By Alan Reynolds, Club Captain
If, after starting to read this article, you think you’ve read it before, believe me you haven’t, but the content is very similar to one I wrote 12 months ago in relation to activity at the Santo António Bowls Club in Alvor.
Since then our teams were winners and runners-up in the 2009 Algarve Summer League, we finished first, third and fifth in the subsequent Winter League and our members were successful in lifting five of the seven titles comprising the Inter Club Championships.
All this was incidental, however, to our main event, the Club Competitions, into which 258 entries were made last October to see who would battle their way through to occupy the 26 available places in nine events on Finals Day 2010.
We started at 10am with the Two Wood Singles in which John Laskey and Paul Johnson found themselves going head to head. Both players had difficulty reading the rink, but after 12 hard fought ends, John got the hang of it and ran out winner by 21 shots to 11.
Games started at half hourly intervals and the next event up was the Handicap Singles where John Jones (remember him from last year) was challenged by Frances Reynolds. John grabbed the initiative straightaway and coasted to a victory by 24 shots to 5.
Event three was the Ladies Singles in which Catherine Webb found herself up against last year’s runner-up, Sheila Currall. At 20-17 Sheila thought she had it sewn up, but Catherine came back to take the last two ends and the game 21 shots to 20.
By this time John Laskey had finished his first game and was joined by his wife Chrissie to play a Two Wood Pairs against John and Jean Wilkinson. The Laskeys wasted no time in moving into a substantial lead and claimed the game by 21 shots to 11.
Nip and tuck
And so we came to the Men’s Singles between Malcolm Peters and Alan Clarke; two competitors making their debut in this final. Once again a hard fought contest for the first eight ends, but when Alan applied the pressure, Malcolm found himself wanting and we had another 21 to 11 result.
While spectators moved into lunch, Geoff Drewer and John Gilbert moved into a Drawn Pairs against Judy Drewer and Richard Fribbins. A really exciting game for all four competitors finished up with Geoff and John taking the last three ends and the game by 20 shots to 19.
With attention focused on Rink five, John Jones and Maggie Dance eased themselves on to Rink three for the Fixed Jack. Here again, John made it quite clear that he wasn’t in the mood for taking prisoners and with a commanding lead throughout took the game 110 shots to 60.
Early afternoon now and the Conjugal Pairs – always an enthralling event. Here again we saw another nip and tuck event for the first 10 ends between Thelma and Paul Johnson and Sheila and John Currall, but when the pressure was applied, Thelma and Paul were no match for John and Sheila who were easy winners by 30 shots to 13.
The Championship Pairs should have been the final event of the afternoon, but due to illness it had to be postponed. When it was played, nine days later, John and Chrissie Laskey proved to be too strong for Frances Reynolds and Pauline Wilson, bringing the scheduled events to a close with a score of 22 shots to 12.
Just when you thought it was all over, an extra event was added with the Ladies Singles winner, Catherine Webb, taking on the Men’s Singles winner, Alan Clarke. The match throughout and the result could not have been closer, with the Championship going to Catherine by 21 shots to 20.
And so we come to the end of another successful season for Alvor bowlers.
If you want to know how we get on during the next year, look out for my article in 12 months time!
