The first match of the local area short mat bowls league got started on Thursday 26th September with an away event at Syresham village hall.
The Syresham team were very welcoming and after a little confusion regarding who was to play who on which mat, the action got under way. Both Wardington teams found the slower mats and heavier jacks hard to get used to and therefore were out of luck in the first 8 ends with Lynda, Ralf and Margret (team 1) falling behind 11 -3 and Eddie, Brent and Sam (team 2) finding themselves unlucky to be 7 – 3 down after some inspired bowling from Syresham’s Skipper Barbara.
After a quick cup of tea, some very nice biscuits and the charity raffle, play resumed. The Syresham team quickly showed their class and extended their lead against team 1 with some heavy scoring but Wardington team 2 raised their game (after a pep talk from Eddie) and fought back to take 9 – 10 lead with 3 ends to play. Faster bowling from team 1 (who unfortunately lost 29 -3) resulted in a crowd to watch the final (16th) and crucial end of team 2’s match. With all to play for and only Wardington Skipper Brent and Syresham’s Skipper Barbara to bowl, the match rested in the balance at 15 -15 and Wardington holding 2, it looked as though Wardington could walk away saving a point. But it was not to be as Barbara managed to cannon the jack and a touching ball into the ditch securing the extra point.
Despite the loss it was agreed a good night was had by all and the friendly Syresham club hosted a very enjoyable night of bowling.
If you are interested in joining the Wardington short mat bowls club, all ages are welcome to join in on Monday nights at 7pm at the Wardington Memorial Hall – just bring some flat shoes/slippers.
What a great write-up, Sam. It sounded like a really exciting match. Hope you have better luck for the rest of the season.