Report from Clive Bryceson

All four Triples Squads had their first game on Saturday (two at home and two away) and all four won as below.

Sec 5B  Dolphins:  Captain Julie L-S  – Won on both rinks with 37 shot difference.  Top of their leagues with 6 points.

Sec 5A  Puffins: Captain Roger S – Won on both rinks with 23 shot difference. Second in league with 6 points.

Sec 5A  Seagulls: Captain Barrie T – Won one rink with 4 overall shot difference. Fourth in league with 4 points.

Sec 1   Swans: Captain Clive B – Won one rink with 5 overall shot difference.  Fifth in league with 4 points.

Seagulls had to play with one man down due to illness the night before but still managed an overall win.

But it proves that you can play with just two on a rink and still get an overall win.  The rules give detailed instructions on how the bowls should be delivered in such cases.

I hope everyone enjoyed their first game and were back home by lunchtime/early afternoon to enjoy the rest of the day.

Roger has a problem with a shortage of drivers for away matches but intends to manage this as best he can.

All the results can be found on the B&D website.

A long way to go but a very good start.

Club President, Mike Keats, raised £1,520 for Cancer Research UK. This grand amount was raised through club raffles, donations and a special open raffle for a ‘Steiff Replica 1926 Clown Bear’, a collector’s item donated by Mike.

Mike was pleased to present the cheque, on the season closing day, to Jim Rosewarn, the local representative of Cancer Research, who was a former player at the Isle of Purbeck IBC in Swanage.

Jim thanked Mike and the club and gave an insight into the ongoing work of Cancer Research. Mary Rosewarn made the draw for the ‘Steiff Bear’, the winner being Dominic Cockcroft of Branksome Park Bowling Club, who has been notified.

President Mike thanked all who took part in this successful fund raising.

Mike Keats presents cheque to Jim Rosewarn of Cancer Research UK

Steiff Bear winning number

Club Captains Jan Cherry and Tony Bell were thanked for the £390 raised on their Captain’s Charity Day, by Terry Buck from ‘Friends of Swanage Hospital’. Terry said he had been so inspired by the gardening work carried out at the bowling club by Ben Cross and his team and so this money would be handed on to the hospital gardening team, led by Dave George, to create a special bed in the new patient’s garden. This is visited by patients to give them ‘fresh air’ and enhance their wellbeing, and by staff as a place away from the bustle of the workplace, helping with stress and mental health issues.

The club ran a ‘Regatta spoons drive’ during Carnival week and raised a sum of £120, which was passed on to be distributed by the Carnival Committee to local charities and causes.

Saturday 10^th, 10-30am. start

LADIES’ H’CAP: Linda Wallis Vs. Jan Cherry

Rink 2, Marker: Tony Bell

VETERAN’S SINGLES: Brian Beeston Vs. John French

Rink 3, Marker: Roger Senior

Saturday 10^th, 2pm. start

CHOSEN MIXED PAIRS: Paul & Carole Knapman Vs. Mike & Uta Keats

Rink 5

AUSTRALIAN PAIRS: Judy Smooker/Phil Cockman Vs. Tony Bell/Tony Perkins

Rink 3

LADIES 2 WOOD: Sue King  Vs. Jan Cherry

Rink 4, Marker: Brian Beeston

Sunday 11^th, 10-30am. start

MEN’S H’CAP: Phil Cockman Vs. Terry Buck

Rink 5, Marker: Jim Andrews

LADIES PAIRS: Linda Wallis/Gill Bryceson Vs. Sue Bird/Julie Lomas-Smith

Rink 4

MEN’S 2 WOOD: Brian Beeston Vs. Tim Luscombe

Rink 2, Marker Clive Bryceson

MEN’S PAIRS: Keith Bird/Dave Hogsflesh Vs. Mike Keats/John Smith

Rink 3

Sunday 11^th, 2pm. start

MEN’S SINGLES CHAMP: Roger Senior Vs. Mark Crompton

Rink 4, Marker Terry Buck

LADIES’ SINGLES CHAMP: Jan Cherry Vs. Uta Keats

Rink 3, Marker: Linda Wallis

Saturday 17^th (Club comp. reserve day)

LEVI CUP: Neil Towlson Vs. Phil Cockman (this due to a family funeral)

Having become the Dorset area champions in the national ‘Ladies Top Club’ knockout competition, the ladies team travelled to the neutral venue of, Culm Vale BC, Cullompton, to play the Cornwall area champions, St. Austell, in the last 32 round.

