Halvergate & Kirby Bedon collect Bure Trophies

The joint Bure League & Tens League Presentation Night took place at Heathlands Social Club in Blofield Heath where a Fish n Quiz night was followed by the Presentations. Halvergate’s David Lamb collected the Bure League trophy, plaque and a cheque while Kirby Bedon collected the runners-up plaque and a cheque. Kirby Bedon captain Alistair Hunter was also presented with the Bure Cup, a winners plaque and another cheque. Woodbastwick’s Peter Jablonowski was presented with the Bure Cup runner-up plaque and a cheque. The quiz was run by David Walker of Anglian Windows who was thanked by Norfolk Chairman Selwyn Goldsmith for his work on the night. Kirby Bedon won the Quiz on the night with a joint team made up of Coltishall & Woodbastwick members coming runner-up. The presentation of the Tens League Championship trophies & cheques  was unable to take place as not a single member of the winning team or the runner-up team attended the Presentation Night.

     Halvergate's David Lamb & Kirby Bedon's Alistair Hunter

ESMBA Committee agrees Hopkins & Hawkins as administrators

In a surprise move the ESMBA yesterday issued what they called an “Administration Press Release” announcing that the ESMBA Committee had agreed that Chairman Chris Hopkins and Competition Secretary Keith Hawkins have taken on the administration as from 1^st May. The proposed issue of paid administration has been a controversial one in the sport since first being mooted by the ESMBA Management Committee some time ago and despite a so called timetable to take the concept forward nothing had been heard in a while. It was believed, certainly by the majority of counties, that any such major change to the running of the sport would not happen until agreed at an AGM or Special General Meeting by the member counties of the ESMBA. No such meeting has taken place. Many will no doubt pose the question as to how the administration of the sport can undergo such a radical change without the member counties even being consulted or the Constitutional aspects being discussed and voted upon. There is little detail in the press release as to how the decision was taken or if the Officers appointed took part in the meeting that agreed the decision. The Press Release states that the personnel will be financed by a third party but no information is given as to who the third party is and what their connection to the sport is. The full press release by the ESMBA is as follows:

 

                                                         Administration

Effective as of May 1st, Keith Hawkins and Chris Hopkins will be taking on the administration for an initial period of one year. The concept agreed by the management committee was that with the vast experience held by Chris and Keith it would be possible to enhance the services already provided by the ESMBA on a more professional and timely basis thus allowing the committee time to focus on future planning and events rather than spending time fire fighting past events as in the case at present.

Keith will concentrate on the insurance aspect as his primary responsibility and Chris will initially set about resurrecting the coaching scheme and all its various aspects.

Keith and Chris will be available on a daily basis between 10.00am and 6.00pm and can be reached on their usual numbers although there are plans to put an 0845 number in operation thus giving all of our members the ability to make contact at a local call rate charge.

Counties and clubs will be able as part of the operation to call upon both during the weekdays should they wish to put on special functions where they may not have the necessary personnel to operate it.

The setting up of this particular administration presents a win win situation for ESMBA as both personnel will be financed by a third party which will save not only on an administration fee being paid but will also allow a saving on some expenses currently being claimed.

The concept being discussed is that it will give the ESMBA an opportunity for the committee to spend more time moving forward and will also give an insight into further savings which can be gained by slimming down the committee in the future which will have a knock on effect with regard to travelling expenses and future expenses.

Both Keith and Chris are excited about the future and see these steps as positive movement forward for the betterment of our association.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Posted 2-5-13

Hempnall are Tens League champions

A decisive 4-0 home win against Connaught has left Hempnall celebrating their third Tens League title in six years. Hempnall’s 2-0 away win at Bob Carter in their last match left them needing just two points to end Carter’s two year hold on the title and they did it with ease scoring 64 shots against 32 to take maximum points. Colin Stevenson & Neil Davidson opened with a 14-5 win against Diana & Bill Adcock and M Pearce, Bernie Cudden & Richard Harrowing added a 19-9 win against Chris Musk, Alison Rush & Elaine Oatway. Any chance of a Connaught comeback was crushed as Syd Harman, Debbie Phillips & Jon Sparham romped to a 23-6 win against Heather Winup, John Winup & Peter King. Connaught earned some consolation as Ty Musk & Bob Oatway scored a 12-8 win against Jack Barrett & Chris Mann. Hempnall captain Jon Sparham was understandably delighted with their triumph especially after an awful start to the season when their title hopes looked doomed. They lost their first three games going down at Connaught as well as suffering home and away defeats against Kirby Bedon. They put that behind them though climbing from the bottom of the league to the top without losing another game.

                                                                                                                     Posted  30-4-13

Ann Mash - Rest in Peace

The N.C.S.M.B.A is sorry to learn of the death of Yaxham bowler Ann Mash and wishes to extend their sympathy to all her family & friends at this sad time.

                                                                                                                          Posted 29-4-13

Hempnall win at Carter in Tens

A tremendous second half comeback by Hempnall at Bob Carter saw them snatch a one shot victory to put themselves on the brink of recapturing the Tens League title. Carter looked on their way to a home win in the first half as Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown beat Colin Stevenson and Neil Davidson 16-11 while Margaret Reynolds, Jamie Forster & Nigel Willard weighed in with a 17-11 win against Paul Baker’s triple. Starting the second half eleven shots up Carter knew that a 4-0 win would clinch them the title but Hempnall hit back in style with Jack Barrett & Chris Mann beating Jason Woods & Melvin Woods 14-11 in the pairs. Jon Sparham was in terrific form in the triples and with Syd Harman at lead and Debbie Phillips at number two they overhauled Carter with an 18-9 win against Malcolm Reynolds, Jean Woods & Robert Howlett to earn Hempnall a 2-0 win on points and a 54-53 win on shots. Hempnall’s final match of the season is at home to Connaught and a home win will earn them the Tens League title.

                                                                                                                                               Posted 29-4-13

Jon Sparham was in great form against Carter

“Terrific Tuesday” ends in Halvergate Bure League triumph

The Bure League Championship was decided last night after Halvergate defeated Horsford Heroes 8-2 to clinch the title while Kirby Bedon’s 8-2 win at East Tuddenham earned them the runners-up spot. After defending champions Coltishall had won their final match, 8-2 at home to East Tuddenham, to move top of the table the pressure was on Halvergate & Kirby Bedon for their final matches on Tuesday night. Halvergate started the evening two points behind Coltishall while Kirby Bedon were six points adrift of Coltishall. Halvergate looked favourites entertaining Horsford Heroes while Kirby Bedon faced a difficult away trip to East Tuddenham. At halftime Halvergate were only drawing 2-2 at home to Horsford Heroes while Kirby Bedon were 4-0 up at East Tuddenham. Halvergate knew a good second half was needed to make sure of the title and produced the goods to win 8-2. Kirby Bedon knew a great result at East Tuddenham was needed if they were to finish in the top two and also produced the goods with an 8-2 win that earned them the runners-up spot two points ahead of Coltishall. Halvergate’s winning triples were J Smith, M Tate & D Lamb, 18-12, D A Lamb, M Harvey & K Cooke, 15-5, & M Savage, R Walker & J Baxter, 16-6. M Kemp, R Hubbard & M Dale scored Horsford’s win beating I Mills, S Lamb & R M Lamb 11-8. A superb end to the Bure League season that was competitive throughout. More details to follow asap.

                                                                                                                                                       Posted 24-4-13

Get well soon Chris

The N.C.S.M.B.A is sorry to hear that Chris Hopkins, E.S.M.B.A Chairman, was taken ill at the weekend event in Torquay.  We would like to wish Chris a speedy recovery.

                                                                                                            Posted 22-4-13

Chris Hopkins being presented with Life Membership of the ESMBA in recognition of his services to the sport

at this season's National Championships in Bromsgrove.

Left to right; Thelma Hopkins, George Clarke (President), Chris Hopkins (Chairman), Simon Willies (Vice-Chair)

Cambridgeshire on the move!

The Cambridgeshire S.M.B.A announced this week that they are changing their county venue for the 2013/14 season. After playing at the Royal British Legion Club in Manea for many years they are on the move to March Indoor Bowls Club in March. The address of their new venue is March I.B.C, Robingoodfellows Lane, March, Cambs, PE15 8HS.

Runners-up spot for Connaught

A huge 10-0 away win for South Norfolk League champions Hempnall at Horsford means that Connaught are confirmed as runners-up. Horsford needed to take at least two points to keep the the battle for second place alive but Hempnall scored 80 shots against Horsford’s 25 and took maximum points. Hempnall also won at home to Wreningham with the only surprise being the two points the visitors collected, that’s two more than most teams have scored at Hempnall this season. Wreningham won 8-2 at home to Thurton. A sad day for the sport as this was Thurton’s last league match.  With a shortage of members they have decided to call it a day after many years playing short mat bowls. Wymondham & Norfolk star Andrew Stratton started his league career at Thurton and won his first county title as a young lad with J Pidgen & R English in the Norfolk County Triples in 1988/89. That season Thurton played in the Drakes Pride League with Hempnall, Earsham, Kirby Bedon & Langley, a league that only existed for one season before the NCSMBA established the five geographical based leagues.  

Halvergate are Thurne Champions

An 8-2 home win for Halvergate against Bradwell has earned them the Thurne League title as they finished five points ahead of Woodbastwick. An 8-2 away defeat at Bradwell in their last match cost Woodbastwick dearly. With only four teams competing in the Thurne League this season the continued existence of the league is the subject of debate. Both Halvergate & Bradwell are known to have put in applications to join the Tens League for the 2013/14 season and their applications will be dealt with at the Tens League Annual General Meeting.

RG Carter derailed in City League quest

52 points clear at the top of the City of Norwich League there is no doubt that RG Carter have been in a league of their own this season. Their quest to finish the season undefeated though came to grief at British Rail where Carter suffered a shock 11-3 defeat. Thorpe Marriott look equally safe in the runners-up spot after a 10-4 away win at Jarrolds. Third placed Horsford Heroes went down 12-2 at First Bus. Old Bonds are cut adrift at the foot of the table after a 12-2 home defeat against Sprowston SSC and a 10-4 defeat at Taverham.

                                                                                                                    Posted 21-4-13

Northants host Over 60's Presentation

Northants hosted this season's Eastern Over 60's League Presentation Day where players from the three teams, Northants, Norfolk & Cambs were represented. Cambridgeshire won the league this season and Tony Hart of Cambs was presented with the trophy by Northant's Eleanor Winters.

Tony Hart of Cambs & Eleanor Winters of Northants

The friendly "mixed rinks" comp on the day was won by Margaret Barker of Northants, Rex Cox of Norfolk, Sheila Page of Cambs & Shirley George of Norfolk

                                                                                                      Posted 18-4-13

Willard’s Wonders lift Norwich Cup

Bob Carter won the Norwich Cup for the eighth time after an excellent two leg final against Coltishall. Carter entertained Coltishall for the second leg after holding them to an 8-8 draw in the away leg the previous week. In that match Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown had starred for Carter beating Jean Barnett & Margaret Harman 12-4 and Carol & John Aggas by 12-3. With home advantage now in their favour Carter were hoping to take an early lead. Margaret Reynolds, Jean Woods & Robert Howlett opened for Carter on mat one against Vernon Bunn, Jean Barnett & Les Harman, a good drawn bowl onto the jack by Bunn and another good bowl by Les Harman gave the Coltishall triple two shots on the first end. Carter skip Howlett was again under pressure on the next end but responded by drawing shot wood to win the end. It was that man Vernon Bunn who again drew to the jack on the third end and Coltishall picked up two shots to lead 4-1. After a bright start the fourth end was a disappointing loose one with neither triple finding the jack early on. When the skips went down to play the Carter shot wood was at least a foot off the jack but both skips put their first woods off the mat. Howlett drew in his second bowl to take two shots for Carter. Coltishall moved 5-3 up on the next end thanks to another good Vernon Bunn bowl but Carter hit back with a three on the sixth end to take a 6-5 lead although the end was unimpressive with a series of loose bowls. The penultimate end was a good one for Coltishall who scored two shots to take a 7-6 lead into the final end. Again Vernon Bunn put Carter under early pressure but two perfect drawn woods by Carter skip Robert Howlett snatched an 8-7 win for the home triple. Carter’s Frank Edy, Jamie Forster & Nigel Willard faced Coltishall’s Brian Bunting, Rowland Sargent & Peter Barnett on mat two and took a 3-0 lead on the first end. The away triple outdrew Carter on the second end forcing Nigel Willard to fire but he missed and Barnett’s triple took two shots. A great first bowl by Brian Bunting set Coltishall up on the next end and again Willard had no option but to fire with his final wood but this time he hit the block and Coltishall moved 4-3 up. Roland Sargent did the damage on the next end as Coltishall now led by 5-3. Frank Edy drew in a toucher on the fifth end but Roly Sargent played onto the shot wood to spring the jack. Peter Barnett played a delightful shot to hide the jack forcing Nigel Willard to attack yet again. His heavy wood was ineffective and Coltishall moved 8-3 up. For the sixth end Jamie Forster & Nigel Willard changed places. Sargent again put Coltishall in a strong position and when Barnett played his first wood he left Coltishall holding two. Forster managed to cut it down to just one with his first bowl but an overstrong second wood by Barnett gave the shot away. On the penultimate end Carter held two shots until Brain Bunting drew in a lovely bowl on his forehand. Willard did manage to open the head up but the visitors still took shot to lead 9-5. On the last end Coltishall were always comfortable defending their four shot lead although Jamie Forster fluked a winner when he played a shot too tight and luckily knocked a short Carter bowl up into shot position but Coltishall still won by 9-6. With the score now 10-10 on aggregate the first pairs session came on. Jason & Melly Woods of Carter were up against Coltishall’s Sid & Margaret Harman on mat two. Carter opened with a two following an impressive forehand draw by Melly Woods and increased their lead to 4-0 after Margaret Harman’s firing shot failed to change anything on the second end. Singles on the next two ends saw Carter 6-0 up but the Coltishall pair outdrew Carter on the next end to put two shots on the board. Another single followed to cut Carter’s lead to 6-3 and the Coltishall pair began to dominate the game. Coltishall held three shots when Melly Woods stepped up to play his final bowl and a heavy forehand shot cut Coltishall’s shot tally to just a single with one end to play. Again good bowls by the Coltishall pair left them holding two shots with only Melly Woods’ last bowl to come. The Carter skip drew his shot far too short and the game finished level at 6-6. Carol & John Aggas of Coltishall faced Carter’s Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown on mat one. John Aggas found himself having to attack with both of his bowls on the first end but could not stop Carter taking a 2-0 lead. Carter looked set to increase their lead on the second end but a pressure wood from John Aggas earned his pair a shot when they had previously been four shots down. Two good bowls by Carol Aggas gave Coltishall an early advantage on the third end but Carter took a four after Trevor Brown carried the jack back with pinpoint accuracy to lead 6-1. The fourth end produced some super bowling as first Carol Aggas drew in two nice bowls before Trevor Brown drew in two of his own. John Aggas retrieved the situation for Coltishall with an attacking shot to cut the lead to 6-2. Another single followed after Kim Bridge left Coltishall an inviting target that they took advantage of. Carol & John Aggas took three shots to level the game on the sixth end to set up an exciting finish but Carter retook the lead on the penultimate end scoring two shots. John Aggas was forced to attack on the final end and cut Carter to one shot with his first bowl. Trevor Brown went off the side of the mat with his last wood leaving John Aggas with another chance to fire and retrieve the situation. A great effort by John Aggas only just missed its intended target and Carter had won 9-6 but also moved into a 13-11 points lead on aggregate. When the triples took to the mats for their second game Bob Carter knew that two wins would seal victory. Carter captain Nigel Willard decided to keep Jamie Forster in the skips position for their second game against Les Harman’s triple and it worked well as some impressive bowling by Willard in the number two position helped them take an early advantage with a single while Forster looked confident in the skips role. Two tight ends followed with the second end a no-scoring one and the third end producing another single for Carter. Les Harman took shot to reduce the arrears to 2-1 on the fourth end and drew a good second wood on the fifth end when things looked bleak for his triple. Coltishall’s Jean Barnett drew in a good toucher on the sixth end but Les Barnett unfortunately gave it away with his last ill advised bowl to leave Carter 4-1 up. Vernon Bunn placed a wood just behind the jack on the penultimate end and it remained in place to cut Carter’s lead to 4-2. Things were looking good for Coltishall on the final end as they held two shots but Jamie Forster drew in second wood to earn Carter a 4-3 win. On mat two it was a loose opening end until Carter skip Robert Howlett drew in with his bowls to give his triple a 3-0 lead against Peter Barnett’s triple. Howlett then ditched the jack on the second end and they moved 4-0 up which became 5-0 after the third end. Roly Sargent moved to skip for Coltishall and produced an excellent take out shot on the fourth end to cut Carter’s lead to 5-3. Carter were 6-3 up on the next end after a back hand running wood by Jean Woods opened up the end. Jean Woods again produced a key bowl on the next end and with Robert Howlett drawing in a good wood too Carter moved 8-3 up. A good lead bowl by Margaret Reynolds kept the pressure on Coltishall who could now see the game slipping away but Coltishall recovered the position to score a single. 8-4 up going into the final end Coltishall had a mountain to climb and almost did it scoring three shots but Howlett’s triple had won 8-7 and the cup was in Carter’s hands once again. With the aggregate score now 17-11 in Carter’s favour the result of the last session could not alter the outcome. Both pairs games went the way of the visitors as Bob Carter were left celebrating their second cup final victory on successive nights. 

                                                                                                                  Posted 17-4-13

                                       Bob Carter after being presented with the Norwich Cup

Carter County Cup Winners again

Bob Carter wrapped up their third Norfolk County Cup triumph in a row after a great first half comeback shattered the cup hopes of Connaught “A” at First Bus. Margaret Reynolds, Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown opened for Carter on mat one against Chris Musk, Alison Rush & Sylvia Parsons. Brown’s triple took two shots on the first end followed by a single on the second. Good lead bowls by Chris Musk on the third end were taken out by an attacking backhand shot by Kim Bridge but a great last wood by Sylvia Parsons secured a single and put the Connaught triple on the scoreboard. Trevor Brown showed his importance to Carter on the next end. His triple were three shots down when he stepped up to play his last bowl but when the dust settled Carter were holding two shots and a 5-1 lead. On the fifth end two good opening bowls by Chris Musk were again in vain as Brown’s triple took two shots and a 7-1 lead. Down again on the sixth end Connaught skip Sylvia Parsons managed to kill the end and then picked up two shots when it was replayed. A cracking bowl by Sylvia Parsons looked likely to win the seventh end but a heavy wood by Trevor Brown transformed the end and increased Carter’s lead to 11-3. Carter added another three shots on the next end to move 14-3 up and the game was rapidly turning into a disaster for Parsons’ triple. Super bowls from both Carter’s Kim Bridge & Connaught’s Alison Rush produced a great ninth end prior to Trevor Brown taking shot with a weighted forehand delivery. It was fitting that a great end of bowls was finished off by Sylvia Parsons taking shot with a superb last wood to cut the deficit to 14-4. This seemed an odd time to change playing order but Parsons now moved to number two, with Alison Rush taking on the skips role, the change did not help Connaught’s cause as they only won one more end as Carter wrapped up a decisive 20-7 victory. On mat two Carter’s Malcolm Reynolds, Jamie Forster & Nigel Willard faced Diana Adcock, Joe Li-Rocchi & Peter King. Willard’s triple opened by taking three shots on the first end before Connaught enjoyed a sensational second end. Good opening bowls by Diana Adcock put Connaught in control of the end and they took a full-house of six shots. Carter recovered to score a single on the third end thanks to a drawn wood by Malcolm Reynolds but more good woods by Adcock helped the Connaught triple to take a 7-4 lead after four ends. The Carter triple failed to draw in one good bowl on the fifth end and Connaught took a count of three to lead 10-4. At this point Nigel Willard switched to lead for Carter with Forster moving to skip but King’s triple took another single to lead 11-4. Willard was now finding his line and length but a great backhand draw by Li-Rocchi took shot and Peter King made it two shots. An attacking bowl from Forster failed to achieve anything and Connaught moved 13-4 ahead. You would not have thought it at this stage but the game was about to change dramatically as Carter launched a comeback on the next end. Two good bowls by Willard was the foundation of an end that earned Carter four shots and cut Connaught’s lead to 13-8. Peter King’s final attacking bowl lacked the power and accuracy to trouble the head and suddenly Carter were on a roll. Jamie Forster did the business for Carter on the next end to take a single and cut the lead to 13-9. Willard was “in the groove” for Carter and two more great lead woods put Connaught under pressure again but a confident last wood winner by Peter King saved the day and increased their lead to 14-9. Jamie Forster was now looking good in the skips role and great bowling from him reduced the deficit to 14-11. Willard’s experience showed on the next end as he made a great call for Forster to play an attacking wood with his final bowl despite holding one shot. Forster played the shot to perfection to take three shots and level the game at 14-14 and another single followed on the thirteenth end to give them the lead for the first time since the second end. Connaught were not out of it yet though and an accurate attacking wood by King made it 15-15 with one end left. With just the skips left to bowl Carter held shot and Peter King’s first wood only succeeded in sitting Carter’s shot wood right in behind the jack. His second wood missed its target leaving Carter celebrating a remarkable comeback and a 17-15 win. With Bob Carter 4-0 up on points at the interval, and 15 shots to the good, they were now on course for their third County Cup Final win in a row. From a spectator point of view the second half was disappointing. Carter knew they had the game in the bag, barring a major surprise, and both their triples were comfortably in control throughout the second half. Frank Edy, Jason Woods & Melly Woods were 7-0 up after four ends against Rita Secker, Bill Adcock & Owen Secker and eased their way to a 17-7 win on mat one. On mat two Carter’s Glenys Willard, Jean Woods & Robert Howlett kept things tight against Mike Parsons, Ty Musk & Lee Fallows but kept their noses in front leading 7-4 after ten ends. Consistent bowling from the Carter triple finally earned them a four on the eleventh end and they pulled away to win 14-5. With the final score of 8-0 to Carter on points, 67-34 on shots, there can be no argument that the best team on the night won. Carter are well equipped to handle big nights like this and have the talent throughout their team to produce the goods when needed. Connaught without doubt missed the talents of regular skip Sheila Bragg, who was unavailable for the final, and will not regard their first ever appearance in the final of the County Cup as a night to remember. For Bob Carter however the show goes on as they continue to dominate the sport of short mat bowls in Norfolk. 

                                                                                                                          Posted 16-4-13

The Bob Carter team that won the Norfolk County Cup

Josh and Jack rise above the crowd

This year’s Norfolk Memorial Pairs champions are Josh Baxter & Jack Barrett who added the title to the Norfolk County Pairs that they won earlier in the season by scoring eight points with a +44 shots advantage. Josh and Jack opened with a 22-0 win against Keith Thomas’s Hingham pairing before beating Thorpe Marriott’s John Jarvis & Trevor Pinchen 11-3 in their second game. Janet Pinchen & George Clarke, also of Thorpe Marriott, were their next victims beaten 16-3. With a big shots advantage Baxter & Barrett just needed to win their last game against Sheila & Ted Redwood, yet another Marriott pairing, and achieved it with a tight 7-6 win to lift the title. Runners-up were last year’s winners David Lamb of Halvergate and Chris Mann of Wymondham. They opened with a massive 24-1 win against Roy Naish’s Hingham pair before adding a 15-2 win against Watlington’s Carter pairing. Thorpe Marriott’s Jenny & Peter Walker gave them a hard fight before slipping to a narrow 5-3 defeat and another close game followed in which they beat Watlington’s R Dean pair by 6-5 to finish with eight points and +39 shots. Three other pairs finished on eight points. Jon Sparham of Hempnall & Debbie Phillips of Wymondham finished third with +36, Elaine & Bob Oatway of First Bus were fourth with +30 and Roy Walker & Kevin Watson of Halvergate were fifth with  +14.

Winners Josh Baxter & Jack Barrett

Runners-Up David Lamb & Chris Mann

Thorpe Marriott Fish n Quiz Champs

After a super evening at Anglian Windows it was Thorpe Marriott who emerged as the Fish n Quiz Champions against eleven other teams. The night, organized by Teresa Goldsmith, was held as a fund raiser for the Norfolk Over 60’s Short Mat Bowls squad and raised £340. David Walker of Anglian Windows was an excellent quiz master with Avril Walker & Over 60s organizer Teresa Goldsmith marking the result sheets. County Chairman Selwyn Goldsmith took the night off work to collate the scoreboard. Both the raffle and the “heads n tails” game for a bottle of whisky helped to swell the profits which will go to fund the coach to Northants next week for the Eastern England Over 60s League Presentation Day at Cosgrove.    

                                                                                                    Posted 13-4-13

Wine all round for winners Thorpe Marriott

Decision time for Anglian Windows

Busy control table - Teresa, Avril & David

Thorpe Marriott earlier in the evening - already confident!

Summer League shrinks in size as four teams withdraw

Delegates at the NCSMBA Summer League AGM learned that the number of competing teams has dropped to eighteen for the up-coming season. Kirby Bedon, Horsford Heroes & Watton are only entering one team each this year instead of two and Thurton have withdrawn completely. This means that each of the three divisions will comprise of six teams giving just ten fixtures plus Summer Cup games. The Summer Cup draw handed big guns Wymondham a preliminary round tie at home to First Bus. If, as expected, they win that match they then face a daunting trip to Bob Carter who defeated them 7-1 in last season’s cup final. Diss entertain Hevingham in the other preliminary round tie with the reward for the winners a home game against Kirby Bedon. Another first round tie that catches the eye is Halvergate’s visit to Div One side Anglian Windows.     

                                                                                                                  Posted 12-4-13

Quarter-Final finish for Trevor Brown's Rink

Despite some good results silverware success eluded Norfolk short mat bowlers in the National Championships held at Bromsgrove IBC. The best performance of the four days came in the National Fours Championships where Neil Davidson, Kim Bridge, Nigel Willard & Trevor Brown reached the quarter-finals before losing 11-6 to the eventual winners Oxfordshire 2. Brown’s rink lost their opening game by one shot against West Sussex 2 but wins against Hertfordshire 1 and Suffolk 1 earned them a place in the knock-outs. They went on to beat Somerset 2 by 11-4 and Hampshire 1 by 7-6 before a fascinating game against G Cross, T Cross, G Davies & A Brown ended in defeat as Norfolk’s former Oxfordshire star faced his son in a crucial game. Diane Boswell, Mike Boswell, Phil Watson & Selwyn Goldsmith started the day well beating Jody Bright’s fancied Hampshire rink and followed with wins against North Yorks 3 & Wiltshire 1 by 14-1. A 9-6 win against Humberside 1 followed to take them into the Last 16 where they were beaten by Mark Lancaster’s West Sussex 2 rink. Mikey George, Andrew Stratton, Jack Barrett & Mark Linsdell reached the Last 32 stage before losing 8-6 to West Sussex 2. In the final Oxfordshire 2 beat Cornwall 1 by 17-5. In the National Singles Championships Kirby Bedon’s Selwyn Goldsmith reached the Last 16 before losing to the defending champion Craig Burgess of Essex. In the group stages Goldsmith won his opening game 13-9 against Northants & England player Chris Weston and a 14-3 win against Peter Griffiths of Hertfordshire secured a place in the knock-outs. A 13-7 win against Gloucestershire’s Ryan Knight followed before his defeat against Burgess. Hempnall’s Neil Davidson reached the Last 32 before also losing to Craig Burgess. Davidson qualified from the groups with a 17-1 win against Gill Willis of Wiltshire and a draw with John Clapson of Herefordshire. In the final Jason McLean beat David White in an all Hampshire match. In the National Triples Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Mark Linsdell reached the Last 16 before losing 11-2 against Mark Lancaster’s West Sussex 2 triple. The young Norfolk triple will have been delighted to beat Craig Strong’s West Mids triple 10-6 in their Last 32 match. In the group stage they beat Gloucester 2 by 9-5 and Anthony Fautley’s Essex triple by 8-5. The all Wymondham triple of Andy Stratton, Debs Phillips & Chris Mann lost by 12-5 to Essex 4 in the Last 32 after finishing third in their group but going through when Shropshire left the venue believing they had been eliminated. In the final Gareth Stanway’s Cheshire triple beat Shropshire 2. The National Pairs saw all Norfolk entries fail to make it past the group stage.  In the final Allan Williams & Alan Jones of Shropshire won 8-7 against Sean Conroy & Joseph Newsome of North Yorks. The ESMBA also awarded a Life Honourary Membership to the Chairman Chris Hopkins for his work on behalf of the sport over many years. The choice of venue appeared to be well received by bowlers with the Bromsgrove club making short mat bowlers very welcome. The catering was excellent providing a breakfast menu from early in the day and a lunch menu. The food prices were competitive with teas and coffees also at a fair price and the bar was also kept busy. All in all an enjoyable National Championships.



Kirby Bedon retain Bure Cup

Kirby Bedon have retained the Bure Cup after a 16-4 win against Woodbastwick in the second leg of the final. This followed a 12-12 draw in the first leg at Woodbastwick which gave Kirby Bedon a 28-16 points win on aggregate. Shirley Brown, Gerald Chilvers & Joe Brown led the way for Kirby with wins of 11-2, 6-4 & 6-4 as Kirby Bedon wrapped up the final with a session to spare.  

                                                                  Posted 7-4-13

Minty’s rink in the money

Norfolk’s Jack Barrett, Keith Cooke, Chris Mann & David Lamb reached the final of the International Open Fours at Havering IBC. Despite losing the final to Peter Fautley, Tony Ealham, Steve Killington & Anthony Fautley of Essex they will be delighted to have collected £300 prize money for finishing second. Two groups of six rinks competed for the semi-final places and the Norfolk rink’s tally of six points earned them the runner-up spot in Group B. A 16-7 win against Malcolm Follis and a 9-8 win against M Beatie, and draws against Chris Williams & Adam Sultana, sent them through to face the winning rink from Group A. David Lamb’s four beat L Haddon’s rink by 7-6 to earn a place in the final while Anthony Fautley’s rink beat Matt Sifford’s rink 10-6 in the other semi-final. Lamb had already met Fautley’s rink in Group B where Essex had won by 19-4 and once again the Norfolk rink could not overcome the strong Essex four. In the International Open Pairs Chris Mann & David Lamb were again in great form and finished top of Group D with four straight wins. In the quarter-finals they beat P Mills’ pair 12-9 to claim a semi-final place. This proved to be the end of their day though as they lost 11-4 to Keith Alders & Malcolm Follis but it still earned them an £80 pay-out. Jack Barrett & Keith Cooke finished runners-up in Group E after beating C Nordin 13-5, L Lane 9-8 & J Bucknall 9-6. They then faced a preliminary round match against Group B runner-up L Haddon whose pairing hit top form winning by 15-0. The International Open Pairs final was won by Allan Williams & James Trott of Devon who beat Keith Alders & Malcolm Follis of West Mids.

                                        

Chris Mann, Jack Barrett, Organiser Barry Hedges, David Lamb & Keith Cooke

Eddie Edridge R.I.P

The N.C.S.M.B.A is saddened to learn of the death of Coltishall bowler Eddie Edridge. He has played the sport for many years and, with his late wife Diane, he reached the final of the Norfolk County Pairs Championship in 1990/91 when both players represented Woodbastwick. The funeral will take place on Thursday 25th April at 2pm at St Faiths.

