A warm, humid start to the day welcomed all the players to the club for Finals Day. The green looked immaculate in the sunshine and bowled extremely well, getting quicker as the day wore on and the temperatures soared into the 30’s!
Cool drinks and shade were the order of the day for the spectators who turned out to watch the various games. Sadly, there was no shade available for the bowlers and the markers, as heat levels increased by the hour.
The Winners
In total nine trophies were played for and the results were as follows:
Mike Nickson got off to a very good start to his first full season of bowls by winning the Novices and Beginners trophies against Pam Gibbons and Mike Dolling, who is also in his first season.
Men's and Ladies Pairs were both a one sided affair as the combination of Rob Saddler and Chris Wilson proved too much for yours truly and Dave Williams.
The Ladies Pairs resulted in a win for Martina Garfield and Pam Gibbons on Friday evening over Angela Bass and Sue Taylor.
The singles games continued in the early afternoon with Leigh Bean winning the Handicap in a very close game from Lee Pheasant. John Wright won both the Two Wood Singles and Veterans trophies against John Davies who, over the years, has been in and won more finals than any other player in the history of the club.
Men's and Ladies' Championships
The highlight of any Finals Day is the Men’s and Ladies Championships, and this year the crowd were thoroughly entertained by two really close games. In the ladies match, the game was nip and tuck throughout with Wendy Coleman retaining her title against a spirited performance by Kim Wright.
John Wright and Alan Shattock contested the Men’s trophy and again the game swung from one to the other as the heat increased in the early afternoon. The final score of 21-18 went in favour of John Wright, who will now be investing in a bigger trophy cabinet over the close season.
The final game of the day was the Open Pairs and in the intense heat and we saw some exceptional bowling by all involved, not least by Martina Garfield.
In the end, the combination of Phil Villis and Martina were worthy winners on the day against the pairing of Paul Aldus and Lee Pheasant.
Sunday's Match
On Sunday afternoon, the two wood pairs final was contested by John Rickerty and Mick Nickson, who put up a valiant fight but eventually conceded the win to Pam Gibbons and Lee Pheasant.
Finally
That concludes all but one competition for this year, the trophies for each being presented to winners at the Club Presentation dinner on Saturday 18th November at Worlebury Golf Club.
My personal thanks to all who supported and participated over the two days, to Mal and Chris for their work behind the scenes with the bar and teas, to Kim Wright for the photos, to the markers Gerry, Mal, Paul, Barry and Harry and last but not least to the finalists themselves for making it such a special occasion.
Hilary G
Club Captain & Competitions Secretary 2023
Footnote
Thanks to Hilary for doing a great job as both Captain and Competitions Secretary.
Here he is, taking a well-earned rest!
And....
