Engineers Take League Title

Needing to collect five points to be declared league champions, Engineers, playing their last game of the season, were undaunted by Bernie’s Bolts good first leg score of 71 to top it by four pins before increasing that advantage to seven pins after completion of leg two. Leg three then proved decisive as Engineers racked up an impressive 88 pin winning leg to open up a 32 pin lead. Having won three legs for three points, and with that massive pin lead, Engineers then went off the boil. They promptly lost leg four, but only by a single pin but still held a near unassailable 31 pin lead.

And when Bernie’s Bolts made a 71 pin last leg score, that left Engineers wanting only 41 pins for victory. Cock-a-hoop, Engineers were now totally relaxed and enjoyed their last leg, and despite only scoring 55, comfortably reached their 41 pin target to take the title by collecting a further five points for winning the game.

Top scoring for Engineers was Andy Clewlow with 40, including an 18 pin stack in leg three, made more notable by his third ball taking all nine pins (known as a ‘flopper’). Mark Ganderton made 39 and Graham Hingley & Jo Kelso 36 each. For The Bolts, Mark Andrews made 46 (incl 15 stack); John McSweeney 36; and Dan Goodman 33.

Engineers Mark Ganderton finished the season top of the aggregate scoring list with 636 pins and also top of the ‘Best 12’ scores with an average of 38.33.

Bernie’s Bolts also featured in the remaining game of the season against C&G Show. After leg two, each team had won a leg with The Bolts holding a slender one pin lead which they stretched to seven after winning leg three. C&G Show’s low fourth leg score then allowed The Bolts to extend their lead to 25 pins to effectively win the game at that stage. C&G Show did at least take leg five but only by a single pin as they slumped to another loss.

In this last game, Dan Goodman made 38 (incl 13 stack); Mark Andrews also 38; and Mark West 36 for The Bolts, while best for C&G Show were Angela Guest 38 (incl 15 stack); Aaron Evans 35; and Andy Maine 34.

Consolation for C&G Show, who will hoping for better results next season, is that Angela Guest topped the ladies aggregate scoring list with 609 pins and topped the ladies ‘Best 12’ averages (35.75).

Engineers 346 (8pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 331 (3pts)

Bernie’s Bolts 327 (8pts) v C&G Show 303 (3pts)

Lodge Farmers Edge Top

Despite collecting maximum points against The Borough, Lodge Farmers now top the table by just three points from Engineers who have a game in hand and remain favourites to take the league title.

The Borough started brightly with an eye catching first leg score of 69 pins, but then found Lodge Farmers in good form to take the leg by three pins, thanks largely to a 13 pin stack by Chris Prichard. Lodge Farmers then scored a modest 62 pins in leg two but The Borough couldn’t take advantage and slipped further adrift when replying with only 53 pins. The Borough never recovered and only managed low scores over the next three legs while Lodge Farmers went from strength to strength to run out comfortable winners.  For the winners, Chris Prichard ended with 40; Richard Long 38 (incl 13 stack); and Jamie McGill 37. Best for The Borough were Julian Workman with 37; Rhiannon Mosely 34; and Charlie Few 33.

In the other game of the week, C&G Show just failed to take leg one against Jumbo Jet Set – losing it by just one pin. And a modest second leg score by C&G Show enabled Jumbo Jets to open up a 12 pin leg score before extending that lead to 28 pins after leg three. C&G Show reduced their arrears to 17 pins by winning leg four but there the fight back ended. Jumbo Jets had a good last leg score of 68 pins to leave their opponents wanting  86 pins to win, but which proved to be well out of reach. Mick Stanton for Jumbo Jets scored 40 (incl 13 stack); Darren Summers 38; and Dave Badsey 34. C&G Show had best scores from Aaron Evans 36 and Paul Fisher & Bryan Smith 34 each.