                                                                                Posted 2-4-13

Hempnall held at last

After eleven straight wins in the South Norfolk League, defending champions Hempnall were forced to settle for a 5-5 draw at Connaught. In a league that they totally dominate this is as close as it comes to a shock result. Gordon Wilcox’s Connaught triple destroyed Neil Davidson’s triple 21-5 while experienced county bowler Sheila Bragg beat Richard Harrowing’s triple 16-14. Hempnall pulled the shots back in the other games though so the shots finished level on 55-55 and the points were shared. Never-the-less Connaught will be pleased to have finished the season with a good result against Hempnall. The previous night saw Hempnall score 99 shots against just 18 as they recorded a 10-0 home win against Thurton. Horsford beat Watton 10-0 and are now 12 points behind Connaught with two games to play as they attempt to take the runners-up spot. A mid table encounter saw Saxlingham finish their season with a 7-3 home win against Thurton.

25 up for RG Carter

RG Carter made it 25 straight wins with a 12-2 home win against First Bus and moved 73 points clear of second placed Thorpe Marriott. The only question left is whether Carter can maintain their run of success over their final six games and by how many points they will finish ahead of the runners-up. Marriott lost ground as they went down 12-2  on the difficult Horsford BC mats. Horsford Heroes are now just one point behind Marriott after winning 10-4 at Deaf Sports. Anglian Windows lost 10-4 at home to Deaf Sports while the first ever winners of this league, Jarrolds, beat County Council 12-2.

Flying like Eagles

Three good wins in a row saw Woodbastwick Eagles soaring in the Coastal Cup table but they have left it too late for a title challenge. After winning 12-6 at Martham they won their home match against South Walsham by the same score-line. The following day they won by 13-5 at home to Hemsby. Woodbastwick Owls won 12-6 away to second placed Bradwell Red and are now just three points behind them in third place. With two games in hand over Bradwell Blue, and one game in hand over leaders Bradwell Red, Woodbastwick’s title hopes are still alive. Hemsby’s 14-4 home defeat against South Walsham was their seventh defeat in eight games.

Windows win away

Anglian Windows sprang a bit of a surprise in the Bure League. After losing all their previous nine away games in the league this season Windows would not have travelled to East Tuddenham for their final away fixture with too much hope. But Maurice Curchin, Diane Boswell & Mike Boswell produced a solid 20-9 win against Robin Amos and his Tuddenham triple while Pat Curchin, Diane Halford & Keith Halford beat Tuddenham’s Linda Chadwick, Les Chadwick & Peter Smart 17-8 to put the icing on the cake. Avril Walker’s triple will also be delighted to have held the Palgrave-Turner-Jefferies triple to an 11-11 draw while only Russell Harris’s triple won for the home side as Anglian Windows celebrated a rare 7-3 away victory. Hevingham took a maximum 10-0 points win at home to Thorpe Marriott with Gill Bunn, Alan Bunn & Vic “Quiet Man” Woods winning by 24-4 against Richard Perkins’ triple. Maurice Kemp, George Clarke & David Sharpe skipped Hevingham’s other winning triples.

                                                                                                                                   Posted 1-4-13

Turner’s return stuns Hevingham in Bure Triples

After months out of the sport following a serious operation John Turner returned to defend his Bure League Triples Championship title at Woodbastwick and amazed spectators as his East Tuddenham triple powered their way to victory. In the final East Tuddenham’s Chrissey Turner, John Turner & Robin Amos faced Hevingham’s Eddie Hayward, David Sharpe & Maurice Kemp. The first end saw Amos’s triple open with a four before adding a single on the second end. It was not the start Kemp’s triple had hoped for but they knuckled down and cut the deficit to just two shots after four ends. John Turner was not about to let Hevingham spoil his comeback though and a three on the next end restored their five shot lead. Kemp’s triple scored a single on the penultimate end but Amos’s triple finished in style scoring five shots on the last end to win 13-4. In the semi-finals Robin Amos beat Ken Dease, Keith Halford & Mike Boswell of Anglian Windows 8-3 after trailing 3-0 after two ends. In the other semi-final Maurice Kemp put a stop to any chance of an all East Tuddenham final when he beat Linda Chadwick, Les Chadwick & Peter Smart 7-5.

Kemp & Clarke are Bure Pairs kings

Horsford BC hosted the Bure League Pairs Championship Final with the Hevingham pairing of Maurice Kemp & George Clarke storming to victory in the final against Halvergate’s Josh Baxter & David Lamb. The Halvergate pair skipped by England bowler Lamb led 3-0 after two ends but that was as good as it would get for them after the Hevingham pair moved into top gear and streaked away. After four ends the game was level at 3-3 and after winning six consecutive ends Kemp & Clarke were left celebrating an impressive 11-3 victory. In the semi-finals the Hevingham pair beat East Tuddenham’s Linda & Les Chadwick 8-6 after trailing 6-4 with two ends left. The Halvergate pair reached the final with a convincing 14-4 win against Thorpe Marriott’s Sheila Redwood & Tony Turner.  

 

Connaught “A” hang on to runners-up spot

Despite losing 10-0 in their last league match of the Breckland League season Connaught “A” have finished as runners-up behind Wymondham. Hingham had the chance to snatch second place in their final match but they failed to collect the six points they needed at bottom club Connaught “B” who did their “A” team a favour by beating Hingham 8-2. Connaught “B” won only their third match of the season as M Eades, P Hambling & A Marshall produced a 24-13 win, M Head, M Liles & P King won 17-10 and L Thurston, H Winup & J Hazell won 19-15. Other games saw Banham held to a 5-5 draw by visitors Forncett where the only winning Banham skip was C Smith who beat D Rumsby 22-11. T Ottewell & E Coleman both won for Forncett while the other game was drawn. Watton edged home 6-4 in a tight match at home to Harling. B Dibble, R Adams & J Hunter’s 20-14 win for Watton earned the match points.   

 

RG Carter cruising in City League

The total domination by RG Carter continues unabated in the City of Norwich League. Its now 24 wins from 24 games as RG Carter won 12-2 away to Horsford Heroes leaving them an incredible 63 points clear at the top of the table. Horsford Heroes will have hoped to pick up more points from that game as they are involved in a great battle for second place with Thorpe Marriott. Heroes did collect a maximum 14-0 win at bottom of the table Old Bonds though. Thorpe Marriott are going well at the moment with three more wins. They took a maximum 14-0 win at home to Sprowston, a 12-2 away win at Framingham Earl and a 10-4 away win at Felthorpe. Fourth placed Costessey won 14-0 at home to Framingham Earl but will struggle to catch the teams above them who all have games in hand. Other esults saw Sprowston win 8-6 at home to Framingham Earl, Horsford BC beat County Council 12-2 and then beat Framingham Earl 14-0. First Bus revived memories of the glory days beating British Rail 14-0 while Felthorpe won 9-5 at Old Bonds. Jarrolds enjoyed a 10-4 home win against Felthorpe and an 11-3 away win at Taverham.  There was another defeat for Taverham at Anglian Windows where the home team scored a 12-2 victory.

                                                                                                     Posted 28-3-13

One point separates five teams in Tens title tussle

Only one point now separates the top five teams in the Tens League as the title battle enters it’s closing stages. Kirby Bedon edged past Connaught into second place after a 2-0 home win against the Attleborough side left them level on points with leaders Hempnall and one point ahead of Bob Carter, Connaught & Hevingham. Gerald Chilver’s triple won 17-13, Brian Saunders’ triple won 15-14 while Shirley & Joe Brown beat Ty Musk & Bob Oatway 16-13 in the pairs. The only Connaught win came from Chris Musk & Sylvia Parsons who beat Jill & Phil Watson 12-8. Hevingham’s 3-0 defeat at bottom club Coltishall wrecked any outside chance they had of the title. Gill Bunn & Vic Woods gave Hevingham a great boost with a fabulous 23-9 win against Jean Barnett & Margaret Harman but they received little help elsewhere. Coltishall won the other pairs game as Carol & John Aggas beat Alan Bunn & George Clarke 15-9. Both triples games also went Coltishall’s way with Brian Bunting, Roly Sargent & Willie Jefferies beating David Sharpe’s triple 18-6 and Vernon Bunn, Peter Barnett & Les Harman winning by 18-10 against Maurice Kemp’s triple. 

                                                                                                                                       Posted 27-3-13

16-13 win for Shirley & Joe Brown

Two Norfolk rinks reach National Mixed Fours semi-finals

Norfolk rinks acquitted themselves well at the National Mixed 4’s Finals held in a snow hit Bromsgrove on Saturday. Pauline Wilson of Yaxham, Marjorie Hall of Felthorpe, Mark Linsdell of Wymondham & Selwyn Goldsmith of Kirby Bedon were undefeated until the semi-final when they went down to Barry Hedges’ Essex rink in a match that saw Linsdell forced to withdraw through injury with two ends remaining. Jenny Walker of Thorpe Marriott, Halvergate’s Donna Lamb, Wymondham’s Chris Mann & Halvergate’s David Lamb also reached the semi-final before losing on the last end against Ben Render’s North Yorkshire rink. Bradwell’s Ann Baker, Jackie Fortesque, Josh Baxter & Keith Cooke also played well before losing in the quarter-finals to Barry Hedges’ Essex rink. The Group Stages saw all three Norfolk rinks performing well. Goldsmith’s rink opened with an impressive 13-2 win against Hampshire 2 before beating the strong West Sussex rink of D Blackman, C Page, A Rackley & C Rollings by one shot. In their last group game they drew with Northants D Ekins, D Bibey, R Pedley & C Drage to finish as group winners with West Sussex in second place. They then went on to beat North Yorkshire’s J Clark, C Clarke, J Newsome & D Newsome on a sudden death extra end by 8-7. The quarter-finals saw Goldsmith’s rink play Richard Payne’s Worcestershire 2 rink which remarkably yet again finished with an extra end that ended in controversial fashion. After the final bowl had been played the umpire was called to measure for shot and after he carefully measured and re-measured the bowls he awarded the shot to Norfolk. This prompted an exchange of words between the umpire and the Worcestershire skip who plainly disagreed with the decision but the umpire stood his ground telling Payne that his decision was final. The Norfolk rink found themselves trailing against Hedge’s rink in the semi-final and after Wymondham’s Mark Linsdell attempted two fire shots he was in considerable pain from a back injury and was forced to withdraw with Norfolk six shots down with two ends to go. Despite now being outnumbered on woods the Norfolk rink pulled back two shots on the penultimate end. Needing four shots on the last end to force an extra end the Norfolk rink held three shots at one stage and the impossible looked on. Unfortunately for Norfolk a kind wick saw a Hedge’s bowl land right on the jack and the chance was gone. David Lamb’s rink also opened their day with a big win beating Dorset’s B Baker, L Dean and B & B Whitburn by 13-4. They continued their great form with a 19-8 win against Gloucestershire’s M Wall, S Lees, D Bubb & B Bubb. Lamb then suffered a 10-6 defeat against the strong Oxfordshire rink of L Orlando, M Davies, L Woodward & D Wiggins and finished as runners-up in the group behind Oxfordshire. In the last 16 round David Lamb’s rink faced Gloucestershire’s Rose Wilson, Molly Knight, Jack Knight & Ryan Knight who had won all their games comfortably up to that point. Ryan Knight’s rink though found their progress halted as David Lamb’s rink produced a 14-6 win. In the quarter-finals Lamb’s rink found themselves up against C Rollings’ West Sussex rink who had lost to Goldsmith’s rink in the group stages. Once again Rollings found little joy against a Norfolk rink as Lamb’s four earned themselves a semi-final place. North Yorkshire’s Gareth Townend, Jane Rudd, Jacinta Townend & Ben Render stood before Lamb and a place in the final and a tremendous semi-final went down to the last bowl. A huge shout from the Yorkshire skip signalled the fact that his final wood had taken them through and Lamb’s rink were the second Norfolk four to fall at the semi-final stage. In keeping with the other two Norfolk rinks Bradwell’s Ann Baker, Jackie Fortesque, Josh Baxter & Keith Cooke began their day with a good win, an 11-3 victory against L Coker, P Coker, D Carter & J Stallard of Bucks. They added a second win by beating Wiltshire’s T Whiteford, M Collett, B Greenfield & D Mannion 8-7. A 7-7 draw in their last group game against A Beard, P Seaman, Q Seaman & K Beard saw them qualify as group winners. They played the talented Essex rink of Brenda Daley, Sadie Young, Brian Daley & Mitchell Young in the Last 16 stage and were more than happy with a 7-6 win. Another Essex rink stood in their way in the Quarter-Finals but this time they failed to win their way through losing to Babs Morokutti, Peggy May, Matt Sifford & Barry Hedges. Ben Render’s North Yorkshire rink went on to beat Barry Hedges’ Essex rink in the final.

Jack Barrett makes it to National Under 18 Quarter-Final

In the National Under 18 Championship Wymondham’s Jack Barrett beat Hampshire’s Callum Goodman in the Last 16 stage but found an on-form Edward Elmore of Cambridgeshire too hot to handle in the Quarter-Finals. Lewis Cranston of County Council did his reputation no harm when he played the highly rated Jack Rollings of West Sussex in the Last 16. The game was level at 8-8 at the finish of the scheduled 11 ends and an extra end was played. Despite Rollings winning this end Cranston can be more than happy with his performance. Morgan Warnes of Horsford BC was unlucky with the draw and found herself in a group with Mitchell Young of Essex and Danny Langdon of North Yorkshire who went on to contest the final. Halvergate’s Josh Baxter, who has had a fantastic season in Norfolk, was expected to be a contender but had a poor day by his standards and also failed to qualify from the group stages. Mitchell Young of Essex beat Edward Elmore in the semi-finals while Danny Langdon of North Yorkshire beat Jack Rollings of West Sussex. In the final Mitchell Young beat Danny Langdon 10-5 to lift the National Under 18 title to add to the British Isles “A” Team Singles title he collected last week in Dumfries. What an incredible season for that young man.

Norfolk Over 60s beat Northants

Norfolk Over 60’s beat Northants Over 60’s 21-13 in their Eastern England League match at Lakeside. Jock Pollock & Pauline Wilson of Yaxham won their games by 12-11 & 14-12 while Sheila Redwood of Thorpe Marriott & Sheila Bragg of Connaught won by 19-7 & 25-6.

Wymondham triumph in Dennis Moore Tournament

 The Dennis Moore Tournament saw Wymondham lift the team title with 154 points while Hingham was second on 124. Jon Sparham of Wymondham won the singles title with Banham’s John Williamson second. Mark White & Colin Harris of Hingham were pairs winners with Chris Musk & Sylvia Parsons of Connaught “A” in second place. Mike Parsons, Ty Musk & Sheila Bragg of Connaught “A” won the triples with Banham’s C Smith, E Smith & E McAnulty the runners-up. Hingham’s Pat Roach, Mary Potter, Janet Higgs & Malcolm Southgate won the fours with Wymondham’s Melvyn Barker, Shirley Foster, Billie Barker & Brian Saunders in second place.

League Latest

Bradwell Red’s 9-9 draw at Woodbastwick Eagles keeps them six points clear at the top of the Coastal Cup League. The top of the table clash in the Thurne League saw Halvergate beat Woodbastwick 10-0 to move just four points behind them with a game in hand. Hempnall beat Coltishall 3-0 in the Tens League to move top with 15 points. With Bob Carter, Connaught & Hevingham all on 14 points and Kirby Bedon on 13 it is the tightest title race in years. In the Bure League only six points separate the top six teams but Woodbastwick’s 8-2 defeat at Thorpe Marriott killed off their outside chance of the title. Marriott’s Sylvia Redwood, John Jarvis & Tony Turner beat Peter Jablonowski’s triple 22-5 while Margaret McPherson, Ted Redwood & Bob McPherson beat Tony Wright’s triple 17-5. Keith Chapman’s triple beat Peter Smart 20-6 as Horsford Heroes won 6-4 at home to East Tuddenham and Richard Hart added a 22-2 win against John Jefferies. East Tuddenham fared better at Cromer where Melvin Woods’ triple won 20-6 in a 7-3 away win. Hevingham won 6-4 at home to Horsford BC with veteran Vic Woods beating Simon Warnes’ triple 23-7. Anglian Windows beat Cromer 6-4 with Alan Williamson’s triple winning 19-9 against John Andreae. South Norfolk League action saw Mulbarton end their season with a 6-4 home win against Thurton but they still finish bottom of the table. Saxlingham Nethergate won 8-2 at home to Horsford with A Banham’s triple winning 19-6. 

                                                                                                                                                          Posted 26-3-13

Bob Carter clinch Norwich Cup Final place

As expected the powerful Bob Carter team clinched a Norwich Cup Final place after defeating Cromer 12-4 in the second leg of their semi-final clash at Drayton. Cromer though were far from disgraced and did not go down without a fight. After drawing 8-8 at Cromer in the first leg Bob Carter immediately moved into a four point lead after winning both opening games. Margaret Reynolds, Jason Woods & Trevor Brown beat Aleck Haynes’ triple 11-3 while Frank Edy, Jamie Forster & Nigel Willard won by 11-5 against D Airs’ triple. Any thoughts that Carter had of finishing the match early were dashed as the resilient Cromer side shared the next two sessions to keep the deficit to just four points and frustrate the home side. Cromer’s T Doyle & R Airs produced one of the best performances from an away pairing at Carter this season beating Malcolm Reynolds & Melvin Woods by 10-1 while Carter’s Jean Woods & Robert Howlett held on to beat Jane James & John Andreae 9-7. Cromer’s P Jefferies, D Marriott & Aleck Haynes beat Nigel Willard’s Carter triple 8-6 in the third session but Brown’s Carter triple beat D Airs 16-1 in reply. This left Carter holding a 16-12 points lead going into the final session and 17 up on shots. As it turned out no last minute calculations were needed as Carter won both pairs games comfortably. Reynolds & Woods beat James & Andreae 11-3 while Woods & Howlett won 12-6 against Doyle & Airs to earn Carter a 20-12 win on aggregate. Bob Carter will now face Coltishall in the final with the first leg at Coltishall on 10^th April. The second leg at Bob Carter is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 16^th April. Bob Carter suffered a shock defeat at Hevingham in the Tens League that leaves the title race wide open. Carter began well with Jamie Forster & Trevor Brown winning 11-10 in the pairs against Gill Bunn & Vic Woods while Nigel Willard’s triple beat Pat Williamson by 18-11 to give the visitors an 8 shot interval lead. Robert Howlett’s Carter triple held home skip David Sharpe to a 10-10 draw in the second half but it all went wrong for Carter in the last pairs game. Hevingham’s Ian MacLean & George Clarke were unstoppable as they powered their way to a 21-6 win against Frank Edy & Melvin Woods to earn their team a 2-0 home win.

                          

Kirby Bedon hold Woodbastwick in cup final thriller

Woodbastwick’s tricky mats can be fatal for visitors hopes so cup holders Kirby Bedon were more than pleased to emerge from the first leg of the Bure Cup Final with the scores level at 12-12. The first session was drawn as home triple Derek Oates, D Sheldrake & Jim Couling won 7-5 while Melvyn Barker, Brian Saunders & Selwyn Goldsmith replied with a 5-2 win for Kirby. In the second session the visitors moved ahead as Shirley Brown, Gerald Chilvers & Joe Brown won 6-3 while Alistair Hunter’s Kirby triple drew with Trevor Hallett. After three sessions Kirby led 7-5 on points after a 5-4 win for Jill Watson, Pat Saunders & Phil Watson while the home side replied with a 7-4 win by Jim Couling’s triple. Another drawn session followed with Billie Barker, Jimmy Dye & Alistair Hunter winning 7-5 while Trevor Hallett’s triple produced the biggest win of the night with a 13-0 score-line. Finally Woodbastwick took the lead for the first time by 11-9 on points as Tony Wright’s triple won 7-3 and Trevor Hallett delivered a last bowl winner to snatch a 7-6 win. The lead though was short lived as in the final session of the night Joe Brown’s Kirby triple won 9-3 while Phil Watson’s triple made a great comeback to draw 7-7 with home skip Peter Jablonowski. The second leg of the Bure Cup Final will be played on Tuesday 2^nd April.

                                          

Wymondham make it four titles in a row

Wymondham clinched their fourth Breckland League title in style with two maximum 10-0 wins on successive nights to finish the season on a high. The home win against Banham guaranteed that Wymondham retained the title. Jack Barrett’s triple, with both Andy Jackson & Roger Steele in impressive form, opened with a 25-9 win while Jon Sparham’s triple won 22-11. The second half saw Debbie Phillips win 26-12 and Andrew Stratton win 20-13 as Wymondham’s celebrations began for yet another great season. The following night Connaught “A” visited Wymondham and suffered their heaviest Breckland League defeat for several years. In the first half Roger Steele, Andy Jackson & Chris Mann won by 26-9 against Owen Secker and Pat Saunders, Shirley Foster & Debbie Phillips beat Joe Li-Rocchi 19-16. After the break Brian Saunders, Mark Linsdell & Andrew Stratton won by 18-14 against Lee Fallows after Linsdell moved to skip after nine ends when they trailed 11-7. In the other game Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham beat Sheila Bragg’s triple 28-15. For many years Connaught “A” dominated the Breckland League but under the captaincy of Chris Mann Wymondham have evolved from being the also rans to become the undisputed big guns of the league. Mann can be more than pleased with what he has achieved and it must be a disappointment for Wymondham that he has made the decision to step down from the captain’s role at the close of the season. Hingham’s best ever season continued as they beat Harling 8-2 with V Hester, T Hewitson & K Thomas winning 27-10 to move within striking distance of second placed Connaught “A”.

                                                                                                                                          Posted 20-3-13     

Short Mat Bowls in Wensum Lodge launch

On Sunday volunteers officially celebrated the re-opening of Wensum Lodge Sports Hall which had been under threat of closure. Norfolk County Council had talked of selling the sports hall and car park citing high maintenance costs, but after people who used the hall took action to try and save it, the proposals to use the site for housing were left out of Norwich City Council’s draft plans for development. The opening day saw short mat bowls, table tennis and canoeing among the activities on offer. Norfolk SMBA Chairman Selwyn Goldsmith, Over 60s Organisor Teresa Goldsmith & County Team Vice Captain Mike Boswell were on hand to encourage visitors to try the sport of short mat bowls at the venue in King Street, Norwich.

Norfolk Chairman Selwyn Goldsmith watching a visitor try short mat

The tape is cut at the Opening Ceremony

Halvergate move nearer title

Halvergate moved closer to winning the Bure title in their first season in the league after two vital wins. At Hevingham Michael Savage, Roy Walker & Robbie Lamb of Halvergate opened with a 20-8 win against Alan Bunn’s triple while Jackie Smith, Steven Lamb & Keith Cooke beat Ian MacLean’s triple 16-9 to give Halvergate a great start. Despite wins for David Sharpe & Vic Woods after the break Halvergate hung on to win 6-4. In their next match Halvergate did even better winning 7-3 at East Tuddenham. Ian Mills, Steven Lamb & Josh Baxter beat Russell Harris 21-11 and Jackie Smith, Mike Tate & David Lamb won by 16-8 against Robin Amos. Robbie Lamb’s triple held home skip John Jefferies to a 15-15 draw while Linda Chadwick, Les Chadwick & Peter Smart were the only Tuddenham triple to win beating Donna Lamb, Jack Barrett & Chris Mann 18-7. Cromer beat Anglian Windows 8-2 with John Andreae’s triple leading the way with an 18-8 win. Cromer also beat Horsford BC by the same margin with Richard Airs’ triple winning by a solid 26-8. Anglian Windows struggled at Hevingham where they went down 9-1 with Bob Oatway’s triple winning 23-7 and Gill Bunn, David Dewing & Vic Woods winning 21-13. A tight game at Woodbastwick saw the home side win by just two shots against Thorpe Marriott for a 6-4 points victory. The biggest win of the night was by Marriott’s Trevor Pinchen who skipped his triple to a 17-7 win against home legend Peter Jablonowski but wins for Jim Couling & Trevor Hallett saw Woodbastwick over the finishing line. In the South Norfolk League Connaught moved top despite suffering two shock defeats. At Mulbarton home skip Stephen Denning beat Peter King  29-9 as the bottom of the league team beat Connaught 6-4. Struggling Wreningham also beat Connaught by 7-3 with Mark Linsdell’s triple winning by 22-2 against Alison Rush. Connaught did better at home to Thurton with a 10-0 maximum result. Hingham beat Wreningham by 6-4 in an extremely tight match. It was a busy time for Kirby Bedon in the Tens League as they played three games in quick succession. Kirby won 4-0 at home to Coltishall with Jill & Phil Watson winning 25-7. It was a different story in their next match as they suffered a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of Hevingham. Rex Cox’s triple were in fabulous form beating Gerald Chilvers’ triple 19-5 while Gill Bunn & Vic Woods beat Jimmy Dye & Alistair Hunter 19-7 in the pairs. Kirby Bedon returned to winning form at Connaught inflicting the first home defeat in the Tens League for the Attleborough side this season. Jimmy Dye, Alistair Hunter & Gerald Chilvers led the way with a 25-11 win while Jill & Phil Watson won by 13-9 in the pairs. Bradwell Blue moved top of the Coastal Cup table after beating Martham 17-1.    

                                                                                                                   Posted 18-3-13    

Minty gets runners-up spot in British Isles "A"Triples

David Lamb's England triple finished runner-up in the British Isles Championships behind Ireland who won four of the five events. Mitchell Young of England won the B.I "A" Singles title ahead of Wales, The Pairs was won by Ireland with England second. The Fours title was won by Ireland ahead of England. In the Team Championships Ireland were the winners with England second, Wales third and Scotland last.

                                                       Posted 17-3-13

England call on The Mint

This weekend Scotland host the British Isles “A” Team Championships with Halvergate star David Lamb representing England. The man they call “The Mint” has been called up to skip England’s triple with Nigel Reed of Essex at lead and Derek Johns at number two. Lamb will be hoping to add the B.I “A” Team Triples title to the B.I “A” Team Fours Championship title he captured as part of Herbie Bowden’s rink. Dave Newsome & Ben Render represent England in the B.I “A” Team Pairs while Mitchell Young is selected in the Singles. In the individual B.I Fours Championship Robert Martin skips with David Glennerster at three, Stephen Stanton at two and Paul Seaman at lead. Simon Willies of West Mids skips a rink in the B.I Team Championships with Ben Render at lead, Gareth Townend at two & Dave Newsome at three. Shropshire’s Herbie Bowden is the next skip with Leslie Fennell, Nigel Nicholls & Northants star Leigh Hall at number three. Ken Sleat has been given the third skips spot with Elise Daniel, Jack Shephard & Les Woodward. Somerset’s Keith Hawkins is the other skip with Ryan Knight, Jack Knight & Edward Dyer. The championships will be played at the DG ONE Centre, Hoods Loaning, Dumfries, DG1 2HT. DG ONE, which opened in May 2008, is the largest sport, leisure & entertainment complex in South West Scotland and cost £17.2 million.

                                                                                                            Posted 13-3-13

                                                            The man they call The Mint

Halvergate slip up at Kirby Bedon

Bure League title favourites Halvergate found the going tough at Kirby Bedon where they suffered a 9-1 defeat. Young county team sensation Jack Barrett skipped for Halvergate in the first session but Dot Dawson, Jimmy Dye & Selwyn Goldsmith led throughout on their way to a solid 16-8 win. Robbie Lamb’s triple also went down to Kirby’s Jill Watson, Pat Saunders & Phil Watson who won by 15-7. Shirley Brown, Gerald Chilvers & Joe Brown won for Kirby in the second half beating Josh Baxter’s triple 12-9. The match between Kirby’s Brian Saunders & Halvergate’s David Lamb ended in a 15-15 draw after a big last end for the visitors. East Tuddenham kept in the title race with an 8-2 home win against Thorpe Marriott. Geraldine Potter, Chrissie Turner & John Jeffrey produced a shock 30-1 win against Bob McPherson’s triple to do Tuddenham’s shot difference a power of good while Robin Amos won 21-9 & Peter Smart won 17-5. Marriott also went down 8-2 at Horsford Heroes where Simon Warnes’ triple won 21-9. Woodbastwick are also still in with a chance of the title, mathematically speaking, after damaging Tuddenham’s chances by beating them 8-2. Norma Jablonowski, Lianne Mills & Peter Jablonowski were the top scoring triple beating Russell Flint, Madge Meachen & Russell Harris 20-7. Tony Wright’s triple won by 17-7 against Gerald Potter and Jim Couling’s triple won by 15-8 against Peter Smart. Gillian Amos, Albert Palgrave & Robin Amos collected Tuddenham’s only win with a 13-8 result. Bradwell Red top the Coastal Cup table 31 points clear of local rivals Bradwell Blue and Woodbastwick Owls. Bradwell Red’s position was maintained with a 14-4 win against Martham. Bradwell Blue went down 11-7 at Woodbastwick Eagles. Hemsby recorded their first win of the campaign beating Woodbastwick Eagles 12-6. Tens League action saw Kirby Bedon win 4-0 at home to Coltishall. The home side built up a 26 shot first half lead as Jill & Phil Watson won 25-7 and Jackie Tunmore, Kerry Greenacre & Selwyn Goldsmith won 17-9. Two more wins in the second half by Dot Dawson, Jimmy Dye & Gerald Chilvers in the triples and Shirley & Joe Brown in the pairs left Kirby picking up maximum points. Woodbastwick are 20 points clear in the Thurne League after 8-2 home wins against both Halvergate & Bradwell. In the City of Norwich League RG Carter have destroyed all opposition winning 22 games out of 22. Their latest victims were Framingham Earl who suffered a 14-0 mauling at Carter. Anglian Windows went down by 10-4 at home to RG Carter. Second placed County Council won 12-2 at home to Sprowston SSC and also won 12-2 at Framingham Earl. Horsford Heroes are third after winning 11-3 at Felthorpe. Wymondham moved closer to another Breckland League title with an 8-2 away win at Forncett. Abbie Jackson, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham won 23-12 while Debbie Phillips & Mark Linsdell also won for Wymondham. Peter Lock’s triple scored Forncett’s only win beating Andrew Stratton’s triple 26-12 with Peter displaying fine form.  

                                                                              Posted 12-3-13

Seven in a row for Cheshire Premier

Cheshire Premier have won the I.C.C Premier Championship for the seventh year in a row after beating Devon Premier 23-17 in Northants. Cheshire staged a comeback after trailing 9-7 at the interval to deny Devon victory. In the I.C.C “A” Team Final Kent “A” defeated Surrey “A” by 29-11. In the Consolation Finals Dorset won by 28-12 against Surrey in the Premier section while in the “A” Team Consolation Final Hampshire “A” beat Devon “A” 23-17.

                                                                                                                                                Posted 10-3-13
 

Coltishall through to Norwich Cup Final

Coltishall can look forward to another cup final after overcoming Bure League rivals Hevingham in their Norwich Cup semi-final. The first leg at Hevingham finished all square at 8-8 with only three shots separating the teams. Pat Williamson & Maurice Kemp produced 10-1 & 12-3 wins for the home side while Willie Jefferies’ triple scored a win and a draw for the visitors in a tight match. In the second leg Coltishall made a great start with Willie Jefferies’ triple winning 11-4 & Les Harman’s triple winning 10-1. Ian MacLean & Vic Woods hit back with a 9-8 pairs win while Gill Bunn & David Sharpe drew with Carol & John Aggas to cut the deficit to 13-11 on aggregate. The next session was fatal for Hevingham though as Les Harman’s triple won 13-3 and Willie Jefferies’ triple won 14-0.

