MENS MATCH REPORTS

19th August

This weekend saw the entire Victoria bowls club finals. With weather and conditions perfect the scene was set to finish what has been an excellent season at the club. First match was the Triples featuring Mike Cooper, Les Kelly and Roger Rockett up against Phil Owen, Dave Carpenter and Paul Coumis. Mike’s team began best and held a healthy 13-7 lead at the halfway stage and as hard as Phil’s team fought a combination of good lead play by Les Kelly and Cooper experience saw them take the crown by 22-10. The next final was the men’s seniors’ handicap between Don Wheatley and Roy Bromet. This was a game where neither player could stamp their authority in the early exchanges. Don held a slender 7-5 lead after ten ends, and a 10-9 lead after fifteen, but with Roy only just back from a hip replacement the fatigue was starting to show and Don grasped the opening to pull away and win 25-13. Next tie was the Men’s Handicap which involved the experienced Dan Nutt taking on the fast improving Trevor Puddy, despite a tight beginning it was Dan who took control to take the match 25-7. Trevor was philosophical after the match saying “I knew it would be tough but I’m slightly disappointed with not giving him a tougher match”. The next match was the mixed fours with Mike Manning, Dawn Callister, Hannah Frye and Bill Nicholls up against Paul Coumis, Martin Payne, Brian Johnson and Kay Wilson and this went all the way to the wire. However, at the midpoint the Manning rink held a nice 11-5 lead, but the opposition refused to give in and came back to make it fifteen all with one end to play. With tension high it was Hannah Frye who stepped up to get the shot and complete the win 16-15 to Mike’s charges. The final competition on the Saturday was the Non Winners trophy with Derek Hubbard matched against Trevor Puddy. Showing no signs of his earlier defeat it was Trevor who came out firing and took a commanding 15-6 lead at the half way stage and despite Derek fighting hard to the end it was Trevor who triumphed 21-11. Sunday began with the two wood singles pairing Don Wheatley against reining club champion Dave Fairhurst, and it was Dave who marked his stamp on the match early on to lead 13-2 after ten ends. Don tried hard to launch a counter attack but Dave was not budging to come home a 21-6 winner. This was preceded by the two woods pairs where Malcolm Campbell and John Newman took on Colin Cleeves and Don Wheatley. Colin and Don began well and took an early six nil lead after three ends but John and Malcolm fought back and in fact led at the halfway mark by 13-8, and they maintained this gap to win 21-15 after twenty one ends. The four wood pairs was the penultimate tie where the experienced Dan Nutt and Don Wheatley took on Pete Sloman and Paul Coumis. The former came out very strongly and stormed to a 23-5 lead after eleven ends; however Pete and Paul refused to lie down and fought to the bitter end to lose by a respectable 28-18. The last final was the Blue Ribbon singles championship featuring Dave Fairhurst and Steve Davies and the boys did not disappoint producing a top quality match fitting of the final. The match began very evenly with Steve holding a 5-4 lead after five. Dave won the next three to lead 9-5 but then Steve struck with two fours to lead 13-9 at the halfway mark. Steve maintained his lead up to the twentieth end where Dave levelled it up 19-19 with one end to go, and it was Dave who clinched the title by getting two shots on the final end to win an epic match 21-19. Both players played superbly and should be proud of their performances.

11th September

Victoria bowls club had only two competitive fixtures this week as the outdoor season nears its end. Both matches were in the over sixty’s league and involved the Vikings. On Tuesday they made the short journey to Ashcombe to play the Knights. Unfortunately for the Vic, the custodians took control from the outset and won comfortably 75-141. They was a small morsel of comfort in a consolation rink win, featuring David Ferrari who led very well, Paul Coumis and Mr. Victoria himself, Derek Jones, who put in a superb performance at skip to ensure his rinks victory by 22-15.

Friday saw the Vikings last fixture of the season at home to Burnham and this proved to be a close contest with the visitors finally winning 97-111. Despite the result there were two great showings for the Vic. Firstly, John Langridge, Keith Puddy and the returning from injury, Roy Bromet, who won by an impressive 31-06!!! This was backed up by Brian Johnson, Dave Carpenter and Simon Pratt also running out winners by 22-11, sadly this was not enough but the Vikings finished the season without any relegation fears.

Wednesday saw Pete Sloman, Arthur Jackson, Steve Davies and Mike Cooper represent Somerset in the National Finals. Given a tough draw against fancied Cornwall the boys began well and took a 5-3 lead after five ends with no signs of nerves. Cornwall came back strong to gain a narrow lead of 9-7 at the halfway stage. This slender two shot gap was still in place after 15 ends and with tension growing it was Cornwall who finished stronger to win by five. The Victoria team will take comfort from the fact that Cornwall only just lost out to the eventual winners and the experience will have been invaluable. Once again congratulations, you have made us all very proud.

Next week Pete Sloman in the singles and Fiona Waters & Steve Davies in the mixed pairs are playing important county semi finals congratulations and good luck. Next weekend will also see the Club Finals which we will report on next week.

4th September

Victoria bowls club began the week with the Saxons welcoming Clevedon Prom in the over sixty’s league. With two fixtures remaining the Saxons were looking to finish second in the table to complete another good campaign. The Vic began well and held a 66-49 lead at the halfway mark and despite closing the gap the visitors could not prevent the Saxons victory, winning by 106-97 in a well fought match. Of the four winning rinks for the Vic, two were comfortable and the other two hard fought. Mike Cooper, Carmine and Mike Manning led the way as 27-17 victors matched by Will Harrison, Roger Rockett and Derek Hubbard 21-11. Next up John Newman, Trevor Puddy and Malcolm Campbell 17-14 and finally Dutch Holland’s team featuring Nigel Robbins and Hugh Gibbs 19-17.

Friday saw the rearranged fixture against Wedmore and once again the Saxons managed another good win. This match proved to be less challenging for the custodians as from the start the Saxons took control and ran out 110-80 winners. The Vic had four winning rinks, three of which had excellent wins. The best of these was Will Harrison, the returning Ken Harvey, who was back to his best and Mike Manning 25-08; close behind were Don Wheatley, Dave Carpenter and Mike Milliner 23-11, John Newman, Harrison Whyte and Roger Rockett 22-13 and finally Hugh Gibbs, Derek Hubbard and Brian Johnson 14-13 in a tough encounter.

Saturday saw the last fixtures of the County League, with Weston’s top ranked team Victoria A fighting for third place away to Congresbury. The home side sat in third place with the Vic in fourth with the gap in points narrow; who ever won this contest would finish fourth. However one rink in the match, with their dominance, won the battle for their team and this was for the Westonians in the shape of Steve Davies, Pete Sloman, Arthur Jackson and Will Harrison who all bowled superbly to notch a 35-07 outcome. The remaining rinks were much closer and in fact Mike Cooper and his rink drew 21-21 Mike’s assailants were Hugh Gibbs, John Newman and Colin Gazzard, this meant that the final score was 72-50 to Victoria to complete an excellent season and one that shows much promise for the future.

Last up was the B team with the unenviable task of trying to complete a week of victories for Victoria. Standing in their way was Winscombe B and as expected a tight game ensued. At the half way stage there was barely four shots in it, however the third quarter saw the Vic pull away for the win. Top rink was Mike Manning, Les Kelly, John Langridge and Paul Coumis 19-10, closely followed by George Frost, Carmine, Martin Payne and Malcolm Campbell 28-21 to give the Vic B a 66-51 win and produce an excellent four timer.

