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September 16th

2024

Yesterday was our last match, away to Tilehurst. It was a true David v Goliath occasion and this time Goliath won, with Tilehurst brushing us aside and going on to win the OTL. Every Shiplake player had a hard time of it and will probably be happy to forget the day. The weather was overcast and gloomy, much like our chances, but the company was delightful. 

September 15th 2024

Yesterday, we played our last home game of the season against local rivals, Caversham. Played in gorgeous sunshine and a friendly atmosphere, it was a close fought match with Caversham triumphing by a mere 3 shots overall.

The best performance by Shiplake was on Rink 1, where Howard West led his team of Margaret Bullock and Dave Challis to a clear victory. They started slowly, conceding 6 shots over the first 2 ends, but hit back with 5 over the next 2. The next 4 ends were shared, but Shiplake scored 7 shots to Caversham's 2 and it was 12-8 to Shiplake. Caversham staged a good comeback, winning the next 3 ends and scoring 5 shots, to lead by 1 shot. Shiplake needed to regain their lead and did so in style by winning 6 of the remaining 7 ends, to win 22-14.

Next in the Shiplake honours list was the team of Wendy Cross, Alan Gough and Sandra Gough, on Rink 3. A great start with 4 shots on end 1 and a single on end 2, then a disaster on end 3, losing 5 shots to be level. 3 shots on each of the next 2 ends restored the lead and some pride, but Caversham were not out of it and scored 4 over the next 2 ends (11-9 to Shiplake). Shiplake continued scoring steadily and were 16-12 ahead after end 11, before scoring 4 shots on end 12 to lead 20-12. The remaining 6 ends were shared, 3 apiece but Shiplake held on to their lead, winning 23-16.

Shiplake's other winning triple was on Rink 5, led by Elaine Robinson, with Jean Buckett and Barrie Jones. This game was very evenly matched, with little conceded by either side. Shiplake lost the first 2 ends to go behind 0-3, then scored 5 singles in a row to lead 5-3.  By end 11, Shiplake were 6-7 behind, but 3 shots on end 12 put them 9-7 ahead. Nip and tuck over the following 5 ends saw Shiplake still unsure of victory at 12-9 with an end to go. Caversham scored 2 shots, but it was not enough and Shiplake had the victory by 12-11.

There was another close match on Rink 2, where Mick Lovejoy skipped Jane Ward and David Bullock. A good start for Shiplake and a 7-2 lead after 5 ends, then a strong fight back by Caversham, who scored 11 shots in 5 successive winning ends, to lead 15-7. One apiece on the next 2 ends, then a 5 and a 4 for Shiplake and they were back in the fight at 17-16 ahead. Caversham were not prepared to let the game slip away, scoring successive 3's on the next 2 ends to lead 22-17. The remaining 2 ends went to Shiplake, but it was not enough and they lost 20-22.

On Rink 4, Jim Bland, Sue Reid and Neil Warley were outmatched by their rivals and were comfortably beaten.

September 10th

 2024

On Sunday, September 8th the remaining Club Finals took place, on a day of uncertain weather, following on from a night filled with the sounds of thunder and torrential rain, punctuated by flashes of lightning. It was a case of the wets at the ready and flex those muscles for a heavy green.

The day started with the Novices Final, between David Skilleter, in his first appearance in a Final, and Jane Ward, winner of the Women's Singles Final on Friday. Jane started well, with 3 shots on the first end, then David scored a single on end 2. The next 2 ends saw Jane scoring a 3 and a 4, to lead 10-1. Three shots over the next 2 ends and it looked like a comeback from David. Jane was having none of this and won the next 4 ends, scoring 7 shots to lead 17-4. A couple of 2's by David were not enough and, with Jane winning 3 of the last 4 ends, she gained the victory by 22-8. Two finals and two victories! Well done Jane and commiserations to David.

