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)

Bottom Two Teams in Close Scrap

In beating The Borough, C&G Show swapped places with their opponents to go a mere half point ahead of them in the league table. Bowling first, C&G Show were two pins adrift after leg one. The game then swung in C&G Show’s favour as they took a four pin lead after the second leg which they increased to nine pins after leg three. But a bad fourth leg score then let The Borough back into the game as they reduced the deficit to just a single pin. C&G Show scored better in leg five but still left The Borough needing a very manageable 61 to win. The Borough though started indifferently; rarely looked likely to make that target; and finished just four pins short. For C&G Show, top scorers were Dave Orton with 37 pins and Rich Fisher and Keith Edwards (incl 10 stack) with 34 each. Best scores for The Borough came from Tom Baker with 36 and 34 each from Alex Taylor and Steve Court.

Nomads climbed a place in the league with a good win over Bernie’s Bolts. Nomads opened up a 16 pin lead after leg one before extending their advantage to 24 pins by taking each of the next two legs and looked likely to take maximum points from the game. The Bolts, though, fought back to take the last two legs but despite hitting the highest leg score of the game in leg five, the target of 86 left by Nomads was always out of The Bolts reach. Alan Cummings made 40, Dave Maule 37 & James Marshall 36 for Nomads while The Bolts best were Jim Williamson 44 (14 stack), Mark Andrews 37, & Lewis McSweeney 33.

Lodge Farmers’ three highest scores of the season to date have all been against Jumbo Jets who they comfortably beat again to take maximum points and consolidate their position at the top of the table. Jamie McGill made 41, Andy Rumble 40 (13 stack), and Paul Cotton & Tim Jones 34 each for Lodge Farmers. Jumbo Jets had only Mick Stanton with 35 and Ray Jones & Rob Quartly with 34 each, making good scores.

Results

C&G Show 301 (8pts) v The Borough 297 (3pts)

Nomads 334 (8pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 322 (3pts)

Jumbo Jet Set 301 (1pt) v Lodge Farmers 339 (10pts)

Borough and Bolts In Great Game

By far the best game of the week was a see-saw affair between The Borough and Bernie’s Bolts.
Bolts took an early lead after leg one by just four pins, but were a pin adrift after leg two as The
Borough hit back. The Borough’s third leg score though was poor and Bolts took advantage to retake
the lead by 14 pins. The fourth leg then saw a reversal of fortunes when Bolts themselves had a poor
score while The Borough could do no wrong to be five pins in front ahead of the last legs. Bowling
first in the last legs, Bolts made their highest leg score of the game to leave The Borough wanting a
difficult 70 for victory. The Borough though rarely looked likely to make that score and finally lost by
10 pins.

For Bolts, Paul Blayney made 37 and Dave Williams & Mark West 36 each while The Borough’s best
scores were 37 each for Steve Court (incl 11 stack) & Michelle Court, and Scott Few 35.

By contrast to The Borough v Bernie’s Bolts game, the other fixtures were very one-sided. Nomads
were a player short against league leaders Lodge Farmers and paid the price losing by 47 pins.
Farmers won each leg to take maximum points and enhance their title prospects with Tim Jones
making 46 (15 stack; Jamie McGill 37; and Paul Cotton & Glyn Morley 35 each. Main resistance from
Nomads came from Alan Cummings (10 stack); Jim Child; & Mac Eaton each scoring 35.

Bowling first, Jumbo Jet Set got off to a bad start, making only 48 in their first leg and although
improving over the remaining legs never threatened to make any impression on the final result. A
rampant Engineer’s team scored well throughout, taking each leg and maximum points to remain on
the tail of Lodge Farmers. Ian Greenway scored 39 (13 stack) for the winners and there were 37 pins
apiece from Mark Ganderton; Josh Kelso & Joe Kelso. Jumbo Jets only highlights came from Rob
Quartly 37; Rick Johnston 36; & Mick Stanton 35.