Finally everyone at the Vic wishes good luck to Steve Da Mike Cooper, Pete Sloman, Arthur Jackson and Steve Davies who on Wednesday will be representing Somerset in the Bowls England Finals at Leamington, a tremendous feat, we at the Vic are all very proud of you, well done boys

30th August

Victoria bowls club first match of the week was a top of the table clash involving the Saxons against Portishead RBL in the over sixty’s league. With conditions near to perfect, the match began evenly with Portishead just holding the upper hand. This pattern progressed for most of the game and with a few ends remaining, the visitors, Portishead, began to pull away. However the drama was still to unfold, as two Victoria rinks gained five shots on their last ends, meaning that the match was tied with just one end to play. Victoria surprisingly looked to be heading for an unlikely win, and with one wood to come the Vic held shot, however, the Portishead skip under pressure promoted a wood to win the head and give the visitors a 104-103 triumph, cruel on the Vic but an excellent match. The three winning rinks for the Westonians were Les Kelly, Mike Manning and Mike Cooper 29-09, Nigel Robbins, Hugh Gibbs and Will Harrison 25-09 and finally Carmine, Mike Milliner and Don Wheatley 20-16.

Saturday saw only one fixture for Victoria when the B team travelled to neighbours Ashcombe to take on their A team who are pushing for promotion and as expected this proved to be a tall order for the Vic, who unfortunately due to a mix up had to play with one player short, not ideal resulting in the home side running out comfortable winners by a 83-37 margin.

On Sunday the Victorians made their way to Portishead for two finals in one day. In the morning Victoria took on Portishead RBL in the four dimensions Cup. The venue is decided pre completion start, which, as RBL had reached the final, they could enjoy the home advantage and this they did winning three of the four encounters to win the prize. The only winners for the Victorians were the rink which featured Mike Cooper as skip with, Trevor Puddy, Don Wheatley and Hugh Gibbs.

What looked like being a bad week for Victoria was turned on its head in the last match of the week, the all important North Somerset Cup which involves the best five rinks from each club. With morale unaffected from the morning, Victoria stormed to a sensational victory winning every rink played to lift the cup once again, making this four times out of the last five, an extraordinary feat. In margin of victory order, the winners were, Colin Heal, Trevor Puddy, Malcolm Campbell and Will Harrison 40-09, Dan Nutt, Pete Sloman, Mike Manning and John Newman 34-07, Mike Cooper, Paul Coumis, Mike Milliner and Hugh Gibbs 29-13, Steve Davies, Brian Pocock, Roger Rockett, and Kim Burgess 25-15 and finally Colin Gazzard, Dave Carpenter, Don Wheatley and Keith Holland 19-16 to leave the final score 147-60 to Victoria.

21st August

Victoria bowls club began their week on Thursday when the Saxons visited Portishead RBL in the over sixty’s league. This match traditionally is a close affair and so it proved again. With the overnight rain the green was playing on the slow side and this seemed to suit the custodians. The match began evenly with Portishead just holding control and this was the pattern of the whole match. There were some good performances for the Vic, Don Wheatley’s triple with both Captain and Vice Captain Milliner and Carpenter won 18-12, additionally the Mike Cooper team with Carmine and Mike Manning also won by a six shot margin. The other victors were victors were Arthur Jackson’s team of Nigel Robbins and Hugh Gibbs. This meant that both sides won three rinks each but Portishead won the match by virtue of shots winning 102-95.

Friday saw another match in the over sixty’s when the Vikings welcomed Nailsea to Victoria. This proved to be the game of the week with a battle royal fought on the green. The Vikings top scorers were George Frost, Mike Milliner and newcomer John Sachs who won by a handsome 22-11. John Smart’s team also came out winners by an eight shot margin; John’s accomplices were Keith Puddy and Bill Nicholls. However the Vikings unfortunately had to concede one rink which resulted in the match being draw, a good achievement for the Victorians under the circumstances.

Saturday saw another superb showing by the A team when they entertained Bridgwater. However things did not start well, with Bridgwater taking an early lead and very much in contention for most part of the match. But as the match reached its climax all three rinks seemed to grow in confidence and in the end won comfortably. Leading the way was the Steve Davies rink with Pete Sloman, Phil Owen and Will Harrison who ran out 26-13 winners. Next up was Colin Heal, Dan Nutt, Dave Fairhurst and Trevor Puddy who despite trailing by eight shots came back to win 23-13! Mike Cooper, Colin Gazzard, John Newman and Dave Carpenter completed the clean sweep to keep the Vic well in contention at the top of Prem 2, with this emphatic 70-41 score line. The C team welcomed Bristol C to the Vic and unfortunately didn’t quite have enough to overcome the visitors. However there was a lot of encouragement for the future with a rink with three very inexperienced bowlers namely Eric George, Martin Dancey and Tony Hines produced an excellent 24-20 win. This was not enough as the visitors won by eight shots

14th August

Victoria bowls club began the week on Monday evening with a semi final in the North Somerset Cup away to Ashcombe where the home team were keen to avenge their Turnbull Cup defeat by the Victorians. The match certainly lived up to the promise of a hard fought contest. Ashcombe began well and looked to be in control for long periods but as the encounter reached its climax it was Victoria who got their noses in front to win by a slender three shots and book their place in the final. The heroes for the visitors were undoubtedly the Dan Nutt led rink which included Pete Sloman, John Newman and Dave Fairhurst who recorded a terrific 34-05 victory. The other winning rink for Victoria was the Steve Davies team of Carmine, Kim Burgess and Phil Owen who won by six shots, this all resulted in Victoria progressing to the final by a 104-101 final score.

Wednesday evening saw Victoria in another semi final this time away to Nailsea in the Four Dimension Cup. The match started well for the Vic when the very reliable strong pairing of Steve Davies and Colin Heal, gelling well again, recorded a comfortable thirteen shot margin triumph. Unfortunately for the visitors Nailsea pulled a rubber back in the singles to level the match up with two contests still in the balance. Then the Dan Nutt triple with Pete Sloman and John Newman made it 2-1 for Victoria winning by four shots. The result was confirmed when Mike Cooper’s rink featuring Trevor Puddy, Hugh Gibbs and Phil Owen won by six shots to complete a 3-1 victory and ensure Victoria reached another final.

The highlight of the week was the semi final of the Turnbull Cup played at Yeovil against strong favourites Ilminster who currently lie second in the top division of Somerset and were fielding many County players of which Victoria have none. However this did not reflect in the match itself which was a tense affair throughout. With three ends remaining across the green there was nothing between the teams. Leading the charge for the Westonians was the Steve Davies rink which featured Dave Carpenter, Hugh Gibbs and John Newman who won by a superb 21-10. However this was not quite enough as Ilminster edged the final ends to win by a narrow 54-49 margin. Despite the defeat Victoria must take heart for a great showing in what so far has been an excellent season and fingers and toes crossed bodes well for the future.

 

8th August

Victoria bowls club began their week on Tuesday with undoubtedly their biggest and most important test, when they welcomed Taunton Deane to the Vic in the quarter final of the Turnbull Cup. The match began evenly, until the Steve Davies rink began putting daylight between themselves and their opponents. This made a huge difference for the whole team knowing that the one rink held a commanding lead. Steve’s team of Carmine, Newman and Gibbs ran out 28-10 winners to set the match up. Next up the Dan Nutt rink with T Puddy, Burgess and Owen conjured up a 20-17 win, completed by the Cooper quartet of Coumis, Wheatley and Gazzard who won a tight match 22-21. This resulted in the Westonians progressing to the semi-final when they will line up as the only team from Prem 2 a superb achievement.