While Jane was playing David, the Drawn Pairs Final was taking place, between Ali Uygur & Janet Townley and Elaine Robinson & Graham Kennedy, our new Men's Champion, who had won his 4th title in a row on Friday night. Elaine and Graham started with 3 shots on end 1, but Ali and Janet came back with 2 shots on end 2. Elaine and Graham then had a successful run, scoring 18 shots, while winning the next 5 ends. The score was now 21-2 and it looked to be all over. Nobody had told Ali and Janet that, though, and they won the next 4 ends, to reduce the deficit to 8-21. 7 shots over the next 3 ends sealed their fate and the game ended at end 16, with Ali and Janet being unable to score enough shots to win. Final score 30-9. Congratulations to Elaine and Graham and commiserations to Ali and Janet. 2 out of 2 for Graham!

A short break and Graham was back on the green, to play his rival from Friday's Men's Singles Final, John Townley. This time they were competing in the final of the Senior Citizen's competition. This time, it was Graham who got off to a quick start, scoring 4 shots over the first 2 ends. John scored a single on end 3, but 2 successive scores of 2 shots put Graham ahead by 8-1. John replied with a single on end 6, then they traded scores and jacks, to leave the score at 13-7 to Graham on the 14th end, one end early because John could not score enough on the final end to win. The immovable object of Graham Kennedy was still preventing John from gaining his first Shiplake Club title. Congratulations to Graham on winning his third title from 3 finals.

On the rink next door, Wendy Cross & Jim Bland faced Jean Buckett & Elaine Robinson in the final of the 2 Wood Pairs. This was a real game of mixed fortunes and a worthy match for a Final. Wendy and Jim had much the better of the first 9 ends, going ahead by 9-4. Jean and Elaine won ends 10 and 11 to make it 9-7. The game then seesawed, with 4 ends going to Wendy and Jim and 4 ends going to Jean and Elaine. They now had a last end "shoot out", with the game level at 15-15. A single shot scored and Elaine had her second title and Jean her first. Well done to them and commiserations to Wendy and Jim, who made this a nail biting final to watch.

The day then moved on to the Final of the Handicap competition, with both Ali Uygur and Wendy Cross making their second appearance of the day. Ali received a 3 shot start, but Wendy quickly eroded this, to lead 6-5 after end 2. Ali pulled 1 back, but Wendy scored 8 shots over the next 3 ends to lead 14-6. A single and a 2 for Ali reduced the deficit to 9-14, but Wendy powered ahead, winning 5 of the remaining 6 ends, becoming Handicap title holder by 22-10.

Simultaneously, John Townley was playing in his 3rd Final, against Jim Bland, in the 2 Wood competition. In the first set, Jim won 2 of the first 3 ends to lead 4-1, but John fought back to level at 4-4 on end 5. A single on end 6 and John was leading, but Jim scored a single and a 2 to win the first set 7-5. Set 2 was also close, with Jim winning the first 2 ends, but John scored a 2 to level at 2-2. Two shots scored on end 4 put John ahead, but Jim won 3 ends in a row to take the lead 6-4. Another fight back by John, scoring 2 to level the scores again at 6-6. However, this was not to be John's first title, with Jim scoring a single shot on the next end to win the set 7-6 and the Final by 2 sets to nil. Congratulations Jim and, once again, commiserations to John.

We now proceeded to the climax of the day, with 2 more finals to watch. In the final of the Plate, Jane Ward was putting in her third appearance of the Finals programme, playing against Neil Ward. This was Neil's first appearance in a club final. Neil was receiving a 2 shot start from Jane, but Jane had negated that by end 2. Neil scored 2 shots on end 3, to lead 9-7, but Jane then stepped up a gear, scoring 15 shots in a winning run of 6 ends to gain her third title from 3 finals, by 22-9. Many congratulations to Jane and commiserations to Neil, who was up against a "force majeur."

While Jane was filling her trophy cabinet, John Townley had his final attempt at a title, once more playing Jim Bland. This time, it was the 91 Up competition and it promised to be a close run thing. Jim started well, to lead 15-5 after 2 ends, but John scored 8 on end 3 to reduce Jim's lead to 4 shots. Jim managed to keep his nose in front and was leading 48-42 after end 9. A 7 for John brought the scores really close again at 51-49, then the next 2 ends were shared 5-5. John then scored successive 9's on ends 13 and 14, to lead 77-63. Two drawn ends kept Jim in touch, but that score of 91 was fast approaching and John sealed Jim's fate with a 6-4 win on end 17 to win the match overall by 93-77. Phew! Well done John, you finally got that title you richly deserved. Commiserations to Jim for a hard fought battle.