Lodge Farmers 335 (10pts) v The Borough 288 (1pt)

C&G Show 285 (2pts) v Jumbo Jet Set 313 (9pts)

With the league season finishing soon, attention is also turning to individual trophies up for grabs.  The season’s  leading aggregate scorers with one game to play (**two games to play) are:

Tim Jones (Lodge Farmers) 597

Mick Stanton (Jumbo Jets) 585

Glyn Morley (Lodge Farmers) 582

Alan Cummings (Nomads ) 581

Mac Eaton (Nomads) 570

Paul Blayney (Bernie’s Bolts) 556**

Andy Clewlow (Engineers) 552**

Scott Few (The Borough) 548

Rachel Morris (Lodge Farmers) 540

Angela Guest (C&G Show) 535**

And players leading the season’s ‘best 12’ scores, with one game to play (**two games left) are

Mark Ganderton (Engineers) 451**  

Mac Eaton (Nomads) 451

Tim Jones (Lodge Farmers) 448

Paul Blaynee ( Bernie’s Bolts) 440**

Mick Stanton (Jumbo Jets) 439

Scott Few (The Borough) 428

Rachel Morris (Lodge Farmers) 422

Angela Guest (C&G Show) 419**

Aaron Evans (C&G Show) 419**

Lodge Farmers take Triples Crown

The final of the Triples Competition saw Lodge Farmers A team fight back against Jumbo Jet Set A to lift the Chris Charlesworth Cup.

The evening had started with two quarter final groups from which only the top two teams in each group would qualify for the knockout semi finals.

In the group of five teams, Lodge Farmers A (Jamie McGill, Tim Jones & Glyn Morley) and The Borough A (Andy Taylor, Scott Few & Charlie Few) quickly opened up a gap and at the completion of leg three were very comfortably placed. Their leg four scores then seemed to cement their qualification only for Jumbo Jet Set A (Rob Quartly, Rich Johnston & Mick Stanton) to go second with a bumper leg score of 30 of which Rob Quartly made a 16 stack incl a first ball nine. In the final leg Lodge Farmers A again scored well to top the group but The Borough A stumbled leaving Jumbo Jets A wanting only 15 to claim a semi final place which they did with ease. Top scorers with 38 were Rob Quartly and Tim Jones (incl 10 stack), Andy Taylor 35 (in 11 stack).  And from the other two teams not qualifying, Wendy Coombs of Nomads B made 33 and Len Quartly 30 for Jumbo Jets B.

The other quarter final group was always very close, exciting and tense with the four teams taking it in turns to top the group. But after the fifth leg only two pins separated the four teams but Lodge Farmers B (Frank, Sue & Rachel Morris) qualified with 99 pins leaving Engineers B (Craig Sears, Rob Baker & Graham Hingley) and Engineers A (Luke Saunders, Ian Greenway & Maurice Guns) tied second with 98 pins to set up a sudden death play off. Sears then made seven to which Saunders replied with a qualifying 13 stack for his team. Top scorers were Craig Sears with 38, Frank Morris 37, Luke Saunders 36 while Alan Cummings & Mac Eaton, both Nomads A, scored 35 each in a team total of 97 pins.

In the first semi-final, Jumbo Jets A lead throughout against Lodge Farmers B who left their opponents wanting only 15 to progress to the final which was managed with ease. For Jumbo Jets A, Rob Quartly made 39, Rich Johnston 38 (incl 11 stack) & Mick Stanton 33 while Lodge Farmers B,  Sue Morris scored 35 (incl 14 stack), and Rachel & Frank Morris 34 each.

The other semi was also straightforward – until the last leg. Engineers B (Luke Saunders, Ian Greenway & Maurice Wroe) were always ahead over the first four legs. And when scoring 19 in their last leg they looked favourites to win when leaving opponents, Lodge Farmers A, a tricky 23 pins to reach the final. Their trio of Jamie McGill, Tim Jones & Glyn Morley though scored 24 to progress. Luke Saunders, Ian Greenway & Maurice Wroe scored 35, 34 & 30 respectively and Tim Jones, Glyn Morley & Jamie McGill 38, 36 and 27 respectively.

In the final, Jumbo Jets A were well in control after the first two legs, but their poor third leg score allowed Lodge Farmers A to level matters after completion of the leg. Jumbo Jets A then scored well in leg four in posting 23 pins only for Jamie McGill to make a 12 stack out of a team total of 28 in leg four and build a five pin advantage for Lodge Farmers A. And they needed that advantage when they could make just 17 pins in their last leg. It meant Jumbo Jets A wanted an exacting 23 pins to win, and it proved out of reach as they finished with just 19 of them. Individual scores were Jamie McGill 36, Tim Jones 34 & Glyn Morley 32 for the trophy winners and Rich Johnston 36 and Rob Quartly & Mick Stanton 30 apiece for the runners up.

