November 2019 round up (part one)
Tarrant Keyneston SMBC
November is a busy month for fixtures, so we have decided to split our round up into two parts.
Last month we reported that in five Dorset League outings neither team had scored a point on the fours mat. This rather poor record was ended on 4th November when the Robbers beat Poole Park Swans 4-2 (31-22) at home. Del Way’s foursome won by an impressive 15-4, with the skip playing some excellent shots. Mike Ackland’s triple went into the last end a shot ahead, but unluckily dropped a three to lose 16-18 in a game which had been very close throughout.
Three days later the Robbers travelled to the Tanners for a Blackmore Vale Division 5 fixture. In an extremely close game Del’s mat won by one shot, and then watched as John Beckford’s triple finished their last end. Tied 17-17 after 19 ends, things couldn’t be tighter when the final end went to a measure. Unfortunately for us, the Tanners bowl was closer, and the match finished at 3-3 (32-32).
Bishops were the next opponents. When the home triples changed mats at 10 ends it was very close, with Del Way’s team one shot up, and Mike Ackland’s two down. Things changed a lot after this, with two very one-sided second halves – one in favour of each team! It was Mike’s triple who earned the points with a great second half on mat 1 to finish 30-13, as Del’s team got stuck on 10 shots and eventually slid to a 10-23 loss, but this was enough to secure a hard fought 4-2 (40-36) win for the Robbers.
The following evening saw the Kops entertain Templecombe Wasps. Steve Clayton, Cathy Gaffney and John Coady took an early lead, but by the 6th end the Wasps had levelled at 5-5. The home triple pushed ahead again, and were 9-6 in front at the change of mats. On the other mat Peter Hawkins, Sally Burton and Stuart Clayton also took an early lead, but the Wasps reduced the deficit to 10-8 after ten ends.
After the home triples switched mats, Peter’s team started slowly, but after picking up a four on end 14 they went on to win 18-16. Steve’s three also started slowly, dropping three shots early on to go behind, but they then won the next six ends in tidying up the game 21-14. The final result was a very good 6-0 (39-30) win for the Kops.
It was back to the Dorset League for the Robbers when they travelled to West Moors for the first of three visits this season. This time the Kestrels were our opponents, and Sally Burton stepped in to make up the team of seven. It was a disappointing result, as it was the first time in 2019/20 that we failed to score a point.
The team took a while to settle, and Del Way’s triple trailed 0-7 after just two ends. By 15 ends they were 6-18 behind, but a strong finish saw 8 shots clawed back for a slightly more respectable 14-18 final score. What a different story it could have been without those first two ends! On the other mat John Beckford’s four also struggled, and after 5 ends they trailed 2-8. The home team continued to press, and the mat finished with a 6-16 loss. The final match score was 0-6 (20-34), and we hope to do better when we return to West Moors to face the Badgers just five days after this whitewash.
Contact Information
Lorraine King - contact for Short Mat Bowls only
- 01258-456020
Find Tarrant Keyneston SMBC
Anne Biddlecombe Hall, Tarrant Keyneston, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 9JE
Additional Information
Turn off from the main Blandford to Wimborne road at the crossroads (opposite the True Lover's Knot pub). The Village Hall is on the LEFT hand side of the road, after about a dozen or so houses.