September 10th 2024

A win for Club Captain Elaine Robinson in the Blay Cup on September 7th. Elaine was drawn with Jenny Lynch from South Oxon B.C. in this Oxfordshire Ladies Drawn Pairs competition, playing 4 matches to win the trophy. (see photo above)

September 7th

2024

On a cool, overcast evening we were treated to a feast of bowling skills which helped to brighten our attendance at the club.  The evening was capped by the draw for our Grand Summer Raffle, with a healthy gathering of members in attendance, to witness the distribution of the wealth of prizes, so generously donated by the membership, to the lucky winners. Before we could get to this event, there was the not so small matter of the Men's and Women's Singles Finals. So, without further ado, I will bring you the match reports.

In the Women's Singles Finals, Ruth Copp faced off against Jane Ward. Ruth and Jane had been partners in the Drawn Pairs, but now that partnership was behind them, as they battled for the title. Jane, in her first attempt at the Women's Singles, started well and was 4-0 ahead after two ends. Steady scoring by Jane, with the occasional interruption from Ruth and it was 9-3 to Jane at end 9. 3 shots apiece over the next 4 ends and it was 12-6. Ruth was still hanging on, but Jane was really finding her stride and she won 5 of the remaining 7 ends, scoring 10 shots to Ruth's 3. A very impressive debut from Jane, who emerged triumphant at 22-9.

Meanwhile, on the next rink, a match was unfolding which will not be forgotten for many years to come. In the annals of epic battles, this rates very highly indeed. Graham Kennedy, who had won the title for the previous three years, was playing John Townley, who has joined us this season and impressed us with his bowling skills. 

John started well, with 4 shots over the first 2 ends, but Graham pulled back 3 over the next two. At this point, I think we all anticipated a very close game, but John then upset the odds by winning 7 of the next 8 ends and establishing a 16-4 lead. Was Graham's reign coming to an end? Three shots scored on the next end made it seem less certain at 7-16. The next 5 ends saw a single for Graham, but 4 singles for John and Graham was rocking on his heels at 8-20 down, after 18 ends. Surely this was the end for Graham, with John needing just one shot for victory! We now had the spectacle of two fiercely competitive players slugging it out; Graham for survival and John for that one elusive shot. On end 19, Graham scored 2 shots and, with control of the mat in his hands, he was able to play to his own tactics and the match began to turn. John continued to play a very skilful game, but Graham was now an unstoppable force. He won the remaining 8 ends to gain his 4th successive Men's Singles Championship and stage the greatest comeback since Lazarus. Sincere commiserations to John on a truly great performance, which would have culminated in success against many other players. Many congratulations to Graham for a brilliant comeback and some very good bowling, plus an amazing "Never Say Die" attitude. The match lasted over 2 hours and went to 26 ends; a truly epic battle! The crowd were beginning to wish that the club had floodlights by the end.

These two Titans meet again in the Seniors Final on Sunday. I look forward to marking for them.

September 3rd

2024

This afternoon, Shiplake Ladies played Caversham Ladies in a match reduced to 2 triples. It was a convincing win by Shiplake, with wins on both rinks.

Jean Buckett, Jane Ward and Ruth Copp were always in front and were 9-7 up after end 11. They then stepped up a gear and scored 20 shots, while conceding only 1, over the final 7 ends. A great win by 29-8!

Wendy Cross, Marilyn Mowatt and Janet Townley had a closer result, but were also never behind, except on the first end, losing a single shot. Steady scoring put them 7-3 ahead after end 8, then a 5 on end 9 gave them a commanding lead. Caversham came back with 5 shots over the next 2 ends to restore the status quo, but Shiplake won the remainder of the match by 5 ends to 2 and 10 shots to 4, coming out as winners by 22-12.

Jane Ward was Captain for the day; her first experience in the role. My spy tells me that she did very well.

Well done ladies, one and all!