Wednesday saw second placed Victoria Saxons visit fourth placed local rivals St. Andrews in what was expected to be a close encounter. The tone this time was set by the Cooper, Carmine and Manning trio who notched an excellent 23-05 victory. This was followed by the Gibbs, Bromet and K Puddy team who won 26-14. The Vic won another two closely fought battles, firstly, Carpenter, Milliner, and Wheatley 15-12 and finally, T Puddy, Rockett and Owen 18-16 with another rink tied. This left the final score 114-84 in favour of Victoria.

Thursday saw high flying Portishead take on the Vikings. As expected Portishead proved too strong on the day and won every rink to record an 89-132 win.

Saturday was a busy day for the club with all three teams in action. The A team had a tricky match away to Wells looking to continue their good run. Once again one rink helped to get the Vic moving in the right direction. This was the Dan Nutt rink featuring, T Puddy, Newman and Fairhurst who had an impressive 28-12 win. This was supplemented by the Davies, Sloman, Owen and Harrison team who also won by a six shot margin this all resulted in the A team winning 67-52. Next up the B team entertained St. Andrews B, once again it was the Vic that came out on top. The stars of this performance were definitely the Gibbs team with, Carmine, Nicholls and Manning who produced a super 31-09 triumph. This was enhanced by Kim Burgess team of, Whyte, Campbell and Milliner who won by six shots for an overall score of 63-44 to the Vic. Less fortunate was the C team who struggled away to Ashcombe losing 31-64.

Sunday saw a rearranged tie when the A team welcomed Bath B. Surprisingly it was the visitors who seemed to adapt best to the tricky conditions to edge out the A team by 46-61.

1st August

Victoria bowls club began a busy week with probably their most important match of the week in the prestigious Turnbull Cup. Their opponents were Eastover Park who had already beaten two sides from Weston, St. Andrews and Clarence Park. Playing on a very tricky green Victoria gradually adapted to the conditions and began to take control. Once again the Sloman, Fairhurst, Harrison and Heal rink set the tone winning by an emphatic 26-09, to give the visitors the all important impetus. Next up was the Cooper rink with Coumis, Wheatley and Gazzard who won 19-15. This was backed up by the Davies rink featuring, Carpenter, Newman and Gibbs who won a tight game by two shots. This left the final score of 78-60 to the Westonians.

Wednesday saw the Victoria Saxons visit Clarence Blues. With the Blues just behind the Saxons in the league standings a hard fought contest was on the cards. However this did not transpire as two Victoria rinks had comfortable wins. Firstly the Wheatley triplet with Carpenter and Bromet won by 23-09 matched by the trio of Burgess, Carmine and Coumis also winning by fourteen shots 22-8. Next up was Jackson, Whyte and Pocock who fought back to win 22-14. The final winning rink had Cooper aided by Manning and Robbins who won by three shots to leave the final score 100-60 to Victoria.

On Thursday the Vikings welcomed Yatton in another over sixties encounter. Despite two excellent wins, firstly the Frost, Brooks and Carrington combination who mustered up a superb 20-10 triumph and secondly, Nicholls, Hubbard and Cleeves who notched a 19-10 win, the Vikings lost out by 99-84.

This moves us on to the County League matches where Victoria A team had another excellent win, travelling to North Petherton who stood in fourth in the table, with the Vic in fifth, with a game in hand. However in the match itself there was only one winner. Biggest winners were the Sloman, Owen, Harrison and Davies quartet who won 24-12. This was closely followed by the Gazzard, Wheatley, Nutt and Cooper team who won 26-17.

Finally to complete a 3-0 win Carmine, Newman, Fairhurst and Heal triumphed 19-13 to complete a superb all round team performance and underline the fact that they are the highest placed league team in Weston Super Mare.

Unfortunately the B and C teams did not perform as well the A team. The B team travelled to Clevedon Prom and despite a good showing by Hubbard, Milliner, Manning and Gibbs who won 28-21 they lost out by fourteen shots. In the other match the C team suffered a heavy loss at Yatton.

Finally many congratulations to Victoria ladies player Daphne Arthur-Almond who not only is representing the Falkland Islands in the Commonwealth Games for bowls but was also their flag bearer. We are very proud of you Daphne!

24th July

Victoria bowls club looked like a quiet week lay ahead, when the only competitive match played this week, was the Saxons visiting Portishead RBL in the Weston & District over 60’s KO CUP. With Portishead playing with a strong line-up and with home advantage, a tough encounter was on the cards, and unfortunately for the Vic, the home team proved dominant throughout and won on every rink to progress to the next round. However there was still hope of good news when Hannah Frye, Fiona Waters, Kay Wilson and Sue Cooper played their Somerset County Final against Street. The quartet started well but just lost out 15-12 with the team doing themselves and their Club proud. Next up was the Somerset Senior fours final, which saw Pete Sloman, Arthur Jackson, Steve Davies and Mike Cooper, take on a very strong Clevedon rink. The game began well for the Vic boys, taking an early lead and at the halfway stage holding an 11-6 lead, but as expected the experienced Clevedon rink came back strongly to level things up 12-12 after 15 ends. Then after seventeen ends played Clevedon led 15-13, with one end to go, with tension rising for a chance to go to the England Finals in Leamington, it came down to the very last wood to be bowled by Mike Cooper. With the Vic one down Mike came into the head with a yard of weight to move the jack and give Victoria three shots and a historic victory. The jubilation could not be suppressed as this is the first time for twenty years that any male foursome has reached the National Finals. All four Victorians bowled well with the up and coming Pete Sloman and Arthur Jackson particularly impressive. Asked after the match for his thoughts Skip Mike Cooper said “I just had a feeling all the way through that we would win”. What looked like being a quiet week, evolved into one that Victoria Bowls Club will remember for a long time, Captain Mike Milliner was overjoyed and must surely hope this is the beginning of a new and successful era for this historic Club. He was quoted “We are so proud of our men and ladies reaching the finals, they really have enhanced our great clubs reputation”.

17th July

10th July

Victoria Bowls went into this week looking to underline why they are the highest ranked team in Weston Super Mare. Tuesday saw the first big challenge in the Turnbull Cup, when Victoria travelled to last season’s semi finalists Ashcombe in what was expected to be a very tight match. The match began well for Victoria with every rink well in contention. Then as the match progressed there was only going to be one winner. The biggest winners for The Vic were Dan Nutt’s rink of Puddy T, Pocock, and Owen with Dan happy with all his players’ contributions. Next best was the Cooper rink consisting of Coumis, Milliner and Gazzard the later in good form again. The final winning rink was Heal’s who was aided by the impressive Sloman at lead, Fairhurst and Harrison. The last rink kept Victoria unbeaten forcing a credible draw, this resulted in a final score of 88-63 to Victoria.

The second test for Victoria came on Friday when St. Andrews visited the Vic in the Four Dimensions. Once again a close encounter was on the cards. Both teams began well and things looked tight. However Victoria grabbed the advantage when Dave Fairhurst bowled very well to win his singles by 21-11, the game was close for a long time but Dave pulled away at the end. Next up was the formidable pairing of Colin Heal and Steve Davies who were superb in their 23-10 pairs win.  The triplet of Sloman, Jackson and Nutt completed the scoring to give The Vic a 3-1 win and progression to the next round.

Saturday saw the return of the League programme with the A team away at Bristol looking to keep their title hopes alive. This was achieved with a hard fought win in the searing heat. Much was owed to the Davies led rink with, Sloman, Fairhurst and Harrison who won by an impressive 28-15 with skip Steve Davies leading by example. The other two rinks despite losing kept things tight to ensure the visitors left with the spoils, the final score 65-61 in favour of the Victorians.