                                                                                                                                        Posted 8-3-13 

Carter grab draw at Cromer

Bob Carter came from behind to grab an 8-8 draw at Cromer in the first leg of their Norwich Cup semi-final clash. Cromer moved into the lead in the first session as Aleck Haynes’ triple beat Nigel Willard’s triple 7-2 while D Airs triple held Carter’s Malcolm Reynolds’ triple to a 6-6 draw. The second session saw the pairs in action with Norfolk Premier players Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown in action for Carter. Cromer’s Jane James & John Andreae though made home advantage count chalking up a 12-9 win to Cromer’s delight. On mat two it was Carter’s Jason & Melvin Woods who came out on top beating T Doyle & R Airs 10-4 leaving Cromer with a 5-3 points lead at the interval. D Airs’ triple started the second half off with a 9-6 win for Cromer against Nigel Willard’s triple but Malcolm Reynolds’ triple beat Aleck Haynes 10-4 to keep Carter just two points behind. The last session saw Carter pull level as the Woods’ pairing beat James & Andreae 9-7 while Bridge & Brown drew 10-10 with Doyle & Airs. Carter must now start the second leg as firm favourites to reach the final with their fantastic home record but one thing for sure is that Cromer will fight all the way.     

                                                                                                                                                                           Posted 7-3-13

Connaught to face Carter

Connaught “A” have reached the final of the Norfolk County Cup after winning 6-2 at home to Cromer. Connaught’s Diana Adcock, Joe Li-Rocchi & Peter King stormed into a 15-0 lead after just five ends and finished with a 25-8 win. The other first half game saw Aleck Haynes’ Cromer triple winning 13-8 after eleven ends but Sylvia Parsons came back to snatch a win on the final end by 15-14. Lee Fallows made sure of a Connaught victory after the break with a 21-7 win while Richard Airs’ triple earned a consolation 17-12 win for Cromer. Connaught will face holders Bob Carter in the final at First Bus on April 15^th.

Costly defeat for Coltishall

Defending Bure League champions Coltishall went down by 8-2 at title chasing Halvergate.  Robbie Lamb’s triple led the way with a resounding 21-6 win while Chris Mann won 17-11 and Josh Baxter won 15-10. Willie Jefferies collected the visitors two points with an 18-13 win against David Lamb. Woodbastwick crushed Cromer 10-0 with Trevor Hallett winning 22-3, Tony Wright winning 22-10 & Jim Couling winning 20-12. Cromer also went down 10-0 at Horsford Heroes where Mark “The Marvel” Tuttle beat former Coltishall player Jane James 25-4. Kirby Bedon scored an impressive 9-1 win at Hevingham with Jill Watson, Pat Saunders & Phil Watson leading the way beating Maurice Kemp’s triple 23-4. Billie Barker, Melvyn Barker & Brian Saunders added a 22-7 win. In the Tens League Coltishall beat Kirby Bedon 2-0. Both triples games went Kirby’s way as Gerald Chilvers won 15-14 & Brian Saunders won 16-9 while Coltishall’s Jean Barnett & Margaret Harman won 13-12 in the pairs against Shirley & Joe Brown. The big result that earned Coltishall the win was produced by Carol & John Aggas who beat Peter Johnson & Alistair Hunter 20-9. Kirby also lost at home to Bob Carter despite Jill & Phil Watson giving the home side a good start beating Jean Woods & Nigel Willard 18-9. The other pairs game saw Jason Forster & Robert Howlett win 22-9 against Billie Barker & Brian Saunders. Carter’s triples were in magnificent form with Melvin Woods winning 16-7 and Trevor Brown winning 19-7 to earn a maximum 4-0 points win.

 

Inter-County Championship semi-final results

Devon Premier followed up their 23-17 quarter-final win against Norfolk with an equally entertaining 22-18 semi-final win against Essex Premier. They will face Cheshire Premier in the final who defeated West Midlands 22-18 in another tremendous match. Cheshire will be looking to win the title for the seventh year in a row. In the “A” Team semi-finals Kent “A” & Cheshire “A” finished level at 20-20 but Kent were awarded the tie on bonus point countback. They will face Surrey “A” in the final who beat West Sussex “A” 21-19.  

                                                                                                                           Posted 5-3-13

 

Tuddenham win at Halvergate in Battle of the Bure

Halvergate entertained East Tuddenham in a clash between two teams competing for the Bure League title and a competitive match ended with East Tuddenham picking up a 6-4 away win. In the first half Linda Chadwick, Les Chadwick & Peter Smart collected a 18-11 win against Robbie Lamb’s triple and a second half 17-8 win for Madge Meachen, Chris Turner & Robert Howlett against Josh Baxter’s triple secured the points. Defending champions Coltishall recorded three big wins in their 8-2 home win against Horsford Heroes as Vernon Bunn, Peter Barnett & Les Harman won 28-4, Jeffrey Sandell, Syd Harman & Margaret Harman won 25-5 & Brian Bunting, Roland Sargent & Willie Jefferies won 18-6. Coltishall’s title hopes took a knock at Kirby Bedon though where they suffered an 8-2 defeat. The first half was shared as Kirby’s Janice Hewitt, Pat Saunders & Selwyn Goldsmith won 17-12 while Carol Aggas, Jean Barnett & John Aggas won 10-8 for Coltishall. Both games after the break went Kirby’s way as Melvin Barker, Gerald Chilvers & Brian Saunders won 24-7 & Joe Brown’s triple won 10-8. Any chances Kirby Bedon had of making a late title run were probably sunk at Thorpe Marriott where they suffered a 9-1 defeat. Sylvia Turner’s Marriott triple drew 14-14 with Kirby captain Alistair Hunter but the other three games went to the home side with Tony Turner winning 12-11, Bob McPherson winning 16-11 and Richard Perkins winning 15-7. In the Tens League defending champions Bob Carter beat Hevingham 4-0 with Sue Hunt, Jamie Forster & Jason Woods racking up a 30-8 win against David Sharpe’s triple. Thurne League leaders Woodbastwick lost their first match of the season at second placed Halvergate. Bradwell are still third after winning 8-2 at Hemsby. South Norfolk League giants Hempnall kept their unbeaten record intact with an 8-2 victory at Hingham. Neil Davidson’s triple led the way with a big 26-2 win. Hempnall also won 10-0 at Watton to keep on course for another title. Saxlingham will feel unlucky to have lost 9-1 at home to Connaught where only six shots separated the teams. Connaught’s Sylvia Parsons was 10-2 up before a comeback saw Alan Banham’s triple take a 12-10 lead with three ends left. Parsons’ triple recovered their composure just in time to win 15-12. Sheila Bragg’s triple also let a lead slip away but just like Parsons recovered to win the last three ends and grab a 14-13 win against Geoff Payne. Joe Li-Rocchi’s triple held on to win by a narrow 13-11 margin while the remaining game was drawn 12-12. Other results saw Watton beat Mulbarten 10-0 and Hingham win 6-4 at Thurton. Bradwell Red lead the Coastal Cup table after a 16-2 win at Stalham and a 14-4 home win against Woodbastwick Eagles. In second place are Woodbastwick Owls after a 14-4 away win at South Walsham. Bradwell Blue are third after beating South Walsham 16-2. Stalham are still without a win after losing 15-3 at Martham. In a local derby Woodbastwick Owls beat Woodbastwick Eagles 12-6.

                                                                                                                                   Posted 27-2-13

Norfolk Premier lose classic encounter with Devon

Despite starting the day as underdogs in many eyes Norfolk Premier took Devon Premier to the wire in their Inter-County Championship Quarter-Final tie in Northants. Norfolk took an early 5-3 lead as Carter’s Trevor Brown won 13-12 in the singles while David Lamb of Halvergate drew his opener 14-14. Jack Barrett & Chris Mann of Wymondham produced a 13-8 pairs win but Carter’s George Clarke & Nigel Willard suffered a heavy 22-4 defeat. The second session saw both Norfolk fours facing big name opposition but they lifted Norfolk hopes with two valuable wins. Robbie Lamb of Halvergate, Andrew Stratton of Wymondham and Kirby Bedon’s Phil Watson & Selwyn Goldsmith faced Lee Toleman’s rink and survived a late fightback to win 9-7. Jean Woods of Carter, Bob Oatway of First Bus, Brian Saunders of Wymondham & Hempnall’s Jon Sparham were up against the former North Yorks star Bronagh Malone and took two shots on the last end to win 7-5. Devon came out on top in two tight triples games though as Hempnall’s Neil Davidson, Wymondham’s Debbie Phillips & Bradwell’s Keith Cooke lost by just one shot and Halvergate’s Steven Lamb and Carter’s Kim Bridge & Melvin Woods lost 10-7. This left Norfolk leading by 9-7 on points at the interval. On the third session Devon finally got their noses in front for the first time. Both pairs games were lost as Barrett & Mann lost 14-13, after they conceded two shots on the last end, and Clarke & Willard went down again by 16-8. Trevor Brown was only one shot down in the singles with two ends to go but dropped three shots to lose 17-13 but David Lamb found his best form of the day to win 20-7. With the score now 13-11 to Devon the fours & triples took to the mats for the last session. Selwyn Goldsmith’s rink trailed 8-7 with two ends to go against Bronagh Malone but won them both for a 10-8 victory to complete a good day for their four. Jon Sparham’s rink were also one shot down with two ends remaining but it was Devon’s Lee Toleman who won these to finish 9-5 ahead. Norfolk needed wins in the triples if they were to progress to the semi-finals but it was not to be. Keith Cooke’s triple were just one shot down going into the last end but lost two more shots in a 12-9 defeat. Melvin Woods’ triple found themselves in trouble at 9-4 down after eight ends and eventually lost 11-5. The end result was a 23-17 win for Devon but it was a determined and forceful performance by the Norfolk Premier team who competed head to head with a powerful Devon team throughout this encounter. Three close games in the triples could have easily gone Norfolk’s way and if only two of them had it would have been Norfolk celebrating and not Devon. In the other games played today Essex beat West Sussex 26-14, Cheshire won 32-8 against Kent and West Mids beat Hampshire 23-17. 

                                                                                                                        Posted 24-2-13

Floods, flat tyres & traffic jams torpedo Connaught “A”

It was a big week in the Breckland League as Wymondham opened up a significant gap over rivals Connaught “A” in the title race. Mikey George, Brian Saunders & Andrew Stratton produced a 26-8 win at home to Watton while Jack Barrett’s triple won 27-11, Debbie Phillips’ triple won 21-13 and Jon Sparham’s triple won 17-12. In their next game Wymondham found themselves having to fight all the way at Hingham before emerging with a 6-4 away win. Abi Jackson, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham scored a vital 21-10 win for Wymondham while Debbie Phillips’ triple won 17-10. The home side replied with a 19-18 win by Gordon Wilcox’s triple while Pat Roache, Janet Higgs & John Higgs romped to a 23-8 win against Andrew Stratton’s triple. Meanwhile title rivals Connaught “A” went down at Banham after the fates combined to conjure up a night of disaster. Bill Adcock’s withdrawal through illness early in the day started off a train of events that would end in Connaught losing a game they expected to win. Massive traffic queues in Attleborough, caused by the breakdown of Station Road’s level crossing, then resulted in Connaught players arriving late at the venue and Joe Li-Rocchi not arriving at all. His diversion along a country lane ended abruptly as he drove into a flood with a hidden pothole and sustained two flat tyres. When the game eventually got under way late Connaught had just eleven players with Alison Rush & Diana Adcock playing without a number two. The ladies did very well to make a fight of it but went down 13-19 to John Williamson’s triple in the second half. Chris Musk, Sylvia Parsons & Lee Fallows started brilliantly for Connaught to lead 13-0 after five ends but had to settle for a 19-9 win as Banham fought back. Sheila Bragg’s triple looked on their way to a win leading 14-9 with three ends left but conceded six shots without reply to lose 15-14 to C Smith’s triple, shots that would prove costly. Owen Secker’s triple were beaten by Derek Gray’s triple by 13-16 as Banham celebrated a 7-3 victory against the powerful Connaught side with shots level at 59-59.

 

Amazing Carter recovery stuns Hevingham

Norfolk County Cup holders Bob Carter, victors by 8-0 against Wymondham in the last two cup finals, looked to be on their way out in their semi-final match away to Hevingham. Starting the match with their eyes on a third consecutive cup final appearance, Bob Carter quickly found themselves in deep trouble in a first half dominated by Hevingham. Joyce Vincent, Pat Williamson & Maurice Kemp stamped their authority on the game against Carter’s Nigel Willard’s triple as they led 14-2 after nine ends and went on to win 19-6. On the other mat Melvin Woods’ Carter triple started well and led 9-4 after seven ends but were rocked as Gill Bunn, Ian MacLean & Vic “Quiet Man” Woods scored thirteen shots over the next five ends. Woods’ triple eventually won 19-12 leaving Hevingham with a 4-0 points lead and a 38-18 shots lead at the break. With a massive task of winning both games, and making up a 20 shot deficit, Bob Carter failed to eat into Hevingham’s lead in the early exchanges of the second half. Carter’s Malcolm Reynolds, Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown found themselves still level at 6-6 after nine ends against David Sharpe’s triple while Margaret Reynolds, Jamie Forster & Robert Howlett were drawing 8-8 after eleven ends against David Faulkner’s Hevingham triple. At this stage Hevingham must have already been anticipating a Cup Final match against either Connaught “A” or Cromer as there looked no way back for Carter. They say that when the going gets tough the tough get going and that is what happened next in one of the most amazing comebacks of recent seasons. Trevor “The Beast” Brown and his triple won all the remaining ends of their game against David Sharpe racking up a 19-6 win culminating in a full-house six on the final end. Meanwhile Robert Howlett’s triple scored eight shots over the last four ends of their game against David Faulkner to win 16-8 leaving the match level at 4-4 on points but Carter winners by 53-52 on shots. Bob Carter were left celebrating an incredible victory while a shell-shocked Hevingham team were left wondering how on earth they lost this semi-final after putting themselves in what looked like an invincible position.   

 

Jolting Joe crushes Hevingham

An excellent 19-5 win for Kirby Bedon’s Shirley Brown, Gerald Chilvers & Joe Brown against George Clarke’s triple was the deciding factor in their team’s 2-0 Tens League away win at Hevingham. The home side won on the other three mats with David Sharpe’s triple winning 16-10, Alan Bunn & Maurice Kemp winning 16-15 and Ian MacLean & Vic Woods winning 16-13 but this was insufficient to avoid defeat. The Tens League is unusual in Norfolk in that the final score is based solely on the total shots and that no points are awarded for individual scores. This concept encourages a team mentality with players closely monitoring the scores on the adjoining mat and calculating the state of play as the second half games are reaching a conclusion.

                                                                                                                            Posted 24-2-13

Norfolk "A" almost pull off the impossible

Norfolk “A” almost pulled off the impossible in their I.C.C Quarter-Final tie against Cheshire “A” in Northants but a riveting final end of bowls saw Cheshire win the match. The day started badly for Norfolk with only Sheila Bragg winning in the singles after a fantastic recovery saw the Connaught star come from 3-11 down to win 12-11. Norfolk started to eat away at Cheshire’s lead in the second session as Sheila Redwood, Ted Redwood & Les Chadwick won 10-8, Chris Musk, Elaine Cole, Melvin Barker & Simon Warnes won 10-9 and Elaine Oatway, Gerald Chilvers & Ty Musk drew 11-11. The third session was looking bright for Norfolk until late in the session when both Cheshire singles players came from behind to take the points. Sue Hunt & Robin Amos produced Norfolk’s only win with a 12-11 victory. This left Norfolk with the huge task of needing to win all the final four games if they were to progress. Remarkably Norfolk came within a whisker of pulling it off as they displayed their best form of the day. Gerald Chilvers’ triple stormed to a 15-7 win while Les Chadwick’s triple won 12-10. In the fours Simon Warnes’ rink were in control throughout and won 10-4. The last game still on the mats saw Margaret Reynolds, Janet Pinchen, Malcolm Reynolds & Trevor Pinchen carrying Norfolk’s hopes on their shoulders. 7-1 up after just four ends things were looking bright but after conceding nine shots over three ends they trailed 10-7. They pulled one back on the penultimate end and everyone’s attention was on this one match as it entered its final end. After Norfolk’s shot bowl was bettered by Cheshire it was down to Trevor Pinchen to play the last Norfolk bowl and try to snatch victory but Cheshire survived to win the game 11-9 and the match by 23-17 as the rinks bonus points were earned by 38-37 on shots. This was a match that will live long in the memories of those that took part.

                                                                                                                                                     Posted 17-2-13

Cromer & Hingham in classic Norwich Cup match

Cromer got through to the Norwich Cup semi-finals on shots after a tremendous tussle against visitors Hingham ended level at 8-8 on points. The opening session saw P Jefferies, Pat Hall & Aleck Haynes give Cromer a great shot advantage winning 17-3 but Bob Lister, Malcolm Southgate & Gordon Wilcox hit back for Hingham with a 9-2 win. In the second session of pairs Cromer’s Jane James & John Andreae won 10-6 while Hingham’s Eric & Jane Frary won 9-8. The third session failed to separate the two teams as Aleck Haynes’ triple won their second game by 9-5 with Graham Tweed’s Hingham triple replying with a 9-4 win. With just the last session of pairs to play, and points level at 6-6, it was all to play for but Cromer’s nine shot advantage would prove vital. Yet again the session was shared with James & Andreae winning again for Cromer by ten shots with Wendy Tweed & Ken Thomas winning 10-5 for Hingham. 

                                                                                                                             Posted 15-2-13

I.C.C Venue changes again

Due to circumstances beyond the control of the ESMBA they have today announced that the venue details for the I.C.C “A” Team Quarter-Finals have had to be changed yet again. The I.C.C “A” Team Main Competition Quarter-Finals, which include Norfolk “A” v Cheshire “A”, will now be played at the Caroline Chisholm School, Wooldale Centre For Learning, Wooldale Road, Wootton, Northants, NN4 6TP on Sunday 17^th February. The “A” Team Consolation Quarter-Finals will be played on Saturday 16^th February at the Weston Favell School, Booth Lane South, Northampton, NN3 3EZ. This latest change, the second in just over a week, has been caused by the unavailability of the Kingsthorpe College venue. The ESMBA has apologised for any inconvenience caused.

                                                                                                                                      13-2-13

 Coltishall win at Cromer

Defending Bure League champions Coltishall will be delighted to have pulled off an 8-2 win on the difficult Cromer mats. Brian Bunting, Roland Sargent & Willie Jefferies led the way with a fabulous 23-6 win against Jane James while Les Harman & John Aggas also won. Halvergate’s travels have not always been productive in the Bure but they celebrated a maximum 10-0 win at Thorpe Marriott to keep up their title challenge. David Lamb’s triple top scored with a 24-8 win while Ralf Savage, Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown won 21-7. Only one shot separated Anglian Windows and Hevingham but Mike Boswell’s 15-10 win secured a 6-4 home win for Windows.Kirby Bedon beat Horsford Heroes 8-2 with Jill Watson, Janice Hewitt & Phil Watson starring with a 25-5 win. Kirby also won 8-2 at home to Thorpe Marriott with Carol Johnson, Peter Johnson & Gerald Chilvers winning 17-9. They followed this up with a 10-0 home win against Woodbastwick in which Jill Watson, Pat Saunders & Phil Watson won 21-11. A big second half win of 19-5 for Janet Seaton, Ernie Mills & Dennis Seaton saw Horsford BC beat Kirby by one shot for a 6-4 points win in a match that looked to be going Kirby’s way at the interval. Breckland League leaders Wymondham beat Harling Rec 10-0 with Pat Saunders, Melvyn Barker & Debbie Phillips achieving a 33-8 win. Connaught “A” saw their title push take a knock as they could only beat Hingham 6-4. Sheila Bragg’s triple won 20-12 and Owen Secker’s triple won 18-6 but John Higgs and Gordon Wilcox scored second half wins for the visitors. Hingham also went down by the same scoreline at Carleton Rode where T Newby’s triple won 23-10 and Will Hoggan’s triple won 19-9. Bob Carter suffered a surprise 3-0 defeat at Connaught in the Tens League. Chris Musk & Sylvia Parsons were 6-0 down early on but fought back to win 17-9 against Kim Bridge & Trevor Brown. Joe Li-Rocchi’s triple won 11-8 against Nigel Willard and Bill Adcock’s triple held on to win 12-9 after leading 9-0 at one stage. The only game Carter won was Jason & Melvin Woods 14-13 win against Ty Musk & Bob Oatway but even then it was the Connaught pair who were left celebrating. Oatway ditched the jack on the final end to turn a 2-0 win into a 3-0 win for Connaught and become the hero of the hour. In the South Norfolk League bottom club Mulbarton scored only their second win of the campaign beating Wreningham 8-2. Horsford won 6-4 at Wreningham with Roger Frank’s 20-8 win against Mark Linsdell securing the match points. Watton won twice at home beating Saxlingham Nethergate 8-2 and Hingham 6-4. 

                                                                                                                                 Posted 13-2-13

 

Woodbastwick edge out Horsford BC in superb semi-final

After Woodbastwick were given a first session shock by visitors Horsford BC they recovered to reach the Bure Cup Final after a thrilling match. With Horsford holding a narrow 14-10 lead from the first leg Woodbastwick would have been hoping to quickly cut the deficit. As it was Simon Warnes’ triple opened with an 8-5 win against Trevor Hallett and D Claxton’s triple beat Jim Couling 8-3 to increase Horsford’s lead to 18-10. The home team hit back in the second session with big wins for Tony Wright & Peter Jablonowski but the third session was shared leaving Horsford still two points up. The next session left the match level on aggregate as Jablonowski’s triple won again while the other game was drawn although Horsford led 123-102 on shots. The fifth session proved vital as finally Woodbastwick took the lead with wins for Hallett & Wright. With one session remaining Horsford were still up on shots and knew that if they could win both games they would win the tie but Jim Couling’s triple had other ideas and a tight 9-7 win earned his team a place in the final against cup holders Kirby Bedon. D Claxton’s triple won on the other mat for Horsford against Jablonowski but Woodbastwick had just done enough to earn a 25-23 aggregate win. Woodbastwick will entertain Kirby Bedon in the First Leg of the Bure Cup Final on Tuesday 19^th March with the Second Leg at Kirby Bedon on Tuesday 2^nd April.

                                                                                                                   Posted 12-2-13

 

Home win for Norfolk Over 60s

A great start saw Norfolk Over 60s reel off eleven wins from the first twelve games against Derek Barley’s Carlton Colville Select at Lakeside Country Club. The visitors fared better in the fourth & fifth sessions, scoring five wins and a draw from eight games, as well as sharing the final session but Norfolk were home and dry by 31-17 on points and 195-114 on shots. Kerry Greenacre of Haddiscoe, Keith Halford of Anglian Windows and Geoff Payne of Saxlingham Nethergate scored maximum points with wins of 12-3, 7-6& 11-3.                                                                                                                 

Whittaker’s Way for England

Following his appointment as England Manager Cheshire’s Brandon Whittaker has outlined his plans on how to take the team forward into a new era. Speaking this week Whittaker told me he was delighted and excited at the prospect of Managing the England Team. After his time as Assistant Manager alongside the legendary Keith Smith, where they were part of some great successes, Brandon said he would set challenging and achievable targets for the England team. He intends to also look at areas which affect not only the England senior squad, but also the Under 21’s, Under 18’s and anyone who wants to fulfill a bowling ambition in England. The new Manager said that he wants to create an atmosphere and team spirit that encourages players to perform at their best and be prepared to achieve that standard in all competitive fixtures. With his Assistant Manager, Keith Lackford, Brandon Whittaker is focused on blending experience, youth, ability and ambition to produce the England team he wants. One of the major problems for players chosen to bowl for England is the cost involved in an amateur sport. Many bowlers have found the money involved far too much for them to accept an invitation therefore denying a Manager the chance to field the team of his choice. It is pleasing to hear that Whittaker is hoping to address this issue. His opinion is that it is not acceptable to make playing for England a matter of who can afford to play. Whittaker will look at reducing the expense and make it affordable to all. He revealed that he has already put forward proposals to the ESMBA Committee to reduce the costs and said that these proposals will be announced in the near future. If England are to ever reach the standard of Ireland, the world’s number one short mat bowls nation, Whittaker knows that there is a lot of work to do on the mats and off the mats. Many in the sport think that Brandon Whittaker’s way is the route to take for England to achieve that.

                                                                                                           Posted 12-2-13

Mann makes it to quarter-finals in English Masters

Jack Barrett reaches Semi-Finals in Plate Comp

Chris Mann qualified for the English Masters Knockouts after finishing as runner-up in his group behind Dom Reed of England who started the day as Number One in the SMPT World Rankings. Mann won four of his five games with his only defeat coming against Reed. His victories included a 13-4 win against Dimitri Payne of Belgium and a 9-8 win against Andrew Newell of Jamaica. Mann then beat England’s Jack Rollings to reach the Quarter-Finals where he lost by just 11-10 against Joel Hager of Sweden. Andrew Stratton also qualified as runner-up in his group despite losing to Irish ace Mark Beattie and Sweden’s Annelie Wikstroem. Stratton’s wins were against Mark Jones & Charlotte Rollings of England. In the Last 16 round Stratton was eliminated losing 11-7 to Irish player Andrew Leckey. Young Jack Barrett took a pounding in his opening match losing by 24-4 to Mitchell Young of England but recovered well to record a 15-4 win against Sibe Laureys of Sweden and a 15-9 win against Bob Rigby of Cyprus. He finished third in his group and therefore qualified for the Plate competition where he performed very well. In the knockouts he beat Ken Sleat of England by 12-8 and then beat Tommy Dahlgren of Sweden 19-5 to reach the semi-finals. Jack’s run of success then came to an end as he was defeated by Dimitri Payne by 13-3. The English Masters Final was an all Ireland affair with Joseph Beattie beating Jai Richardson 10-9. The Plate Final was won by Dimitri Payne of Belgium who defeated Darren Witherspoon of Ireland 12-9.

                                                                                                                                  Posted 10-2-13

Crunch match for Mann against Belgian star

At the end of the first day of the English Masters at Wye Valley IBC Chris Mann of Wymondham is placed second in Group H behind Dom Reed, currently placed Number One in the SMPT rankings. Mann’s opening game against Dimitri Payne of Belgium today will determine which of them joins Reed in the main competition knockouts. Reed is on maximum points while Mann & Payne are both on six points. In Group I Wymondham’s Andrew Stratton is second in his group on five points behind Irish ace Mark Beattie. Stratton will be looking to beat Sweden’s Annelie Wikstroem to secure his knock-out place. It was a mixed day for young Wymondham bowler Jack Barrett who beat Sibe Laureys of Belgium by 15-4 and Bob Rigby of Cyprus by 15-9. Barrett’s first game 24-4 defeat by group leader Mitchell Young of England and a 12-6 defeat against Sweden’s Joel Hager leaves him trailing behind both players in the group.    

                                                                                                         Posted 10-2-13

                                                                                                          

Change of venue for Norfolk "A" v Cheshire "A" match

The NCSMBA have been informed that the Norfolk "A" v Cheshire "A" I.C.C Quarter-Final match will now take place at Kingsthorpe College, Boughton Green Road, Northampton, NN2 7HR on Sunday 17th February instead of Caroline Chisholm as previously announced.
                                                                                                           Posted 10-2-13

ESMBA appoints Brandon Whittaker as England Manager 

Brandon Whittaker of Cheshire has been appointed as the new England Manager for the next three years. As Assistant Manager to Keith Smith, during his successful period in charge, Whittaker was always thought to be the favourite for the job so the news will come as no surprise. Brandon Whittaker has vast experience as an England player and is highly regarded by his fellow bowlers. His fellow Cheshire bowler Keith Lackford will fill Whittaker’s previous role of Assistant-Manager. The Norfolk C.S.M.B.A would like to congratulate Brandon on his appointment and wish him, his management team, and the England Squad great success for the future.    

                                                                                                    Posted 7-2-13

SMPT to run St Georges Cup

Chris Mann to meet World Number One in English Masters

The annual St Georges Cup charity event, held in aid of the Great Ormond Street Hospital, resulted in the South retaining the cup after defeating the North. Marc Lancaster of West Sussex captained the successful South team that included Chris Mann of Wymondham & David Lamb of Halvergate. It was announced by Craig Burgess on Tuesday night that the SMPT will be running the event in 2014 and that Phil Mills will be captaining the South while Barry Brindley will captain the North. The SMPT was founded in 2011 by Craig Burgess of Essex and Simon Pridham of Devon with an aim of providing “competitions for the players by the players.” Burgess is currently National Singles Champion while Pridham won the title in 2007. The next SMPT event will be the English Masters at Wye Valley IBC in Guildford this weekend with a first prize of £250. Chris Mann, Andrew Stratton & Jack Barrett of Wymondham have all entered and face tough competition. Jack Barrett is drawn in Group “E” and will face Sibe Laureys of Belgium in his opening game. His group also includes Joel Hager of Sweden who is ranked joint 2 in the SMPT Rankings and England’s talented Mitchell Young. Chris Mann, who is always competitive at this level, meets fellow countryman Steve Puttock in his first game. This group includes England star Dom Reed who is currently ranked number 1 in the SMPT rankings as well as Dimitri Payne of Belgium who is ranked joint 11^th. Andrew Newell of Jamaica is also in Mann’s group. Andrew Stratton plays the excellent Irish bowler Mark Beattie in his first game, Beattie is currently ranked at joint 6^th. Stratton will also play fellow English players Charlotte Rollings & Mark Jones as well as Annelie Wikstroem of Sweden.

                                                                                                    Posted 6-2-13

Connaught “A” on the march

Connaught “A” kept up the pressure on Breckland League leaders Wymondham with a 10-0 home win against Watton. Four solid wins saw their shot difference also improve as Sheila Bragg’s triple won 28-6, Lee Fallows’ triple won 28-9, Owen Secker’s triple won 22-10 & Bob Oatway’s triple won 18-10.Watton fared better at home to Forncett winning 8-2 with Eddie Bebee’s triple winning 22-8 while Dennis Rumsby collected the visitors two points with a 20-8 win. A close match at Harling saw the home team beat Carleton Rode by just one shot for a 6-4 win. M Tarrant’s triple led the way for Harling with a 20-9 win while Terry Newby’s triple were on form for the visitors with a 23-10 win. In the South Norfolk League Connaught moved top after beating Watton 8-2. Sylvia Parson’s triple made sure of the match points for Connaught with a 20-6 win while John Hunter’s triple picked up Watton’s two points with a 13-11 win. Roger Frank of Horsford Heroes skipped his triple to a 33-9 win as his side beat Mulbarton 10-0. 

                                                                                                     Posted 6-2-13

Richard Kightley
It is with great sadness that the Norfolk Short Mat Bowls Association has learned of the death of Richard Kightley who passed away earlier today. Richard was a real gentleman and a member of the Norfolk Over 60s Squad for many years. He was a great supporter of the squad's activities and attended most of the bowls holidays and weekends away. He will be greatly missed within the sport by all his friends. Richard's funeral will be held in Northamptonshire but a memorial service will be held in Norfolk. Could bowlers who wish to attend the memorial service please contact Teresa Goldsmith on 01603-403628 as she has been asked by Dorothy to provide numbers for the family. Rest in Peace Richard.