Redditch Triples K/O Underway

The League season took a back seat as the Triples K/O took centre stage when the first round group stages were held. The top three in each group would progress to the final stages.

At South Redditch Social Club, the Jumbo Jets ‘A’ team trio of Rich Johnston, Rob Quartly and Mick Stanton qualified comfortably with a total of 128 pins with Johnston making 50 (incl 13 stack) and Quartly 40 (10 stack). Close behind with 123 pins were Tim Jones, and Jamie McGill , both with 42 pins, and Glyn Morley for Lodge Farmers ‘A’. Three teams vied for the last qualifying spot and only five pins separated them going into the last leg. Jumbo Jets ‘B’ team of Dan Hill, Dave Marriott and Len Quartly then set the C&G ‘A’ team 27 pins to tie to set up a sudden death play off. But their trio of Rich Fisher, Paul Hollis and Dave Charlesworth missed by a whisker scoring 26. And it was disappointment too for the C&G ‘B’ team of Jay Anon, Bryan Smith and Keith Edwards who, needing 24 to qualify, had a poor last leg score and finished bottom of the group.

The result of the group at Lodge Park Social Club was more clear cut with Lodge Farmers ‘B’ team coming out on top by notching 127 pins when the Morris family of Frank, Sue and Rachel all made 40 or more scores. The second qualifying place went to Nomads ‘B’ of Andrew Coombes, Wendy Coombes and Jordan Bunn totalling 112 pins of which Andrew Coombes contributed 48. Engineers ‘A’ took the third place with 111 pins with Ian Greenway making 43 and well supported by Maurice Wroe and Luke Saunders. Some way adrift from qualifying were Lodge Farmers ‘C’ team of Richard Long, (scoring 40) and Lynne Long and Chris Pritchard, while Nomads ‘C’ team of Phil Jones, Jim Child and Gordon Povey had ‘one of those games’ when nothing went right in mustering only 89 pins.

A late withdrawal of one triples team meant only one team would fail to qualify from the Redditch Borough Social Club group. And it needed a bowl off between Nomads ‘A’ and Bernie’s Bolts ‘A’, both ending with 105 pins, to decide the last qualifier. The Bolts’ Mark West started the sudden death with a seven to which Nomads’ James Marshall replied with six. Second man for Bolts, Jim Williamson, also made seven which Mac Eaton of Nomads made light work of by scoring a 13 stack to put Nomads in the driving seat. Undaunted Bolts third player, Andy Gill-Smith then made a 12 stack to leave Nomads’ Alan Cummings needing, and getting, the eight pins to qualify. And the first two qualifiers? They were Engineers ‘B’ of Graham Hingley, Rob Baker & Andy Clewlow each scoring 40 or more in a team total of 124, and The Borough ‘A’ of Scott Few making 44,  Charlie Few scoring 41 and Tom Baker in a total of  116 pins.

Engineers Consolidate at the Top

With two very winnable games each to go, it looks likely that the league title will go to the current leaders Engineers to deny Lodge Farmers a first championship. But each have to play The Borough who could yet have a big say about which of their opponents takes the title.

And The Borough warmed up for the challenges with an unexpected, but welcome, win over Bernie’s Bolts. The Borough won the first two legs for an eleven pin lead before Bernie’s Bolts took legs three and four to be only seven pins adrift. The Borough then posted a 60 pin last leg score to leave The Bolts wanting a tricky 68 for victory which they never looked likely to make. The Borough’s top scorers were Sarah Edwards with 36 (incl 13 stack); Tom Baker also with 36; and Steve Court with 33. For The Bolts, Craig McSweeney made 36; Lewis McSweeney 34; and a third McSweeney, John, 31.

Engineers were always on top against Jumbo Jet Set who only got going when taking leg five for a consolation point. The first four legs went comfortably to Engineers who effectively won the game by opening a 22 pin lead after leg three before increasing that lead to 27 pins after leg four. Leading the way for the winners were Rob Baker with 39 (incl 10 stack) and 38 each from Mark Ganderton and Graham Hingley. Jumbo Jets replied with Steve Wardle making 40 (13 stack); Dave Marriott 37; and Dan Hill with 36 (13 stack).

