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September 14th 2025

Our last match of the season was at Home to Tilehurst in the OTL. It started with a heavy rain shower, stayed wet all through and ended, after 10 ends, in the pouring rain. The result was a defeat for Shiplake on 3 rinks and victory on two. It was a shame to be unable to finish on a high note and we will never know whether Shiplake may have won, given a full match. 

The bright points for Shiplake were wins for the Triples of Jean Buckett, Jeff Harris and Alan Gough on Rink 2 and Marilyn Mowatt, Dave Bullock and Tony Reid on Rink 5.

The Triple on Rink 2 started slowly, losing 2 of the first 3 ends and trailing 1-2. This situation was soon rectified by a 5 end winning run, to lead 9-2. A single by Tilehurst and a pair by Shiplake left the match at 11-3 to Shiplake when the game ended prematurely.

Over on Rink 5, three singles put Shiplake 3-0 ahead, before Tilehurst scored a 4 and a single, establishing a 5-3 lead after end 5. Four of the remaining 5 ends went to Shiplake, scoring 5 shots to a single from Tilehurst. A win for Shiplake by 8-6.

September 13th 2025

Our last away match of the season was a damp affair in more ways than one. The match was preceded by a heavy shower and rain threatened all through. The final result was a damp squib for Shiplake, losing the match by 2 rinks to three and 70 shots to 80. The Plomer Cup points were 8-4 in Caversham's favour.

There was a win for Laurie Mowatt, Lorraine Walters and Jane Ward. Three wins in the first 4 ends, including a 5 count, put them 7-1 ahead, before Caversham hit back with a 5 of their own and a single, to level the scores at 7-7 after end 6. Shiplake then launched a four end winning run, adding 8 shots to their total and putting them 15-7 ahead. The momentum switched to Caversham and they won 6 of the final 8 ends. However, all the ends were won by a single and Shiplake's two singles enabled them to hold on for a 17-13 victory.

The other half of the Mowatt couple, Marilyn, was lead for her team, with Dave Bullock and Wendy Cross completing the triple. They were 1-3 down after 3 ends, but scored 11 shots in a five end winning run, to take the lead 12-3. A brief comeback by Caversham brought them 3 shots, before Shiplake added another 5 shots in a 4 end run of success. They now led 17-6 with 4 ends to play. Caversham won 3 of these ends, but the 4 shots they added were not enough and Shiplake won 18-10.

August 31st 2025

An away match in the OTL at Reading brought no joy to the Shiplake players today. With one rink won and 4 lost, we gained only 2 OTL points to Reading's 12. The shot count was 99-61 in Reading's favour.

Shiplake's only winning rink was the triple of Jean Buckett, Dave Bullock and Janet Townley. They got off to a flying start and led 9-0 after 5 ends. The following 6 ends were shared, with each team scoring 3 singles. Three shots on end 12 closed the gap to 12-6 for Shiplake and, although 4 of the final 6 ends were won by Reading, they scored 4 shots to Shiplake's 3, thus leaving Shiplake as 15-10 winners.

Lorraine Walters, David Challis and Wendy Cross came close to a second winning rink for Shiplake. A slow start  left them 2-7 behind after 4 ends, but they then set off on a 4 end winning run, amassing 9 shots to lead 11-7 after 8 ends. Reading were not to be denied their lead for long, scoring a 2 and a 4, to lead 13-11 after end 10. Two winning ends (1,2) put Shiplake back in the lead 14-13 after end 12, but Reading hit back once more with 3 ends won (1,5,1) and a 20-14 lead with 3 ends to play. All three ends were won by Shiplake (1,1,2), but it was not enough and Shiplake went down by 18-20.

Saturday August 30th 2025

Today, we held our first full MiniMax event, with the jack placed at Maximum and Minimum lengths on alternate ends. 18 players took part, giving us 6 Triples, for a fun event followed by a "Bring a Plate" buffet.

The teams were picked at random, from 3 piles of Skips, Twos and Leads. Rinks were also drawn at random. The teams having been picked, we had a "Spider" event. The prize was a box of chocolates, generously donated by Wendy Cross. Our large knitted club spider was placed at the centre of the green and all of the players stood with one foot in the ditch, ready to play. On a count of 3, everyone bowled their wood and the nearest to the yellow leg would be the winner. The chocolates went to Chris Emmett. Well done Chris!