Details of the memorial service will be announced here when arranged

                                                                                           Posted 3-2-13

                                            Latest Cup & League action

A remarkable Bure Cup semi-final between Kirby Bedon & East Tuddenham finished with the teams level at 24-24 on points after two hotly contested legs with the cup holders Kirby Bedon reaching the final on shots by 131-125. Kirby Bedon won the first leg 13-11 at East Tuddenham with Jill Watson, Pat Saunders & Phil Watson producing three wins and Jackie Tunmore, Jimmy Dye & Alistair Hunter earning two wins and a draw although Tuddenham held a slender two shot advantage. Early on in the second leg Kirby increased their points lead to four after two sessions and with the next three sessions shared the situation remained the same going in to the last session. Tuddenham needed to win both games and claw back 18 shots if they were to reach the final and made a tremendous effort but fell six shots short as Peter Smart’s triple won 10-2 & Robin Amos won 7-3. Horsford BC hold a narrow 14-10 advantage after the first leg of their Bure Cup semi-final against Woodbastwick but they could well live to regret a poor start and a poor finish that leaves Woodbastwick favourites. Visitors Woodbastwick won both opening games with Jim Couling’s triple winning 7-6 and Trevor Hallett’s triple winning 6-5. Horsford hit back with a vengeance taking fourteen points from the next four sessions while Woodbastwick collected just two more points to trail 14-6. Just when Horsford were contemplating taking a big lead into the second leg the visitors came alive with Roger Green, Elaine Cole & Trevor Hallett winning 8-7 and Norma Jablonowski, Lianne Mills & Peter Jablonowski winning 9-3. In their Norwich Cup quarter-final tie Coltishall cruised to a comfortable 14-2 home win against Woodbastwick. A perfect first half for Coltishall saw a 7-6 win for Brian Bunting, Roland Sargent & Willie Jefferies and a big 15-1 win for Vernon Bunn, Peter Barnett & Les Harman. Coltishall’s pairs continued in the same style with Carol & John Aggas winning 5-4 and Jean Barnett & Margaret Harman winning 9-5. The result was a foregone conclusion in the third session when Willie Jefferies’ triple added a 13-0 win but Tony Wright’s triple picked up a consolation 9-6 win for Woodbastwick. Coltishall’s pairs both won their second games as Coltishall progressed through to the semi-final stage. Bob Carter defeated Felthorpe 15-1 with Sue Hunt & Nigel Willard winning by 18-2 & 19-0. Cromer are through to the semi-finals of the Norfolk County Cup after an 8-0 home win against Thorpe Marriott. A superb first half performance saw Richard Airs’ triple win 16-6 & Dorothy Airs’ triple win 19-6 to put Cromer in the driving seat. Marriott’s cup hopes were distinguished as Aleck Haynes won 17-13 & John Andreae won 15-9 after the break. Cromer now face a difficult semi-final tie at Connaught “A”. Tens League action saw Hempnall pull off a tight 2-0 win at Hevingham. Joan Cann & Chris Mann scored a one shot win for the visitors in the opening pairs game while Bernie Cudden’s triple beat David Sharpe 19-13. Ian MacLean & Vic Woods hit back for Hevingham with a 16-13 win against Syd Harman & Jon Sparham but Charlie Archer’s triple secured victory with a 12-10 win against Alan Bunn. The following night Hempnall visited Coltishall and did even better with a 4-0 win. Mick Pearce, Richard Harrowing & Jon Sparham did the major damage with a 23-4 win while Syd Harman & Neil Davidson added a 16-7 win. In the Bure League Horsford Heroes beat Horsford BC 10-0 in a one-sided local derby that saw David Foster’s triple win 28-5 and Richard Hart’s triple winning 27-2. Coltishall won 8-2 at home to Thrope Marriott with Les Harman’s triple winning 15-6. Simon Warnes won 29-5 and Bob Burrage won 18-7 as Horsford BC beat Cromer 8-2. The following night they got revenge on Horsford Heroes beating them 10-0 with Dennis Seaton producing a 23-9 win. Horsford BC made a good start at Anglian Windows winning both opening games but Windows hit back to clinch a 6-4 home win. In the City of Norwich League RG Carter made it fourteen straight wins with a 14-0 result at Old Bonds and are 25 points clear of second placed Horsford Heroes. There is a six point gap between Heroes and third placed Thorpe Marriott with both teams hotly contesting the battle for second place. The Heroes won 12-2 at home to British Rail and by the same score away to Jarrolds. Thorpe Marriott won 12-2 at County Council. First Bus will be delighted with a 13-1 away win at Costessey but less pleased to lose 10-4 at home to the same opposition. Felthorpe pulled further away from the bottom teams with an excellent 11-3 home win against First Bus.   

                                                                                                        Posted 3-2-13

Tricky away tie for holders Carter

Norfolk County Cup holders Bob Carter have a tricky tie away from home in this season’s semi-finals. They have been drawn away to three time County Cup winners Hevingham. The winner of the quarter-final match between Cromer & Thorpe Marriott face a difficult away tie against Breckland League giants Conaught “A” who are always hard to beat at their Attleborough venue.

                                                                                                        Posted 25-1-13

MacLean & Woods pairs power

In the Tens League Hevingham took maximum points at home to Coltishall after a stunning performance by the Ian MacLean & Vic Woods pairing. A 25-4 win against former England internationals Carol & John Aggas put the match out of reach of the visitors. Hempnall made it seven wins in a row in the South Norfolk League with a 10-0 away win at Mulbarton. Saxlingham won 8-2 at home to Hingham with Ken Hobbs, Steve Oldfield & Mary Hobbs winning 19-7 while Thurton beat Wreningham 8-2. Peter Walker’s triple won 22-2 for Thurton with J Pidgen’s triple adding a 22-7 win. Defending Breckland League champions Wymondham welcomed back Mark Linsdell into their team after a six month absence and he celebrated with a 25-12 win playing at number two in Chris Mann’s triple. Mary Fisher at lead put in a solid shift against Ralf Ramm’s triple. A 27-9 win for Jack Barrett’s triple made it a perfect first half for Wymondham and after the break Jon Sparham’s triple won 19-7 while Billie Barker, Andrew Stratton & Debbie Phillips romped to a huge 34-8 win. Hingham went down 6-4 at Banham where the Goodey-Hambling-Smith triple won 22-9 but returned to winning ways beating Forncett 6-4. Title contenders Connaught “A” took all ten points at home to Carleton Rode with Rita Secker, Alison Rush  & Owen Secker beating Will Hoggan’s triple 24-7. Harling Recreational won 6-4 at home to Connaught “B” with Christine Jones, Brian Knappett & John Court top scoring with a 29-9 win against Joyce Hazell’s triple. Banham crashed to a 10-0 defeat at Watton where John Hunter’s triple won by 30-6 and Margaret Hunter’s triple won 26-5 to make it a happy day for the Hunters.  

                                                                                         Posted 20-1-13

Burgess withdraws England Manager’s application

In a surprise move Craig Burgess of Essex has withdrawn his application for the England Team Manager’s position. Burgess had communicated his plans for a complete revamp of how the England team is run to all Counties in an attempt to garner support for his application and his surprise withdrawal appears to leave the way clear for current Assistant Manager Brandon Whittaker to succeed Keith Smith in the hot seat. Whittaker was thought likely to be the favoured candidate by the majority of the ESMBA Committee, who are responsible for filling the post, so the withdrawal of Burgess has probably made little difference to the eventual outcome.

                                                                                                           Posted 17-1-13

National allocations joy for Norfolk

The ESMBA have published the allocations for this year’s National Championships and Norfolk have received more than any other county. Norfolk has received four places each in the National Singles, Pairs, Triples, Fours & Under 18 events and three in the National Mixed Fours. With a total of twenty-three entries Norfolk tops the list of allocations with Essex second with twenty-one places. The number of allocations reflect the popularity of the National Championships to many Norfolk bowlers. This year’s championships will be held at Bromsgrove I.B.C.

                                                                                                            Posted 15-1-13

30-10 win for Norfolk Premier

Norfolk Premier moved into the Inter-County Championship quarter-finals after a superb 30-10 on points, 207-145 on shots win against Herefordshire Premier at the neutral venue in Northamptonshire. Norfolk took the initiative early on winning the first session 6-2. Carter’s Trevor Brown saw an early 6-0 lead disappear as Hertfordshire’s Tony Vitale leveled the game at 7-7 after seven ends. Brown then moved up a gear or two to cruise to an 18-8 win. Halvergate’s David Lamb was level at 10-10 with two ends remaining against Fred Jolley but snatched a 12-11 win. Hevingham’s George Clarke & Carter’s Nigel Willard added a 15-6 win with Herefordshire winning the remaining pairs game against Jack Barrett & Chris Mann. Another 6-2 win followed in the second session. Halvergate’s Michael Savage, making his Premier team debut, led for Wymondham’s Debbie Phillips & Bradwell’s Keith Cooke and they produced a superb 13-6 win. Halvergate’s Steven Lamb with Carter’s Kim Bridge & Melvin Woods made it maximum points in the triples with a 15-6 win. Carter’s Jean Woods, First Bus player Bob Oatway, Wymondham’s Brian Saunders & Hempnall’s Jon Sparham have had an excellent season which continued with an 8-6 win while Herefordshire’s only win was a three shot victory against Halvergate’s Robbie Lamb, Wymondham’s Andrew Stratton and Kirby Bedon’s Phil Watson & Selwyn Goldsmith. Herefordshire managed to share the third session 4-4 but fell further behind on shots. Wymondham’s Jack Barrett & Chris Mann made up for their earlier defeat with a stunning 20-7 win in the pairs with both players in top form but Clarke & Willard lost their pairs game 17-8. Trevor Brown lost the first four ends against Fred Jolley but there was only one player in it after that as Brown stormed to a 21-6 win. David Lamb failed to add a second win as he slipped to a 14-10 defeat in a close game. Norfolk only needed one point from the last session to clinch victory but as in the first two sessions they won three of the four games. Robbie Lamb, Andrew Stratton, Phil Watson & Selwyn Goldsmith made up for their narrow defeat in the first half by producing a massive 20-3 win against Becci Cox’s rink that included a count of seven on the sixth end. Jon Sparham’s rink suffered a rare defeat losing 14-6 to John Stannard’s rink. Both Norfolk triples won their second game of the day as Melvin Woods won by 11-8 & Keith Cooke won by 13-10. The I.C.C Quarter-Finals will be played on the weekend of 23^rd/24^th February when Norfolk Premier will face Devon Premier. Other games will be Essex v West Sussex, Cheshire v Kent and Hampshire against either Gloucestershire or West Midlands.   

                                    Jack Barrett & Trevor Brown of Norfolk Premier

County Cup Latest

Bob Carter moved into the semi-finals of the Norfolk County Cup after winning 6-2 at Sprowston SSC. Carter skips Melvin Woods, Robert Howlett & Nigel Willard all won for the visitors while Les Chadwick’s 20-13 win against Trevor Brown proved to be just a consolation win for Sprowston against the cup holders. Hevingham are also safely through but had to rely on shots after finishing 4-4 on points at home to Bradwell. Vic Woods’ triple saw Hevingham over the finishing line with a 28-11 win against Jackie Fortescue. Connaught “A” won 6-2 at Watton where Sheila Bragg’s triple won 23-4 with Owen Secker & Lee Fallows also winning for the visitors.

                                                                                                                    Posted 13-1-13

Carter, Hevingham & Connaught “A” reach semi-finals

Bob Carter moved into the semi-finals of the Norfolk County Cup after winning 6-2 at Sprowston SSC. Carter skips Melvin Woods, Robert Howlett & Nigel Willard all won for the visitors while Les Chadwick’s 20-13 win against Trevor Brown proved to be just a consolation win for Sprowston against the cup holders. Hevingham are also safely through but had to rely on shots after finishing 4-4 on points at home to Bradwell. Vic Woods’ triple saw Hevingham over the finishing line with a 28-11 win against Jackie Fortescue. Connaught “A” won 6-2 at Watton where Sheila Bragg’s triple won 23-4 with Owen Secker & Lee Fallows also winning for the visitors.

                                                                                                                Posted 11-1-13  

Jack Barrett wins Under 18’s at Lakeside

A superb Norfolk Qualifying heat of the National Under 18’s Championships saw Wymondham’s Jack Barrett power his way to victory and a place in the Finals at Bromsgrove. In the final he faced reigning Norfolk Singles Champion Josh Baxter of Halvergate and the match was played in front of an appreciative audience. The two young men have had an incredibly successful year in the Norfolk County Championships so it was no surprise to see them contesting the final of this event. On the first end a good second wood by Jack Barrett was followed by an equally good backhand by Josh Baxter. A superb last bowl by Barrett forced Baxter onto the attack with his final bowl but he missed leaving Barrett to pick up two shots. Barrett opened the second end with a toucher but Baxter took the jack through with his second wood and followed it up with a lovely forehand to hold two shots. Barrett was fortunate to cut it down to just one shot with his last bowl but increased his lead to 3-1 on the third end. A great final bowl on the fourth end saw Barrett move 4-1 up as Baxter was again forced to attack but to no avail. On the fifth end Josh Baxter looked likely to pull a shot back until another great delivery by Barrett took shot. Baxter’s effort to retrieve the situation went horribly wrong when he pushed another Barrett bowl up to the jack leaving the Wymondham bowler with a 6-1 lead. This was followed by a tight sixth end but again it was Jack Barrett who emerged with shot wood. Josh Baxter realized that the match was slipping out of his grasp and drew in perfectly with his opening bowl but Barrett was now displaying brilliant form and produced two excellent woods of his own. Two attacking bowls by Baxter only succeeded in limiting Jack Barrett to a single and he moved 8-1 up with three scheduled ends to play. On the eighth end Jack Barrett continued to pile the pressure on and was holding three shots forcing Baxter onto the attack again. Baxter’s attacking bowl slammed the jack into the ditch but also deposited a Jack Barrett toucher into the ditch beside the jack. With Jack Barrett now holding a 9-1 lead Josh Baxter decided it was time to call a halt and conceded the match. The third place playoff was contested by Morgan Warnes of Horsford BC and Lewis Cranston of County Council. Morgan had impressed throughout the event with her composure and proved just too hot to handle for Lewis Cranston as she carved out a superb 12-3 win. In the semi-finals Morgan had given Jack Barrett a scare as he had to play at the top of his form to beat her by 9-6. For much of the game a shock result had looked on the cards before Barrett finished with two good ends. In the other semi-final Josh Baxter beat Lewis Cranston 14-6.   

                                                                                                                     Posted 6-1-13

Jack Barrett of Wymondham

  Wymondham's Jack Barrett, Morgan Warnes of Horsford BC & Josh Baxter of Halvergate

Lewis Cranston, Josh Baxter, Jack Barrett, Owen Cranston, Abigail Jackson, Morgan Warnes

Barbara Owen Rest in Peace

The N.C.S.M.B.A is deeply saddened to hear of the sudden and unexpected death of Barbara Owen on Saturday 29th December. Although unable to play for quite some time now Barbara was still a regular face at Norfolk Over 60s Squad days at Lakeside Country Club spending time with the many friends she had in the sport. With her late husband Tom Owen they were members of Hevingham SMBC in the early days of the sport. Barbara, 80 years old, was a keen Norwich City supporter and attended the last match of the year at Carrow Road against Manchester City on Boxing Day. Barbara will be greatly missed by all in short mat bowls. The funeral will take place at St Faiths Crematorium on Wednesday 16th January at 3.30pm. Immediate flowers only but donations if desired to be split between the following. PACT (Animal Charity), SCOTTY'S LITTLE SOLDIERS (Dedicated to support children of our fallen heroes) and NELSON'S JOURNEY (Dedicated to support children in bereavement). Please make cheques payable to Jerry March Donations Account and send to J March Funeral Services, 28 Holt Road, Horsford, Norwich, NR10 3DD.

                                                                              

N.C.S.M.B.A issues new Points Table

Halvergate & England ace David Lamb is still the number one Norfolk short mat bowler on the County Points Table that has just been released by the N.C.S.M.B.A although he now heads the list by just one point. Despite a disappointing season by his own high standards, which saw him finish twelfth in this season’s total, he still held on to the top spot courtesy of the 55 points carried over from last season. The points table is calculated on the County Championship events played over a two year period with the Top 30 players earning an automatic Norfolk County Team invitation for next season. Only five players accumulated 40 points or more over the course of this season and they all made significant progress up the table. They included two of the youngest players in the county who enjoyed considerable success. 17 year old Halvergate star Josh Baxter rose an incredible 51 places up the rankings into the number two spot after a season in which he lifted the Norfolk County Singles, Pairs & Mixed Fours titles and scored 64 points. 16 year old Wymondham player Jack Barrett, who won the Norfolk County Pairs title with Baxter, went up 53 places to ninth place after accumulating 42 points. Three former England players who have been on the scene for many years also significantly improved their ranking positions. Bob Carter’s Nigel Willard notched up an impressive 56 points to move up 21 places to third place after lifting two county titles. East Tuddenham’s John Turner collected 48 points and moved up fifteen places to sixth place and Kirby Bedon’s Selwyn Goldsmith racked up 40 points to move up 48 places to tenth position. Hempnall’s Neil Davidson moved up three places to fourth while Carter’s Melvin Woods slipped one place to fifth. The mercurial Wymondham star Chris Mann dropped five places to seventh despite finishing as a runner-up in two events. Thorpe Marriott’s Jenny Walker will be delighted to finish as the leading lady in eighth place, Sue Hunt of Bob Carter finished as the second ranked lady bowler just outside the top ten in eleventh position. Players who slipped out of the top ten were Jon Sparham, Jason Woods, Debbie Phillips, Joe Brown & Andrew Stratton but all five remain in the top thirty.

The full Top 30 listing is 1. David Lamb (Halvergate), 2. Josh Baxter (Halvergate), 3. Nigel Willard (Bob Carter), 4. Neil Davidson (Hempnall), 5. Melvin Woods (Bob Carter), 6. John Turner (East Tuddenham), 7. Chris Mann (Wymondham), 8. Jenny Walker (Thorpe Marriott), 9. Jack Barrett (Wymondham), 10. Selwyn Goldsmith (Kirby Bedon), 11. Sue Hunt (Bob Carter), 12. Jon Sparham (Hempnall), 13. Joe Brown (Costessey), 14. George Clarke (Hevingham), 15. Andrew Stratton (Wymondham), 16. Shirley Brown (Costessey), 17. Trevor Brown (Bob Carter), 18. Mark Linsdell (Wymondham), 19. Bob Oatway (First Bus), 20. Keith Cooke (Bradwell), 21. Jason Woods (Bob Carter), 22. David Dewing (Sprowston), 23. Maureen Munford (First Bus), 24. Debbie Phillips (Wymondham), 25. Peter Smart (Sprowston), 26. George Munford (First Bus), 27. Elaine Oatway (First Bus), 28. Jackie Fortesque (Bradwell), 29. Peter Walker (Thorpe Marriott), 30. Linda Chadwick (Sprowston) To check out the entire new list just click on the link below.

County Points Latest

                           David Lamb retained the top spot in the latest Points Table issued

Norfolk Over 60s in festive mood

Norfolk Over 60s enjoyed their last squad day prior to Christmas on Thursday 20^th December at Lakeside Country Club with several members dressed in festive attire. After playing three sessions of bowls they enjoyed an excellent Christmas Dinner in the restaurant. The Christmas Draw in aid of the Norfolk County Squad was drawn on the day and the first prize of a return flight for two from Norwich International Airport to Exeter was won by Tyrone Musk. Organizer Teresa Goldsmith announced that the first Norfolk Over 60’s Squad Day after the holidays will be at Lakeside on Thursday January 3^rd.

                                                                                                              Posted 22-12-12

           Melvyn Barker, Doreen Stearman, Jock Pollock, Billie Barker, Russell Hales & Kerry Greenacre

                                                        On the mats at Lakeside

                                                            Betty Cox of First Bus & Norfolk Over 60s

Woodbastwick masters of their own mats

Woodbastwick have mined a rich vein of home form to move top of the table in the Bure League. League newcomers Halvergate have shown impressive form so far but they found Woodbastwick too hot to handle as they crashed to a 10-0 defeat at the hands of one of the league’s founding member clubs. Roger Green, Elaine Cole & Trevor Hallett led the way beating Robbie Lamb’s triple 28-7 while Peter Jablonowski’s triple beat David Lamb 19-6 and Tony Wright’s triple beat Steven Lamb 16-8. Jim Couling’s triple had a much closer game but still came out with a 10-9 win against teenage sensation Josh Baxter. Another huge shots victory saw Woodbastwick beat Anglian Windows 10-0 as well. Tony Wright’s triple won by 28-5 against Keith Halford while Ron Elliott won 20-4, Jim Couling won by 22-7 & Trevor Hallett won by 20-11. These wins followed on from an 8-2 home win over defending champions Coltishall and a 6-4 home win against old rivals Hevingham. Coltishall stay in contention after a 10-0 demolition of Halvergate in which Jeffrey Sandell, Roland Sargent & Margaret Harman beat David Lamb’s triple 21-2 & Vernon Bunn, Peter Barnett & Les Harman beat Trevor Brown’s triple 18-2. Coltishall also pulled off a fabulous 10-0 away win at Horsford Heroes where Margaret Harman’s triple beat Mick Dale by 23-7. East Tuddenham made it four wins out of four beating Horsford Heroes 8-2 with Gillian Amos, Gerald Potter Robin Amos leading the way with a 17-7 victory. Horsford Heroes enjoyed a good 9-1 home win against Thorpe Marriott with Vic Webster winning 19-12. Marriott fared better at home to Hevingham in a match they won 7-3 after Jenny Walker, Ted Redwood & Peter Walker romped to a 29-9 win against Maurice Kemp’s triple. Horsford BC won the last four games of their Bure Cup match at home to Coltishall to establish a 16-8 lead to take into the second leg. The first two sessions left the teams level on points with Les Harman’s Coltishall triple winning 10-3 and both Willie Jefferies & Malcolm Reynolds drawing. Horsford’s Dennis Seaton kept things all square with a 7-2 win. Bob Burrage & David Knights both won for Horsford in the third session to move them 8-4 up on points before Coltishall hit back with wins for Margaret Harman & Malcolm Reynolds to level the game once again. Then Horsford cut loose with Bob Burrage winning 9-0, Dennis Seaton winning 4-3, David Claxton winning 8-1 & David Knights winning 8-7.

RG Carter in class of their own

City of Norwich League champions RG Carter made it tens wins from ten games as they beat First Bus 12-2 away. Second placed Thorpe Marriott reduced the gap to twelve points as they won 14-0 at home to Jarrolds and 12-2 at Anglian Windows. Third placed Horsford Heroes won 10-4 at home to Framingham Earl and have only lost once so far this season. Sprowston SSC are unaccustomed to sitting in the lower reaches of the table and a 13-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Felthorpe did not help improve matters. Costessey failed to handle the difficult mats at Horsford BC where they were defeated 14-0 and County Council crashed to a 13-1 home defeat against First Bus.

Davidson powers Carleton Rode to victory

In the Breckland League title chasing Carleton Rode & Connaught “A” met and it was Carleton who were left celebrating an 8-2 home win while Connaught were left to count the cost of a bruising defeat. Neil Davidson’s triple stormed to a 21-6 win against Lee Fallows’ triple while tighter games saw Terry Newby and Graham Mobbs both win for the home side. Connaught’s only points were earned in a 25-7 win for Sheila Bragg’s triple. Four nights later Connaught “A” did far better at Watton where they inflicted a 9-1 home defeat on the bottom club. Chris Musk, Sylvia Parsons & Lee Fallows inspired their side with a thumping 31-5 win. Hingham also kept up the pressure on the top clubs with a 10-0 home win against Banham with Steve Hall’s triple winning 29-8.

 

Linsdell is the spark Wreningham need

With South Norfolk League giants Hempnall not playing Connaught grabbed top spot by beating Wreningham 8-2. County team player Mark Linsdell did his best for the visitors with a 21-6 win but Connaught won on the other three mats. Mulbarton are left on the bottom after a 10-0 loss at Thurton where Mike Greenacre’s triple won by 26-3. After suffering six straight defeats Watton produced two wins. Margaret Hunter’s triple won by 19-9 as Watton won 6-4 at Wreningham and followed that up with a 6-4 home win against Thurton.

                                                                                                  Posted 19-12-12

                         Shock defeat for Norfolk Premier in London

Norfolk Premier produced a far below par performance in London in their last I.C.C Group 3 match but previous results ensured they qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition. The final result of 27-13 to London does not flatter a home side who opened with an 8-0 first session win in the singles & pairs and kept the visitors under pressure throughout. Norfolk were without three regular players for this match as Chris Mann, John Turner & Andrew Stratton were unable to play for various reasons but this cannot be used as an excuse for a performance that Norfolk will want to forget. Neil Hedges of London was also missing after being suspended following an incident in their last match against Essex. The news that Northants had lost their final match by 30-10 against top of the group Essex Premier means that Essex & Norfolk progress to the knock-out stages. Essex finish as runaway group winners on 190 points, Norfolk Premier second on 121, Northants third with 101 and London County last with just 68. Top Norfolk players on the day were the rink of Jean Woods, Bob Oatway, Brian Saunders & Jon Sparham who won their games by 8-7 & 11-8.

                             Latest update on Northants car crash

For the many Norfolk bowlers who have asked for an update on the three Northants Over 60’s bowlers injured in the car crash prior to last Thursday’s match here it is. David Robbins is presently in Northampton Hospital with broken ribs and a broken bone in his back. Catherine Robbins, who was taken by Air Ambulance to Coventry Hospital, is still there with a broken hip & pelvis as well as a broken bone in her back. Shirley King suffered severe bruising but is now at home.

                                                                                                                    Posted 2-12-12

Northants bowlers in car accident on way to County Over 60's match

The Norfolk Short Mat Bowls Association would like to send their best wishes, and hopes of a quick recovery, to David Robbins, Catherine Robbins & Shirley King of Northants who were injured in a car accident today on their way to the match between Northants Over 60’s and Norfolk Over 60’s at Cosgrove. David & Shirley are believed to have both been released from the wreckage of the car and have suffered severe bruising and they have now been released form Northampton Hospital. Catherine was flown to Coventry Hospital by Air Ambulance who attended the scene.

Chris Hopkins B.I Triples win is England’s only triumph

England hosted the British Isles Championships at Potters Leisure Resort and celebrated success in the B.I Triples as Chris Weston, Ed Sawbridge & Chris Hopkins of Northants lifted the title for England with a dramatic 14-13 win against Irish legend Ray Stubbs in their last match of the competition. Hopkins’ triple had opened with an 11-9 win against Nick Evan’s Welsh triple followed by a 16-5 thumping of Colin Holland’s Isle of Man trio. Stella Clyne’s Scottish triple were then swept aside by 18-5 which set up the title decider against the Irish who had also collected maximum points. With the Irish holding a better shot difference than Chris Hopkins the England stars had to win the match and duly produced the goods to earn the host nation their only title success of the weekend. Chris Kearns, James Bucknall, Martin Simcock & Glyn Berrisford collected runners-up trophies in the B.I Fours. Their 14-3 defeat at the hands of Mark Wilson’s Irish rink on the opening day proved fatal as the Irish won all their games to lift the title. England's Kevin Pinkawa & Chris Willies beat Kenny MacPherson’s Scottish pair by a massive 22-4 in the B.I Pairs but this was their only success of the weekend. Ryan O’Neill’s Irish pair took maximum points to finish B.I Pairs Champions with Ceri Jones’ Welsh pairing finishing runners-up. Hopes were high of Essex star Craig Burgess doing well in the B.I Singles but he will be bitterly disappointed with his results. Four straight defeats left him out of the running as Andrew Evans of Wales lifted the coveted British Isles Singles Crown with John Quinn of Ireland in second place. Evans 19-8 win against Quinn on Saturday turned out to be the vital score-line. England’s efforts to retain the all important British Isles Team Championship failed as Ireland took back the title that they have won so many times in the past. England’s opening match against Wales was a game that neither team could afford to lose if they were to keep their title hopes on course and a 35-29 defeat left England in trouble from the start while Ireland opened with a 56-30 win against Scotland. England recovered well to hammer the Scots 63-15 on Sunday morning but Ireland beat Wales 46-31 to keep their title push on track. Ireland wrapped up the B.I Team title by beating England 46-30 in the final session while Wales made sure of the runners-up spot beating Scotland 51-28.

                                                                                                                        Posted 18-11-12

Chris Hopkins, pictured recently at Lakeside, skipped his triple to the B.I Triples title

British Isles Championships come to Potters in Norfolk

This weekend will see a feast of short mat bowls at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk, as England attempt to retain the British Isles Team Title they won last year. England’s first match is against a strong Welsh team in the International Arena at 2.15pm on Saturday 17th November on mat numbers 1 to 4. Scotland will face an Irish team, determined to win back the title they had almost made their own for so many years, and that match will be played on mat numbers 5 to 8. In truth Ireland are likely to start with a massive victory against a Scottish side who have struggled to compete at this level while the loser of the England v Wales match can probably write off their chances of lifting the title. Sunday morning at 11am England will expect to sweep aside Scotland on mat numbers 5 to 8 while Ireland play Wales at the same time. On Sunday afternoon at 2.45pm England face Ireland in what could well be the title decider on mats 1 to 4. This will be the final time England Manager Keith Smith, who led the team to a famous victory last year, is in charge as he has decided to step down from the role at the end of the season. Speaking this week Keith said that the England teams chances are very good, although he is known to favour playing on a sports hall type floor rather than mat on mat, and that a number of young new players have forced their way into the team. Victory this weekend for England would give Smith legendary status as England’s most successful manager of all time. Essex star Craig Burgess will be representing England in the British Isles Singles Championship. His opening match is on Saturday at 12.45pm when he plays the classy Laurence Moffat of Scotland on mat 3. I have known Craig since he first broke into the Essex team in his early teens and he has developed into a superb bowler over the years. The task of lifting the Singles crown will be hard with Ireland’s John Quinn sure to be a serious threat but the man known as Budgie must start as one of the favourites. Craig Burgess has made it known that he will be applying for the England manager’s job when the time comes and a British Isles Singles title would certainly not harm his chances. The opening singles matches on Saturday will commence at 10.30am with John Quinn playing Laurence Moffat on mat 8 while Stephen Gale of the Isle of Man plays Andrew Evans of Wales on mat 6. In the British Isles Pairs Championship Chris Willies of the West Mids skips for England and faces the Isle of Man’s Moira Anderson at 10.30am on Saturday morning on mat 7 followed by a crunch match against Ceri Jones of Wales on mat 4 at 12.45. Chris is another young man who has worked hard at developing his game over the years and will see this as a big chance to win a British Isles title. Chris Hopkins, a giant figure in short mat bowls, skips the England trio in the British Isles Triples Championship. He has been E.S.M.B.A Chairman for many years and devotes much of has time & energy to the sport of short mat bowls and its members. He has often been seen as a controversial figure but his commitment to the game he loves has never been in doubt. His heart attack while playing for Northants against Norfolk at Lakeside made headline news in the Norwich Evening News a couple of years back when prompt treatment by Norfolk players Lianne Mills and Jean Barnett were credited with saving his life. No doubt Chris will skip his triple in his usual forceful manner and he can be seen in action for the first time at 12.45pm on Saturday on mat 7 when he plays Nick Evans’ Welsh triple. In the British Isles Fours Championship Glyn Berrisford skips the England rink against Ben Haddon’s Welsh rink at 10.30am on Saturday morning on mat 3.