It was down to the C team to try a get a clean sweep for the week but unfortunately their opponents Wrington had other thoughts. Playing on the artificial carpet in extreme heat the home side made more of the conditions. There was two rinks in the balance but The Vic only triumphed in one with Frost, Nicholls, Cleeves and Pratt winning 16-15, to leave the final score 52-42 to the custodians.

3rd July

Victoria Bowls Club began the week with a very tall order, when the Vikings travelled to unbeaten Yatton in the over sixty’s KO Cup.  As expected the home team got off to a flyer and took control of the match. However two rinks managed to claim victories. Firstly Brian Johnson’s team of Colin Cleeves and David Ferrari combined well to win by 21-12 and the Smart, Brooks and Keith Puddy team also triumphed 17-12 with skip John Smart handing Mike Brooks a special mention for an outstanding individual performance. Despite this Yatton progressed to the next round winning 133-77.

Next up on Friday it was the Saxons entertaining Banwell, who had recently inflicted a defeat on the Saxons in the corresponding fixture. The visitors settled well and held a nine shot lead after five ends. However after ten ends things got interesting as the match was tied at 58-58. At this point Victoria started pulling away and won by 117-95. Once again a Don Wheatley skipped trio had the biggest win, Don’s partners in crime were Dave Carpenter at lead and Carmine all three played significant parts. The other winning triplet featured John Newman, Mike Manning and Paul Coumis who claimed a 10 shot margin win. With the four remaining rinks going to the visitors by small margins the Saxons were victorious by 117-95 to consolidate their second place in the league.

Probably the big game of the week was on Saturday when Victoria welcomed close rivals Congresbury in the N. Somerset KO CUP. The two teams had met twice previously this season both claiming one win each but on both occasions with very little between the teams. The match definitely lived up to expectations and went down to the very last wood in an epic contest. Victoria got off to a great start opening up a good lead however the visitors would not lie down without a fight. With four of the five rinks completed Congresbury held a four shot lead but on the remaining rink the custodians held a slender lead. As the 20^th end approached its climax Victoria’s narrow lead looked in peril as Congresbury were holding three shots with one wood to come. Unfortunately for the visitors that wood was in Colin Gazzard’s hands. If you could choose a player for this situation Gazzard would be high on your list. With the teams watching nervously Colin stepped up, took shot wood out to claim one shot for the Vic. This put Victoria in a comfortable position of leading by four with the final end to play. This was protected despite losing two shots for a memorable 87-85 Victoria win. Colin’s accomplices in their 22-16 win were Bromett, Gibbs and Holland. The other winners were the Fairhurst rink with Whyte, Sloman and Newman. There was also a draw which featured Cooper, Wheatley, Milliner and Coumis which all added up to a final score of 87-85 in favour of the Vic.

25th June

Victoria bowls club began their week on Tuesday when the Vikings visited Mark Moor in the over sixty’s league. The Vikings began well and managed to maintain a good lead throughout the match. The star rink was John Smarts, the afore mentioned showing no signs of his recent ankle problem to guide his team of David Ferrari and the fast improving Trevor Puddy to a 28-10 win. Next up Derek Jones triplet of Les Kelly and Paul Coumis triumphed 25-16. Gatehouse, Bromett and Nicholls won a high scoring game 22-16. The Vikings other two winning rinks were closer affairs with Bryant, Hollier and Frost as well as Cleeves, Carmine and Johnson winning by four and three respectively. This left the final score 123-87 to the Westonians.

The following day Victoria Saxons welcomed St. Andrews. With the late Mike Stocker having bowled for both Clubs a minutes silence was taken in respect of Mr. Bowls himself, Mike will be sorely missed by many. On the green itself it was the custodians who came out on top. One particular rink featuring Nigel Robbins, Mike Manning and Mike Cooper with the latter bowling superbly led the way with an excellent 25-4 win. Harrison Whyte, Roger Rockett and Hugh Gibbs linked well to win 23-11. Then Puddy, Pocock and Owen won by a six shot margin. The final winning rink was an amazing comeback win. The team of Hubbard, Milliner and Jackson found themselves down by 13-2 after seven ends, but the team stuck in and gradually clawed it back, needing three for a draw on the last end they picked up four to complete a remarkable 19-18 victory. Final score Victoria 115 St. Andrews 86.

Saturday saw all of the Victoria teams in action. Once again it was the B team who flew the flag with a great win away to Mark Moor. On the day there were two winning rinks. Kim Burgess led by example with his quartet of Whyte, Hubbard and Pocock winning 27-15. The other winners were Mannings, Carmine, Robbins and Bromett by a handsome 23-15 Final score 67-49 to Vic B. There was less fortune for the other two sides. The A team came a cropper at Clevedon Prom, the home side definitely adjusting to the tricky conditions than the visitors. The only highlight for Victoria was a great comeback by the Davies led four of Sloman, Milliner and Fairhurst who needing one shot on the final end for a draw managed two instead for an unlikely win 20-19. Final score Clevedon Prom 69 Vic A 42. The C team had a difficult preparation as due to a mix up they were left a player short. On the grass things didn’t go to plan against visitors Portishead RBL.  Once again there was one winning rink comprising of Frost, Nicholls, Bryant and the young Kaegan Fairhurst coming out on top by 26-22. Despite this the visitors triumphed by 75-46.

11th June

 

Victoria Saxons entertained Winscombe on Mon 6^th June looking to bounce back from two consecutive defeats. The match began evenly with all six rinks reasonably close. However as the game progressed two Saxons triples took control. Firstly Mike Cooper’s rink with Hugh Gibbs and the outstanding Trevor Puddy won 23-14, closely followed by Will Harrisons team with Mike Milliner and Dave Carpenter, the vice captain giving a good account of himself in the 21-12victory. The other winners were Don Wheatley’s rink consisting of Paul Coumis and Carmine who had a real battle but came through 23-22. There was also a drawn tie to leave the final score 113-99 in favour of the Saxons.

 

On Wednesday the Saxons went into cup mode welcoming neighbours Ashcombe Knights. This was a match that the Saxons were on top from start to finish and as the game progressed the margin grew. The biggest win was recorded by Mike Cooper’s trio of Mike Manning and Paul Coumis who won by a convincing 22-06. Close behind was Phil Owen’s team of Kim Burgess and Trevor Puddy winning 26-12.  Arthur Jackson, Keith Holland and Brian Pocock won by six shots and the final victors were Will Harrison, Malcolm Campbell and Dave Carpenter winning by four. This all resulted in the Saxons winning by 116-83.

 

On Thursday Victoria Vikings travelled to Portishead. Knowing a difficult task lay ahead this was not helped by the unfortunate non arrival of a player resulting in a concession. All rinks fought hard but unfortunately only one rink came out as victors. This was the evergreen George Frost team with Mike Willets and Ray Bryant who won 17-14. The final score was Portishead 94 Vikings 74.

 

Saturday saw all three of Victoria’s teams in action. The bright star was the B team’s performance away to Ashcombe B. This was a match that despite losing two of the three rinks The Vic triumphed. The winning rink was skipped by John Newman, aided by Hugh Gibbs, Brian Pocock and Carmine with all four players putting up great shows. Incredibly they won by 32-09 to give the visitors a 65-55 win.

The unbeaten A team’s run came to a halt at Bloomfield a game they knew would be a challenge. Despite not winning a rink the final score of 69-52 slightly flattered the custodians as all rinks could have gone the other way. The A team were not too disheartened and will look forward to trying to get back too winning ways.

Finally the C team who visited Clevedon Prom. There was a good showing by the President Graham Hodge rink of Derek Hubbard, Mike Willets and Ray Bryant who won by a super sixteen shot margin. Unfortunately for the C team this was not quite enough and they lost by a slender 58-66.