The game started, with the threat of rain ever present. Despite a shower during the match, a good time was had by all and everybody was safely in the clubhouse before the rain really set in. 

There was a very convincing win for Keith Walters, Jean Buckett and David Lloyd on Rink 2 and a good win for Lorraine Walters, Barrie Jones and Mick Lovejoy on Rink 3. They were 9-9 after 11 ends, but went on to win 7 of the remaining 8 ends, to win 19-10.

On Rink 4, there was a very close match between Jenny Ward, Chris Emmett and Alan Gough, playing Laurie Mowatt, Sandra Gough and Ruth Copp. It was 5-5 after 5 ends, 9-9 after 11 ends and 16-16 after 16 ends, before Jenny, Chris and Alan edged ahead to win 20-16.

The overall result was close, with the Away team winning 51-45. No prize, but lots of kudos.

August 29th 2025

In the final qualifying match in this year's Club competitions, John Townley faced Graham Kennedy once again. John scored singles on the first 2 ends, then Graham won the next 3 ends (2,2,1), to lead 5-2. A run of 3 more singles to John and it was 5-5. A single from Graham, 3 from John, a single from Graham, a single from John and John was leading 9-7 after 12 ends. Three ends to play and Graham took the match by the scruff of the neck, scoring 3,2,3 to win 15-9 and secure his place in the Final against Tony Reid.

August 27th 2025

The Semi-Final in the Drawn Pairs between Elaine Robinson & Graham Kennedy and Tony Reid & Keith Walters was a one way street. Graham and Elaine dominated throughout, losing only 3 ends and conceding only 9 shots, while amassing 31 shots over 12 winning ends. Final score: GK & ER 31, TR & KW 9. Graham and Elaine will meet Jane Ward and Wendy Cross in the Final. It promises to be a close match!

August 26th 2025

Three club matches were played today, bringing us closer to knowing the line up for the Finals days.

In the Seniors competition Semi-Final, Keith Walters played Tony Reid. A good start from Keith, with 5 of the first 6 ends won and a 6-1 lead. From end 7, however, it was a completely different story. Tony won the next 6 ends (2,2,1,3,2,4) and established an almost unassailable 15-6 lead, with only 3 ends to play. Keith won ends 13 and 14, by a single and a pair, but it was not possible to catch up and the game ended with victory for Tony, by 15-9. Tony will play the winner of the match between Graham Kennedy and John Townley in the Final.

The Semi-Final of the Women's Singles produced another crushing victory by Jane Ward, as she brushed aside the challenge of Marilyn Mowatt on her way to a meeting with Janet Townley in the Final. Marilyn was left to ponder how to stop Jane, as she won the first 6 ends, to lead 14-0. Marilyn managed to win 3 consecutive ends, each by singles, but Jane scored a pair on end 10 to lead 16-3. Although both players won 2 of the final 4 ends, Marilyn's 3 shots were surpassed by Jane's 5 and Jane won the match 21-6.

The third match of the day was between David Lloyd and Pete Leverett in the Men's Singles Semi-Final. David won the first end, but was then forced to watch while Pete won the next 14, to lead 18-1. The boot dramatically shifted to the other foot, as David won 7 of the remaining 10 ends. However, on the 3 ends Pete won, he was able to add the 3 shots he needed to progress to a place in the Final against John Townley.

August 24th 2025

There was a glorious sunny day for this year's Drawn Fours competition, which was superbly organised by John Townley. There were 24 entries, which divided neatly into 6 teams of four. The draw was carried out in full view of all the entrants, to ensure fairness and a degree of randomness. With 4 pots of names and one name from each in turn being drawn, it ensured that the teams were as balanced as possible, while not dictating who played with whom. Each team had a "Captain", who was responsible for scoring and steering the team to the right rink, but each team could decide on the playing order.

The afternoon began with a "Spider", with a £1 entry fee. The large knitted spider, made by Marilyn Mowatt, was placed at the centre of the green and all of the contestants stood with one foot in the ditch and a wood in hand. On the count of three, all players released their wood in the direction of the spider and the nearest to the yellow leg won a bottle of wine. The nearest wood was that of John Townley; just reward for all the effort he had put into organising the event.