As announced earlier in the week spectators are welcome to attend the British Isles Championships at Potters Leisure Resort in the International Arena and entry is free. If you wish to enjoy the opening ceremony, prior to the first session, please arrive promptly to take your seats. The opening games on Saturday commence at 10.30am with the Singles, Pairs, Triples & Fours all in action on eight mats. The N.C.S.M.B.A would like to take this opportunity to wish all England players, management & officials an enjoyable & successful British Isles Championships. The N.C.S.M.B.A would also like to thank Craig Burgess for his efforts in providing a link with full information on playing times etc that is situated at the bottom of this article. This link will also provide live score updates for those unable to attend the venue in person. The N.C.S.M.B.A would like to apologize for the lateness of the information regarding spectator entry, session times etc but this was out of the control of the Association. As previously stated in an earlier Latest News article on this web-site, forward planning is essential in the success of major events and it is essential that information is released much sooner than it was on this occasion to aid those who want to attend the event. Any Association, club or short mat bowls body that wishes to advertise any of their events on this web-site should access the Management Page and e-mail any information to the Press & Web Secretary whose details are shown on that page. 

Hall fire forces venue change

The recent fire at South Walsham Village Hall has resulted in South Walsham having to play their home games at a different venue until further notice. It is likely that Woodbastwick’s venue will be used until repairs to South Walsham Village Hall are completed. This is likely to be sometime in the New Year. Any queries about South Walsham’s games should be directed to John Brewer on 01603-714025.

Around the County

County Cup

County Cup action saw Sprowston defeat Felthorpe 6-2 in an all City League clash. John Poynter’s triple led the way with a big 22-5 win while Peter Smart won 15-9 and David Dewing won by 21-11. Thorpe Marriott defeated Breckland League giants Wymondham by just one shot after a 4-4 points draw. Sheila Redwood, T Hart & Kath Frost won 13-10 & Margaret McPherson, Ted Redwood & Bob McPherson won 15-11 with Wymondham’s 13-12 Chris Mann win and 15-10 Debbie Phillips’ win leaving them 50-49 down on shots.

Coastal League

Coastal League leaders Woodbastwick Eagles lost by a narrow 10-8 margin in their local derby away to Woodbastwick Owls, the same scoreline they had gone down to at Bradwell Blue three days earlier. Hemsby won 10-8 at Stalham but lost 10-8 at home to Woodbastwick Owls. Staham were held to a 9-9 draw at home to Martham.

Breckland League

Connaught “A” suffered a shock defeat at Hingham where a single shot determined the destination of the two bonus points. Hingham’s M Potter, Eric Frary & Jane Frary beat Sheila Bragg’s triple 20-16 but Connaught replied with a 16-13 win by Chris Musk, Sylvia Parsons & Lee Fallows in a competitive first half. After the break C Harris, S Hall & G Wilcox added another Hingham win by 18-14 against Owen Secker while Bill Adcock’s triple won 15-11 for the visitors. This left Hingham victors by 62-61 on shots and 6-4 on points and one point ahead of Forncett at the top of the table after achieving five straight wins. Forncett made it four wins from five games after defeating Harling 8-2. D Rumsby’s triple won by 21-12, T Ottewell’s triple by 18-15 & P Lock’s triple by 17-14. M Cunningham’s triple scored a consolation 17-13 win for Harling to earn their two points.

Thurne League

Halvergate pulled off a 9-1 away win at Hemsby while Woodbastwick beat Bradwell 6-4.

Bure League

Hevingham earned a creditable 7-3 away win at Cromer with Vic “Quiet Man” Woods skipping his triple to a 24-17 win. Despite an 18-8 win for Horsford BC’s Simon Warnes against Jim Couling his team slipped to an 8-2 defeat at Woodbastwick whose skips Peter Jablonowski, Tony Wright & Trevor Hallett won by seven shots apiece. Woodbastwick also won at Horsford Heroes where Roger Green, Elaine Cole & Trevor Hallett won by 23-5. Peter Smart’s triple won 21-11 as East Tuddenham beat Hevingham 8-2. A 24-5 win for Bob McPherson’s triple made sure of a 6-4 home win for Thorpe Marriott against Coltishall. 

                                                                                                                     Posted 14-11-12

British Isles Championships at Potters this weekend

With just four days to go before the British Isles Championships come to Potters Leisure Resort at Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk the E.S.M.B.A have finally released details for anyone who wishes to attend the event. Play will commence on Saturday 17^th November at 10.30am, following the opening ceremony in the International Arena, and on Sunday 18^th November play will start at 9am. Entrance to the International Arena is free for spectators. A limited number of tickets, that include lunch and a five course evening meal, are available at £30 each but you will need to contact an E.S.M.B.A official should you require a ticket.   

Some of the finest short mat bowlers currently playing the game will be on show but little in the way of publicizing the event seems to have been done. Unfortunately the level of publicity generated for the British Isles Championships by the competing nations is about on the same level as that generated for a game of crib at your local pub. The information for spectators finally appeared on the E.S.M.B.A web-site on Monday following the Norfolk v Northants I.C.C match at Lakeside where Norfolk Chairman Selwyn Goldsmith tackled ESMBA Chairman Chris Hopkins on the issue. Hopkins deserves great credit for being quick to address the matter but it may well be a case of “too little too late.” The web-sites of the English, Welsh & Irish governing bodies provide an ideal platform to advertise the biggest event on the short mat bowls calendar to their members but, until the late update on the England web-site appeared, the information was frankly pitiful. Until the update appeared the only people who seemed to be in the know about the British Isles Championships were the teams and the officials of the national bodies and that is nothing new. It is the story of short mat bowls that has become all too familiar down the years. The attitude seems to be that the big events are just for the players named to play and the officials. There is precious little effort made to inform grass-root bowlers so that they take an interest and maybe come to watch and support. Sorry but isn’t it their money that pays for this? The big question to be asked is this, if we can’t even promote the major short mat bowls event of the year to our own bowlers how on earth will we ever promote the sport of short mat bowls to others? 

                                                                                                                                          Posted 13-11-12

Both Norfolk teams win at Lakeside in I.C.C

Norfolk’s County teams secured two valuable home wins at Lakeside in the Inter-County Championships to improve their chances of qualifying for the knock-out stages. Norfolk Premier entertained Northants Premier and endured a nightmare start in the singles and pairs. Despite fighting every inch of the way Norfolk captain Trevor Brown of Bob Carter lost by 16-10 to Leigh Hall. In the other singles game Halvergate’s David Lamb could do little right against fellow England international Chris Hopkins and slumped to a 22-4 defeat. In the pairs Andrew Stratton & Nigel Willard went down 16-5 while Neil Davidson & Chris Mann lost 20-8. The fightback began in session two as Jack Barrett, Kim Bridge & John Turner beat Thelma Hopkins’ triple 13-2 and Jamie Foster, Debbie Phillips & Keith Cooke won 16-9. Robbie Lamb, George Clarke, Phil Watson & Melvin Woods held on to win 8-5 but a clean sweep was denied as Jon Sparham’s rink conceded three shots on the last end to lose 10-9. Back came the singles & pairs for session three but any hopes Northants had of repeating their first session wins were quickly banished. It was almost as if different players had come out as David Lamb beat Leigh Hall 17-5 and Trevor Brown raced to a 21-9 win against ESMBA Chairman Chris Hopkins. This remarkable recovery saw the Norfolk singles players wipe out a 24 shot deficit to share the bonus points. Stratton & Willard produced a 10-9 win while Davidson & Mann won by 18-9 as the pairs completed a clean sweep to put Norfolk into the lead. The final session saw Foster, Phillips & Cooke complete a great days work winning 17-3 although Turner’s triple failed to keep a clean sheet losing a tight game 9-7. In the rinks Jean Woods, Bob Oatway, Brian Saunders & Jon Sparham won 8-7 and although Melvin Woods’ rink lost 9-6 the no scoring end they secured on the final end of the match made sure that the bonus points were shared in the rinks earning Norfolk Premier a 22-18 home win. In their last group game Norfolk will visit bottom team London while Northants have top of the table Essex to play, this leaves Norfolk favourites to join Essex in the knock-out stages. Norfolk “A” entertained Suffolk and did their chances of qualifying a great boost with a fabulous 32-8 win. Sheila Bragg won both of her singles games beating David Baker 21-12 & Dennis Miller by 11-9. David Dewing was also unbeaten with a 17-10 win and a 13-13 draw. Sue Hunt & Robin Amos took three points out of four in the pairs while Sheila Redwood, Ted Redwood & Ray Lamb won their games by 12-4 & 14-5. Melvyn Barker, Steven Lamb, Mike Harvey & Simon Warnes collected two wins of 10-4 & 9-6 in the rinks. Norfolk “A” visit Suffolk in their next match in a group that is still too tight to call. Next weekend the British Isles Championships take place at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea where England will attempt to retain the team title. Ireland will be equally determined to win the title back that they have won so many times in the past. As Halvergate’s David Lamb narrowly missed out on being selected for this prestigious event no Norfolk players will be taking part. 

                                                                                    Posted 11-11-12          

Action at Lakeside today

Chris Hopkins of Northants at Lakeside

Today I saw the future of Norfolk Short Mat Bowls

Today I saw the future of Norfolk Short Mat Bowls and it came in the guise of Josh Baxter & Jack Barrett as they powered their way to the Norfolk County Pairs Championship title as well as a place in the National Championship Finals in Bromsgrove. Barrett of Wymondham & Baxter of Halvergate wrote a new chapter in the record books as they became the youngest pair to lift the title. Sixteen year old Barrett & 17 year old Baxter faced Bob Carter’s Robert Howlett & East Tuddenham’s John Turner in the final with most expecting the vastly more experienced pair to come out on top. First blood duly went to Howlett & Turner with a single on the first end. On the second end a forcing shot by Barrett took shot and with a great second bowl he earned his pair a 2-1 lead. Baxter drew onto the jack with his opening bowl on the third end and then drew in a second wood. Howlett attacked the head and missed while Turner’s last bowl was short and the youngsters moved 4-1 up. The next end finished with Barrett drawing in two good woods to put his pair 6-1 up. Shots on the next end were vital if Howlett & Turner were to keep in touch and they responded with some excellent bowls to pick up three shots and cut the deficit to 6-4. On the sixth end two good woods by Josh Baxter left John Turner with serious problems but he responded with a perfect forehand to take shot. Jack Barrett retrieved the situation with his next bowl forcing Turner to attack but he failed to stop the young duo taking two shots and an 8-4 lead with two scheduled ends left to play. Josh Baxter immediately put Howlett & Turner under pressure yet again and John Turner had no option but to attack with his final wood but he could not stop Baxter & Barrett taking another shot and a 9-4 lead. With the match out of reach Howlett & Turner conceded leaving two young men to celebrate a famous victory. In the play-off for third place Steven Lamb of Halvergate  & Paul Baker of Hempnell beat Gillian & Robin Amos of Deaf Sport. In the semi-finals Baxter & Barrett beat Lamb & Baker 8-3 while Howlett & Turner beat the Amos pairing by 9-8.  

                                                                                                                  Posted 4-11-12

   Jack Barrett & Josh Baxter - Youngest ever Norfolk Pairs Champions

 Robert Howlett & John Turner - Runners-Up

Norfolk Over 60’s win at Carlton Colville

Despite a great last session by the home side, Norfolk Over 60’s completed a 27-21 points victory against Derek Barley’s Carlton Colville Select in Suffolk. Norfolk were off the marks quickly with a 6-2 first session win on points with Betty Cox, Trevor Pinchen & Rex Cox leading the way with a 17-5 win. The second session was shared at 4-4 on points but Norfolk established an 18-6 points lead after they swept Carlton Colville aside in the third session in which Sheila Redwood, Jenny Walker & Colin Coman won by 15-1. The home side edged the fourth session by just 5-3 on points but it was back to winning ways for Norfolk on the fifth session with a 6-2 points win to stretch their lead to 27-13 on points. Billie Barker, Doreen Stearman & Melvyn Barker won their game by 13-3 while Rex Cox’s triple won 12-4. Whether it was because Norfolk knew that they couldn’t now lose, or whether the home team had finally found their form we will never know, but the last session saw the Suffolk side take a clean sweep to narrow the gap to 27-21. Two Norfolk triples won all their games. Betty Cox of First Bus, Trevor Pinchen of Thorpe Marriott and Rex Cox of First Bus won by 17-5, 13-7 & 12-4. Sheila Redwood & Jenny Walker of Thorpe Marriott, playing with Colin Coman of First Bus, won by 10-1, 15-1 & 8-5.

Cromer march on in Bure Cup

Cromer went to Anglian Windows protecting a big 18-6 lead from the first leg of their preliminary round Bure Cup match. Two Cromer triples had achieved maximum points in the home leg as Richard Airs, Dennis Broughton & John Andreae won their games by 19-0, 8-3 & 8-0 while Sheila Doyle, Nigel James & Dorothy Airs had won by 12-1, 8-5 & 12-1. In the second leg Tom Doyle, Pat Hall & Aleck Haynes did the business for the seasiders beating Alan Williamson’s triple 8-1 in their opening game and drawing 3-3 with Mike Boswell’s triple in their second. Anglian Windows conceded with the aggregate score at 25-15 to Cromer with two sessions remaining. Also in the preliminary round Horsford BC hold a big 18-6 lead from their first leg at home to Thorpe Marriott. Three wins apiece for Simon Warnes’ triple & Dennis Seaton’s triple should put Horsford BC on course for a clash with Coltishall in the next round. East Tuddenham are safely through after Halvergate conceded with two sessions remaining at their Freethorpe venue as Geraldine Potter, Gerald Potter & Robert Howlett finished the night unbeaten. East Tuddenham’s massive 21-3 lead from the first leg was too much for Halvergate to claw back and the game finished with Tuddenham 25-13 up. East Tuddenham will meet Cromer in the next round. First round action saw Woodbastwick knock out Horsford Heroes by 30-18 on aggregate. Horsford Heroes were held to a 12-12 draw at home in the first leg as Woodbastwick’s Brian Frost, Elaine Cole & Trevor Hallett won their three games by 9-1, 12-2 & 10-0. Woodbastwick ran away with the second leg winning by 18-6 with Roger Green, Elaine Cole & Trevor Hallett winning by 5-2, 16-3 & 8-4.  Kirby Bedon won 14-10 at Hevingham in their first leg first round match to give themselves a four point cushion for the second leg scheduled for the end of the month. Dot Dawson, Pat Saunders & Alistair Hunter, Leonora Chilman, Jan Hewitt & Brian Saunders and Carol Johnson, Peter Johnson & Gerald Chilvers all won two games apiece as Hevingham failed to capitalize on home advantage.

                                                                                                                                                              Posted 2-11-12

Connaught “A” beat Wymondham in match of the week

The match of the week in the Breckland League saw title chasing Connaught “A” entertain defending champions Wymondham who they beat by 6-4 after a nail biting last end. Rita Secker, Alison Rush & Owen Secker opened with an 18-13 win against Chris Mann’s triple while Roger Steele, Andrew Jackson & Jack Barrett replied for the visitors winning by 16-15 against Bill Adcock. In the second half Wymondham’s Billie Barker, Andrew Stratton & Debbie Phillips beat Sheila Bragg’s triple15-9 with Billie Barker in good form at lead. The last game to finish saw Connaught’s Chris Musk, Lee Fallows & Sylvia Parsons snatch the match points for their side beating Jon Sparham’s triple 17-14. A 21-9 win for Hingham’s Pat Roache, Colin Harris & John Higgs helped their team to a 6-4 win at Harling. Carleton Rode won 10-0 at Banham where Pamela Rush, Graham Mobbs & Will Hoggan won 21-10. Bure League new-boys Halvergate pulled off a 9-1 home win against Hevingham inspired by a massive 31-5 win for Jackie Smith, Mike Tate & David Lamb against George Clarke’s triple. Hevingham also faced another new Bure League side, Cromer, but this time home advantage helped them as they won 10-0. Vic Woods’ triple were top scorers for Hevingham recording a 21-9 win. East Tuddenham beat Woodbastwick 8-2 with Gillian Amos, Gerald Potter & Robin Amos beating Jim Couling’s triple 26-2. John Turner & Peter Smart also both won for the home side while Trevor Hallett’s triple secured Woodbastwick’s two points with a 15-10 win against Russell Harris. Tens League action saw Hempnall’s title aspirations take an early knock as they went down 2-0 at Kirby Bedon. The damage was done in the pairs as Pat Saunders & Alistair Hunter beat Neil Davidson & Jon Sparham 15-6 & Jill & Phil Watson beat Colin Stevenson & Chris Mann by 16-9. Connaught top the South Norfolk League after a 10-0 maximum win at Watton. Horsford had a good week winning 10-0 at home to Wreningham and 9-1 at Mulbarton where Keith Chapman’s triple won by 24-10. Thurton inflicted a 10-0 home defeat on Hingham with John Pidgen winning 17-6 and Mike Greenacre winning 16-8. John Greenwood’s triple reeled off a 26-4 win as Wreningham beat Mulbarton 8-2.

                                                                                                                      Posted 1-11-12

Belfast I.B.C to host World Masters

Craig Burgess has announced that Belfast I.B.C has been confirmed as the venue for the World Masters Singles on the 13^th & 14th April 2013. The event was originally scheduled to take place in March at Wye Valley but a clash of dates with the National Mixed Fours Finals and the National Under 18’s Finals proved to be a problem. Other dates already announced are the European Masters on the 4^th & 5^th November in Herentals, Belgium, the Swedish Masters on the 12^th & 13^th January in Stromstad & the English Masters at Wye Valley I.B.C on 9^th & 10^th February. Craig Burgess, speaking on behalf of the SMPT, said that the World Masters in Belfast will probably be the biggest competition that they have ever run and that it will probably be the biggest in the sports history. Ireland’s rules prohibit the giving of cash prizes in competitions so the £1,000 first prize, £500 for the runner-up as well as the remainder of the prizes will be in the form of vouchers for Tesco, Argos, Sainsburys & Amazon. With England manager Keith Smith stepping down at the end of the season Essex & England bowler Craig Burgess has made it known that he intends to apply for the manager’s job. Burgess is putting forward radical plans to change the England set-up. His plan would significantly reduce England team costs that Burgess estimates to be currently £15,000 a year.

Sparham on song

Connaught “A”,  Wymondham & Kirby crash out of Norwich Cup

Last season’s Norwich Cup winners Connaught “A” made a shock first round exit against City League side Sprowston after a dramatic extra end play off. Sprowston had suffered a semi-final meltdown last season against Connaught when they went down 27-9 on aggregate and looked to be going down again as Connaught led 8-4 on points with one session remaining at Attleborough. Linda Chadwick, Les Chadwick & David Dewing had kept the visitors in the match with wins of 8-6 against Bill Adcock and 10-3 against Owen Secker but both Sprowston pairs competing in the final session had lost their opening games. Margaret & John Poynter beat Ty Musk & Sheila Bragg by 11-7 while Janet Roll & David Fuller won by 8-2 against Chris Musk & Sylvia Parsons to level the match 8-8 on points. After a delay, due to a disagreement on the overall shots total, a sudden death extra end of triples finally took place with Margaret Poynter, David Dewing & John Poynter winning the cup tie for Sprowston with John Poynter playing the vital last bowl against Sheila Bragg’s triple. Another City League side to go through was Anglian Windows who won by 10-6 at home to Kirby Bedon. Maximum points for Russell Daynes, David Walker & Avril Walker in the triples and Diane & Mike Boswell in the pairs made it a comfortable victory against a Kirby side who are likely to struggle this season. The one bright spot for Kirby was the debut of Les Hewitt who is likely to be called into action again for a team who start the season short of players. Breckland League giants Wymondham are also out after their first ever visit to Cromer ended in defeat. With county stars Debbie Phillips & Jon Sparham both missing the visitors did not field their best side, but Cromer are a force to be reckoned with on their fast mats whatever team visit them. The score was tied at 4-4 at the break although Cromer were by then eleven shots up. The third session saw Cromer move 8-4 up with Jane Janes’ triple scoring three shots on the last end of their game to beat Brian Saunders’ triple 9-8. With Richard Airs & John Andreae both in good form the last two games also went Cromer’s way giving them a convincing 12-4 win. When Coltishall lost the opening two games at Connaught “B” a surprise result looked on the cards but two wins for Martin Edridge, Eddie Edridge & Willie Jefferies helped the visitors into a 7-5 lead with one session remaining. Former England stars Carol & John Aggas made sure of a Coltishall victory by winning their pairs game by 7-5 on shots to leave Coltishall 9-7 winners on points. Other results saw last season’s giant killers Forncett dispose of Watton while Hevingham also made home advantage count beating Horsford Heroes 11-5. Woodbastwick are through to the second round after Hempnall conceded their cup match after being unable to raise a team.

                                                                                                                  Posted 7-10-12

Bradwell Rink lift Norfolk Mixed Fours Title

There are four new names on the list of Norfolk County Champions after Anne Baker, Jackie Fortescue, Keith Cooke & Josh Baxter of Bradwell lifted the Norfolk Mixed Fours title at Lakeside Country Club. In the final they took on Jenny Walker of Thorpe Marriott, Donna & David Lamb of Halvergate and Wymondham’s Chris Mann. The first five ends were tight with only one shot scored on each end but the Bradwell rink scored four of them to lead 4-1. On the penultimate end the Bradwell rink saw all their good work undone as Mann’s rink took four shots to level the game with one end remaining. Another tight end followed but it was the Bradwell rink that scored a single shot to win by 5-4. In the play-off for third place Pauline Wilson of Yaxham, Marjorie Hall of Felthorpe, Mark Linsdell of Wymondham & Selwyn Goldsmith of Kirby Bedon faced Maureen Munford, Elaine Oatway, George Munford & Bob Oatway of First Bus. Bob Oatway’s rink drew first blood with a single on the first end but after three ends Selwyn Goldsmith’s rink led 4-1. Three shots for the First Bus rink leveled the game on the fourth end but Goldsmith’s rink went on to win after a tight last end went their way. In the semi-finals the Bradwell rink had beaten Goldsmith’s rink by 7-6 while Mann’s rink had beaten Oatway’s rink 7-3.                          

                                                                                                       Posted 30-9-12

Anne Baker, Josh Baxter, Jackie Fortescue & Keith Cooke

Norfolk “A” win but a bad day at the office for Premier

POTTERS CUP & CASH PAIRS WEEKEND SPECIAL

The annual Potters Cup Weekend at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea again provided a feast of bowls, dining & entertainment in the world famous International Arena. With seven triples finishing on maximum points “shot difference” was used to determine the finalists of the Potters Cup & the Potters Shield. Essex triple Pauline Pamment of Sanguine, Shirley Minks of Wickford & Jean Herson of Springhouse competed in the Potters Cup Final against Norfolk triple Mike Greenacre of Haddiscoe, Debbie Phillips of Wymondham & Jon Sparham of Hempnall. After Pauline Pamment drew onto the jack with her second wood the Essex ladies held on to take a single on the opening end. Another single followed on the second end after Jean Herson played a great last bowl chipping the jack across the mat onto another Essex wood following two superb Debbie Phillips bowls which proved to be in vain. The Norfolk triple levelled the game on the third end after a super backhand draw by Mike Greenacre took shot and Debbie Phillips drew in a great second bowl. The pressure mounted on Essex on the fourth end as Greenacre & Phillips drew in four good woods and Jon Sparham drew in a fifth. Jean Herson responded with a deadly attacking bowl to take shot and drew in a second to move Essex 4-2 up against the run of play. An inch perfect lead wood by Pauline Pamment and an equally good second bowl put Sparham in trouble but Phillips & Sparhamk both came close to taking shot and cut Essex to another single. Going into the next end 5-2 down the Norfolk triple knew they needed to win the sixth end to keep in touch. It proved to be the best end yet as four great opening bowls by Pamment & Greenacre set the stage. Attacking bowls by Phillips & Minks left Sparham holding one shot but Herson pushed an Essex wood on to the jack. Jon Sparham attacked to take out the offending Essex bowl but Jean Herson immediately replaced it with another. Sparham had a real pressure wood to play with his final bowl and his attacking shot paid off big time scoring three shots and making the score 5-5. A superb seventh end saw some great bowling by all six players as the battle for the Potters Cup heated up. When Jean Herson stepped up to play the last wood of the end Norfolk held two shots and her wood was slightly too wide to change the position and Norfolk moved 7-5 up. On the penultimate end Mike Greenacre drew a super bowl just behind the jack and the on form Debbie Phillips drew in two more. Shirley Minks responded with an even better bowl to take shot for Essex before Jon Sparham drew in to take it back for Norfolk. Jean Herson had the final say on the end with a winning bowl to cut Norfolk’s lead to 7-6 with an end remaining. With the tension rising it was no surprise that the final end saw the leads failing to find the perfect length and it was left to Debbie Phillips to nail the jack with a lovely forehand draw. The Essex triple failed to better Debbie’s bowl and the Norfolk triple were left celebrating victory at the end of one of the Potters Cup greatest finals.  In the Potters Shield Final Debbie Barrett, Jack Barrett & Chris Mann of Wymondham beat Gill Bunn, David Bunn & Pat Williamson of Hevingham in an all Norfolk final. While the Most Relaxed Triple Award went to Dorothy Muttitt of Thorpe Marriott & Thelma & John Price of North Yorkshire. The Potters Cash Pairs event on Sunday produced its normal amount hard fought games with a £120 first prize at stake. Shirley & Joe Brown of Costessey came out on top with maximum points and a +25 shot difference. Joan Cann of Hempnall & Gerald Chilvers of Kirby Bedon were runners-up with an identical shot difference but scored 38 shots for against the Brown’s 40 shots. Rose Haynes & Roger Green of North Yorkshire were third with +22 and Jon Sparham of Hempnall & Chris Mann of Wymondham were fourth also on + 22 but scored 37 shots against the Yorkshire pairs 39. Other pairs who finished with maximum points  but were outside the cash places were Terry Cook & Derek Barley of Suffolk (+19) and Wymondham's Hayley & Andrew Stratton (+11).  Popular Potters personality Mark Brewer conducted the presentations alongside the Potters Cup Weekend Organisor Teresa Goldsmith.  

           Potters Cup Winners Mike Greenacre, Debbie Phillips & Jon Sparham with Mark Brewer of Potters

            Potters Shield Winners Chris Mann, Debbie Barrett & Jack Barrett with Mark Brewer of Potters

                         Potters Cash Pairs Winners Shirley & Joe Brown with Mark Brewer of Potters

                     Winning smiles from the Norfolk triples who tasted success at the Potters Cup Weekend

BDA back on agenda after ESMBA votes to re-open discussions

Bob Carter win the battle of the giants

A fascinating Norfolk Summer Cup Final between Bob Carter & Wymondham, played at the excellent Anglian Windows venue, saw Carter raise the bar again to snuff out their great rivals. Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melvin Woods opened for Carter on mat two against Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham. On mat one the vastly experienced triple of George Clarke, John Turner & Trevor Brown went into battle for Carter against Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips.

Young Jack Barrett started his evening with two lovely woods to put Melvin Woods’ triple under pressure forcing England’s David Lamb to use weight. With Jon Sparham drawing in well Carter skip Melvin Woods also attacked with his last wood cutting Wymondham down to one shot. Carter enjoyed a superb second end putting Jon Sparham under intense pressure and held four shots when Sparham stepped up to play his last bowl. He failed to cut any shots out and Melvin Woods drew in his final bowl to take a five giving them an early advantage. On the other mat Trevor Brown’s triple looked in fine form and counts of two on the first two ends got them off the mark. Debbie Phillips’ triple responded well though taking four shots on the third end but Carter led 7-4 after six ends following a great last wood by Trevor Brown. John Turner swept the jack back on the eighth end to hold three shots and Debbie Phillips did well to limit the damage to just one shot with her last bowl. Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips changed playing positions on the next end to see if this would change the tempo of the game but Carter took two more shots to lead 10-4. On mat two a couple of great bowls by Jack Barrett helped Wymondham on their way to a count of four to level a topsy turvy game after three ends. Jon Sparham ditched the jack on the next end to give Wymondham an 8-5 lead. With Jack Barrett giving Carter a lot of problems from the number two position Sparham’s triple moved 9-5 up after five ends and Wymondham’s prospects looked good. Things were about to change though and a superb final bowl from Melvin Woods on the next end earned Carter two shots. Carter then began to pile on the pressure with some great bowling by Jason Woods & David Lamb, and despite Sparham attacking with his last bowl on the seventh end Carter took three shots to lead 10-9. Minty Lamb’s battle with Jack Barrett was great to watch as both players produced telling shots. An excellent final bowl from Melvin Woods left Jon Sparham with a problem that he failed to solve and Carter moved 12-9 ahead. On mat one the greater experience of Clarke, Turner & Brown was showing but Mann’s triple were still hanging in there and cut the deficit to 11-8 after eleven ends. A terrific next end culminated in Trevor Brown playing a blinding final shot to drive Carter into a 12-8 lead. The thirteenth end was unlucky for Chris Mann as his final attacking wood failed to come off and Trevor Brown’s triple led 14-8 with two ends left. A cracking last wood by Chris Mann took a single on the penultimate end to cut Carter’s lead to 14-9. A disastrous last end for Wymondham saw them drop a five to lose by 19-9 as the Carter triple earned valuable shots. On mat two Roger Steele produced two superb lead woods to raise Wymondham spirits and Barrett drew in two more super bowls. It was left to Carter skip Melvin Woods to try and limit the damage but he could not stop Sparham’s triple taking three shots and pulling level at 12-12. The next end Barrett sliced the jack close to the ditch line. After a couple of failed attempts to take the jack into the ditch Jon Sparham succeeded in doing so and his triple was back in front by 13-12 after ten ends. Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melvin Woods were in no mood to accept defeat though and things were about to change dramatically. Two shots on end eleven put Carter back into the lead by 14-13 and an attacking bowl by Sparham failed to stop Carter increasing that to 16-13 after twelve ends. The game slipped away from Wymondham on the thirteenth end as Carter took five shots to lead 21-13 and followed that up with a count of four to lead 25-13 with an end to go. A single on the last end for Sparham reduced the score to 25-14 but at the interval you sensed that for Wymondham there was no way back from 4-0 down on points and 44-23 down on shots. 

For the second half Wymondham brought in Andrew Stratton in place of Roger Steele in an attempt to change things but with Carter winning the toss to stay on the same mats Wymondham had a mountain to climb. Clarke, Turner & Brown were full of confidence after their first half win and quickly moved into a 6-1 lead after five ends. At that point Andrew Stratton moved to skip for Wymondham with Jon Sparham at lead. It made little difference though as Carter maintained the pressure to lead 10-1 after eight ends. A mini revival for Stratton’s triple saw them reduce the deficit to 10-6 with five ends to go but a tight measure on the next end went Carter’s way. The penultimate end proved to be the match winner as Carter took four shots, a 16-8 lead and cup glory once again. With the match effectively over the final end was played in a light-hearted manner with Wymondham taking a single to lose 16-9. On mat two Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melvin Woods were 14-9 down after twelve ends against Mikey George, Debbie Phillips & Chris Mann. With their game running a couple of ends behind the other one the Cup Final was already decided before this match finished. Two shots to Carter on the thirteenth end cut Chris Mann’s lead to 14-11 but both triples realized that the result was now meaningless. Never-the-less the match was played to a finish with Carter pulling back to earn a 14-14 draw. The over-all result of 7-1 to Bob Carter was a fair reflection of the match with Carter having a touch too much fire power and experience for Wymondham to handle although the match might have been closer if Wymondham had won the toss to remain on the same mats in the second half.