Meanwhile, Lodge Farmers returned to form in beating Nomads but were disappointed not to take maximum points to close the gap on Engineers. Lodge Farmers won the first two legs to lead by 15 pins, before Nomads took the next two legs to reduce the deficit to ten pins. Nomads recovery was short lived though when they could only mange a modest last leg score to leave Farmers wanting just 51 to win which they easily achieved when making this game’s highest leg score of 76. Starring for Farmers were Glyn Morley with 45 (13 stack); Andy Rumble 42; and Frank Morris 36. Best for Nomads came from Jim Child scoring 38 and 35 apiece from Mac Eaton and Alan Cummings.

The Borough 306 (8pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 298 (3pts)

Jumbo Jet Set 312 (2pts) v Engineers 330 (9pts)

Lodge Farmers 345 (8pts) v Nomads 319 (3pts)

Engineers Overturn Lodge Farmers

The top of the table clash ended with Engineers beating nearest rivals Lodge Farmers to open up what could be a decisive gap with just three games left for each team.

In four of the five legs, there was little to choose between the sides with the biggest winning leg margin being just three pins as the teams won two legs each. It was leg two though which was Lodge Farmers undoing when, having made a below par score of 59, Engineers replied with 75. That opened up a 15 pin advantage for Engineers who were then able to match their opponents for the rest of the game and see them top the league table by six points. Scores of 38 each from Luke Saunders and Brandon Kelso, and 37 from Craig Sears were recorded for Engineers, while disappointed Lodge Farmers had Rachel Morris, Glyn Morley & Tim Jones making 36, 35, & 34 respectively.

After beating Lodge Farmers the previous week with a good pin total, Bernie’s Bolts loss to Jumbo Jets was surprising especially as The Jets had struggled to score well despite winning their last three games. So for Jets this was a return to form notching their highest match score of the season and a fourth consecutive win. Up by eight pins after leg one, they took each of the next three legs for a 34 pin lead at that stage. Jets only blip was a poor last leg score but it still left The Bolts wanting 90 pins for victory. The Bolts did win that leg for a consolation point but were unable to chase down those 90 pins. Leading the way for Jumbo Jets were Rob Quartly with 40 (incl 13 stack), Darren Summers 39 (13 stack), & Liz Rowberry 36. For The Bolts, Paul Blayney made 38, Andy Gill-Smith 35, and Dan Goodman & Craig McSweeney 33 apiece.

Nomads got back on the winning track with a comfortable success against C&G Show. Both teams scored 58 pins in leg one to share the one point on offer but that was the best it got for C&G Show. Nomads took legs two and three narrowly to lead by just eight pins, and when C&G Show made a good fourth leg score of 63, topped that with a 72 pin total to build a game winning 17 pin lead. Nomads last leg score of 68 left their opponents wanting 86 to win, a total which proved well out of reach. Nomads were lead home by Mac Eaton with 41 pins, Alan Cummings 38 and Andrew Coombes 35. For luckless C&G Show, best were Dave Orton making 33 and 32 each from Angela Guest and Aaron Evans.

Results

Engineers 333 (8pts) v Lodge Farmers 316 (3pts)

Jumbo Jet Set 334 (9pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 315 (2pts)

Nomads 326 (9.5pts) v C&G Show 296 (1.5pts)

Lodge Farmers Fall to Bogey Team

Lodge Farmers lost top spot in the league with just their season’s second loss, both of which have been against bogey team Bernie’s Bolts. Even in the third game between the two sides, which Farmers did win, Bolts took more points from that game than any other team has in a game against Farmers.

The Bolts started well making a first leg score of 71 to open up a seven pin lead before taking leg two by a single pin. The game was effectively decided when Bolts made 67 pins in leg three to which Lodge Farmers replied with just 54 and be 21 pins adrift. Farmers finally gained a consolation point when winning leg four, but had only reduced their arrears to 18 pins. Bolts then again scored well in leg five to leave Farmers wanting a daunting 86 to win they which never looked likely to make and finally finished with their lowest team total of the season.

Paul Blayney made 42 (incl 14 stack); Dave Williams 40 (13 stack); and Andy Gill-Smith 37 for the winners while Lodge Farmers best came from Richard Long with 34; Paul Cotton 33; and Lynne Long 32.

