Bowls Oxfordshire Mixed Section v Leicester & District Parks BA (friendly) -25 May
On Sunday 25 May we travelled to Soar Valley Bowls Club near Loughborough to play our first Inter county match against the Leicestershire side. Despite a gloomy weather forecast we enjoyed a dry and sometimes sunny afternoon and received a warm welcome from our opponents and members of the Soar Valley Bowls Club. Overall it was a good victory for Bowls Oxfordshire, winning 4 of the 5 rinks and a score of 91 – 64.
On rink 1, Caroline Bloomfield skipping with Barbara Singh, Nick Baldwin and Ron Smith played really well and finished with a 23-7 scoreline, which won the pens on countback (number of ends won). They won 13 of the 18 ends played, which is a great achievement. On Rink 2, the teams were similarly matched and our top lead, Margaret Morris, supported by Julia Lambert, Vice President Alan Scholan and skip John Hurren had a nip and tuck match managing a one shot advantage (16-15) after losing 4 on the last end. Rink 3 was the Presidents rink and Ann played with hubby Dave, John Stephens and Maureen Osborne. Unfortunately, the home team President, David Brooks selected a strong team and ended with a 21-12 win for the Leicester side.
On rink 4, Brian Bloomfield supported by Terry Boswell and Roger Hopkins won their triples game convincingly by 24-8 shots and nearly won the pens, but at least they (the Skips pen) stayed within the family ! They scored a six on the 17 th end to rub it in and deserved the plaudits. On rink 5 we had our Banbury Chestnuts rink which came to our rescue, when we were struggling for numbers for this match, and their commitment was rewarded with a 16-13 win. The team had three new players to the county scene and we hope they all enjoyed the experience. Congratulations to Sharon Smith, Gary Smith, Tony Carey and skip Richard Morris.
Apart from the rather long distance travel, it was an enjoyable afternoon and we look forward to the replay at Banbury Chestnuts on Sunday 6 July.
Finally apologies for the drivers that were under- provided with a contribution for travelling expenses, our Treasurer will ensure they get the full amount in the next few days.