Teams drawn and Spider over, the teams now got down to the serious business of trying to win the trophy. Each team would play 3 games of 5 ends, with 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The two top teams at the end of the first round would progress to the Final.

Teams were as follows:

A: Alan Gough, Keith Walters, Laurie Mowatt, David Lloyd

B; Janet Townley, Jenny Ward, Sue Pitcher, Dave Bullock

C: Tony Reid, Stuart Earl, Sue Reid, Sandra Gough

D; Wendy Cross, Ali Uygur, Callum Potter, Jeff Harris

E; Jane Ward, Neil Warley, Pete McCoubrey, Jean Buckett

F: John Townley, Marilyn Mowatt, Lorraine Walters, Margaret Bullock

Match 1 Results: A 5 v B 2, C 4 v D 6, E 1 v F 11

Match 2 Results: A 3 v C 5, B 2 v E 8, D 4 v F 2

Match 3 Results: C 6 v E 1, F 8 v A 8, B 3 v D 3

The positions after the first 3 matches were:

1. Team D: 5 points and 13 shots

2. Team C: 4 points and 15 shots

3. Team F: 3 points and 21 shots

4. Team A: 3 points and 16 shots

5. Team E: 2 points and 10 shots

6. Team B: 1 point and 7 shots

The Finalists were Teams D and C, in a match over 5 ends. It was a very good, close Final. With the score at 3-3 at the end of end 5, the match went to an extra end to decide the winners. 

With Team D holding two shots, after a magnificent shot by Wendy Cross to take the jack and follow it back to her team's wood, waiting at the back, the only thing between them and victory was Tony Reid's last wood. With a perfectly weighted and accurate wood, he secured the win for his team and burst the balloon of his opponents.

Congratulations to Tony, Sue, Sandra and birthday boy Stuart on their victory. Commiserations to Wendy, Jeff, Ali and our youngest player, Callum, who came so close to picking up a trophy. (Photos on the Home page).

It was a wonderful afternoon and everyone had a great time in the sun. This was another proof of what a great club we have and I hope that we will see an equally good attendance at our MiniMax competition on Saturday, August 30th.

August 23rd 2025

There is not a great deal to be said about the match against Hagbourne in the Plomer Cup. Hagbourne, riding high in the table, inflicted a heavy defeat on Shiplake, winning 4 rinks to 1 and 10 points to 2 and scoring 104 shots to Shiplake's 61.

The sole winning rink for Shiplake was that of Keith Walters, Elaine Robinson and Graham Kennedy. They won 2 of the first 4 ends, to lead 7-4. Each of the teams won alternative ends for the next 12 ends, but Shiplake outscored Hagbourne to lead 17-12 with 2 ends to play. The final 2 ends went to Hagbourne, but Shiplake held on to win 17-14.

The "nearly" prize for the day went to Margaret Bullock, Alan Gough and Wendy Cross. Singles on the first 2 ends were followed by a disastrous concession of 7 shots on end 3. The next 3 ends were no better, with Hagbourne scoring 5 shots to Shiplake's 1. The score was now 12-3 in Hagbourne's favour after 6 ends. Shiplake now started a comeback, winning 4 of the following 7 ends and narrowing the gap to 9-15 after end 13. Three shots on ends 14 and 16 outmatched a single on end 15, to put Shiplake one shot behind at 15-16, with 2 ends to play. A single on end 17 and it was all square. Sadly, Hagbourne were up to the challenge and scored 3 shots on the last end to win 19-16.

Commiserations also to Jane Ward, Pete Leverett and Janet Townley, who slipped to a narrow defeat. They were 7-0 up after 4 ends, but conceded 4 shots, in losing the next three, to narrow their lead to 7-4. The next 5 ends brought 3 wins and 2 losses and an 11-7 lead. Six ends to play and the first three went badly for Shiplake, losing all 3 and conceding 6 shots. They were now 11-13 behind. Two wins on the final 3 ends brought only 2 shots, which was matched by Hagbourne's solitary win. It was enough for Hagbourne to win 15-13.