4th June

Victoria Bowls Club began their week on Wednesday with the annual friendly away to Bristol Arrows. This fixture brings together the oldest bowls club in Bristol against Somerset’s first ever bowls club. The match was played in the true spirit of the game and it was the Westonians that ran out comfortable winners. Three of the four rinks contested were tight affairs but the stand out performers was the Roy Bromett rink which won by a substantial 40-10 and this after trailing 0-5! Roy was duly assisted by Terry Gatehouse, Bill Nicholls and Malcolm Campbell. The final score in favour of the Vic was 97-56.

Next up was the Saxons visit to Banwell sadly this did not go Victoria’s way. Despite the fact that both teams won three rinks each, Banwell scored eleven shots more to claim the win. For the Vic two rinks won by the same seven shot margin. Firstly the John Newman, Malcolm Campbell and Dave Carpenter team, matched by Arthur Jackson’s rink of Mike Milliner and Roy Bromett. The other winning rink for the Saxons was Will Harrison’s team of Carmine and Mike Manning who came out on top in a hard fought contest 16-15 leaving the final score 97-108 to Banwell.

The final game of the week was The North Somerset KO Cup which took the Victoria team to West Backwell. This competition involves five rinks and tests the strength in depth of all teams. Victoria came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders and looked in total control. However the home side did not lie down and tried to no avail to mount a comeback. The Dan Nutt led rink led the way with an excellent 29-11 win. Pete Sloman lead, John Newman who impressed at two and Fairhurst at three. Next best was Mike cooper’s rink of Paul Coumis, Mike Milliner and Don Wheatley. The other winning rink led by Colin Gazzard featuring Roy Bromett, Hugh Gibbs and Keith Holland were always behind but staged a courageous showing to turn things around to triumph by two shots. This left the final score W Backwell 91 Victoria 107 to see The Vic progress to the next round.

 

28th May

The week began badly for Victoria when they visited Congresbury in the Bowls England Top Club competition. Colin Gazzard gave Victoria a good start winning the two wood 15-14. The four wood pairs featuring the trusted duo of Heal and Davies won comfortably 32-10.  Unfortunately for Victoria the custodians won the other three dimensions to win the contest 3-2

Tuesday saw a very special occasion when Winscombe invited Victoria to a match to celebrate the formers centenary. One hundred years ago to the day Winscombe began their history with a match against Victoria. The day began with a ladies match, followed by an excellent Fish and Chips lunch. With the gents match starting at 2.30pm. The friendliness between the teams was very apparent and the game was played in a truly great spirit. Unlike a hundred years ago, this time Victoria came out on top by 144-98. But the day belonged to the game of bowls and everyone participating was a winner.

Thursday afternoon saw Victoria Vikings entertain the Clarence Golds. Top performers on the day were the triple featuring Nicholls, Willets and Richards who won 25-11. Hollier, Roberts and President Hodge also triumphed 18-14. The other home team win came in a close affair consisting of Ferrari, Brooks and Rain. This all resulted in the Vikings taking the spoils by 86-73.

 

Thursday evening Victoria sent their Double Rink to Bath. With some players unavailable the conditions proved beyond the visitors and Bath won 35-21.

The highlight of the week came on Saturday when Victoria A welcomed Wellington. With both teams unbeaten and flying high in the division tension was rife. Wellington began well and opened up a 22-6 lead after five ends. At the halfway stage Victoria trailed 37-15. With things looking bleak somehow Victoria dug in and by fifteen ends the score was 47-38 and there was still hope for the Westonians. It was from here that Victoria shone producing a great comeback to win by an incredible ten shots. Colin Heals rink with Sloman, Fairhurst and Davies despite trailing 10-5 ended up winning 26-13. The other winning ring was the Coumis, Wheatley, Gazzard and Cooper rink by 26-15 but this victory went to all twelve players who stuck to their tasks. Final score Victoria 66 Wellington 56.

To cap this great day Victoria C team recorded their second 12-0 victory in two weeks. This time it was Burnham who was in the firing line. The biggest winners were the Frost team of Hines, Hollier and Hubbard with a comfortable 31-14 win. Next up was the rink skipped by Derek Jones aided by Gatehouse, Payne who had a very good game and Sage. The other rink of Hodge, Ferrari, Cleeves and Rain completed the clean sweep for another superb performance. Final score Victoria C 74 Burnham 45.

21st May

Victoria began the week with the Saxons welcoming neighbours Ashcombe Crusaders. The match began evenly with most of the rinks looking like they could go either way. The best winning rink proved to be the Saxons only win. Don Wheatley, Hugh Gibbs and Derek Hubbard combining well to record a 24-11 win. Unfortunately for Victoria all the other rinks went to the visitors. Despite the fact that the remaining matches were close Martin West’s Crusaders recorded a 97-85 win to end the Saxons unbeaten start.

The County league saw Victoria C team visit Isle of Wedmore looking to bounce back from last week’s miserly one shot loss. This they achieved in some style. Firstly Derek Jones rink despite trailing 13-5 after eight ends fought back superbly to run out 24-19 winners. Once again new bowler Eric George was very impressive. The next rink with another new bowler Tony Hines leading, won 18-13, with Hubbard, Hollier and Frost contributing. The Vic team made it a clean sweep when the Hodge, Rain, Cleeves and Ferrari rink triumphed 16-12 to leave the final score 58-44 in favour of the Victorians.

Victoria A visited table topping Yeovil knowing a difficult task lay ahead. However rink four led by Harrison ably supported by Carpenter, Milliner and Owen got an early 8-1 lead to boost the morale of the team. On rink six the Cooper, Gazzard, Wheatley and Coumis quartet were a few shots down, but as the match reached its climax the Vic team got on top and won 22-12. The star performance was on rink 5 consisting of Sloman, Gibbs, Davies and Nutt the later showed true class with an outstanding skip showing to lead his side to a 18-13 win. The Harrison team completed the win triumphing by 27-17 to give Victoria a truly excellent win.

14^th May

Saturday saw the start of the Somerset County Leagues season and there were mixed fortunes for the three Victoria sides. The C team entertained Chew Stoke and despite Stallard, Cleeves, Hubbard and Frost having a good 23-10 win the team lost by the narrowest of margins losing 55-56.

The B team however produced a clean sweep with three out of three triumphs. Leading the way were Robbins N, Nicholls, Pocock and Holland winning 33-20. Next up were Whyte, Carmine, Manning and Burgess 18-13 and finally by a mere shot the team of Kelly, Bromet, Milliner, and Newman 17-16. Final result 49-68.

The A team completed the fixtures with a home victory over The Isle of Wedmore. The key win was that manufactured by the Sloman, Fairhurst, Davies and Heal rink that won by a nice 33-7 margin. This was backed up by the Coumis, Wheatley, Gazzard and Cooper rink who scored 21-15 victory. The team nearly picked up maximum points just missing out despite the efforts of Carpenter, Owen, Jackson and Harrison who drew 18-18. Overall score 72-40 to the custodians.

12^th May

Victoria Saxons maintained their winning start in the over sixties league with victory over Clevedon Prom. On a breezy day the Victorians acclimatised to the conditions and the green well. Of the six rink matches two went to the home side and four to the Weston team. However there were some big victories recorded. The biggest margin was a 32-6 triumph by Coumis, Pocock and Owen. This was closely followed by the Rockett, Mannings Gibbs combo who won 23-7. Bromet, Whyte and Jackson also won 22-11 and the final winners were Carpenter, Holland and Wheatley by 25-15. This resulted in the final score of Clevedon Prom 78 Victoria Saxons 123.