Final score Bob Carter 7 (74) Wymondham 1 (46)

                                                                                                                                                                                                               Posted 22-8-12

     Wymondham win to set off end of season fireworks

An 8-0 home win for Wymondham against relegation threatened Thurton has set up a dramatic end of season finale at both ends of the Norfolk Summer League Division One. The result takes Wymondham two points clear of defending champions Bob Carter but both teams meet in their last match at Drayton in a dramatic title decider. A 4-4 draw would be enough to earn Wymondham their first ever Summer League title but statistics show that Carter have taken 38 points from a possible 40 on their own mats this season and are in no mood to surrender the title. If Carter win by 5-3 the title will be decided on “shot difference”. The Wymondham triple of Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips came back from 7-0 down to beat Peter Walker’s triple 20-11 and won their second game 24-6. Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham delivered Wymondham their other wins by 19-9 & 20-9. Thurton’s defeat at Wymondham left them level on points with Horsford “B” at the foot of the table, both teams five points adrift of Kirby Bedon “B”. Thurton travel to Horsford “B” for their final match with Division One survival the prize for the victors if they collect at least six points. If, on the other hand, the game finishes at 4-4 both teams will make an immediate return to Division Two and Kirby Bedon “B” will survive in the top flight by a single point. A 5-3 result will leave our old friend “shot difference” deciding the relegation issue.

                                                                                                         Posted 21-8-1                Thurton one step nearer survival?

Summer League Division One strugglers Thurton moved one step nearer safety by beating Hevingham 6-2. A great first half saw Margaret Newcome, Kerry Greenacre & Mike Greenacre beat David Sharpe’s triple 22-8 while Jenny Walker, Jan McClintock & Peter Walker added a 12-9 win against Maurice Kemp’s triple. Another good 20-9 win for Jan McClintock after the break made sure of victory but Maurice Kemp’s triple picked up two points for Hevingham. Horsford “B” are staring relegation in the face after losing 6-2 at home to title chasing Wymondham. Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips recovered from 7-0 down to beat Roger Frank’s triple 16-11 while Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham beat Mark Tuttle’s triple 21-9 to complete a perfect first half for Wymondham. Debbie Phillips’ triple added a 16-11 second half win but Horsford earned what could be two vital points when Peter Fox, Carol Kemp & Roger Frank beat Sparham 15-13. Its tight at the top in Division Two as Thorpe Marriott “A” inflicted an 8-0 home defeat on First Bus. Sylvia Turner, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won their games by 20-13 & 21-8 to keep Marriott’s promotion hopes alive. Diss Green are making a late run for promotion into the top flight. Terry Newby’s triple won by 14-11 & 26-6 as they beat Horsford “A” and in their following match Newby’s triple again produced the goods winning by 12-10 & 16-11 as they won 6-2 at Sprowston SSC. In Division Three Deaf Sports are in second place after a 6-2 win at Hingham Yellow. John Jeffrey’s triple won both their games by 17-15 & 18-10 ad Robin Amos added an 18-7 win as Deaf completed their last fixture of the season. Framingham Earl finished off any chance that Thorpe Marriott “B” had of promotion by inflicting an 8-0 home defeat on them. Karl Bunn’s triple won both their games by just one shot while former Langley star Mervyn Blaza won his games by 19-8 & 17-11. This result puts Framingham Earl in third place nine points adrift of Deaf Sports but with still two games to play and sixteen points up for grabs they are still in the race. Hingham Green cannot yet be discounted but a 6-2 defeat at Thorpe Marriott “B” will not aid their chances of promotion.

                                                                                                                   Posted 19-8-12

ESMBA pulls out of the BDA

"The British Crown Green Bowls Association and the English Short Mat Bowling Association recently announced their intention to leave the Bowls Development Alliance. This has come at a time when commitment was needed to sign up to the BDA for a further four years. Despite this setback Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd are fully committed to working together for the long-term development of the sport of bowls. The BDA is currently waiting to hear if its bid for continued funding (2013-2017) to bring more people into the game has been successful. It is only by working together in partnership that funding can be secured from Sport England in order to grow and sustain the sport. There will be no changes to the present way in which the BDA works across all codes of bowls. It is hoped in the future to encourage new partners to step forward, to work together and really make a step change in the development of the sport."

                                                                                                            Posted 15-8-12

Change of venue for President's Weekend

With Bromsgrove IBC still out of action due to recent flood damage the ESMBA President's Weekend ( 8th & 9th September 2012) has been moved to Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club, Eagle Drive, Amington, Tamworth, B77 4EG.

                                                                                           Posted 15-8-12

Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club

Wymondham to face Carter in Summer Cup Final

Despite never having won the Norfolk Summer Cup, high flying Wymondham started as firm favourites on their own mats in their semi-final clash against two time winners Hevingham. Wymondham’s starting line-up was a surprise with the charismatic Chris Mann sitting on the subs bench. His absence may well have boosted the visitors confidence as Pat Williamson, Ian MacLean & Maurice Kemp defeated Wymondham’s Debbie Barrett, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips 14-10 after recovering from 7-2 down after five ends. Home triple Mary Fisher, Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham delivered the expected victory in the other first half game beating Alan Bunn, David Sharpe & Vic “Quiet Man” Woods but only by a tight 15-12 margin after a tremendous battle. With the teams drawing at 2-2 on points at the interval Chris Mann was brought into action in place of Debbie Barrett. With Debbie Phillips moving to lead, and Mann skipping the home triple, Hevingham’s Vic Woods triple found themselves in deep trouble trailing 15-1 after ten ends and there was no way back as they slipped to a 17-5 defeat. Jon Sparham’s triple added their second win beating Maurice Kemp’s triple 14-7 to set up a mouth watering final against Summer Cup holders Bob Carter at Anglian Windows. Bob Carter reached the final with ease with a comfortable home victory against struggling Division Two side Watton Green. The title battle in Division One looks likely to go to the wire with leaders Carter entertaining second placed Wymondham in the last game of the season. The battle to avoid relegation is interesting with the bottom two, Horsford “B” & Thurton, desperate to earn enough points to overhaul Kirby Bedon “B” and survive in the top flight. Thurton’s chances were not helped by an 8-0 defeat at Hevingham where David Sharpe’s triple won by 21-4 & 15-5 and Maurice Kemp’s triple won by 22-10 & 16-15. In Division Two a 6-2 home defeat against bottom club Horsford “A” has damaged the promotion hopes of Thorpe Marriott “A”. Vic Webster’s triple won by 19-9 & 16-9 as Horsford kept their survival hopes alive. Sprowston’s late surge up the table could see them regaining their place in Division One. A 6-2 win at Watton Green, where Terry Fletcher’s triple won their games by 16-14 & 19-7, was followed by an 8-0 thrashing of First Bus. Terry Fletcher’s triple added two more wins of 14-6 & 18-6 while David Dewing’s triple beat Gordon Crowe 18-7 and Bob Pattison by 29-5. Watton Green’s defeat means Division Three bowls for them next season. They will almost certainly be replaced by Halvergate who are running away with the Division Three title but the battle for the second promotion spot is still red hot. Deaf Sports moved ten points clear of third placed Hingham Green after a 6-2 home win against Watton Yellow. Framingham Earl earned a draw at Watton Yellow to keep their promotion push on course.                                                                                                                     Posted 12-8-12

Key Wymondham couple Jon Sparham & Debs Phillips will be looking forward to Cup Final

Summer League title race too close to call

Wymondham & Bob Carter, who have contested top spot all season, finally met head to head in the first of their vital late season clashes at Wymondham. A big win for either side would have seen the victors installed as title favourites but predictably the match ended in a 4-4 draw. Defending champions Bob Carter enjoyed a first half boost as Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner combined to inflict a crushing 21-6 defeat on Wymondham’s Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. After seven ends the visiting triple led by just 7-5 but then cut loose to romp away to victory as a change of playing order only made things worse for Wymondham. Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham made sure the match was level on points at the interval as they beat Carter’s Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melly Woods 18-7. 14-2 down after ten ends there was no way back for the Carter trio. After the break Wymondham captain Chris Mann brought in former Norfolk Singles champion Andrew Stratton in place of Mikey George to lead for Debbie Phillips. The change certainly helped them perform better than in the first half and they led Melly Woods’ triple 12-11 after fourteen ends. Unfortunately a bad last end saw both Stratton & Barrett put a bowl off the mat leaving skip Debbie Phillips under pressure. Despite a great effort with her final wood Debbie Phillips could not stop Carter taking two shots to win 13-12. On the other mat Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham faced Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner. With four former England players in action, as well as county regular Jon Sparham, Roger Steele could easily have felt daunted by their company but instead he rose to the occasion. His performance at lead was the difference between the triples as Wymondham won a hard fought game 15-9 in which Sparham’s triple scored five shots on the last two ends. The result leaves Wymondham 12 points behind Carter but with two games in hand. Their next game is a tricky visit to relegation threatened Horsford “B” which is followed by a home match against a Thurton side struggling to hold on to Division One status. Wymondham & Bob Carter then meet on Tuesday 28^th August at Drayton in what looks certain to be the title decider and that match will certainly not be for the faint-hearted. Prior to the Wymondham-Carter clash Kirby Bedon “B” had visited both Wymondham & Carter where they suffered 8-0 defeats at both venues. These results leave Kirby Bedon “B” in serious danger of relegation despite their current position in the table with three teams below them. Unfortunately for Kirby “B” they have now completed their fixtures while the teams below them all have games in hand.

Frantic 5 fighting for promotion

The Division Two championship race is wide open with five teams battling for the two promotion spots. After a poor first half to the season Sprowston SSC have emerged as serious contenders. An 8-0 home win against Thorpe Marriott “A” took Sprowston up to second place just five points behind leaders Anglian Windows. David Dewing’s triple opened with a 17-8 win against Sylvia Turner’s triple before adding a 13-11 win against Tony Turner. Terry Fletcher’s triple began with a 14-11 win against Simon Warnes before beating Sylvia Turner 15-5. Diss green kept their promotion hopes alive with an 8-0 win at Horsford “A” who are now bottom of the table. Former Cambridgeshire, Kirby Bedon, Framingham Earl & Thorpe Marriott player Will Hoggan skipped his triple to wins of 22-10 & 16-9 while Terry Newby won by 9-8 & 16-13. Diss also won by 6-2 at home to Thorpe Marriott “A” with Terry Newby’s triple winning by 18-16 & 17-10 while Hoggan added a 16-7 win. Tony Turner recorded the visitor’s only win beating Will Hoggan 14-10.

Short stay in Division Three for Halvergate

League new-boys Halvergate are still unbeaten after eleven games and their stay in Division Three looks like being a short one. Their visit to County Council ended with Halvergate completing their tenth win from eleven games defeating the home side 6-2. Michael Savage, Steven Lamb & Keith Cooke won both their games with scores of 14-12 & 17-10 to leave County Council with still just one win from twelve matches. It is difficult to see any other team getting near Halvergate but the fight for the second promotion spot still involves five teams. Deaf Sports are second but will have been hoping for more than a 4-4 draw at Watton Yellow. County regular Robin Amos skipped his triple to wins of 16-9 & 21-6 but David Quadling’s triple won 13-11 and John Hunter’s triple won 16-10 against Deaf Sports’ other triple. Thorpe Marriott “B” drew 4-4 at County Council and could also regret the four points dropped. Richard Perkins & John Jarvis won a game apiece for Marriott. Watton Green entertained County Council as the bottom two teams met with the match finishing level at 4-4. 

                                                                                                      Posted 7-8-12

Wymondham runners-up in National Club Championship Final

For the second year running Wymondham suffered the disappointment of losing the National Club Championship Final when they went down by 7-2 to Cheshire side Morley Green. In their first game Wymondham faced Worcestershire side Gilt Edge. Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham suffered a 4-12 defeat in the pairs but Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips won 10-4 in the triples. A 7-2 points win was earned as Chris Mann won his singles match by 9-8 and Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Jon Sparham & Debbie Phillips won their rinks game 12-1. In their next game Wymondham outplayed Somerset’s Hutton collecting all nine points. Chris Mann & Jon Sparham teamed up to win the pairs game 17-5 while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 11-5 in the triples. Jon Sparham powered to a 16-1 singles win while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 13-3 in the triples. Another Somerset side, Templecombe, were Wymondham’s next victims. Mann & Sparham carried on their good pairs form winning by 14-2 while George, Barrett & Phillips produced an 11-4 triples win. Jon Sparham again triumphed in the singles with a 14-3 result and despite George, Barrett, Mann & Phillips losing their rinks game 2-10 Wymondham were through 7-2 on points. In the semi-finals Wymondham were up against Wonford of Devon. Mann & Sparham scored their third pairs win in a row with a 12-6 score-line but George, Barrett & Phillips went down 7-10 to leave the match level on points. Jon Sparham delivered his third singles win in a row beating his Devon opposite number 12-6 and George, Barrett, Phillips & Mann combined to take Wymondham through to the final with an 8-3 shots win giving their team a 7-2 points win. Defending champions Bob Carter had also reached the semi-finals courtesy of 7-2 wins against Hazelbury Bryan and Kingscliffe but there was to be no repeat of last years glory as they went down 2-7 on points to Cheshire’s Morley Green. The final turned out to be a close run affair with Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips opening with a 10-9 triples win while Chris Mann & Jon Sparham were narrowly beaten by 8-11 in the pairs. In the last session Jon Sparham’s run of success in the singles came to an end as he lost by 7-9. Any hope of victory slipped away in the rinks as Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Debbie Phillips &   Chris Mann were beaten 1-6 in a low scoring game.                                                                                                                                        Posted 30-7-12  

Latest Cup & League Action

Hevingham reached the semi-finals of the Norfolk Summer Cup with a resounding 8-0 win at Horsford “A”. The visitors had a great start as Vic Woods, Pat Williamson & Maurice Kemp crushed Chris Woodhouse’s triple by 24-9 and Ian MacLean, Alan Bunn & David Sharpe beat Vic Webster’s triple by 18-9. Horsford “A”, currently at the foot of Division Two, had no answer to their Division One visitors who came out for the second half with their tails up as Kemp’s triple rattled off a 19-6 win and Sharp’s triple won by 22-10 to complete the demolition. High flying Wymondham were expecting a comfortable home victory against struggling Horsford “B” but had to fight all the way against a tenacious Horsford team. Mally Kemp, Sue Fox & Mark “The Marvel” Tuttle stunned home supporters as they pulled off a 14-11 win against Debbie Phillips’ triple in the first half but Mikey George, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham gave the home side a big shots advantage at the break beating Roger Frank’s triple 24-2. Tuttle’s triple were again in super form after the break and held Debbie Phillips’ triple to a 10-10 draw. Horsford’s Carol Kemp, Peter Fox & Roger Frank needed to win the remaining game if the visitors were to pull off the shock of the season, but despite heroic resistance they lost a close game by just 14-10 to Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips as Wymondham breathed a collective sigh of relief. Watton Green provided the giant killing of the quarter-finals by beating Division One side Kirby Bedon “B” 6-2. Home advantage proved vital as the visitors struggled against the Division Two side who had only won once in nine league outings this season. As the league season enters its final month defending champions Bob Carter & Wymondham are locked together on 46 points each at the top of Division One. Bob Carter won 6-2 at Kirby Bedon “B” where George Clarke, John Turner & Nigel Willard won twice. Melvin Woods’ triple added the third win for Carter but Jackie Tunmore, Peter Johnson & Gerald Chilvers earned the home side two points with an 11-7 win against Jean Woods, Jason Woods & Melvin Woods. Wynondham’s 4-4 draw at Kirby Bedon “A” cost them their two point lead over Carter in the table. Neil Davidson, Alistair Hunter & Selwyn Goldsmith did the damage for Kirby with a 15-10 win against Mikey George, Andrew Stratton & Chris Mann and an 18-8 win against Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. A busy week for Kirby “A” saw them go down 6-2 at Thurton, where the home side collected valuable points in their fight against relegation, and then win 6-2 at Horsford “B” who are also in danger of the drop. Maurice Kemp skipped his Hevingham triple to wins of 19-6 & 14-12 as they earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B”. Division Two leaders Anglian Windows won 6-2 at Diss Green with county team star Mike Boswell winning by 17-9 & 13-8. Keith Halford’s triple added a 17-13 win to leave Diss facing a battle to avoid relegation. Promotion hopefuls Thorpe Marriott “A” earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B” where Janet Pinchen, Trevor Pinchen & Sylvia Turner won by 19-9 and Tony Frost, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won by 21-5. There was a surprise result in Division Three where second placed Deaf Sports saw their promotion hopes take a knock as they suffered a 7-1 home defeat against Hingham Yellow. Wendy Tweed, Pat Groombridge & Keith Thomas beat Robin Amos 19-10 in the first half and Thomas added a 20-13 win after the break. 

                                                                                                              Posted 29-7-12

Bob Carter win the battle of the giants

A fascinating Norfolk Summer Cup Final between Bob Carter & Wymondham, played at the excellent Anglian Windows venue, saw Carter raise the bar again to snuff out their great rivals. Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melvin Woods opened for Carter on mat two against Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham. On mat one the vastly experienced triple of George Clarke, John Turner & Trevor Brown went into battle for Carter against Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips.

Young Jack Barrett started his evening with two lovely woods to put Melvin Woods’ triple under pressure forcing England’s David Lamb to use weight. With Jon Sparham drawing in well Carter skip Melvin Woods also attacked with his last wood cutting Wymondham down to one shot. Carter enjoyed a superb second end putting Jon Sparham under intense pressure and held four shots when Sparham stepped up to play his last bowl. He failed to cut any shots out and Melvin Woods drew in his final bowl to take a five giving them an early advantage. On the other mat Trevor Brown’s triple looked in fine form and counts of two on the first two ends got them off the mark. Debbie Phillips’ triple responded well though taking four shots on the third end but Carter led 7-4 after six ends following a great last wood by Trevor Brown. John Turner swept the jack back on the eighth end to hold three shots and Debbie Phillips did well to limit the damage to just one shot with her last bowl. Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips changed playing positions on the next end to see if this would change the tempo of the game but Carter took two more shots to lead 10-4. On mat two a couple of great bowls by Jack Barrett helped Wymondham on their way to a count of four to level a topsy turvy game after three ends. Jon Sparham ditched the jack on the next end to give Wymondham an 8-5 lead. With Jack Barrett giving Carter a lot of problems from the number two position Sparham’s triple moved 9-5 up after five ends and Wymondham’s prospects looked good. Things were about to change though and a superb final bowl from Melvin Woods on the next end earned Carter two shots. Carter then began to pile on the pressure with some great bowling by Jason Woods & David Lamb, and despite Sparham attacking with his last bowl on the seventh end Carter took three shots to lead 10-9. Minty Lamb’s battle with Jack Barrett was great to watch as both players produced telling shots. An excellent final bowl from Melvin Woods left Jon Sparham with a problem that he failed to solve and Carter moved 12-9 ahead. On mat one the greater experience of Clarke, Turner & Brown was showing but Mann’s triple were still hanging in there and cut the deficit to 11-8 after eleven ends. A terrific next end culminated in Trevor Brown playing a blinding final shot to drive Carter into a 12-8 lead. The thirteenth end was unlucky for Chris Mann as his final attacking wood failed to come off and Trevor Brown’s triple led 14-8 with two ends left. A cracking last wood by Chris Mann took a single on the penultimate end to cut Carter’s lead to 14-9. A disastrous last end for Wymondham saw them drop a five to lose by 19-9 as the Carter triple earned valuable shots. On mat two Roger Steele produced two superb lead woods to raise Wymondham spirits and Barrett drew in two more super bowls. It was left to Carter skip Melvin Woods to try and limit the damage but he could not stop Sparham’s triple taking three shots and pulling level at 12-12. The next end Barrett sliced the jack close to the ditch line. After a couple of failed attempts to take the jack into the ditch Jon Sparham succeeded in doing so and his triple was back in front by 13-12 after ten ends. Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melvin Woods were in no mood to accept defeat though and things were about to change dramatically. Two shots on end eleven put Carter back into the lead by 14-13 and an attacking bowl by Sparham failed to stop Carter increasing that to 16-13 after twelve ends. The game slipped away from Wymondham on the thirteenth end as Carter took five shots to lead 21-13 and followed that up with a count of four to lead 25-13 with an end to go. A single on the last end for Sparham reduced the score to 25-14 but at the interval you sensed that for Wymondham there was no way back from 4-0 down on points and 44-23 down on shots. 

For the second half Wymondham brought in Andrew Stratton in place of Roger Steele in an attempt to change things but with Carter winning the toss to stay on the same mats Wymondham had a mountain to climb. Clarke, Turner & Brown were full of confidence after their first half win and quickly moved into a 6-1 lead after five ends. At that point Andrew Stratton moved to skip for Wymondham with Jon Sparham at lead. It made little difference though as Carter maintained the pressure to lead 10-1 after eight ends. A mini revival for Stratton’s triple saw them reduce the deficit to 10-6 with five ends to go but a tight measure on the next end went Carter’s way. The penultimate end proved to be the match winner as Carter took four shots, a 16-8 lead and cup glory once again. With the match effectively over the final end was played in a light-hearted manner with Wymondham taking a single to lose 16-9. On mat two Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melvin Woods were 14-9 down after twelve ends against Mikey George, Debbie Phillips & Chris Mann. With their game running a couple of ends behind the other one the Cup Final was already decided before this match finished. Two shots to Carter on the thirteenth end cut Chris Mann’s lead to 14-11 but both triples realized that the result was now meaningless. Never-the-less the match was played to a finish with Carter pulling back to earn a 14-14 draw. The over-all result of 7-1 to Bob Carter was a fair reflection of the match with Carter having a touch too much fire power and experience for Wymondham to handle although the match might have been closer if Wymondham had won the toss to remain on the same mats in the second half.

Final score Bob Carter 7 (74) Wymondham 1 (46)

                                                                                                                                                                                                               Posted 22-8-12

     Wymondham win to set off end of season fireworks

An 8-0 home win for Wymondham against relegation threatened Thurton has set up a dramatic end of season finale at both ends of the Norfolk Summer League Division One. The result takes Wymondham two points clear of defending champions Bob Carter but both teams meet in their last match at Drayton in a dramatic title decider. A 4-4 draw would be enough to earn Wymondham their first ever Summer League title but statistics show that Carter have taken 38 points from a possible 40 on their own mats this season and are in no mood to surrender the title. If Carter win by 5-3 the title will be decided on “shot difference”. The Wymondham triple of Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips came back from 7-0 down to beat Peter Walker’s triple 20-11 and won their second game 24-6. Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham delivered Wymondham their other wins by 19-9 & 20-9. Thurton’s defeat at Wymondham left them level on points with Horsford “B” at the foot of the table, both teams five points adrift of Kirby Bedon “B”. Thurton travel to Horsford “B” for their final match with Division One survival the prize for the victors if they collect at least six points. If, on the other hand, the game finishes at 4-4 both teams will make an immediate return to Division Two and Kirby Bedon “B” will survive in the top flight by a single point. A 5-3 result will leave our old friend “shot difference” deciding the relegation issue.

                                                                                                         Posted 21-8-12               

                                               Thurton one step nearer survival?

Summer League Division One strugglers Thurton moved one step nearer safety by beating Hevingham 6-2. A great first half saw Margaret Newcome, Kerry Greenacre & Mike Greenacre beat David Sharpe’s triple 22-8 while Jenny Walker, Jan McClintock & Peter Walker added a 12-9 win against Maurice Kemp’s triple. Another good 20-9 win for Jan McClintock after the break made sure of victory but Maurice Kemp’s triple picked up two points for Hevingham. Horsford “B” are staring relegation in the face after losing 6-2 at home to title chasing Wymondham. Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips recovered from 7-0 down to beat Roger Frank’s triple 16-11 while Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham beat Mark Tuttle’s triple 21-9 to complete a perfect first half for Wymondham. Debbie Phillips’ triple added a 16-11 second half win but Horsford earned what could be two vital points when Peter Fox, Carol Kemp & Roger Frank beat Sparham 15-13. Its tight at the top in Division Two as Thorpe Marriott “A” inflicted an 8-0 home defeat on First Bus. Sylvia Turner, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won their games by 20-13 & 21-8 to keep Marriott’s promotion hopes alive. Diss Green are making a late run for promotion into the top flight. Terry Newby’s triple won by 14-11 & 26-6 as they beat Horsford “A” and in their following match Newby’s triple again produced the goods winning by 12-10 & 16-11 as they won 6-2 at Sprowston SSC. In Division Three Deaf Sports are in second place after a 6-2 win at Hingham Yellow. John Jeffrey’s triple won both their games by 17-15 & 18-10 ad Robin Amos added an 18-7 win as Deaf completed their last fixture of the season. Framingham Earl finished off any chance that Thorpe Marriott “B” had of promotion by inflicting an 8-0 home defeat on them. Karl Bunn’s triple won both their games by just one shot while former Langley star Mervyn Blaza won his games by 19-8 & 17-11. This result puts Framingham Earl in third place nine points adrift of Deaf Sports but with still two games to play and sixteen points up for grabs they are still in the race. Hingham Green cannot yet be discounted but a 6-2 defeat at Thorpe Marriott “B” will not aid their chances of promotion.

                                                                                                                   Posted 19-8-12

ESMBA pulls out of the BDA

"The British Crown Green Bowls Association and the English Short Mat Bowling Association recently announced their intention to leave the Bowls Development Alliance. This has come at a time when commitment was needed to sign up to the BDA for a further four years. Despite this setback Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd are fully committed to working together for the long-term development of the sport of bowls. The BDA is currently waiting to hear if its bid for continued funding (2013-2017) to bring more people into the game has been successful. It is only by working together in partnership that funding can be secured from Sport England in order to grow and sustain the sport. There will be no changes to the present way in which the BDA works across all codes of bowls. It is hoped in the future to encourage new partners to step forward, to work together and really make a step change in the development of the sport."

                                                                                                            Posted 15-8-12

Change of venue for President's Weekend

With Bromsgrove IBC still out of action due to recent flood damage the ESMBA President's Weekend ( 8th & 9th September 2012) has been moved to Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club, Eagle Drive, Amington, Tamworth, B77 4EG.

                                                                                           Posted 15-8-12

Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club

Wymondham to face Carter in Summer Cup Final

Despite never having won the Norfolk Summer Cup, high flying Wymondham started as firm favourites on their own mats in their semi-final clash against two time winners Hevingham. Wymondham’s starting line-up was a surprise with the charismatic Chris Mann sitting on the subs bench. His absence may well have boosted the visitors confidence as Pat Williamson, Ian MacLean & Maurice Kemp defeated Wymondham’s Debbie Barrett, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips 14-10 after recovering from 7-2 down after five ends. Home triple Mary Fisher, Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham delivered the expected victory in the other first half game beating Alan Bunn, David Sharpe & Vic “Quiet Man” Woods but only by a tight 15-12 margin after a tremendous battle. With the teams drawing at 2-2 on points at the interval Chris Mann was brought into action in place of Debbie Barrett. With Debbie Phillips moving to lead, and Mann skipping the home triple, Hevingham’s Vic Woods triple found themselves in deep trouble trailing 15-1 after ten ends and there was no way back as they slipped to a 17-5 defeat. Jon Sparham’s triple added their second win beating Maurice Kemp’s triple 14-7 to set up a mouth watering final against Summer Cup holders Bob Carter at Anglian Windows. Bob Carter reached the final with ease with a comfortable home victory against struggling Division Two side Watton Green. The title battle in Division One looks likely to go to the wire with leaders Carter entertaining second placed Wymondham in the last game of the season. The battle to avoid relegation is interesting with the bottom two, Horsford “B” & Thurton, desperate to earn enough points to overhaul Kirby Bedon “B” and survive in the top flight. Thurton’s chances were not helped by an 8-0 defeat at Hevingham where David Sharpe’s triple won by 21-4 & 15-5 and Maurice Kemp’s triple won by 22-10 & 16-15. In Division Two a 6-2 home defeat against bottom club Horsford “A” has damaged the promotion hopes of Thorpe Marriott “A”. Vic Webster’s triple won by 19-9 & 16-9 as Horsford kept their survival hopes alive. Sprowston’s late surge up the table could see them regaining their place in Division One. A 6-2 win at Watton Green, where Terry Fletcher’s triple won their games by 16-14 & 19-7, was followed by an 8-0 thrashing of First Bus. Terry Fletcher’s triple added two more wins of 14-6 & 18-6 while David Dewing’s triple beat Gordon Crowe 18-7 and Bob Pattison by 29-5. Watton Green’s defeat means Division Three bowls for them next season. They will almost certainly be replaced by Halvergate who are running away with the Division Three title but the battle for the second promotion spot is still red hot. Deaf Sports moved ten points clear of third placed Hingham Green after a 6-2 home win against Watton Yellow. Framingham Earl earned a draw at Watton Yellow to keep their promotion push on course.                                                                                                                     Posted 12-8-12

Key Wymondham couple Jon Sparham & Debs Phillips will be looking forward to Cup Final

Summer League title race too close to call

Wymondham & Bob Carter, who have contested top spot all season, finally met head to head in the first of their vital late season clashes at Wymondham. A big win for either side would have seen the victors installed as title favourites but predictably the match ended in a 4-4 draw. Defending champions Bob Carter enjoyed a first half boost as Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner combined to inflict a crushing 21-6 defeat on Wymondham’s Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. After seven ends the visiting triple led by just 7-5 but then cut loose to romp away to victory as a change of playing order only made things worse for Wymondham. Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham made sure the match was level on points at the interval as they beat Carter’s Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melly Woods 18-7. 14-2 down after ten ends there was no way back for the Carter trio. After the break Wymondham captain Chris Mann brought in former Norfolk Singles champion Andrew Stratton in place of Mikey George to lead for Debbie Phillips. The change certainly helped them perform better than in the first half and they led Melly Woods’ triple 12-11 after fourteen ends. Unfortunately a bad last end saw both Stratton & Barrett put a bowl off the mat leaving skip Debbie Phillips under pressure. Despite a great effort with her final wood Debbie Phillips could not stop Carter taking two shots to win 13-12. On the other mat Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham faced Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner. With four former England players in action, as well as county regular Jon Sparham, Roger Steele could easily have felt daunted by their company but instead he rose to the occasion. His performance at lead was the difference between the triples as Wymondham won a hard fought game 15-9 in which Sparham’s triple scored five shots on the last two ends. The result leaves Wymondham 12 points behind Carter but with two games in hand. Their next game is a tricky visit to relegation threatened Horsford “B” which is followed by a home match against a Thurton side struggling to hold on to Division One status. Wymondham & Bob Carter then meet on Tuesday 28^th August at Drayton in what looks certain to be the title decider and that match will certainly not be for the faint-hearted. Prior to the Wymondham-Carter clash Kirby Bedon “B” had visited both Wymondham & Carter where they suffered 8-0 defeats at both venues. These results leave Kirby Bedon “B” in serious danger of relegation despite their current position in the table with three teams below them. Unfortunately for Kirby “B” they have now completed their fixtures while the teams below them all have games in hand.