Engineers took advantage of Lodge Farmers slip to top the table by a single point but only after a very edgy win against C&G Show. The game between the top two later this week could well decide which team will take the title although each will still have a further three games to complete.

The new league leaders won the first two legs narrowly and then leg three more comfortably to build a lead of 10 pins, only to falter in leg four when C&G reduced that lead to a mere two pins and threatened to derail Engineers title push. C&G though couldn’t muster a big last leg score and left Engineers wanting only a modest 58 pins to win. Engineers initially made heavy weather of reaching that target but recovered as the leg progressed although it needed last man Mark Ganderton to get them over the line. Ganderton, Craig Sears, & Andy Clewlow finished with 35 pins each for Engineers. C&G Shows top scorers were Angela Guest with 42 (11 stack); Dave Orton 39; and 35 each from Aaron Evans and Keith Edwards.

The Borough made their highest team score of the season to beat Nomads and leap frog their opponents in the table if only by a half point. The Borough took leg one comfortably to lead by 13 pins only for Nomads to cut that lead to eight after leg two, before The Borough extended their lead over the next two legs to 18 pins. Needing to score big in leg five to stand a chance of winning the game, Nomads could only manage 57 pins to leave The Borough wanting just 40 to take the game. The final result was never in doubt and the target was reached as early as their seventh bowler before a further leg point was gained when their last three bowlers took their leg total to 65 pins. Tom Baker shone for The Borough making 47 (17 & 12 stacks) with good support coming from Andrew Taylor and Scott Few 36 each. Nomads had Mac Eaton with 37; Jim Child 35; and 32 each from Wendy Coombes and Andrew Coombes.

Results

Bernie’s Bolts 327 (9pts) v Lodge Farmers 301 (2pts)

C&G Show 315 (2pts) v Engineers 319 (9pts)

The Borough 333 (9pts) v Nomads 307 (2pts)

Engineers On Song

With league leaders Lodge Farmers not in action this week, second placed Engineers played their catch up game and closed the gap at the top to six points with a near maximum points haul when beating Nomads.

Nomads started well enough with a 57 pin leg, only for Engineers to immediately hit form with a 74 pin score to establish a 17 pin lead. And then in leg two score 68. Nomads though seemed unfazed and responded with a 68 pin leg of their own before making a 67 pin total in leg three. But any thoughts Nomads might have had that Engineers would falter were quickly extinguished as Engineers took leg three scoring 72 pins. Engineers then edged leg four by three pins and rounded off a good win by taking the last leg by a further 16 pins.

Maurice Wroe top scored for the winners with 47 (incl stacks of 14 & 12), followed by Andy Clewlow with 43 (14 & 10 stacks) and Mark Ganderton 42 (12 stack). Nomads had James Marshal scoring 39, Charlie Teasdale 36, and Dave Maule 32.

Leg four between The Borough and Jumbo Jet Set proved to be the turning point in this game. The Borough initially took a seven pin lead after leg one and then won leg two to increase their lead to nine pins. Although Jumbo Jets won leg three, they had only reduced their deficit by a single pin, and The Borough knew that a good fourth leg score could put the game out of Jet’s reach. But instead The Borough could only total 47 to which Jets responded with a 71 pin score to then lead by 16 pins. Bowling first in the last leg, Jumbo Jets had an average score to leave The Borough needing a difficult 71 pin to win the game which they never looked likely to make although they did win the leg.

Jumbo Jets Mick Stanton again top scored with 39 (12 stack), and Darren Summers & Bob Haycock made 34 & 32 respectively. For The Borough, who climbed of the bottom of the table thanks to a good consolation points haul from the game, best were Julian Workman, Tom Baker & Sarah Edwards with 35, 33 & 32 respectively.

The Borough 292 (4pts) v  Jumbo Jet Set 306 (7pts)

Nomads 310 (1.5pts) v Engineers 351 (9.5pts)

Lodge Farmers Hit Season’s High

In winning their game against C&G Show, Lodge Farmers not only took maximum points, but scored their highest total of the season – 353 and consolidated top spot in the league table. They won the first leg by five pins and continued to build the lead taking the next three legs before amassing an 85 pin last leg to put the game well out of reach for C&G Show. Frank Morris lead the way for the winners with stacks of 15 and 12 to finish top scorer with 45 and good support came from Tim Jones with 38; and 37 each from Sue Morris (incl 14 stack) & Andy Rumble while other team members each made at least 30. C&G Show’s best came from Bryan Smith and Dave Orton with 36 each and Angela Guest with 35.