Friday August 22nd 2025

Today was the Semi-Final match in the Plate. Ali Uygur (4) was playing David Skilleter (8). The first end went to Ali, with 2 shots. David then won 3 consecutive ends by 2 shots, to establish a 14-6 lead. Now it was Ali's turn and he took back the lead by winning 6 ends in a row and scoring 12 shots. Ali was now leading 18-14 and needed only 3 shots for victory. David had his own thoughts on the matter and scored 3 singles, to trail 17-18, after end 13. A much needed score of 2 shots on end 14 gave Ali hope, as he now needed just one shot to win. Unfortunately for Ali, that was the end of his challenge, as David scored 2, 1, 1 to win the match by 21-20. David will now meet Jane Ward in the Final.

August 21st 2025

Wendy Cross and Jane Ward played Janet Townley and David Skilleter in the Drawn Pairs Semi-Final today. The first 11 ends were dominated by Wendy & Jane, winning all bar one and scoring 14 shots. The tables then turned completely and Janet and David won 5 of the remaining 6 ends played. However, they were too far behind, with only one end to play, and bowed out 8-15. Wendy and Jane progress to the Final.

Also played today was the 91 Up Semi-Final between John Townley and Elaine Robinson. John started well, with 7-3 and 9-1, but Elaine scored 6-4 and the 4th end was a 5-5 draw. Four ends played and John  was leading 25-15. A 6-4 to John, then a 7-3 to Elaine and it was close at John 34, Elaine 26. The control of the game switched definitively to John at this point. Two 9-1's and a 6-4 stretched his lead to 58-32.Two 7-3's and a 9-1 pushed him even further ahead at 74-36. John was now an unstoppable force and he won 3 of the final 4 ends in the match to progress to the Final by 94-56.

August 20th 2025

We played our final evening match tonight, away to Burghfield who are current leaders of the league and  have a very good chance of remaining there. Burghfield dominated the game, winning 4 rinks to 1 and beating Shilake by 95 shots to 68.

The only winning rink for Shiplake was that of Callum Potter (playing in only his second game of the season), David Challis and Wendy Cross. They won ends 1 and 2, before losing ends 3 and 4, making the score level at 2-2. The next 5 ends went to Shiplake, giving them an 11-2 lead. On end 10, they conceded 2 shots, but soon returned to winning ways, by adding 8 more shots to their total with 4 consecutive winning ends. At 19-4 ahead, with only 4 ends to play, they had to face a comeback from Burghfield. With 7 shots scored  and 3 of the 4 ends won, Burghfield closed the gap, but Shiplake won 20-11.

Shiplake came very close to another winning rink from Sandra Gough, Mick Lovejoy and Jim Bland. In a close game, they were level at 8-8 after 10 ends, having been 7-3 ahead after five. By end 14, they had opened a narrow 2 shot lead, but it was all square again after end 16. Two shots on end 17 put Shiplake ahead again. There was a dramatic finish on the final end, with Burghfield holding 2 shots and Gary Belcher having one wood left to bowl. He played an inch perfect shot to score a third and Burghfield won by 15-14.

August 19th 2025

There were 3 Club competition matches today.

First was the Plate match between Jane Ward (1) and Wendy Cross (1). Another strong performance and another Final for Jane, as she tore Wendy apart. Jane won 7 of the first 9 ends, amassing 17 shots to Wendy's 2, for an 18-3 lead. Wendy took over for the remainder of the game, winning 6 of the remaining 9 ends. However, Wendy was restricted to singles and went down 9-21. Jane will play Ali Uygur or David Skilleter in the Final.

Next came the Women's Singles Semi-Final between Margaret Bullock and Janet Townley. This had all the promise of a very close game and so it was. After 6 ends, both players had won 3 ends each and it was 3-3. Margaret then had a 3 end winning run, scoring 5 shots, to lead 8-3. Four shots from Janet over the next 2 ends kept the scores within 1 shot. Margaret won 2 ends and Janet 1, but both scored 3 shots, so Margaret still held a narrow lead, at 11-10, after end 14. Ends 15 (1), 16 (1) and 17 (2) went to Janet and she now held a 14-11 lead. Margaret was not finished yet and won 4 of the succeeding 5 ends, scoring 5 shots to Janet's 1. It was now Margaret 16, Janet 15 after 22 ends. Once again there was a shift in momentum, with Janet scoring 2, 2 and 1 on ends 23-25, to leap ahead by 20-16. Only one shot needed for victory and a place in the Final. We now moved onto scorecard 2 and Janet finally made it across the finishing line 21-16. She will now play either Marilyn Mowatt or Jane Ward in the Final.