Frantic 5 fighting for promotion

The Division Two championship race is wide open with five teams battling for the two promotion spots. After a poor first half to the season Sprowston SSC have emerged as serious contenders. An 8-0 home win against Thorpe Marriott “A” took Sprowston up to second place just five points behind leaders Anglian Windows. David Dewing’s triple opened with a 17-8 win against Sylvia Turner’s triple before adding a 13-11 win against Tony Turner. Terry Fletcher’s triple began with a 14-11 win against Simon Warnes before beating Sylvia Turner 15-5. Diss green kept their promotion hopes alive with an 8-0 win at Horsford “A” who are now bottom of the table. Former Cambridgeshire, Kirby Bedon, Framingham Earl & Thorpe Marriott player Will Hoggan skipped his triple to wins of 22-10 & 16-9 while Terry Newby won by 9-8 & 16-13. Diss also won by 6-2 at home to Thorpe Marriott “A” with Terry Newby’s triple winning by 18-16 & 17-10 while Hoggan added a 16-7 win. Tony Turner recorded the visitor’s only win beating Will Hoggan 14-10.

Short stay in Division Three for Halvergate

League new-boys Halvergate are still unbeaten after eleven games and their stay in Division Three looks like being a short one. Their visit to County Council ended with Halvergate completing their tenth win from eleven games defeating the home side 6-2. Michael Savage, Steven Lamb & Keith Cooke won both their games with scores of 14-12 & 17-10 to leave County Council with still just one win from twelve matches. It is difficult to see any other team getting near Halvergate but the fight for the second promotion spot still involves five teams. Deaf Sports are second but will have been hoping for more than a 4-4 draw at Watton Yellow. County regular Robin Amos skipped his triple to wins of 16-9 & 21-6 but David Quadling’s triple won 13-11 and John Hunter’s triple won 16-10 against Deaf Sports’ other triple. Thorpe Marriott “B” drew 4-4 at County Council and could also regret the four points dropped. Richard Perkins & John Jarvis won a game apiece for Marriott. Watton Green entertained County Council as the bottom two teams met with the match finishing level at 4-4. 

                                                                                                      Posted 7-8-12

Wymondham runners-up in National Club Championship Final

For the second year running Wymondham suffered the disappointment of losing the National Club Championship Final when they went down by 7-2 to Cheshire side Morley Green. In their first game Wymondham faced Worcestershire side Gilt Edge. Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham suffered a 4-12 defeat in the pairs but Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips won 10-4 in the triples. A 7-2 points win was earned as Chris Mann won his singles match by 9-8 and Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Jon Sparham & Debbie Phillips won their rinks game 12-1. In their next game Wymondham outplayed Somerset’s Hutton collecting all nine points. Chris Mann & Jon Sparham teamed up to win the pairs game 17-5 while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 11-5 in the triples. Jon Sparham powered to a 16-1 singles win while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 13-3 in the triples. Another Somerset side, Templecombe, were Wymondham’s next victims. Mann & Sparham carried on their good pairs form winning by 14-2 while George, Barrett & Phillips produced an 11-4 triples win. Jon Sparham again triumphed in the singles with a 14-3 result and despite George, Barrett, Mann & Phillips losing their rinks game 2-10 Wymondham were through 7-2 on points. In the semi-finals Wymondham were up against Wonford of Devon. Mann & Sparham scored their third pairs win in a row with a 12-6 score-line but George, Barrett & Phillips went down 7-10 to leave the match level on points. Jon Sparham delivered his third singles win in a row beating his Devon opposite number 12-6 and George, Barrett, Phillips & Mann combined to take Wymondham through to the final with an 8-3 shots win giving their team a 7-2 points win. Defending champions Bob Carter had also reached the semi-finals courtesy of 7-2 wins against Hazelbury Bryan and Kingscliffe but there was to be no repeat of last years glory as they went down 2-7 on points to Cheshire’s Morley Green. The final turned out to be a close run affair with Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips opening with a 10-9 triples win while Chris Mann & Jon Sparham were narrowly beaten by 8-11 in the pairs. In the last session Jon Sparham’s run of success in the singles came to an end as he lost by 7-9. Any hope of victory slipped away in the rinks as Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Debbie Phillips &   Chris Mann were beaten 1-6 in a low scoring game.                                                                                                                                        Posted 30-7-12  

Latest Cup & League Action

Hevingham reached the semi-finals of the Norfolk Summer Cup with a resounding 8-0 win at Horsford “A”. The visitors had a great start as Vic Woods, Pat Williamson & Maurice Kemp crushed Chris Woodhouse’s triple by 24-9 and Ian MacLean, Alan Bunn & David Sharpe beat Vic Webster’s triple by 18-9. Horsford “A”, currently at the foot of Division Two, had no answer to their Division One visitors who came out for the second half with their tails up as Kemp’s triple rattled off a 19-6 win and Sharp’s triple won by 22-10 to complete the demolition. High flying Wymondham were expecting a comfortable home victory against struggling Horsford “B” but had to fight all the way against a tenacious Horsford team. Mally Kemp, Sue Fox & Mark “The Marvel” Tuttle stunned home supporters as they pulled off a 14-11 win against Debbie Phillips’ triple in the first half but Mikey George, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham gave the home side a big shots advantage at the break beating Roger Frank’s triple 24-2. Tuttle’s triple were again in super form after the break and held Debbie Phillips’ triple to a 10-10 draw. Horsford’s Carol Kemp, Peter Fox & Roger Frank needed to win the remaining game if the visitors were to pull off the shock of the season, but despite heroic resistance they lost a close game by just 14-10 to Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips as Wymondham breathed a collective sigh of relief. Watton Green provided the giant killing of the quarter-finals by beating Division One side Kirby Bedon “B” 6-2. Home advantage proved vital as the visitors struggled against the Division Two side who had only won once in nine league outings this season. As the league season enters its final month defending champions Bob Carter & Wymondham are locked together on 46 points each at the top of Division One. Bob Carter won 6-2 at Kirby Bedon “B” where George Clarke, John Turner & Nigel Willard won twice. Melvin Woods’ triple added the third win for Carter but Jackie Tunmore, Peter Johnson & Gerald Chilvers earned the home side two points with an 11-7 win against Jean Woods, Jason Woods & Melvin Woods. Wynondham’s 4-4 draw at Kirby Bedon “A” cost them their two point lead over Carter in the table. Neil Davidson, Alistair Hunter & Selwyn Goldsmith did the damage for Kirby with a 15-10 win against Mikey George, Andrew Stratton & Chris Mann and an 18-8 win against Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. A busy week for Kirby “A” saw them go down 6-2 at Thurton, where the home side collected valuable points in their fight against relegation, and then win 6-2 at Horsford “B” who are also in danger of the drop. Maurice Kemp skipped his Hevingham triple to wins of 19-6 & 14-12 as they earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B”. Division Two leaders Anglian Windows won 6-2 at Diss Green with county team star Mike Boswell winning by 17-9 & 13-8. Keith Halford’s triple added a 17-13 win to leave Diss facing a battle to avoid relegation. Promotion hopefuls Thorpe Marriott “A” earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B” where Janet Pinchen, Trevor Pinchen & Sylvia Turner won by 19-9 and Tony Frost, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won by 21-5. There was a surprise result in Division Three where second placed Deaf Sports saw their promotion hopes take a knock as they suffered a 7-1 home defeat against Hingham Yellow. Wendy Tweed, Pat Groombridge & Keith Thomas beat Robin Amos 19-10 in the first half and Thomas added a 20-13 win after the break. 

                                                                                                              Posted 29-7-12

     Wymondham win to set off end of season fireworks

An 8-0 home win for Wymondham against relegation threatened Thurton has set up a dramatic end of season finale at both ends of the Norfolk Summer League Division One. The result takes Wymondham two points clear of defending champions Bob Carter but both teams meet in their last match at Drayton in a dramatic title decider. A 4-4 draw would be enough to earn Wymondham their first ever Summer League title but statistics show that Carter have taken 38 points from a possible 40 on their own mats this season and are in no mood to surrender the title. If Carter win by 5-3 the title will be decided on “shot difference”. The Wymondham triple of Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips came back from 7-0 down to beat Peter Walker’s triple 20-11 and won their second game 24-6. Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham delivered Wymondham their other wins by 19-9 & 20-9. Thurton’s defeat at Wymondham left them level on points with Horsford “B” at the foot of the table, both teams five points adrift of Kirby Bedon “B”. Thurton travel to Horsford “B” for their final match with Division One survival the prize for the victors if they collect at least six points. If, on the other hand, the game finishes at 4-4 both teams will make an immediate return to Division Two and Kirby Bedon “B” will survive in the top flight by a single point. A 5-3 result will leave our old friend “shot difference” deciding the relegation issue.

                                                                                                         Posted 21-8-1                Thurton one step nearer survival?

Summer League Division One strugglers Thurton moved one step nearer safety by beating Hevingham 6-2. A great first half saw Margaret Newcome, Kerry Greenacre & Mike Greenacre beat David Sharpe’s triple 22-8 while Jenny Walker, Jan McClintock & Peter Walker added a 12-9 win against Maurice Kemp’s triple. Another good 20-9 win for Jan McClintock after the break made sure of victory but Maurice Kemp’s triple picked up two points for Hevingham. Horsford “B” are staring relegation in the face after losing 6-2 at home to title chasing Wymondham. Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips recovered from 7-0 down to beat Roger Frank’s triple 16-11 while Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham beat Mark Tuttle’s triple 21-9 to complete a perfect first half for Wymondham. Debbie Phillips’ triple added a 16-11 second half win but Horsford earned what could be two vital points when Peter Fox, Carol Kemp & Roger Frank beat Sparham 15-13. Its tight at the top in Division Two as Thorpe Marriott “A” inflicted an 8-0 home defeat on First Bus. Sylvia Turner, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won their games by 20-13 & 21-8 to keep Marriott’s promotion hopes alive. Diss Green are making a late run for promotion into the top flight. Terry Newby’s triple won by 14-11 & 26-6 as they beat Horsford “A” and in their following match Newby’s triple again produced the goods winning by 12-10 & 16-11 as they won 6-2 at Sprowston SSC. In Division Three Deaf Sports are in second place after a 6-2 win at Hingham Yellow. John Jeffrey’s triple won both their games by 17-15 & 18-10 ad Robin Amos added an 18-7 win as Deaf completed their last fixture of the season. Framingham Earl finished off any chance that Thorpe Marriott “B” had of promotion by inflicting an 8-0 home defeat on them. Karl Bunn’s triple won both their games by just one shot while former Langley star Mervyn Blaza won his games by 19-8 & 17-11. This result puts Framingham Earl in third place nine points adrift of Deaf Sports but with still two games to play and sixteen points up for grabs they are still in the race. Hingham Green cannot yet be discounted but a 6-2 defeat at Thorpe Marriott “B” will not aid their chances of promotion.

                                                                                                                   Posted 19-8-12

ESMBA pulls out of the BDA

The ESMBA, along with the British Crown Green Bowls Association, have quit the Bowls Development Alliance (BDA). The English Short Mat Bowls Association's membership of the BDA has certainly had its critics within the sport who have voiced concern at the cost to short mat bowls as well as attacking the methods of promoting the sport by the BDA. The Norfolk CSMBA Management Committee has long advocated withdrawal from the BDA while a leading Essex SMBA official commented that "the way the BDA has portrayed the game is too ridiculous for words." The ESMBA has issued the following statement. "Due to a lack of visible results, the committee voted to pull out of the BDA. A request to reconsider that decision will be discussed on the 1st September and counties will be informed of the outcome."  The BDA has also issued a statement which is printed below.   

"The British Crown Green Bowls Association and the English Short Mat Bowling Association recently announced their intention to leave the Bowls Development Alliance. This has come at a time when commitment was needed to sign up to the BDA for a further four years. Despite this setback Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd are fully committed to working together for the long-term development of the sport of bowls. The BDA is currently waiting to hear if its bid for continued funding (2013-2017) to bring more people into the game has been successful. It is only by working together in partnership that funding can be secured from Sport England in order to grow and sustain the sport. There will be no changes to the present way in which the BDA works across all codes of bowls. It is hoped in the future to encourage new partners to step forward, to work together and really make a step change in the development of the sport."

                                                                                                            Posted 15-8-12

Change of venue for President's Weekend

With Bromsgrove IBC still out of action due to recent flood damage the ESMBA President's Weekend ( 8th & 9th September 2012) has been moved to Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club, Eagle Drive, Amington, Tamworth, B77 4EG.

                                                                                           Posted 15-8-12

Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club

Wymondham to face Carter in Summer Cup Final

Despite never having won the Norfolk Summer Cup, high flying Wymondham started as firm favourites on their own mats in their semi-final clash against two time winners Hevingham. Wymondham’s starting line-up was a surprise with the charismatic Chris Mann sitting on the subs bench. His absence may well have boosted the visitors confidence as Pat Williamson, Ian MacLean & Maurice Kemp defeated Wymondham’s Debbie Barrett, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips 14-10 after recovering from 7-2 down after five ends. Home triple Mary Fisher, Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham delivered the expected victory in the other first half game beating Alan Bunn, David Sharpe & Vic “Quiet Man” Woods but only by a tight 15-12 margin after a tremendous battle. With the teams drawing at 2-2 on points at the interval Chris Mann was brought into action in place of Debbie Barrett. With Debbie Phillips moving to lead, and Mann skipping the home triple, Hevingham’s Vic Woods triple found themselves in deep trouble trailing 15-1 after ten ends and there was no way back as they slipped to a 17-5 defeat. Jon Sparham’s triple added their second win beating Maurice Kemp’s triple 14-7 to set up a mouth watering final against Summer Cup holders Bob Carter at Anglian Windows. Bob Carter reached the final with ease with a comfortable home victory against struggling Division Two side Watton Green. The title battle in Division One looks likely to go to the wire with leaders Carter entertaining second placed Wymondham in the last game of the season. The battle to avoid relegation is interesting with the bottom two, Horsford “B” & Thurton, desperate to earn enough points to overhaul Kirby Bedon “B” and survive in the top flight. Thurton’s chances were not helped by an 8-0 defeat at Hevingham where David Sharpe’s triple won by 21-4 & 15-5 and Maurice Kemp’s triple won by 22-10 & 16-15. In Division Two a 6-2 home defeat against bottom club Horsford “A” has damaged the promotion hopes of Thorpe Marriott “A”. Vic Webster’s triple won by 19-9 & 16-9 as Horsford kept their survival hopes alive. Sprowston’s late surge up the table could see them regaining their place in Division One. A 6-2 win at Watton Green, where Terry Fletcher’s triple won their games by 16-14 & 19-7, was followed by an 8-0 thrashing of First Bus. Terry Fletcher’s triple added two more wins of 14-6 & 18-6 while David Dewing’s triple beat Gordon Crowe 18-7 and Bob Pattison by 29-5. Watton Green’s defeat means Division Three bowls for them next season. They will almost certainly be replaced by Halvergate who are running away with the Division Three title but the battle for the second promotion spot is still red hot. Deaf Sports moved ten points clear of third placed Hingham Green after a 6-2 home win against Watton Yellow. Framingham Earl earned a draw at Watton Yellow to keep their promotion push on course.                                                                                                                     Posted 12-8-12

Key Wymondham couple Jon Sparham & Debs Phillips will be looking forward to Cup Final

Summer League title race too close to call

Wymondham & Bob Carter, who have contested top spot all season, finally met head to head in the first of their vital late season clashes at Wymondham. A big win for either side would have seen the victors installed as title favourites but predictably the match ended in a 4-4 draw. Defending champions Bob Carter enjoyed a first half boost as Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner combined to inflict a crushing 21-6 defeat on Wymondham’s Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. After seven ends the visiting triple led by just 7-5 but then cut loose to romp away to victory as a change of playing order only made things worse for Wymondham. Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham made sure the match was level on points at the interval as they beat Carter’s Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melly Woods 18-7. 14-2 down after ten ends there was no way back for the Carter trio. After the break Wymondham captain Chris Mann brought in former Norfolk Singles champion Andrew Stratton in place of Mikey George to lead for Debbie Phillips. The change certainly helped them perform better than in the first half and they led Melly Woods’ triple 12-11 after fourteen ends. Unfortunately a bad last end saw both Stratton & Barrett put a bowl off the mat leaving skip Debbie Phillips under pressure. Despite a great effort with her final wood Debbie Phillips could not stop Carter taking two shots to win 13-12. On the other mat Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham faced Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner. With four former England players in action, as well as county regular Jon Sparham, Roger Steele could easily have felt daunted by their company but instead he rose to the occasion. His performance at lead was the difference between the triples as Wymondham won a hard fought game 15-9 in which Sparham’s triple scored five shots on the last two ends. The result leaves Wymondham 12 points behind Carter but with two games in hand. Their next game is a tricky visit to relegation threatened Horsford “B” which is followed by a home match against a Thurton side struggling to hold on to Division One status. Wymondham & Bob Carter then meet on Tuesday 28^th August at Drayton in what looks certain to be the title decider and that match will certainly not be for the faint-hearted. Prior to the Wymondham-Carter clash Kirby Bedon “B” had visited both Wymondham & Carter where they suffered 8-0 defeats at both venues. These results leave Kirby Bedon “B” in serious danger of relegation despite their current position in the table with three teams below them. Unfortunately for Kirby “B” they have now completed their fixtures while the teams below them all have games in hand.

Frantic 5 fighting for promotion

The Division Two championship race is wide open with five teams battling for the two promotion spots. After a poor first half to the season Sprowston SSC have emerged as serious contenders. An 8-0 home win against Thorpe Marriott “A” took Sprowston up to second place just five points behind leaders Anglian Windows. David Dewing’s triple opened with a 17-8 win against Sylvia Turner’s triple before adding a 13-11 win against Tony Turner. Terry Fletcher’s triple began with a 14-11 win against Simon Warnes before beating Sylvia Turner 15-5. Diss green kept their promotion hopes alive with an 8-0 win at Horsford “A” who are now bottom of the table. Former Cambridgeshire, Kirby Bedon, Framingham Earl & Thorpe Marriott player Will Hoggan skipped his triple to wins of 22-10 & 16-9 while Terry Newby won by 9-8 & 16-13. Diss also won by 6-2 at home to Thorpe Marriott “A” with Terry Newby’s triple winning by 18-16 & 17-10 while Hoggan added a 16-7 win. Tony Turner recorded the visitor’s only win beating Will Hoggan 14-10.

Short stay in Division Three for Halvergate

League new-boys Halvergate are still unbeaten after eleven games and their stay in Division Three looks like being a short one. Their visit to County Council ended with Halvergate completing their tenth win from eleven games defeating the home side 6-2. Michael Savage, Steven Lamb & Keith Cooke won both their games with scores of 14-12 & 17-10 to leave County Council with still just one win from twelve matches. It is difficult to see any other team getting near Halvergate but the fight for the second promotion spot still involves five teams. Deaf Sports are second but will have been hoping for more than a 4-4 draw at Watton Yellow. County regular Robin Amos skipped his triple to wins of 16-9 & 21-6 but David Quadling’s triple won 13-11 and John Hunter’s triple won 16-10 against Deaf Sports’ other triple. Thorpe Marriott “B” drew 4-4 at County Council and could also regret the four points dropped. Richard Perkins & John Jarvis won a game apiece for Marriott. Watton Green entertained County Council as the bottom two teams met with the match finishing level at 4-4. 

                                                                                                      Posted 7-8-12

Wymondham runners-up in National Club Championship Final

For the second year running Wymondham suffered the disappointment of losing the National Club Championship Final when they went down by 7-2 to Cheshire side Morley Green. In their first game Wymondham faced Worcestershire side Gilt Edge. Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham suffered a 4-12 defeat in the pairs but Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips won 10-4 in the triples. A 7-2 points win was earned as Chris Mann won his singles match by 9-8 and Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Jon Sparham & Debbie Phillips won their rinks game 12-1. In their next game Wymondham outplayed Somerset’s Hutton collecting all nine points. Chris Mann & Jon Sparham teamed up to win the pairs game 17-5 while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 11-5 in the triples. Jon Sparham powered to a 16-1 singles win while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 13-3 in the triples. Another Somerset side, Templecombe, were Wymondham’s next victims. Mann & Sparham carried on their good pairs form winning by 14-2 while George, Barrett & Phillips produced an 11-4 triples win. Jon Sparham again triumphed in the singles with a 14-3 result and despite George, Barrett, Mann & Phillips losing their rinks game 2-10 Wymondham were through 7-2 on points. In the semi-finals Wymondham were up against Wonford of Devon. Mann & Sparham scored their third pairs win in a row with a 12-6 score-line but George, Barrett & Phillips went down 7-10 to leave the match level on points. Jon Sparham delivered his third singles win in a row beating his Devon opposite number 12-6 and George, Barrett, Phillips & Mann combined to take Wymondham through to the final with an 8-3 shots win giving their team a 7-2 points win. Defending champions Bob Carter had also reached the semi-finals courtesy of 7-2 wins against Hazelbury Bryan and Kingscliffe but there was to be no repeat of last years glory as they went down 2-7 on points to Cheshire’s Morley Green. The final turned out to be a close run affair with Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips opening with a 10-9 triples win while Chris Mann & Jon Sparham were narrowly beaten by 8-11 in the pairs. In the last session Jon Sparham’s run of success in the singles came to an end as he lost by 7-9. Any hope of victory slipped away in the rinks as Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Debbie Phillips &   Chris Mann were beaten 1-6 in a low scoring game.                                                                                                                                        Posted 30-7-12  

Latest Cup & League Action

Hevingham reached the semi-finals of the Norfolk Summer Cup with a resounding 8-0 win at Horsford “A”. The visitors had a great start as Vic Woods, Pat Williamson & Maurice Kemp crushed Chris Woodhouse’s triple by 24-9 and Ian MacLean, Alan Bunn & David Sharpe beat Vic Webster’s triple by 18-9. Horsford “A”, currently at the foot of Division Two, had no answer to their Division One visitors who came out for the second half with their tails up as Kemp’s triple rattled off a 19-6 win and Sharp’s triple won by 22-10 to complete the demolition. High flying Wymondham were expecting a comfortable home victory against struggling Horsford “B” but had to fight all the way against a tenacious Horsford team. Mally Kemp, Sue Fox & Mark “The Marvel” Tuttle stunned home supporters as they pulled off a 14-11 win against Debbie Phillips’ triple in the first half but Mikey George, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham gave the home side a big shots advantage at the break beating Roger Frank’s triple 24-2. Tuttle’s triple were again in super form after the break and held Debbie Phillips’ triple to a 10-10 draw. Horsford’s Carol Kemp, Peter Fox & Roger Frank needed to win the remaining game if the visitors were to pull off the shock of the season, but despite heroic resistance they lost a close game by just 14-10 to Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips as Wymondham breathed a collective sigh of relief. Watton Green provided the giant killing of the quarter-finals by beating Division One side Kirby Bedon “B” 6-2. Home advantage proved vital as the visitors struggled against the Division Two side who had only won once in nine league outings this season. As the league season enters its final month defending champions Bob Carter & Wymondham are locked together on 46 points each at the top of Division One. Bob Carter won 6-2 at Kirby Bedon “B” where George Clarke, John Turner & Nigel Willard won twice. Melvin Woods’ triple added the third win for Carter but Jackie Tunmore, Peter Johnson & Gerald Chilvers earned the home side two points with an 11-7 win against Jean Woods, Jason Woods & Melvin Woods. Wynondham’s 4-4 draw at Kirby Bedon “A” cost them their two point lead over Carter in the table. Neil Davidson, Alistair Hunter & Selwyn Goldsmith did the damage for Kirby with a 15-10 win against Mikey George, Andrew Stratton & Chris Mann and an 18-8 win against Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. A busy week for Kirby “A” saw them go down 6-2 at Thurton, where the home side collected valuable points in their fight against relegation, and then win 6-2 at Horsford “B” who are also in danger of the drop. Maurice Kemp skipped his Hevingham triple to wins of 19-6 & 14-12 as they earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B”. Division Two leaders Anglian Windows won 6-2 at Diss Green with county team star Mike Boswell winning by 17-9 & 13-8. Keith Halford’s triple added a 17-13 win to leave Diss facing a battle to avoid relegation. Promotion hopefuls Thorpe Marriott “A” earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B” where Janet Pinchen, Trevor Pinchen & Sylvia Turner won by 19-9 and Tony Frost, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won by 21-5. There was a surprise result in Division Three where second placed Deaf Sports saw their promotion hopes take a knock as they suffered a 7-1 home defeat against Hingham Yellow. Wendy Tweed, Pat Groombridge & Keith Thomas beat Robin Amos 19-10 in the first half and Thomas added a 20-13 win after the break. 

                                                                                                              Posted 29-7-12

     Wymondham win to set off end of season fireworks

An 8-0 home win for Wymondham against relegation threatened Thurton has set up a dramatic end of season finale at both ends of the Norfolk Summer League Division One. The result takes Wymondham two points clear of defending champions Bob Carter but both teams meet in their last match at Drayton in a dramatic title decider. A 4-4 draw would be enough to earn Wymondham their first ever Summer League title but statistics show that Carter have taken 38 points from a possible 40 on their own mats this season and are in no mood to surrender the title. If Carter win by 5-3 the title will be decided on “shot difference”. The Wymondham triple of Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips came back from 7-0 down to beat Peter Walker’s triple 20-11 and won their second game 24-6. Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham delivered Wymondham their other wins by 19-9 & 20-9. Thurton’s defeat at Wymondham left them level on points with Horsford “B” at the foot of the table, both teams five points adrift of Kirby Bedon “B”. Thurton travel to Horsford “B” for their final match with Division One survival the prize for the victors if they collect at least six points. If, on the other hand, the game finishes at 4-4 both teams will make an immediate return to Division Two and Kirby Bedon “B” will survive in the top flight by a single point. A 5-3 result will leave our old friend “shot difference” deciding the relegation issue.

                                                                                                         Posted 21-8-1                Thurton one step nearer survival?

Summer League Division One strugglers Thurton moved one step nearer safety by beating Hevingham 6-2. A great first half saw Margaret Newcome, Kerry Greenacre & Mike Greenacre beat David Sharpe’s triple 22-8 while Jenny Walker, Jan McClintock & Peter Walker added a 12-9 win against Maurice Kemp’s triple. Another good 20-9 win for Jan McClintock after the break made sure of victory but Maurice Kemp’s triple picked up two points for Hevingham. Horsford “B” are staring relegation in the face after losing 6-2 at home to title chasing Wymondham. Mikey George, Chris Mann & Debbie Phillips recovered from 7-0 down to beat Roger Frank’s triple 16-11 while Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Jon Sparham beat Mark Tuttle’s triple 21-9 to complete a perfect first half for Wymondham. Debbie Phillips’ triple added a 16-11 second half win but Horsford earned what could be two vital points when Peter Fox, Carol Kemp & Roger Frank beat Sparham 15-13. Its tight at the top in Division Two as Thorpe Marriott “A” inflicted an 8-0 home defeat on First Bus. Sylvia Turner, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won their games by 20-13 & 21-8 to keep Marriott’s promotion hopes alive. Diss Green are making a late run for promotion into the top flight. Terry Newby’s triple won by 14-11 & 26-6 as they beat Horsford “A” and in their following match Newby’s triple again produced the goods winning by 12-10 & 16-11 as they won 6-2 at Sprowston SSC. In Division Three Deaf Sports are in second place after a 6-2 win at Hingham Yellow. John Jeffrey’s triple won both their games by 17-15 & 18-10 ad Robin Amos added an 18-7 win as Deaf completed their last fixture of the season. Framingham Earl finished off any chance that Thorpe Marriott “B” had of promotion by inflicting an 8-0 home defeat on them. Karl Bunn’s triple won both their games by just one shot while former Langley star Mervyn Blaza won his games by 19-8 & 17-11. This result puts Framingham Earl in third place nine points adrift of Deaf Sports but with still two games to play and sixteen points up for grabs they are still in the race. Hingham Green cannot yet be discounted but a 6-2 defeat at Thorpe Marriott “B” will not aid their chances of promotion.

                                                                                                                   Posted 19-8-12

ESMBA pulls out of the BDA

The ESMBA, along with the British Crown Green Bowls Association, have quit the Bowls Development Alliance (BDA). The English Short Mat Bowls Association's membership of the BDA has certainly had its critics within the sport who have voiced concern at the cost to short mat bowls as well as attacking the methods of promoting the sport by the BDA. The Norfolk CSMBA Management Committee has long advocated withdrawal from the BDA while a leading Essex SMBA official commented that "the way the BDA has portrayed the game is too ridiculous for words." The ESMBA has issued the following statement. "Due to a lack of visible results, the committee voted to pull out of the BDA. A request to reconsider that decision will be discussed on the 1st September and counties will be informed of the outcome."  The BDA has also issued a statement which is printed below.   

"The British Crown Green Bowls Association and the English Short Mat Bowling Association recently announced their intention to leave the Bowls Development Alliance. This has come at a time when commitment was needed to sign up to the BDA for a further four years. Despite this setback Bowls England and the English Indoor Bowling Association Ltd are fully committed to working together for the long-term development of the sport of bowls. The BDA is currently waiting to hear if its bid for continued funding (2013-2017) to bring more people into the game has been successful. It is only by working together in partnership that funding can be secured from Sport England in order to grow and sustain the sport. There will be no changes to the present way in which the BDA works across all codes of bowls. It is hoped in the future to encourage new partners to step forward, to work together and really make a step change in the development of the sport."

                                                                                                            Posted 15-8-12

Change of venue for President's Weekend

With Bromsgrove IBC still out of action due to recent flood damage the ESMBA President's Weekend ( 8th & 9th September 2012) has been moved to Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club, Eagle Drive, Amington, Tamworth, B77 4EG.