11^th May

Victoria got the week of to a great start on Wednesday evening in the National Double Rink when they played against Bristol. Fielding a very strong team the Victorians led from pillar to post with an excellent all round performance. The first rink had Sloman leading Harrison at two Fairhurst at three and Nutt as skip. This Weston quartet bowled very impressively to post a superb 27-6 victory with all players playing their part Fairhurst particularly on song. On the other rink the experienced Gazzard led by example with Cooper at two Davies at three and Heal the skip. Once again this foursome was outstanding and ran out victors by 22-05 leaving the match score 49-11 to the Westonians.

May 3rd 2022

Victoria Vikings travelled to Nailsea and returned with the spoils. The overall score was 103-98 in favour of Victoria Vikings. There was two stand out rinks for the Vikings. Firstly the Johnson, Gatehouse and Cleeve combination who recorded a 29-06 win. Closely followed by the Smart, Hollier, and Pratt trio, who also triumphed 24-07. Veteran Frost led his team with Manning and Willets to complete the wins by 15-13. Please be advised that Victoria will be running free open days with coaching every weekend in May From 10-12 all welcome.

May 3rd 2022

Victoria Saxons made it two wins from two with another hard fought victory over Clarence Blues. Two of the rinks had only one shot wins and there was also a draw. The best performing rink for the Saxons was skipped by Don Wheatley and aided by Roger Rockett and Harrison Whyte. Arthur Jackson led his trio and he was impressed by Vice Captain Dave Carpenter who excelled at lead. The trio’s of Cooper, Gibbs T. Puddy and Harrison, Campbell and Bromet was the rinks that had the narrowest wins. In another nip and tuck contest Owen, Pocock and Coumis drew 13-13. The final score was 94-88 in favour of the Victoria Saxons.

April 30th 2022

Victoria bowls club played fellow seaside neighbours Burnham on Sea in a pre season friendly. The match was played in a very sporting spirit with the Burnham captain showing humility when saying “let’s call it a draw”. However on a surface that the home side adapted to better than the Victorians, Burnham won four of the six rinks. The good news for the visitors was that the two rinks that won produced some of the best bowls. Father and son Dave and Kaegan with the assistance of Kim Burgess triumphed 25-4 with Kaegan leading the way. Rink 6 skipped by Don Wheatley and aided by Pete Sloman and Mike Willetts also won comfortably 25-12. Final score Burnham 105- Victoria 84. Please note that every weekend Victoria will be running free open day sessions between 10- 12 in the morning for any beginners interested. Just pop into the club where you will receive a warm welcom

April 22nd 2022

Victoria bowls club hosted a friendly with their friends across the water Penarth on this cold and breezy April day. Unfortunately for the visitors they came up against a strong Vic side that ran out 111-73 winners. On rink one the Gazzard led team was all square after eleven ends but then pulled away for a comfortable win. Rink two was a tighter contest but Wheatley’s charges triumphed. Colin Heal’s team recorded the Vics biggest win 31-10. Rink 5 was another winning rink for the custodians with Dave Fairhurst in outstanding form. Victoria’s next match is away to Burnham on Saturday before the league season begins on the 14th May.

APRIL 23rd 2022

Victoria welcomed Bath Weston in this pre season friendly. This match is played annually as a curtain raiser and is played in a jovial spirit. The match is usually a tight encounter and so it proved with the visitors winning by just four shots. The blustery conditions were difficult but happily this did not affect the quality of bowls on show. There were some very good performances by some Victorians. Rink six led by Will Harrison won by a 31-17 margin with John Newman particularly impressive. On the neighbouring rink Colin Gazzard directed his team to a 33-16 win, with both Carmine and Graham Richards producing good form. The other winning rink had a much tighter game finally overcoming their opponents by 19-12. Mike Cooper led by example with newcomer Tony Hines again showing promise, Captain Mike Milliner also playing some crucial woods. The final score was Victoria 118 Bath Weston 12

21st April 2022

Victoria Vikings took a short journey across town to take on Clarence Gold’s in the over sixty’s league. In ideal conditions Clarence adapted better to the conditions and ran out winners taking four of the six rinks. The final score was 122-81 in favour of the Gold’s. Despite the setback there was some encouragement for the Vic. The Graham Richards rink with Bryant and Hubbard trailed by 12-4 after six ends but showed much character storming back to win by 25-22. On the next rink the evergreen Derek Jones led his rink to victory in a nail bitter winning 17-16.Trevor Puddy and Les Kelly both having good games.

SPORTS REPORT

Victoria Bowls Club founded in the year 1900, the oldest Bowls Club in the County of Somerset held their Presidents Day in glorious April sunshine. The ceremonial encounter involves a President select team playing the Captains team to officially open the green for the summer. The match was preceded by the spider a fun event which was won by Pete Sloman. The atmosphere on the green was fantastic and the laughter and healthy banter was there for all to see. Rink 0ne saw a high scoring encounter with the Presidents team winning 31-23, with Graham Rain setting the tone with a solid performance. This rink included Victoria’s gifted 15 year old Keagan Fairhurst. On rink two the Presidents team was well skipped by returning stalwart Colin Gazzard aided by the evergreen Eric Sage( eighty four years young) ran out 26-11 victors. Rink three witnessed the President Graham Hodge skipping against the Captain Mike Milliner. With Mike in good form and ably supported by Nigel Robbins they ran out convincing 34-10 win. Rink four saw the inclusion of Kim Burgess a very welcome new recruit, on the rink there was good bowls from Martin Payne and Harrison Whyte, Presidents winning 24-13. Rink five saw two further debuts from the promising duo of Tony Hines and Eric George who both did themselves proud. John Newman’s led rink coming out on top 19-15. The final rink was another win for the Presidents. Led by Mike Cooper and despite David Ferrari’s good efforts Cooper’s team won 31-11. This resulted in the final score of Presidents team overcoming the Captain’s team by 137-111. However the winner today was Victoria Bowls Club who in its 122nd year had an opening day to remember.

LADIES MATCH REPORTS

27th August

Somerset County Ladies League Victoria v St Andrews Saturday 27 August 2022

Victoria Ladies and St Andrews were very close at the start of the game and by the 5th end Victoria had a very narrow lead to St Andrews with 1 shot difference (12 – 13).

At end 10 Victoria’s Fiona Payne who had an excellent game, along with Sue Sokol and Skip Sue Cooper picked up a 3 to lead 12-5. The other 2 rinks were nip and tuck with St Andrews just in the lead with 19 to 15.

At end 15 Victoria’s triple of Amanda Culpeck, Brenda Williams and Hannah Frye gained 4 shots over ends 14-15 to re-take the lead on their rink 15-13, with the overall score at 39-36 in Victoria’s favour.

Victoria’s triple of Chris Sage, Kay Wilson and Sue Harrison finished strongly picking up 7 shots over the last 3 ends to finish 18-13.

Victoria won on all rinks, taking 10 points with a 53-39 win.

14th August

VICTORIA LADIES THROUGH TO FEAR PLATE FINAL ON 21^ST AUGUST 2022

VICTORIA LADIES PLAYED YEOVIL LADIES IN THE FEAR PLATE SEMI FINAL HELD AT WATCHET BOWLING CLUB AND WHAT A CLOSE MATCH IT WAS!

VIC LADIES AT END 5 WERE 8 SHOTS DOWN OVER ALL 3 RINKS. THE GREEN WAS VERY TRICKY DUE TO THE RECENT DRY WEATHER.

