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The morning of Saturday 26th September was a
little overcast and cloudy - and even a bit on the chilly side, but whatever direct line Richard Bolton has to the powers
that be kicked in just before 1.30 - the clouds rolled away, an azure-blue sky took over, and the sun beamed happily down
on Great Melton!
We thought there would only be a minimal attendance for this 'afterthought' Saturday competition
- around 10, maybe, but, in the event, the entry was 18 - an ideal number, giving us 6 rinks of 3 players. It's
clear that this format - and the opportunity to play bowls on a Saturday afternoon - has gone down very well, and Richard
deserves all credit for introducing it to our programme of activities.
We kicked off at 1.30, more or less
on the dot, and the first 2 rounds ended with 6 players already in double figures - Liz Cobbold, Philip Richardson and Richard
Cockerill on 10, Lucy Bolton on 11, Julia Richardson on 13, and -ominously! - David Minter ('The Hustler') with his
nose in front, on 14.
After 5 rounds, however, Julia had caught up with David, on 27, with John Cobbold in hot
pursuit on 26, Lucy on 25, and Liz Cobbold and Richard Bolton just 1 point further back, on 24. Also, by this time,
everyone was in double figures, so there were no horrendous failures out there under the pitiless sun!
We agreed
to 'take tea' after 7 of the scheduled 13 rounds. Sadly, there was no cricket match, so no opportunity to take
on a cold Bomber to revive any flagging spirits! At the break, however, things were very tight indeed, at the top.
John, and Richard B, were getting into their stride, and were neck-and-neck in first place - each having scored
a very impressive 37 points. Julia and David M were just a whisker behind, on 36, and Joe Huckle was also coming into the
reckoning - surprise! surprise! - with a handy 33. Liz Cockerill and Liz Cobbold (the scorer's nightmares!) were
on 32 and 31, respectively, and Wilf Chamberlain had joined the chasing pack, on 30, with Philip and Richard C.
Well,
we all waited for the 'Curse of the Tea-break' to have its evil way - and it did!
In the 8th round,
John. Richard B and Julia each notched up a less than impressive 3, Joe did OK with 5, as did Liz Cockerill, with 4, but Liz
Cobbold floundered to an inglorious 1 - and nobody had told David M about the teabreak 'rule' as he sailed to an 8-point
score to retake the lead, on 44.
Well - you have to hand it to the Master. David's last 5 rounds brought
him 6, 7, 5, 5 and 7 points, and no-one could live with that. He held the lead from the 8th round onwards and won with
a grand total of 73 points - 5 ahead of his nearest challenger.
John Cobbold took a very impressive second place,
on 68; with Richard Bolton third, on 66. Mike Blazeby had a brilliant second half, raising his score from 24 to
62 in the last 6 rounds - including a 9 in the last ! - to take 4th position.
Joe Huckle, on 61, was the only other
player to break the 60 barrier, in 5th place, and Lucy and Wilf finished 6th equal, on 57 - with Lucy taking the special prize
(if only we had one!) for the highest-placed lady.
The green was terrific - a picture - thank you, Mr Greenkeeper.
- Chris Blazeby scored an 8 in the 9th round;
- Chris Starr had had a very neat haircut;
- Colin was wearing
a most fetching hat;
- Jane was the only player to score 'nul points' in successive rounds
-
Margaret seemed, to me, to be having really rotten luck - a lot of near things (and thanks for the coconut tarts!)
-
and Marianne handed round some delicious Swiss chocolates at tea.
- oh, and Mike C got the scores right most of
the time - probably!
A great afternoon. It was so good, we'll have another next Saturday, if this weather
holds.
Mike C
The Pairs Championship - 2009
So, ten pairs took part in this year’s competition.
Liz Cobbold and Richard Bolton beat Margaret Huckle and Norman
Sutton, who beat Joan Welsby and Julia Richardson, who beat Jane Baker and Trevor Hollidge, who beat Lucy Bolton and John
Cobbold, who beat Chris Blazeby and Caroline Savory, who beat Laurie Moroney and David Perrin, who beat Colin Haverson and
Mike Blazeby, who beat Liz Cobbold and Richard Bolton! Yes, the draw produced some even pairings and great matches, but there was a sharp intake of breath when the
fates combined to link up Joe Huckle and Peter Markham, then David Minter and Philip Richardson, and the bookies weren’t
even offering odds-on against those two pairings contesting the final. And so it came to pass, but not before we all enjoyed a great day’s bowling in ideal sunny conditions.
The entry of 10 pairs meant that each pair could play against all the others – 4 ends for each of the 9 rounds
– with a break after the 5th round for the keenly-anticipated steak, sausage and salad lunch. Thanks to Alan Barnard for, once again, performing his
annual culinary miracle, and to everyone who produced the great selection of salads and sweets. I think
even the lunch break was a bit special this year – the ambience of the President’s Cricket Match in the background,
and the side-benefit of the bar being open certainly added a certain je ne sais quoi! The writing was on the wall at lunch, though. David
M and Philip had racked up 5 wins out of 5, while Joe and Peter had lost just 1. As previously suggested,
all the others were busy happily slitting each others’ throats! But things did change a bit in the afternoon sunshine, though. David M and Philip lost
a bit of their early momentum, and went down in 3 out of their 4 post-lunch ties. Joe and Peter, though,
lost their first, drew their second, then won the final two to go into the final as undisputed leaders with 15 point out of
a possible 18. David M and Philip
finished on 12, and squeaked through, narrowly, in front of David P and Laurie, who had 11, and Lucy and John, on 10.
For the record, nobody disgraced themselves, the other 6 couples ending up with two 6’s, two 7’s and two
8’s. As if 36 ends wasn’t enough, some
bright spark thought the final should be over 6 ends! And so it came to pass – and justice was probably
served when, after some quite superb bowling, Joe and Peter ran (staggered?) out undisputed winners. It was a great afternoon, though, thoroughly enjoyed by all
who took part – and several who, for one reason or another, didn’t! A memory to warm the cockles of the heart during the long grim winter lying ahead!
Mike Corbett
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