Results

The Borough 320 (3pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 330 (8pts)
Lodge Farmers 331 – 10 players, 317 – 9 players (10pts) v Nomads 270 – 9 players (1pt)
Jumbo Jet Set 303 (1pt) v Engineers 346 (10pts)

Top Two Swop Places

The top of the table clash saw Lodge Farmers beat Engineers to regain top spot. After leg one, Engineers had a good lead of eight pins and looked in good form with Mark Ganderton’s 15 stack leading the way. Lodge Farmers’ response though was positive with improved totals in the next three legs which Engineers could not match. And although Farmers’ last leg score was their worst of the game, Engineers were always off the pace in their attempt to make still a difficult 74 pins to win. Jamie McGill top scored for Lodge Farmers with 40 pins, and team mates Richard Long and Glyn Morley weighed in with 36 each. Not surprising, Mark Ganderton’s stack meant he was best scorer for Engineers finishing with 43 and there were good supporting scores coming from Ian Greenway 37, and 33 each from Luke Saunders and Andy Clewlow.

At the other end of the table, Nomads beat bottom team C&G Show and climbed a place in the process. The teams shared the first leg, before Nomads gradually pulled away over the remaining legs to leave their opponents a daunting 76 pins in their last leg to take the game. But C&G Show were always behind in their chase of that total and eventually fell well short. For Nomads, top scorers, with 37 each, were Mac Eaton (incl 12 stack) and Alan Cummings, while James Marshal chipped in with 36. C&G Show had Rich Fisher scoring 37, Paul Hollis 34, and 33 apiece from Angela Guest, Aaron Evans & Adam Feeney.

Bernie’s Bolts over came Jumbo Jet Set to reverse the result of their game at the start of the season. The Jets initially looked good and had an 11 pin lead after leg two, but Bolts stayed in touch and were only five pins behind with just the fifth legs to bowl. The Jets then made a modest last leg score to leave Bolts wanting a tricky 68 pins for victory. Bolts’ Jim Williamson’s stack of 12 pins set his side on their way and with other teammates scoring well, earned a good win. For Bolts, Andy Gill-Smith with 38, Paul Blayney 37 & Jim Williamson 36 top scored. Best scorers for Jumbo Jets were Len Quartly 42 (incl 13 stack), and Rob Quartly & Darren Summers 37 each.

Results

Engineers 317 (3pts) v Lodge Farmers 327 (8pts)
Nomads 321 (9.5pts) v C&G Show 306 (1.5pts)
Jumbo Jet Set 313 (4pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 316 (7pts)

Engineers Take Advantage

With pre Christmas league leaders, Lodge Farmers, without a game, Engineers bagged 9 pts against Nomads to regain top spot. Nomads struck early in the game to take the first leg by 4 pins and, despite losing leg two, were still a pin ahead. But that was as good as it got for Nomads as Engineers took control to lead by 15 pins after leg three before also taking the remaining legs for a comfortable win. Mac Eaton for Nomads bowled well to make 44 pins (incl 15 stack), with team mates James Marshal scoring 38 (13 stack) & Phil Jones 35. But there was more consistent good scoring throughout the Engineers team lead by Josh Kelso 38; Luke Saunders 36; and Brandon Kelso 35.

Jumbo Jets climbed a place with a good win against The Borough. The Jets took each of the first three legs to open up a 26 pin lead, before a fourth leg hiccup allowed The Borough to reduce the deficit to 20 pins. With hiccups over, Jets recovered to take leg five and the overall win with top scores coming from Len Quartly with 38; Mick Stanton 37; and Dave Marriott 35. There were good scores for The Borough from Scott Few 36; Steve Court 35; and Julian Workman 33.

The result between Bernie’s Bolts and C&G Show rested on the final leg which The Bolts took easily enough for a win. Initially The Bolts had taken a narrow two pin lead in leg one, and extended it to 13 after leg two before C&G Show hit back over the next two legs to be just two pins adrift going into that last leg. But bowling first in the last leg, C&G Show faltered and The Bolts comfortably scored the necessary 47 pins to win. Best for The Bolts were Dan Goodman with 38; Paul Blayney 35; and Mark West 34. C&G Show had Dave Orton scoring 35; Bryan Smith 33; and Scott Hastings (14 stack), Rich Fisher, Keith Edwards, & Angela Guest all making 32.