Today's final match was a Semi-Final in the 91 Up, between Jane Ward and David Lloyd. Jane set to with a vengeance, winning the first 4 ends by 7-3, 7-3, 7-3 and 6-4, to lead 27-13. David won end 5 by 9-1, before Jane started another shot spree, adding 33 shots, in winning 4 and drawing 1 of the next 5 ends. She was now leading 61-39. Wins of 9-1 and 6-4 reduced the deficit for David to 54-66, but Jane came back with a 10-0 on end 13, followed by wins of 7-3 and 6-4. She now needed only 2 shots to win and David was still 30 shots away from victory. He scored a 7-3 win on end 16, but it was all over: 68-92. Jane goes through to another Final, meeting the winner of the match between Elaine Robinson and John Townley.

August 18th 2025

There was only 1 Club match today, with Sandra Gough meeting Lorraine Walters in the Semi-Finals of the Novices competition. Lorraine started well and was 4-0 ahead after 2 ends. Sandra came back with wins on 3 of the next 4 ends and it was 5-4 to Lorraine. It seemed that we had a close match in prospect, but Lorraine held a different view. She moved up a gear and gave Sandra no openings and no score in a very impressive display of bowling, which left Sandra stunned in her wake, as Lorraine moved smoothly into the Novices Final. She will play Pete Leverett, who knocked out Lorraine's husband Keith in the other Semi-Final.

August 17th 2025

A fixture not played in more than 20 years was revived today, when Maidenhead Thicket visited Shiplake for a friendly match, bringing 5 Triples. As the weather was very hot, there were no trial ends and a maximum score of 1 shot on the first 2 ends. The result was good for Shiplake, winning 4 rinks to 1 and 90-61 on shots.

Best result for Shiplake was on Rink 5. Neil Warley, Ruth Copp and Janet Townley started very well by winning 3 of the first 4 ends and scoring 9 shots, to lead 9-1. Maidenhead replied with 4 shots over 2 winning ends, to reduce the deficit to 5-9. Now it was Shiplake's turn and they won 3 ends and scored 5 shots for a 14-5 lead. By end 12, Shiplake were ahead by 16 shots to 8, which was increased to 22-8 with a 5 and a single. The final 4 ends were won 3-1 by Maidenhead but the two teams scored equal shots. The final score was 25-11 to Shiplake.

Jenny Ward, Dave Bullock and Wendy Cross were next in the Honours list. A steady startsaw them win 3 of the first 5 ends, to lead by 3-2. The following 5 ends went Shiplake's way and they added 7 shots to their total. They were now 10-2 ahead. Maidenhead won 3 of the next 5 ends to trail 7-13, but did not score again and Shiplake won 19-7.

Marilyn Mowatt, Margaret Bullock and Jeff Harris had a comfortable win by 17-8. They won only one of the first 4 ends and trailed 1-3, before scoring 4 shots to go ahead. The difference in scores remained close for the next 4 ends, but Shiplake scored 1,2, 1 to win ends 10, 11 and 12 and establish a 6 shot lead. The remaining 6 ends were shared equally, with Shiplake doubling the shots scored by Maidenhead and gaining a 17-8 victory.

Laurie Mowatt, Sandra Gough and John Townley were quick out of the traps on Rink 4. A 5 count on end 3 put them 7-0 in front. Maidenhead were still 7 shots behind after end 8, with the score at 10-3 to Shiplake. A score of 3 on end 9 was outmatched by Maidenhead's 2, 1 and 3 on ends 10, 11 and 12. They were now within 4 shots, but Shiplake buried their hopes with a 5 count on end 13 and a single on end 14. Shiplake now led 19-9. Despite winning 3 of the final 4 ends and scoring 4 shots to Shiplake's 1, Maidenhead succumbed 13-20.

A very good result for Shiplake and a very pleasant afternoon, which will, hopefully, be repeated next year.

