there was little left by the time they left!

The raffle caused a good deal of banter and generosity on the part of Essex, who re-donated a number of the prizes they won. Following on from the raffle, we were presented with a shield bearing the Essex county crest and the Essex members gathered to sing a rousing "Goodbye" chorus.

Wednesday, May 6th 2026

Tonight, we played our first fixture in the OTL; an evening match against Burghfield, who were last year's champions. The weather was not conducive to standing around, or even playing. It was very cold and numerous layers of clothing were required. The green was challenging, to put it mildly, but we applied ourselves to the task. There were no trial ends and a maximum score of 1 on the first 2 ends. This proved to be a good decision, as the light was very poor by the end.

On a very successful night, we won by 4 rinks to 1 and scored 12 OTL points; a very good start to the season.

Highest winning rink was Rink 3, with Jean Buckett, Alan Gough and Wendy Cross battling against the green and a strong Burghfield Triple. 4-1 down by end 4, Shiplake had levelled the score by end 6. There were no big shot counts, but Shiplake steadily piled on the score, winning 4 of the next 5 ends and leading 10-5. Burghfield put up a fight, but Shiplake were not giving up their lead and won 4 of the remaining 7 ends for a 16-8 victory.

On Rink 4, Lorraine Walters, Janet Townley and Graham Kennedy started very well and were 9-0 up after 6 ends. A pair and a single from Burghfield were matched by a 3 from Shiplake and the differential remained the same. By end 13, Shiplake had increased their lead to 16-4, but Burghfield began their recovery, winning the final 5 ends, amassing 7 shots, but it was not enough and Shiplake were victorious by 16-11.

Meanwhile, on Rink 5, Sandra Gough, Oete Leverett and Sylvia Blackmore started slowly and were 1-3 down after 4 ends. They established a good lead, with 4 winning ends in a row (1, 4, 2, 1) to lead 9-3. It was nip and tuck from then, with Shiplake unable to push ahead and they led 13-7 after end 13. Burghfield had the better of the final 5 ends, winning 3 and one end with no score. Shiplake held on for a 15-12 win/

Rink 6 was another close game. Five of the first 7 ends went to Burghfield and they had a narrow lead at 5-3. A run of 3 winning ends switched the lead to Shiplake by 8-5 after end 10, before Burghfield chiselled away at the Shiplake lead, winning 3 ends to Shiplake's one and trailing by only one shot. The remainder of the game was very close, but Shiplake triumphed in 3 of the remaining 4 ends for a 13-10 winning margin.

The highest combined total was on Rink 2. Mick Lovejoy, Jane Ward and Elaine Robinson started well, leading 6-0 after 3 ends. Burghfield gradually reduced the gap and were level 7-7 after end 7. A single and a pair took Shiplake to a 3 shot lead, but the lead changed hands again when Burghfield scored 5 on end 10. By end 14, Shiplake had fallen behind by 13-14 and were then rocked by Burghfield scores of 4, 1 and 2. With one end to play, Shiplake were 8 shots behind and it appeared that the game was up. Shiplake were playing to a different script, however, and scored a magnificent 6 shots on the final end. Beaten 19-21, but by no means disgraced.