Results

Nomads 303 (2pts) v Engineers 325 (9pts)

Bernie’s Bolts 316 (8pts) v C&G Show 301 (3pts)

The Borough 296 (2pts) v Jumbo Jet Set 324 (9pts)

Lodge Farmers Rally to go Top

Lodge Farmers looked out the game after two legs against Jumbo Jet Set who had built a handy 17
pin lead on the back of a 15 pin stack from Mick Stanton. But Jumbo Jets poor third leg score was
answered by a good score from Farmers thanks to a Tim Jones 13 stack. Farmers deficit was now
down to just two pins, at which point they took charge and pulled away over the remaining two legs.
For the winners, Tim Jones ended with 41 pins; Rachel Morris 40; & Lynne Long 37. Jumbo Jets best
were Mick Stanton with 46; Dave Marriott 36; & Rob Quartly 34.

Climbing off the bottom of the table were The Borough after their win over C&G Show who now sit
at the bottom. The Borough were never behind in the game and had a decisive 22 pin lead after
three legs. But any thoughts of taking maximum points by winning the remaining two legs were
dashed, as C&G took each of the legs, narrowly, and salvage valuable consolation points. Scott Few
bowled well again for The Borough to make 42 with teammates Charlie Few & Sarah Edwards
finishing with 36 & 33 respectively. Top scoring for C&G were Aaron Evans with 37; Adam Feeney 36;
& Bryan Smith 35.

Bernie’s Bolts were another team leading from start to finish in their game with Nomads. A slender
one pin lead after leg one became a 14 pin lead after leg two before Nomads reduced Bolts
advantage to eight pins after leg three. Bolts lead was extended to 11 pins after leg four, and when
left 52 pins to win, did so comfortably although not by enough to win the last leg. A stack of 13, by
Bolts Paul Blayney, saw him finish with 42 pins, and team mates Craig McSweeney 39 & Jim
Williamson 34. For Nomads, Alan Cummings made 38; Geoff Loat 33; & James Marshall 32.

RESULTS

Nomads 308 (3pts) v Bernie’s Bolts 314 (8pts)
C&G Show 304 (3pts) v The Borough 314 (8pts)
Jumbo Jet Set 321 (3pts) v Lodge Farmers 336 (8pts)

Bolts & Farmers in Ding-Dong Game

Although not a high scoring game, the encounter between Bernie’s Bolts and Lodger Farmers was far from dull with the lead changing hands several times. The Bolts took a first leg lead of five pins only for Farmers to immediately overturn the deficit and lead by two pins after leg two. But back came The Bolts to win leg three and lead in the game by two pins before Farmers again responded taking leg four to establish a three pin advantage. The Bolts last leg score of 61 then looked more than enough for a win as Farmers early bowlers struggled to make a serious dent in their target of 59. But up stepped their last three players of Morris, Jones and Morley to get them over the line. So a win for Farmers, although they dropped valuable points to be dislodged off the top of the table. For Farmers, Glyn Morley & Tim Jones made 35 each with Lynne Long & Paul Cotton scoring 34. Bernie’s Bolts best came from Mark West 37; Jessie Andrews 36 & Dave Williams 35.

If C&G Show were hoping that they might drag back the 12 pin deficit after leg two, and overturn opponents, Engineers, this hope was dashed as the new league leaders took leg three by 23 pins and leg four by a further 13 pins. But C&G had the last laugh nicking leg five for a consolation point to deny Engineers a maximum return. Scoring well for Engineers were Ian Greenaway 42 (incl 16 stack); Brandon Kelso 40 (14 stack), & Toby Bennett 37 while C&G Show had Dave Charlesworth making 35; Angela Guest, continuing her run of good form, 34; & Dave Orton 33.

The Borough started very well to win the first leg by seven pins against Nomads. But Nomads, aided by James Marshall’s stack of 12, replied equally well to themselves lead by eight pins after leg two. Nomads then pulled away decisively, as Alan Cummings made a 13 stack in leg three, and built a lead of 23. Despite The Borough winning leg four by two pins, Nomads retaliated by taking the last leg for a comfortable win to end a losing run of four games, with their season’s biggest team total, to move off the bottom of the table. Mac Eaton finished with 41; Marshall with 40: & Cummings 38. For The Borough, there were 37 pins each for Kim Workman & Steve Court and 34 for Sarah Edwards.

RESULTS

The Borough 314 (3pts) v Nomads 343 (8pts)

C&G Show 300 (2pts) v Engineers 346 (9pts)

Bernie’s Bolts 305 (3.5pts) v Lodge Farmers 308 (7.5pts)