August 16th 2025

Today, we travelled to Palmer Park for a match in the OTL. We started the game well and it looked like we were on course for a victory and some much needed league points. However, the second half of the game went in Palmer Park's favour and we came away with 5 OTL points, having won on 2 rinks and drawn on one. 

The best win for Shiplake was by Sandra Gough, Dave Bullock and Tony Reid. 9-0 up after 3 ends, they lost 3 of the next 5 ends, but added 6 shots to Palmer Park's 3. This gave them a 15-3 lead after end 8. The momentum now shifted dramatically in Palmer Park's direction. They won 7 of the following 8 ends, scoring 9 shots to Shiplake's 1. With 2 ends to play, Shiplake held a narrow lead (16-12). Three shots on the 17th end gave Shiplake a cushion and they held on, despite losing the final end. The final score was 19-13 to Shiplake and  2 OTL points were in the bag.

On the next door rink, Jean Buckett, David Challis and Alan Gough had an even tougher fight on their hands. Having started well by winning 4 of the first 6 ends, they were leading 9-2. The match started to slip away from them as they won only one of the next 9 ends and trailed 11-12, with 3 ends to play. Two shots on end 16 put them 1 shot ahead, but one shot from PP on end 17 levelled the score. There now had to be a winner, but who would it be? The pressure was taken off Skip Alan, with Jean holding 2 shots and no need to bowl the final wood. The final score: Palmer Park 13, Shiplake 15 and 2 more OTL points.

Over on Rink 2, Margaret Bullock, Keith Walters and Graham Kennedy won 5 of the first 6 ends, to lead 7-4. PP came back at them, winning 4 of the next 6 ends and making it all square at 11-11 after end 12. Shiplake hit back with a two and and a single in response to PP's single shot and led 14-12, with 3 ends to go, PP were not beaten and won 2 of the final 3 ends, to force a 16-16 draw. Only half a point gained for Shiplake.

David Lloyd, Pete Leverett and Wendy Cross had a really tough time, but led 9-5 at the halfway stage. Palmer Park were inspired in the second half of the game and conceded only 2 ends, to win 17-11.

August 15th 2025

On a blazing hot day, there were 4 Club matches today. The first was in the 2 Wood competition between Jane Ward and John Townley. John had a good start, leading 3-0 after 2 ends, but Jane won the next 2 ends to level. The following 3 ends went to John and he won the first set 7-3. The second set was much closer. The first 4 ends were shared, with both players scoring 3 shots. Jane then took charge and John won only one of the following 5 ends. The set went to Jane 8-5. In the deciding set John dominated proceedings, losing only one end and winning the set 7-1 and the match 2-1. John has now booked his Final place against Elaine Robinson.

After a short rest at home, John was back to play Sandra Gough in the Handicap Semi-Final. Sandra had a 5 shot start, but it was of no avail against an in form John. He swept Sandra aside and raced to a quick victory. He will now meet David Lloyd in the Final.

Two rinks down, there was a Novices match between Pete Leverett and Keith Walters. Pete scored singles on the first 3 ends, but Keith struck back with 5 shots over 3 winning ends, to lead 5-3. Pete then came back with 3 winning ends of his own, adding 5 shots to his score and retaking the lead 8-5. Another mini revival from Keith added 2 ends and 4 shots to his tally and it was now 9-8 to Keith. The pendulum swung once again in Pete's favour, with a run of 3 winning ends and 9 shots added to his total. He was now 17-9 in front and edging his way to victory. Keith was not done yet and added 3 shots over the next 2 ends, to reduce the deficit to 12-17. The final 4 ends of the match were shared, but but Pete scored the 4 shots he needed to win and the match ended 21-14. Pete goes through to the Final, to play either Sandra Gough or Lorraine Walters.

In the fourth match of the day, Ali Uygur (4) beat Ruth Copp (3) in the Plate. This was always going to be a close match and it started that way, with the scores separated only by the Handicap difference after 3 ends, before Ali won 2 successive ends, scoring 6 shots to leap ahead 12-5. Ruth then set off on a winning streak, taking 6 of the next 7 ends for a 14-13 lead after end 12. This fired Ali into a strong response and he won 5 successive ends, scoring 8 shots and winning the match 21-14. Ali will now play David Skilleter in the next round.