On arrival the green was found to be somewhat ‘scorched’ and proved a difficult surface to play on. However, we came across an in-form team and the outcome was as follows:

Uta Keats, playing on the singles rink, came across Katie Sturtride bowling her best ever and lost 21 shots to 5.

Our pairs rink of Lady Captain Jan Cherry and Sue Bird were 7 all after 6 ends and 10 all after 12 ends, then won 4 ends to 2 in the last 6 to win by 15 shots to 12, perspiration abounded.

The triples rink of Sue King, Linda Wallis and Gill Bryceson went 6 down quickly but pulled back in determined fashion to be 11 all after 9 ends, then we slowly took control of the game winning by 2 after the penultimate end but were ‘gutted’ by a 5 down on the last end losing 19 shots to 22.

The full rink of Lil Bell, Jenny Carter, Julie Lomas-Smith and Judy Smooker came under fire from the get-go, 5 shots down after 6 ends and after tightening up were only 6 down after 12, sharing the last 6 ends went down by 11 shots to 16.

The whole club is very proud of our Ladies’ Top Club team achievements this year and the club history they have written.

On Friday at a neutral green, Blandford, Swanage lady bowlers played Greenhill in the area final of the national knockout competition, Ladies Top Club.

Uta Keats set the trend by winning on the singles rink by a super score of 21 shots to 10 (11up). This was followed by Lady Captain, Jan Cherry and Sue Bird on the pairs rink scoring on every end from the second to the eleventh amassing 24 points and finishing with a whopping score of 28 shots to 10 (18 up). The triples rink of Sue King, Connie Palmer and Gill Bryceson fought a long battle, picking up points and saving shots with skill but went down 9 shots to 28 (19 down). The full rink of Lil Bell, Ro Bibby, Julie Lomas-Smith and Judy Smooker again held the game and limited the shots against and lost 15 shots to 20 (5 down)

The game is normally decided on the number of disciplines won but at 2 each it is decided on shots difference, so Swanage won by 5 shots overall.

Well done the first time we are the area CHAMPIONS.

We now have to play St Austell, the Cornish area winners, by 14^th August, and then progress further!

On Wednesday 13^th July, evening, the Swanage Lady bowlers made further club history by winning their third-round knockout game against Poole Park and made it to the area final in the national Bowls England knockout competition ‘Ladies Top Club’.

On the singles rink Uta Keats limited her opponent to winning only on 5 ends in the 18 played and won by a fine margin 21 shots to 10. (11 up)

On the pairs rink Jan Cherry and Linda Wallis put up a good fight and kept their loss to a minimum by scoring 3 on the last end 13-27 shots. (14 down)

On the triples rink Nadine Evans, (who came in at the 11^th hour to cover for a Covid hit player), Gill Bryceson and Sue Bird again fought well and also kept their loss as low as possible, limiting their opponents to 1 shot on the last end 10-21 shots. (11 down)

On the fours rink Lil Bell, Jenny Carter, Julie Lomas-Smith and Judy Smooker rocketed ahead, their opponents not scoring until the 9^th end and kept the pressure on achieving a final score of 25 shots to 6. (19 up)

The winner of these games is the team who wins on the most disciplines but in the case of a draw, as today, 2 rinks each, the outcome is on the overall shots scored, therefore, Swanage win 69 shots to 64. WELL DONE.

The area final will be against Greenhill BC and played on a neutral green, as we are the challenger, Lady Captain Jan has more organising to do, as it has to be played before 31^st July!