                                                                                           Posted 15-8-12

Tamworth Indoor Bowls Club

Wymondham to face Carter in Summer Cup Final

Despite never having won the Norfolk Summer Cup, high flying Wymondham started as firm favourites on their own mats in their semi-final clash against two time winners Hevingham. Wymondham’s starting line-up was a surprise with the charismatic Chris Mann sitting on the subs bench. His absence may well have boosted the visitors confidence as Pat Williamson, Ian MacLean & Maurice Kemp defeated Wymondham’s Debbie Barrett, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips 14-10 after recovering from 7-2 down after five ends. Home triple Mary Fisher, Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham delivered the expected victory in the other first half game beating Alan Bunn, David Sharpe & Vic “Quiet Man” Woods but only by a tight 15-12 margin after a tremendous battle. With the teams drawing at 2-2 on points at the interval Chris Mann was brought into action in place of Debbie Barrett. With Debbie Phillips moving to lead, and Mann skipping the home triple, Hevingham’s Vic Woods triple found themselves in deep trouble trailing 15-1 after ten ends and there was no way back as they slipped to a 17-5 defeat. Jon Sparham’s triple added their second win beating Maurice Kemp’s triple 14-7 to set up a mouth watering final against Summer Cup holders Bob Carter at Anglian Windows. Bob Carter reached the final with ease with a comfortable home victory against struggling Division Two side Watton Green. The title battle in Division One looks likely to go to the wire with leaders Carter entertaining second placed Wymondham in the last game of the season. The battle to avoid relegation is interesting with the bottom two, Horsford “B” & Thurton, desperate to earn enough points to overhaul Kirby Bedon “B” and survive in the top flight. Thurton’s chances were not helped by an 8-0 defeat at Hevingham where David Sharpe’s triple won by 21-4 & 15-5 and Maurice Kemp’s triple won by 22-10 & 16-15. In Division Two a 6-2 home defeat against bottom club Horsford “A” has damaged the promotion hopes of Thorpe Marriott “A”. Vic Webster’s triple won by 19-9 & 16-9 as Horsford kept their survival hopes alive. Sprowston’s late surge up the table could see them regaining their place in Division One. A 6-2 win at Watton Green, where Terry Fletcher’s triple won their games by 16-14 & 19-7, was followed by an 8-0 thrashing of First Bus. Terry Fletcher’s triple added two more wins of 14-6 & 18-6 while David Dewing’s triple beat Gordon Crowe 18-7 and Bob Pattison by 29-5. Watton Green’s defeat means Division Three bowls for them next season. They will almost certainly be replaced by Halvergate who are running away with the Division Three title but the battle for the second promotion spot is still red hot. Deaf Sports moved ten points clear of third placed Hingham Green after a 6-2 home win against Watton Yellow. Framingham Earl earned a draw at Watton Yellow to keep their promotion push on course.                                                                                                                     Posted 12-8-12

Key Wymondham couple Jon Sparham & Debs Phillips will be looking forward to Cup Final

Summer League title race too close to call

Wymondham & Bob Carter, who have contested top spot all season, finally met head to head in the first of their vital late season clashes at Wymondham. A big win for either side would have seen the victors installed as title favourites but predictably the match ended in a 4-4 draw. Defending champions Bob Carter enjoyed a first half boost as Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner combined to inflict a crushing 21-6 defeat on Wymondham’s Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. After seven ends the visiting triple led by just 7-5 but then cut loose to romp away to victory as a change of playing order only made things worse for Wymondham. Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham made sure the match was level on points at the interval as they beat Carter’s Jason Woods, David Lamb & Melly Woods 18-7. 14-2 down after ten ends there was no way back for the Carter trio. After the break Wymondham captain Chris Mann brought in former Norfolk Singles champion Andrew Stratton in place of Mikey George to lead for Debbie Phillips. The change certainly helped them perform better than in the first half and they led Melly Woods’ triple 12-11 after fourteen ends. Unfortunately a bad last end saw both Stratton & Barrett put a bowl off the mat leaving skip Debbie Phillips under pressure. Despite a great effort with her final wood Debbie Phillips could not stop Carter taking two shots to win 13-12. On the other mat Roger Steele, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham faced Nigel Willard, George Clarke & John Turner. With four former England players in action, as well as county regular Jon Sparham, Roger Steele could easily have felt daunted by their company but instead he rose to the occasion. His performance at lead was the difference between the triples as Wymondham won a hard fought game 15-9 in which Sparham’s triple scored five shots on the last two ends. The result leaves Wymondham 12 points behind Carter but with two games in hand. Their next game is a tricky visit to relegation threatened Horsford “B” which is followed by a home match against a Thurton side struggling to hold on to Division One status. Wymondham & Bob Carter then meet on Tuesday 28^th August at Drayton in what looks certain to be the title decider and that match will certainly not be for the faint-hearted. Prior to the Wymondham-Carter clash Kirby Bedon “B” had visited both Wymondham & Carter where they suffered 8-0 defeats at both venues. These results leave Kirby Bedon “B” in serious danger of relegation despite their current position in the table with three teams below them. Unfortunately for Kirby “B” they have now completed their fixtures while the teams below them all have games in hand.

Frantic 5 fighting for promotion

The Division Two championship race is wide open with five teams battling for the two promotion spots. After a poor first half to the season Sprowston SSC have emerged as serious contenders. An 8-0 home win against Thorpe Marriott “A” took Sprowston up to second place just five points behind leaders Anglian Windows. David Dewing’s triple opened with a 17-8 win against Sylvia Turner’s triple before adding a 13-11 win against Tony Turner. Terry Fletcher’s triple began with a 14-11 win against Simon Warnes before beating Sylvia Turner 15-5. Diss green kept their promotion hopes alive with an 8-0 win at Horsford “A” who are now bottom of the table. Former Cambridgeshire, Kirby Bedon, Framingham Earl & Thorpe Marriott player Will Hoggan skipped his triple to wins of 22-10 & 16-9 while Terry Newby won by 9-8 & 16-13. Diss also won by 6-2 at home to Thorpe Marriott “A” with Terry Newby’s triple winning by 18-16 & 17-10 while Hoggan added a 16-7 win. Tony Turner recorded the visitor’s only win beating Will Hoggan 14-10.

Short stay in Division Three for Halvergate

League new-boys Halvergate are still unbeaten after eleven games and their stay in Division Three looks like being a short one. Their visit to County Council ended with Halvergate completing their tenth win from eleven games defeating the home side 6-2. Michael Savage, Steven Lamb & Keith Cooke won both their games with scores of 14-12 & 17-10 to leave County Council with still just one win from twelve matches. It is difficult to see any other team getting near Halvergate but the fight for the second promotion spot still involves five teams. Deaf Sports are second but will have been hoping for more than a 4-4 draw at Watton Yellow. County regular Robin Amos skipped his triple to wins of 16-9 & 21-6 but David Quadling’s triple won 13-11 and John Hunter’s triple won 16-10 against Deaf Sports’ other triple. Thorpe Marriott “B” drew 4-4 at County Council and could also regret the four points dropped. Richard Perkins & John Jarvis won a game apiece for Marriott. Watton Green entertained County Council as the bottom two teams met with the match finishing level at 4-4. 

                                                                                                      Posted 7-8-12

Wymondham runners-up in National Club Championship Final

For the second year running Wymondham suffered the disappointment of losing the National Club Championship Final when they went down by 7-2 to Cheshire side Morley Green. In their first game Wymondham faced Worcestershire side Gilt Edge. Andrew Stratton & Jon Sparham suffered a 4-12 defeat in the pairs but Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips won 10-4 in the triples. A 7-2 points win was earned as Chris Mann won his singles match by 9-8 and Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Jon Sparham & Debbie Phillips won their rinks game 12-1. In their next game Wymondham outplayed Somerset’s Hutton collecting all nine points. Chris Mann & Jon Sparham teamed up to win the pairs game 17-5 while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 11-5 in the triples. Jon Sparham powered to a 16-1 singles win while George, Barrett & Phillips won by 13-3 in the triples. Another Somerset side, Templecombe, were Wymondham’s next victims. Mann & Sparham carried on their good pairs form winning by 14-2 while George, Barrett & Phillips produced an 11-4 triples win. Jon Sparham again triumphed in the singles with a 14-3 result and despite George, Barrett, Mann & Phillips losing their rinks game 2-10 Wymondham were through 7-2 on points. In the semi-finals Wymondham were up against Wonford of Devon. Mann & Sparham scored their third pairs win in a row with a 12-6 score-line but George, Barrett & Phillips went down 7-10 to leave the match level on points. Jon Sparham delivered his third singles win in a row beating his Devon opposite number 12-6 and George, Barrett, Phillips & Mann combined to take Wymondham through to the final with an 8-3 shots win giving their team a 7-2 points win. Defending champions Bob Carter had also reached the semi-finals courtesy of 7-2 wins against Hazelbury Bryan and Kingscliffe but there was to be no repeat of last years glory as they went down 2-7 on points to Cheshire’s Morley Green. The final turned out to be a close run affair with Mikey George, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips opening with a 10-9 triples win while Chris Mann & Jon Sparham were narrowly beaten by 8-11 in the pairs. In the last session Jon Sparham’s run of success in the singles came to an end as he lost by 7-9. Any hope of victory slipped away in the rinks as Mikey George, Jack Barrett, Debbie Phillips &   Chris Mann were beaten 1-6 in a low scoring game.                                                                                                                                        Posted 30-7-12  

Latest Cup & League Action

Hevingham reached the semi-finals of the Norfolk Summer Cup with a resounding 8-0 win at Horsford “A”. The visitors had a great start as Vic Woods, Pat Williamson & Maurice Kemp crushed Chris Woodhouse’s triple by 24-9 and Ian MacLean, Alan Bunn & David Sharpe beat Vic Webster’s triple by 18-9. Horsford “A”, currently at the foot of Division Two, had no answer to their Division One visitors who came out for the second half with their tails up as Kemp’s triple rattled off a 19-6 win and Sharp’s triple won by 22-10 to complete the demolition. High flying Wymondham were expecting a comfortable home victory against struggling Horsford “B” but had to fight all the way against a tenacious Horsford team. Mally Kemp, Sue Fox & Mark “The Marvel” Tuttle stunned home supporters as they pulled off a 14-11 win against Debbie Phillips’ triple in the first half but Mikey George, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham gave the home side a big shots advantage at the break beating Roger Frank’s triple 24-2. Tuttle’s triple were again in super form after the break and held Debbie Phillips’ triple to a 10-10 draw. Horsford’s Carol Kemp, Peter Fox & Roger Frank needed to win the remaining game if the visitors were to pull off the shock of the season, but despite heroic resistance they lost a close game by just 14-10 to Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips as Wymondham breathed a collective sigh of relief. Watton Green provided the giant killing of the quarter-finals by beating Division One side Kirby Bedon “B” 6-2. Home advantage proved vital as the visitors struggled against the Division Two side who had only won once in nine league outings this season. As the league season enters its final month defending champions Bob Carter & Wymondham are locked together on 46 points each at the top of Division One. Bob Carter won 6-2 at Kirby Bedon “B” where George Clarke, John Turner & Nigel Willard won twice. Melvin Woods’ triple added the third win for Carter but Jackie Tunmore, Peter Johnson & Gerald Chilvers earned the home side two points with an 11-7 win against Jean Woods, Jason Woods & Melvin Woods. Wynondham’s 4-4 draw at Kirby Bedon “A” cost them their two point lead over Carter in the table. Neil Davidson, Alistair Hunter & Selwyn Goldsmith did the damage for Kirby with a 15-10 win against Mikey George, Andrew Stratton & Chris Mann and an 18-8 win against Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips. A busy week for Kirby “A” saw them go down 6-2 at Thurton, where the home side collected valuable points in their fight against relegation, and then win 6-2 at Horsford “B” who are also in danger of the drop. Maurice Kemp skipped his Hevingham triple to wins of 19-6 & 14-12 as they earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B”. Division Two leaders Anglian Windows won 6-2 at Diss Green with county team star Mike Boswell winning by 17-9 & 13-8. Keith Halford’s triple added a 17-13 win to leave Diss facing a battle to avoid relegation. Promotion hopefuls Thorpe Marriott “A” earned a 4-4 draw at Horsford “B” where Janet Pinchen, Trevor Pinchen & Sylvia Turner won by 19-9 and Tony Frost, Ted Redwood & Tony Turner won by 21-5. There was a surprise result in Division Three where second placed Deaf Sports saw their promotion hopes take a knock as they suffered a 7-1 home defeat against Hingham Yellow. Wendy Tweed, Pat Groombridge & Keith Thomas beat Robin Amos 19-10 in the first half and Thomas added a 20-13 win after the break. 

                                                                                                              Posted 29-7-12

Anglian Windows unbeaten record smashed

Summer League Division Two leaders Anglian Windows saw their unbeaten record smashed as they crashed to defeat on successive nights. Sprowston SSC lifted themselves off the foot of the table with an 8-0 home win against Anglian Windows as Janet Roll, Margaret Poynter & David Dewing opened with a one shot win against Mike Boswell’s triple while Terry Fletcher’s triple beat Keith Halford 13-9. After the break Dewing added a 12-9 win and Fletcher weighed in with a 16-10 win to end the visitor’s unbeaten record. The next evening Anglian Windows visited promotion rivals Thorpe Marriott “A” but once again suffered defeat as Marriott chalked up a 6-2 home win. Mike Boswell’s triple opened in style with a 19-5 win but Tony Turner’s triple replied with a 15-14 victory to level the match. In the second half Thorpe Marriott improved their promotion prospects as Tony Turner won 17-9 and the Knights-Lynes-Warnes triple won by 14-11. In Division Three Halvergate have built a strong lead at the top but the battle for the second promotion spot is hotting up. Deaf Sports moved into second place with an 8-0 home win against Framingham Earl. Gillian Amos, L Hawksworth & Robin Amos reeled off a win of 22-7 against Colin Emms and, with R Hall subbing for Gillian Amos, won their second game by 15-8. John Jeffery’s triple completed the rout with wins of 20-9 & 18-7 as Framingham Earl slipped into the bottom half of the division. If Thurton are to retain their newly won Division One status they badly need to pick up points. The visit of mid-table Kirby Bedon “B” gave them a good opportunity and Thurton got down to business with relish in the first half. A massive 33-6 win for Margaret Newcome, Jan McClintock & Peter Walker against Gerald Chilvers’ triple and a 13-12 win for John Pidgen’s triple gave them a great half time lead. Things went wrong for Thurton after the break though as Kirby Bedon “B” hit back to force a 4-4 draw. Shirley Brown, Jimmy Dye & Joe Brown won by 14-8 & Carol Johnson, Peter Johnson & Gerald Chilvers won by 14-13 to leave Thurton rooted to the foot of the table.

                                                                                                             Posted 22-7-12

National Club Championships venue changed

Fierce Battle continues for Summer League title

The fierce battle continues unabated for the Summer League Division One title between defending champions Bob Carter and last year’s runners-up Wymondham. Carter extended their unbeaten run with an 8-0 home win against a below strength Kirby Bedon “A” side. Due to the sudden illness of skip Phil Watson Kirby were forced to field just five players and paid the price as they tumbled to a heavy defeat. Melvin Woods’ triple opened with a 19-8 win against Kirby’s John Aggas while George Clarke, John Turner & Nigel Willard beat Jan Hewitt & Selwyn Goldsmith 20-4 as the visiting pair found the going hard with just four bowls against six. The onslaught extended into the second half as David Lamb, Jason Woods & Melvin Woods beat the same pair by 33-3. Carol Aggas, Alistair Hunter & John Aggas threatened to take two points off Carter’s Nigel Willard but slipped up on the closing ends and lost 18-15. Wymondham inflicted a 6-2 home defeat on struggling Thurton who are finding points hard to come by in the top flight. Mikey George, Chris Mann & Jon Sparham led the way with wins of 16-11 & 19-10 while Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips added a 17-4 win against Jan McClintock, John Ford & Mike Greenacre. Margaret Howlett, Kerry Greenacre & John Pidgen gained two points for the home side beating Debbie Phillips’ triple 20-12. Horsford “B” will be pleased with a 4-4 draw away to Kirby Bedon “B” where Peter Fox, Mally Kemp & Sue Fox beat Gerald Chilvers’ triple 15-7 and Lyn Frank, D Nixon & Roger Frank beat Chilvers’ triple 13-12. Shirley Brown, Jimmy Dye & Joe Brown earned a draw for Kirby with wins of 17-8 & 22-11. Kirby Bedon “A” moved into third place with a heavy 8-0 win against Thurton. Jan Hewitt, Alistair Hunter & Selwyn Goldsmith won their games by 22-8 & 18-7 while Leonora Chilman, Neil Davidson & John Aggas won their opening game 16-9 before romping to a 22-5 win in their second game with Carol Aggas substituting for Chilman. In Division Two First Bus top the table with Anglian Windows & Thorpe Marriott “A” in second & third place respectively. Julia Cummins, Lesley Crowe & Bob Pattison beat Vic Webster’s triple 21-10 and with Betty Pattison subbing for Cummins they added a 16-11 win as First Bus beat Horsford “A” 6-2. First Bus also started well at Anglian Windows winning both opening games but a 15-12 win for Avril Walker and a 24-5 win for Mike Boswell earned a 4-4 draw for Windows. Anglian Windows won 6-2 at First Bus with Mike Boswell’s triple winning 21-13 & 16-11. Sprowston SSC beat Watton Green 6-2 with Terry Fletcher’s triple winning 22-3 & 11-8. Watton Green had to settle for a share of the points at home to First Bus as Bob Oatway’s triple won twice for the visitors. Division Three new boys Halvergate remain unbeaten with County Council their latest victims. Keith Cooke skipped his triple to wins of 11-10 & 29-5 as Halvergate won 5-3. Their previous match saw Halvergate score a maximum 8-0 home win against Hingham Green with Cooke again leading the way with wins of 29-10 & 21-11. Robin Amos won twice as Deaf Sports beat Hingham Green 6-2 while Framingham Earl beat Watton Yellow 6-2 with Mervyn Blaza scoring two wins.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Posted 15-7-12

Kirby Bedon triple lift Dave Durrant Trophy

Horsford “B” collect first win in Div One

Newly promoted Horsford “B” collected their first win of the campaign beating Kirby Bedon “B” 6-2 with Mally Kemp, Sue Fox & Mark Tuttle winning by 19-11 & 12-11. Horsford “B” continue to find life in the top flight tough away from home as they lost two more games. Thurton took all eight points against Horsford with Peter Walker’s triple winning 16-9, J Pidgen’s triple winning 12-11 & 16-7 and Jan McClintock adding a 15-13 win on the fast Thurton mats. Kirby Bedon “A” beat Horsford “B” 6-2 with Selwyn Goldsmith’s triple winning by 17-4 & 17-11 and Phil Watson winning 23-8. Mark Tuttle picked up two points for Horsford beating Watson’s triple 17-11. Hevingham were held to a 4-4 draw at home by a new look Kirby Bedon “B” side as Margaret Reynolds, Malcolm Reynolds & Gerald Chilvers beat David Sharpe’s triple 15-10 & Shirley Brown, Jimmy Dye & Joe Brown beat Pat Williamson’s triple 16-10 to give the visitors a great start. Hevingham hit back to earn a draw with Williamson winning 17-4 & Sharp winning 21-12 in the second half. In Division Two First Bus beat Sprowston 6-2 as last years relegated sides met. Bob Oatway’s triple won twice for First Bus with Lesley Crowe adding the third win of 21-6. Watton Green were held to a 4-4 draw at home by Thorpe Marriott “A”. Halvergate visited Deaf Sports in Division Three and had to settle for a 4-4 draw. R M Lamb’s triple won by 30-10 & 17-13 for the visitors while Robin Amos & John Jeffery won a game each for the home side.

Halvergate hammered Deaf Sports in the return match winning 8-0 on points, 70-27 on shots. Keith Cooke’s triple won by 20-5 & 26-3 while Robbie Lamb won 12-9 & 12-10. County Council drew 4-4 at home to Hingham Green while Watton Yellow drew 4-4 at home to Thorpe Marriott “B”.

Hamilton Hits Back to beat Marshall

The final game of the five match Champion of Champions series saw long mat legend Alex Marshall M.B.E face Irish Singles Champion Dessie Hamilton. Once again the short mat champion went on cold against Marshall who was still in the groove from his previous game. Dessie Hamilton was short with his opening bowl as he tried to estimate the speed of the new Greengauge Punch mat while Marshall drew to the jack with his first wood. Hamilton over compensated with his second wood and went to the back. Marshall went on to take a two shot lead when Hamilton’s third wood fell away from the jack after his best effort. The second end opened with a short wood by Marshall but he recovered his position with his second. The end was decided by a great backhand wood by Dessie Hamilton to take two shots and level the game. A poor third end followed with both players short with their first two woods. Marshall improved with his next two woods but could count himself lucky to take a count of three and lead 5-2 after Hamilton failed to perform at his usual standard. Hamilton was under pressure again on the next end and was relieved to cut Marshall down to just one shot with his final bowl on another end that saw its share of short woods played. 6-2 down with three ends to play meant that Dessie Hamilton needed to up his game and he certainly did putting Marshall under pressure with an excellent early wood. Hamilton enjoyed his best end yet taking three shots to cut the deficit to 6-5 as he finally found his form. On the penultimate end Hamilton held two shots when Marshall stepped up to play his final wood. Marshall fired in an attempt to drive the jack down the mat to where he held best back bowl but instead hit the block leaving Hamilton in front for the first time by 7-6. The final end saw Alex Marshall twice try a wide forehand draw with his last two woods and twice he went off the side of the mat to leave Dessie Hamilton the winner by 9-6 in the last Champion of Champions match in the series between Hamilton and the five short mat bowls champions. The over-all points score finished with Marshall and the short mat champions level on 2.5 points each. The series was an interesting experiment in pitting a long mat star against short mat stars but in several ways it was disappointing. By sending all the short mat bowlers on cold without a roll-up it gave Marshall an edge over the opening ends. In longer games this might not have mattered but as all the five games were played over just seven ends it was asking a lot of them to find the length and line on a brand new type of short mat carpet. The full list of results are as follows.

Alex Marshall 4 Stephen Williams 6 (World Singles Champion)

Alex Marshall 8 Lawrence Moffat 2 (Scottish Singles Champion)

Alex Marshall 7 Dom Reed 7 (England Singles Champion)

Alex Marshall 5 Ceri Jones 4 (Welsh Singles Champion)

Alex Marshall 6 Dessie Hamilton 9 (Irish Singles Champion)      

England place for David Lamb

Halvergate bowler David Lamb, who also turns out for Bob Carter, has been selected for the England squad for the coming season. His selection is no surprise as he has been a regular in the England set-up in recent years. He will now set his sights on trying to earn selection for the England team who will compete in the British Isles Championships at Potters Leisure Resort later in the year.

                                                                                                                                 Posted 8-6-12 

Dom Reed Full House earns draw with Marshall

The Champions of Champions challenge between flat green legend Alex Marshall and Britain’s short mat champions continued with Marshall playing England Singles Champion Dom Reed. Once again Dom Reed suffered from coming on cold without a roll-up against Marshall who had already played earlier in the day. Reed played three short woods on the opening end as he tried to find the pace of the Greengauge Punch mat and Marshall took a single. Reed was forced to resort to weight with his last wood on the next end and took shot to level at 1-1. Reed was really up against it after four ends after a superb running wood by Marshall took out his bowl to take a 5-1 lead. Reed pulled two shots back on the fifth but a lack of back woods cost him two on the sixth end. Dom Reed was 7-3 down and needed a full house to earn a draw on the last end and did so in style due to a brilliant third wood which removed Marshall’s bowl from the head and a lovely last wood to take four shots and a 7-7 draw. Ceri Jones of Wales was next up to take on Marshall and again took time to find the pace while Marshall was already in play mode after drawing with Reed. Jones was forced to attack on the second end and took a two to lead 2-1. A tight third end saw Jones increase his lead to 3-1. Ceri Jones missed a golden opportunity with the next end at his mercy and somehow Marshall took two shots to level at 3-3. Jones recovered to take a single on the fifth but suffered on the sixth end. A lucky wick deflected Marshall’s bowl straight onto the jack to ditch it and level the game at 4-4 with an end to play. Three terribly short bowls were played by Marshall but his remaining wood managed to hold on for shot despite Jones’ best efforts and Marshall won the game 5-4.     

Defending Summer League champions Bob Carter visited old rivals Kirby Bedon “A” and emerged with a 6-2 win after a hard fought match that finished with just three shots separating the teams. In the first half Carter’s Jason Woods, John Turner & Melvin Woods started well and led Phil Watson’s triple 11-1 after five ends but a great fight-back cut the deficit to just 15-12 by the end. Carol Aggas, Neil Davidson & Selwyn Goldsmith leveled the match by beating Jamie Foster, George Clarke & Nigel Willard by 15-9. After the break Carter came out on top in both games with Nigel Willard’s triple winning 13-11 and Melvin Woods winning by 15-11. Carter also won their home game against Div One new-boys Horsford “B” by 8-0. George Clarke, John Turner & Nigel Willard racked up wins of 21-7 & 22-6 while Melvin Woods skipped his triple to wins of 23-10 & 15-13. Horsford “B” are quickly learning why survival has proved difficult for promoted teams in the top flight as they also lost 6-2 at Hevingham. Vic “Quiet Man” Woods did the damage winning by 17-13 & 17-11. Thorpe Marriott “A” top Division Two after two home wins in a week. They entertained Sprowston, who were relegated from Div One last season, and handed out a 7-1 beating. Janet Pinchen, Trevor Pinchen & Sylvia Turner won their games by 14-5 & 14-9 while S Warnes’ triple added three more points. Two days later Marriott beat Watton Green 6-2 with Sylvia Turner’s triple again winning twice. Anglian Windows are second after an 8-0 home win against Diss Green, with Mike Boswell’s triple winning by 28-9 against G Mobbs and 20-9 against Will Hoggan, while Avril Walker’s triple beat Hoggan 18-15 & G Mobbs 16-14. Sprowston grabbed a 4-4 draw at Horsford “A” with Terry Fletcher’s triple winning twice. In Division Three Framingham Earl had a good chance of taking top spot but failed after they were held to a 4-4 draw at home to Deaf Sports. A good start saw Framingham Earl 4-0 up at the break but wins for John Jeffrey & Robin Amos in the second half earned the visitors a well deserved draw. In the Summer Cup Watton Green won 6-2 at Diss with Roger Braham’s triple winning by 16-9 & 13-10. Bob Carter won 6-2 at home to Thorpe Marriott “B” with Clarke, Turner & Willard winning by 31-2 & 20-11 while Bob McPherson’s triple earned Marriott’s only win.    

Melvin Woods

                                                                                  Posted 3-6-12

Summer League & Cup Action

With the Norfolk Summer League now well under way defending Div One champions Bob Carter sit top of the table after taking eighteen points from their first three games, although they had to be content with a 4-4 draw at Hevingham and dropped two points at home to newly promoted Thurton. Newly promoted Horsford “B” began their campaign the hard way with a trip to Wymondham. Roger Steele, Mark Linsdell & Debbie Phillips began in blistering form for Wymondham blowing away Lynn Frank, Carol Kemp & Roger Frank 27-5.  17-0 up after just six ends made sure the result was never in doubt. Horsford though were still level on points at the interval after Mark “The Marvel” Tuttle, with Mally Kemp at lead and Sue Fox at number two, stunned home favourites Mikey George, Jon Sparham & Chris Mann. With Mally Kemp in tremendous form the visiting triple surprised Wymondham by starting well to lead 7-6 after seven ends. Tuttle drew a vital shot wood in on the penultimate end to give his triple a 13-11 lead and they added three shots on the final end to win by 16-11. After the break Andrew Stratton replaced Chris Mann and the home triple redeemed themselves beating Roger Frank 12-9 in a tight match. Debbie Phillips’ unchanged triple didn’t have it quite so easy in the second half but still managed a 16-9 win against Mark Tuttle’s triple which surprisingly substituted the on-form Mally Kemp to the relief of the Wymondham captain. Like title rivals Bob Carter the Wymondham side will have been disappointed to drop two points on their own mats so early in the season despite winning the match 6-2. They certainly made no such mistake in their second match away to Hevingham where they looked every inch potential champions. The home side had no answer to a Wymondham side in top form as Mikey George, Jon Sparham & Chris Mann won by 15-10 & 21-7 and Roger Steele, Jack Barrett & Debbie Phillips won by 15-9 & 21-6. That result puts Wymondham just four points behind Carter with a match in hand. Kirby Bedon “A” are third three points behind Wymondham after their early season double against local rivals Kirby Bedon “B”. In Division Two newly promoted Horsford “A” lead the way although they have played more games than the rest after a busy start to their campaign. They will be delighted with a 6-2 away win at Sprowston who were in Division One last year. Vic Webster’s triple won both their games by 11-10 & 17-8 while Chris Woodhouse added a 16-13 win. Horsford “A” will be less pleased with an 8-0 defeat at Anglian Windows where Avril Walker’s triple won by 17-9 & 19-15 and Mike Boswell’s triple won by 15-12 & 20-7. After suffering relegation from the top flight last year First Bus would have hoped to start strongly in Division Two but lost their opening match by 6-2 at home to Diss Green. Former Thorpe Marriott, Framingham Earl & Kirby Bedon bowler Will Hoggan is now in action for Diss and beat Barry Herman’s triple 19-3. Colin Smith, Trish Taylor & G Mobbs scored a double win beating Barry Herman 23-6 and Gordon Crowe 12-10. Colin Coman, Elaine Oatway & Lesley Crowe scored the only First Bus win beating Will Hoggan 14-11. Thorpe Marriott "A” started the season well beating Diss Green 7-1 with Janet Pinchen, Trevor Pinchen & Sylvia Turner winning by 25-12 & 9-8. In Division Three new boys Halvergate lead the pack with twenty points out of twenty-four after three games. At Hingham Yellow the home team failed to cope with Halvergate who took maximum points with Ray Lamb’s triple winning 17-5 & 24-7 and Josh Baxter’s triple winning 17-11 & 16-6. In the Summer Cup Horsford “B” knocked out Anglian Windows beating them by 6-2 with Lynn Frank, Carol Kemp & Roger Frank winning their games by 21-5 & 24-7.  

                                      Roger Steele of Wymondham

Ken Lurcock –Rest in Peace

The NCSMBA is sad to learn of the death of Connaught stalwart Ken Lurcock. The funeral will take place at Earlham on 14th June at 11.15am followed by a wake at Connaught. Donations can be made to the "Big C" or flowers through Gordon Barber, 317 Aylsham Road, Norwich, NR3 2AB.

Norfolk Over 60’s on the road again

Norfolk Over 60’s enjoyed a busy weekend of bowling but unfortunately lost both matches they were involved in. They began with a fixture against Essex Friends at Stonyhill I.B.C in Essex on Friday and suffered a 54-36 defeat. Their chances were not helped by playing on very heavy mats at the county venue and the home side rolling up before hand while Norfolk went on cold. After the game the Norfolk side travelled to Folkestone to prepare for Saturday’s match against Kent Friends. They were unable to repeat last season’s success in the same fixture and lost by 58-38. Norfolk’s top triple of the day were Alice Payne of Saxlingham, Kerry Greenacre of Haddiscoe & Selwyn Goldsmith of Kirby Bedon who won all their games by 12-6, 9-3 & 17-2. Russell Hales of Connaught appeared in three different Norfolk triples but tasted success in all three games. 

        Norfolk withdraws from South-East Association

The Norfolk C.S.M.B.A Management Committee has voted unanimously in favour of Norfolk withdrawing from membership of the South-East Short Mat Bowls Association with immediate effect. This means that Norfolk will no longer compete in either the South-East Championships or the South-East Rinks events. Ongoing administration problems in the organization, and late withdrawals from some events by fellow member counties in recent years, had prompted the decision. Norfolk had an impressive record in the South-East Championships over the years. In the early years John Turner’s East Tuddenham rink swept to a hat-trick of wins from 1989 to 1992. Kirby Bedon’s Teresa Goldsmith, Nigel Willard & Selwyn Goldsmith dominated the triples winning it in 2001, 2002 & 2003 before the Goldsmith’s added a fourth straight win in 2004 with Carter’s Kim Bridge substituting for Willard. Between 1996 & 2007 Norfolk players lifted the South-East Singles Championship eleven times in twelve years with Kirby Bedon’s Selwyn Goldsmith winning it a record four times. In recent years constant rule & format changes have frustrated many bowlers and when semi-finals & finals were replaced by a points system the writing was on the wall for a once highly rated event.

                                                                           Posted 29-5-12

 

Denny Cross – Rest in Peace

Short mat bowlers will be saddened to learn of the death of Denny Cross. He had played the sport for many years appearing regularly for Yaxham in the Breckland League & East Tuddenham in the Bure League. With his long time bowling partner Russell Harris he lifted the Eddie Medler Pairs title in 1996 and was a runner-up in the Norfolk County Pairs the same season. His dry sense of humour was a delight for all those who had the pleasure of playing bowls with him and he will be missed by all.