RINK 3 PLAYERS, MAUREEN SLAVIN, CAPTAIN NANCY WHYTE, FIONA WATERS AND SKIPPED BY ANNIE HOLLAND WERE ONE SHOT DOWN AT END 10. RINK 3 HAD A GAME OF 2 HALVES AS ON END 11 VICTORIA TOOK 5 SHOTS FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER 3 SHOTS ON END 12. VICTORIA CONTINUED THEIR SUCCESSFUL RINK WITH A WIN ON END 14 OF 4 SHOTS AND ON FINAL END 15 WITH ANOTHER 4 SHOTS. MAKING A FINAL SCORE OF 22 SHOTS TO VICTORIA AND 9 TO YEOVIL.

RINK 6 SAW SOME EXCELLENT BOWLS PLAYED BY BOTH TEAMS. KAY WILSON, SKIP AND HER TEAM OF FIONA PAYNE, SUE HARRISON AND HANNAH FRYE, WERE 1 SHOT DOWN AT END 10. ON THE LAST 5 ENDS VICTORIA TOOK ANOTHER 2 SHOTS TO YEOVIL 3 SHOTS, ENDING IN A TOTAL OF 8 SHOTS TO VICTORIA AND 10 SHOTS TO YEOVIL.

RINK 4 WERE UP AGAINST SOME STRONG COMPETITION, AS WAS ALL THE RINKS.

ON END 5, SUE COOPER AND HER TEAM OF TRIXIE MILES, BRENDA WILLIAMS,  SUE SOKOL WERE 5 SHOTS DOWN AND BY END 10 VICTORIA AND YEOVIL HAD GAINED ANOTHER 3 SHOTS EACH.

HOWEVER, VICTORIA JUST COULD NOT CATCH UP WITH THEIR OPPONENTS AND AT END 15 THE SCORE WAS 6 SHOTS TO VICTORIA AND 14 TO YEOVIL.

IN VERY HOT CONDITIONS IT WAS AN OVERALL WIN TO VICTORIA OF 36 SHOTS TO 33 SHOTS FOR YEOVIL.

 

5th August

VICTORIA LADIES THROUGH TO SEMI FINAL OF THE FEAR PLATE

VICTORIA LADIES PLAYED A SUPERB AWAY GAME AGAINST NORTH PETHERTON IN THE FEAR PLATE ENSURING THEIR PLACE IN THE SEMI FINAL ON 14^TH AUGUST IN WATCHET.

A TREMENDOUS EFFORT BY KAY WILSON AND HER TEAM OF SUE HARRISON FIONA PAYNE AND DOT GIBBS WERE 15 0 AT END 9 AND ON END 10 THEY PICKED UP ANOTHER 4 SHOTS AND CONTINUED TO PICK UP ANOTHER 8 OVER THE NEXT 3 ENDS.   AT THE END OF 21 ENDS VICTORIA HAD MANAGED TO REACH 17 SHOTS AGAINST NORTH PETHERTON 22, A GREAT COMEBACK.

ANNIE HOLLANDS RINK OF MAUREEN SLAVIN, NANCY WHYTE, HANNAH FRYE WERE 7 1 UP AT END 5 BUT NORTH PETHERTON PLAYED WELL AND AT END 8 THEY TOOK 5 SHOTS AND BY END 10, BOTH TEAMS WERE ON 9 SHOTS EACH.

HOWEVER ON A VERY FAST GREEN, VICTORIA WERE 4 SHOTS UP, FINISHING ON 21 ENDS WITH A SCORE OF 22 TO VICTORIA AND 14 TO NORTH PETHERTON.

SUE COOPERS TEAM OF TRIXIE MILES, BRENDA WILLIAMS AND SUE SOKOL WERE EVEN ON END 10 WITH 10 SHOTS EACH, HOWEVER, BY END 15, VICTORIA HAD GAINED ANOTHER 8 SHOTS. ON END 21 VICTORIA HAD CONTINUED THEIR WIN BY GAINING ANOTHER 13 SHOTS, FINISHING ON A SCORE OF 31 SHOTS TO 12 FOR NORTH PETHERTON.

CAPTAIN NANCY WHYTE COMMENTED “ VERY PROUD OF OUR LADIES WHO PLAYED ON A VERY FAST GREEN AND FINISHED ON A WIN OF 70 SHOTS TO 48 SHOTS”

25th July

Victoria Ladies finalists in National Fours

 Following their success in the triples last year, Victoria Bowling Club were very proud of the achievements of four of their lady bowlers who made it to the finals in the National Fours.  Kay Wilson, Fiona Waters, Hannah Frye and Sue Cooper had some excellent bowls and put in a stellar performance on a tricky green, against Street Ladies at Purnell’s Bowling Club on Sunday 24^th July.

The game throughout was very close with Victoria being 7 up after 5 ends, however Street ladies slowly came back to equal the game and at end 16, both teams were 11 all, which was very thrilling to watch for all the spectators involved.

On the 17^th end Victoria ladies were holding but, unfortunately, lost out on the last end with a final shot difference of 3, giving 14 shots to Street and 11 to Victoria.

Well done to our ladies who missed out on regional final this year but will be back next year, hopefully, to win the final and go through to Leamington to represent Somerset.

Victoria Ladies finalists in National Fours

 

Victoria Ladies, Kay Wilson, Fiona Waters, Hannah Frye and Sue Cooper did their Club proud and put in an excellent performance on a tricky green, against Street Ladies at Purnell’s Bowling Club on Sunday 24^th July.

Victoria were 7 up after 5 ends and at end 16, both teams were 11 all.

On the 17^th end Victoria ladies were holding but, unfortunately, lost out on the last end with a final shot difference of 3, 14 to Street and 11 to Victoria.

Well done to our ladies!

18th June

11th June 2022

Double win for Victoria Ladies in National Top Club and Southey Cup

Victoria Ladies played Congresbury Ladies in Top Club on 8^th June, being played in difficult windy weather conditions.

Sue Cooper playing in the Singles, was down 3 shots at end 10, but took 8 shots in the next 5 ends making a total of 15 shots to 11 at end 15, finishing on a win of 21 shots to 15.

Hannah Frye and Kay Wilson in the Pairs were ahead on all ends, finishing on the 18^th end with a score of 22 shots to 12 shots.

Triples of Chris Sage, Brenda Williams and Skip Annie Holland kept the game even by end 5 with 4 shots each, however, at end 10 Congresbury Ladies were 1 shot up. Victoria fought back and gained another 6 shots and won by 12 shots to 8 shots.

The Fours with Trixie Miles, Margaret Kelly, Nancy Whyte and Sue Sokol just could not quite catch up Congresbury Ladies and at end 10, Victoria were 2 shots down.  However, Victoria picked up a 6 and continued to gain each end finishing on a total of 21 shots to 10 for Congresbury.

Southey Cup

On Sat 8^th June, Victoria hosted North Petherton for the Southey Cup.

Fiona Waters had an excellent game winning comfortably by 21 shots to 14 in the singles.

Hannah Frye and Kay Wilson in the pairs stormed ahead and kept their lead throughout the game, winning with an admirable score of 25 shots to 8 shots for North Petherton.

Triples of Chris Sage, Brenda Williams and Skip Annie Holland were up against strong opponents and at end 15, Victoria were 9 shots to 17 for North Petherton.  However, Victoria made up with another 5 shots in the last 3 ends, but this was not enough and Victoria lost by 3 shots.

30^TH MAY 2022

3 RINK WINNER FOR VICTORIA LADIES.

SATURDAY 28^TH MAY SAW VICTORIA MEET WYRRAL PARK AWAY AS PART OF THE SOMERSET COUNTY LEAGUE.