Second placed Engineers, lost a little ground on the leaders when opponents The Borough nicked the last leg to deny Engineers maximum points. Leg one went to Engineers by just four pins and they increased that lead to 37 pins at the completion of the penultimate legs. In their last leg The Borough then scored 59, which Engineers would normally be favourites to top, only to make their lowest leg total of the night and lose the leg by a single pin. Scores of 40 each came from Engineers’ Mark Ganderton and Andy Clewlow and 38 from Craig Sears. Best for The Borough were Charlie Few making 34 and Steve Court & Scott Few with 33 each.

Closest game of the week saw Jumbo Jets just out score Nomads. Bowling first, Nomads totalled 74 to take a 13 pin advantage after leg one before Jumbo Jets clawed themselves back into the game and lead by only two pins after leg three. Nomads then took leg four to reduce Jets’ lead to a single pin and it was all to play for going into the last legs. Nomads bowled first and finished with 60 to leave Jets needing the same score when they bowled to win. Jumbo Jets were always up with the required scoring rate but it needed their last man to get them over the line. Rob Quartly made 36 and Ray Jones & Rich Johnston 35 each for the winners. Nomads top scorers were Mac Eaton with 39 (incl 11 stack) and 34 each from James Marshall, Wendy Coombes & Jordan Bunn.

Results

Lodge Farmers 353 (10pts) v C&G Show 295 (1pt)

Engineers 337 (9pts) v The Borough 301 (2pts)

Nomads 309 (3pts) v Jumbo Jet Set 315 (8pts)

C&G Show & Jumbo Jets in Strange Game

The game between C&G Show and Jumbo Jet Set produced two unwanted league records -the lowest total pins scored by two teams in a game, and the first time that neither team could manage to score 60 or more in a leg.

But for all that the game was interesting and tense. C&G took a single pin lead in leg one before leg two was shared. Jumbo Jets nosed in front after leg three by two pins and extended that lead to four pins after leg four. Bowling first in leg five, Jumbo Jets scraped together 58 pins to leave C&G wanting what would normally be a very manageable 63 pins to win the game. C&G started well, then stumbled, before recovering but too late, to give Jumbo Jets a flattering win. Mick Stanton and Len Quartly made 37 each and Dan Hill 34 for the winners while C&G Show’s best were Aaron Evans making 40 (incl 12 stack), Angela Guest 35, and Dave Orton 32.

Engineers v. Bernie’s Bolts was another close encounter. The Bolts initially looked good to upset Engineers’ title push by taking the opening two legs and lead by 12 pins. Although then losing leg three, The Bolts still led by eight pins, only to surrender their advantage in leg four with the lowest leg score of the game after which Engineers had at last edged ahead by just two pins. Engineers last leg score finally left The Bolts needing 65 to win which they rarely looked likely to make. Engineers top scorers were Jo Kelso with 38, Maurice Wroe 36, and Craig Sears & Andy Clewlow with 35 each. Main scorers for The Bolts were Andy Gill-Smith with 43 (incl 16 stack), Lewis McSweeney 34, & Mark Andrews 33.

League leaders, Lodge Farmers, and bottom team The Borough, were all square after the first two legs and yet another close game looked on the cards. But then Farmers put on the after burners to win each of the remaining three legs and win comfortably on their way to notching  their highest team total of the season and stretch their lead at the top by another point. Glyn Morley spear headed Farmers scoring with 42 (incl 14 stack), and team mates Lynne Long and Rachel Morris made 40 and 39 respectively. The Borough’s best were Kim Workman scoring 36, Andrew Taylor 33, and 30 each from Julian Workman, Michelle Court, Rhiannon Watson and Steve Court.

Results

C&G Show 269 (2.5pts) v Jumbo Jet Set 277 (8.5pts)

Engineers 320 (8pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 316 (3pts)

Lodge Farmers 350 (9pts) v The Borough 298 (2pts)