RINK 4 WITH MARGARET KELLY, BRENDA WILLIAMS AND KAY WILSON WERE 11 0 AT END 5 AND BY END 10 VICTORIA LEAD WAS 21 4 RESULTING IN A TOTAL SCORE OF 30 TO VICTORIA AND 13 TO WYRRAL PARK.

RINK 5 WITH RITA BAILEY, HANNAH FRYE AND SUE HARRISON WERE 12 4 UP BY END 5 AND BY END 10 17, 7 UP WITH A TOTAL RINK WIN OF 21 TO VICTORIA AND 14 TO WYRRAL PARK.

RINK 6 WITH TRIXIE MILES, FIONA WATERS AND ANNIE HOLLAND,  DID NOT HAVE SUCH  A GOOD START WITH WYRRAL PARK 3 AHEAD OF VICTORIA AT END 5 AND BY END 10 VICTORIA WERE 5 DOWN. ON END 11 VICTORIA TOOK 5 SHOTS WHICH MADE 11 ALL AND AT END 15 VICTORIA WERE ONE SHOT UP TO FINISH ON END 18 WITH A WINNING SCORE OF 18 TO 15

ANOTHER WIN FOR VICTORIA LADIES ON 31^STMAY 2022

VICTORIA WON OVERALL AGAINST WEDMORE IN THE WDLL LEAGUE.

TRIPLE RINKS 2 AND 3  SKIPPED BY ANNIE HOLLAND AND ROSE CLEEVES JUST COULDN’T QUITE KEEP UP WITH THEIR OPPONENTS AND WERE ON THE BACKFOOT FOR MOST OF THEIR GAMES. BOTH TEAMS LOST TO WEDMORE WITH A SHOT DIFFERENCE OF 14 IN TOTAL.

RINK 4 SKIPPED BY KAY WILSON HAD A 21 SHOT LEAD WITH SUE NEWMAN HAVING AN EXCELLENT GAME, HELPED BY NANCY WHYTE AND KAY WILSON. TOTAL SHOTS 29 VICTORIA AND WEDMORE 8.

19TH MAY 2022

VICTORIA LADIES TRAVELLED TO KEYNSHAM ON 18TH MAY TO PLAY IN THE MENDIP LEAGUE.

ALL THREE RINKS WERE VERY MUCH EVEN BY 10TH END. ON RINK 3 15TH END IT WAS 17 ALL WITH KEYNSHAM TAKING ANOTHER SHOT ON END 16 TO GIVE TOTAL OF 18 TO KEYNSHAM. ON THE 17TH END, VICTORIA TOOK ANOTHER SHOT MAKING IT 18 ALL AND ON THE LAST END SKIP SUE SOKOL AND HER TEAM OF MARGARET KELLY, BRENDA WILLIAMS TOOK THE WINNING RINK SHOT. TOTAL 19 TO VICTORIA AND 18 TO KEYNSHAM.

RINKS 2 HAD A CLOSE GAME WITH VICTORIA BEING ONE POINT UP ON END 15, WITH GOOD BOWLING FROM FIONA PAYNE, MAUREEN SLAVIN AND SKIP KAY WILSON, HOWEVER IT WAS NOT ENOUGH AND KEYNSHAM TOOK 4 SHOTS IN THE LAST 3 ENDS WITH A FINAL RINK SCORE OF 13 FOR VICTORIA AND 16 FOR KEYNSHAM.

RINK 3 WITH HANNAH FRYE HAVING AN OUTSTANDING GAME AS SKIP, SUE NEWMAN AND NANCY WHYTE, FOUGHT HARD TO WIN THEIR RINK. AT END 15 VICTORIA WERE 2 SHOTS DOWN BUT THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH TO WIN THE RINK AS IN THE LAST 3 ENDS VICTORIA TOOK 2 SHOTS AND KEYNSHAM 5 SHOTS, RESULTING IN A LOSS TO VICTORIA OF 5 SHOTS.

5th May 22

On 1st May, Victoria bowls held their Fun Day which was attended by up to 25 Ladies and Gents pitting their wits on a variety of 5 different obstacles.

Each member scored for themselves and the result was very close, with Hannah Frye winning on 59 points and Harrison Whyte and Dave Fairhurst equal points on 58. The weather could have been warmer but good fun was enjoyed by all.

Victoria Ladies played in the Wessex League on 3rd May away to Clevedon Prom Ladies, unfortunately, one rink won and Victoria lost 2 rinks.

The Victoria winning rink of Gill Poolman, Jane Bakonyi, Sue Newman and Annie Holland held up to win 16, 14. On the 5th end, the score was even at 5, by the 10th end, Victoria was 9 -7 down. However, ends 11 to 15 saw Victoria pick up 8 points and another point on end 17.

On the 5th May, Victoria Ladies played the Wessex League at home to Clevedon Ladies, again, winning one rink and losing on 2 rinks.

The Victoria winning rink of Dot Gibbs, Gill Poolman, Margaret Hillman and skip Rose Cleeves, had a very close game indeed, winning 20 points to 15.

At end 15, Victoria was trailing by 2 points, however, they took 4 points on end 16, one point on end 17 and 2 points on the 18th end, resulting in a win.

29th April 2022

Battle of the Sexes

Victoria ladies and gents held their annual Battle of The Sexes on Sunday 24th April in glorious sunshine!

Rink 3 with Fiona Payne, Sue Newman and Brenda Williams put up a good performance against their opponents, Les Kelly, Dave Fairhurst and his son Keegan Fairhurst (15), with the ladies finishing on 11 points to 16 points.

Rink 2 ladies with Maureen Slavin, Rita Bailey and Skip Sue Cooper just couldn’t quite beat their opponents, Alan Hollier, Harrison Whyte and John Newman, and were pipped by 7 points

Rink 1 with Dot Gibbs, Margaret Kelly and skip Nancy Whyte were no match for the excellent performance put in by Roy Bromet, Trevor Puddy and Mike Cooper finishing 14 points to 32 points.

Rink 4 ladies also did their best to beat their opponents, however, Dawn Callister, Hannah Frye and Kay Wilson were also up against a very good team from Martin Payne, Hugh Gibbs and Colin Gazzard with the men winning 22 points to 14 points.

25th April 2022

Victoria ladies played 3 triple rinks in the Mendip League against Keynsham Ladies, the first League game of their season.

Stellar performance put in by Skip Sue Sokol on rink 4 with some great bowls being played on a very tricky rink. On the 16th end it was neck and neck then Victoria lost 1 on end 17 and 2 on end 18 giving final rink score of 12 Victoria and 15 Keynsham.

Rink 3 saw Sue Newman, Brenda Williams and Sue Cooper getting off to a good start and maintaining their lead throughout the 18 ends with a score of 22 points Victoria to 11 for Keynsham.

Rink 2 again saw Victoria storm ahead with Fiona Payne, Margaret Kelly and Kay Wilson playing some excellent bowls and only losing on 7 ends. Victoria finished the game 22 Victoria and 12 Keynsham giving an overall total to Victoria of 56 to 38 which is a positive start to the Mendip League.

Victoria Ladies held their Opening Day on Monday 18th April with the traditional Captain v Vice Captain game. The fine weather held up throughout the game and a good day was enjoyed by all players and visiting Bowls Clubs

The traditional Spider Competition was won by Fiona Payne.

Vice Captain Team won on the day, led by Somerset Ladies President, Carolle Skeates and Captain’s team led by Nancy Whyte. Final scores were 61 to 46.

New Bowler Dawn Callister showed great promise and had a very good game for her debut.

The day finished off with a lovely 3 course Dinner served by Victoria’s own Chef to the Ladies, Carmen Santosuosso and his band of willing helpers.