Winter League Champions 2019-2020

SQUAD PHOTO 2019/20

SQUAD LIST 2018/19

DRESS CODE: Jávea Green players will comply with the club dress code. Coloured Club shirts will be worn, bowls MUST have club stickers.

LEAGUE TABLE 

2019/2020

BERLEEN LEAGUE TABLE 2019/2020

LEAGUE TABLE 2018/2019

**BERLEEN LEAGUE TABLE 2018/2019 **

LEAGUE TABLE 2017/18

LEAGUE TABLE 2016/17 – FINAL POSITIONS

BERLEEN LEAGUE TABLE 2016/17 – FINAL POSITIONS

There will be no Winter League for the 2020/2021 Season

League Table will be available on separate tab:

OUR RESULTS 2018/19

League Table available on separate tab:

There will not be a Winter League for the 2020/2021 Season

SCORECARDS FOR 2018-2019 Season

FIXTURE LIST 2019/20

There will be no Winter League for season 2020/2021

SEE FIXTURE LIST

Would all selected players please confirm their availability by either emailing me at [email protected] OR ticking their name on the Team Sheet at the Club. Many thanks.

PLEASE REMEMBER ALL PLAYERS ARE EXPECTED TO STAY TO LUNCH.

In case of inclement weather on the day – RING YOUR SKIP.

WEEKLY REPORTS & ALL TEAMS LEAGUE RESULTS 2019/20

Scribe Alan Phillips
UNBIASED REPORTS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE COMPILED BY ME, OUR NEW BOWLERS SHOULD NOTE THAT FOR A SMALL FEE I WILL GIVE YOU A FAVOURABLE MENTION!!

14th July – The 2019/20 Winter League should start in October. If you are finding it difficult waiting for my reports, I understand War and Peace is similarly boring, try that!

10th April – FINAL Winter League results

We have been confirmed as Winter League Runners-Up. San Luis beat Quesada 8 – 4 in the last match of the season and finished 4 points behind us.

OTHER MATCHES
San Luis 8 – 4 Quesada
Bonalba 7 – 5 Greenlands
San Miguel 11 – 1 La Siesta

3rd April – Winter League results

Vistabella have been confirmed as Winter League Champions. We will finish second if San Luis fail to beat Quesada 12 – 0 in the last match of the season.

OTHER MATCHES
El Cid 7 – 5 Vistabella
Benitachell 7 – 5 Bonalba
Greenlands 7 – 5 La Marina
Monte Mar 8 – 4 La Siesta
Emerald Isle 6 – 6 San Luis
Quesada 10 – 2 San Miguel

27th March Vistabella 8 – 4 Javea Green

Not the score line we wanted today, but Javea Green offers it´s congratulations to Vistabella, on a fabulous win and almost certain confirmation that they have won the Winter League. It was a double triumph for them as their 21-15 win in the Berleen League, confirmed that they have won that title as well.

Knowing we needed to get off to a flyer to gain a big points win, the first 6 ends saw us trailing 16-33 across the 5 matches, not good at all!

John Coates´ team were involved in a cracking match that saw them locked together at 4-4 after 6 ends, trail 10-11 after 12 ends and then finally get the upper hand to win 17-13. From the comments that I could overhear, their were some fabulous bowls played by all 8 players but I did hear “well played Dennis” the most, so I assume he played particularly well. This team have finished the season in fine style, well done to all of you.

Our other winning team was our Captain´s rink, who picked up a handy 4 on the first end to settle the nerves and led 8-3 after 6 ends, what could stop them now? Well it would appear that the opposition decided they would get involved and a run of 5 winning ends out of the next 6 put them in front after 12 ends 9-10. Fortunately our team reversed the trend and held on to win 18-14.

So that´s our 4 points accounted for, where did the rest go wrong!

Jack Wardrop´s team trailed 2-8 after 6 ends and were 6-17 down after 14 ends. Only a spirited finale, winning the last 4 ends, gave them a respectable (?) final score of 11-17. I know they were all disappointed with their performances today but they have played well over the previous weeks.

Chris Evans´ team also had a bad day at the office winning just 6 ends but amazingly, gave themselves the chance of a dramatic win! That sounds impossible but after trailing 1-16 after 10 ends, they picked up a 3, a 6, a 2 and a 5 and trailed 17-20 with 3 ends to play. Unfortunately the comeback ended there and they lost 18-24.

Derek Eldon´s team trailed 0-9 after 4 ends but then hauled themselves back into the match by winning 8 of the next 10 ends to be even at 14-14 after 14! The team went into the last end trailing by 2 but were holding 3 shots for the win, when opposition Skip Gordon Fisher played a fabulous shot and picked up the jack to secure a win for Vistabella, the final score was 16-18.

The Berleen team went into this match knowing they had to win, otherwise the title went to Vistabella. Jenny Rich Skipped the team and they trailed 2-10 after 6 ends and 8-17 after 12 ends. They just couldn´t get a foothold in the match and the final score of 15-21 reflected the play.

A massive thank you to our supporters who travelled with us to Vistabella, we are just disappointed we couldn´t give you the result we all wanted!

This was our last match of the season and hopefully we have done enough to secure second place for the second year running, but that still depends on the results in the final 2 weeks. Watch this space.

We have our team lunch booked for next Wednesday at Attico, in Javea Port and we will celebrate another great season in style. Thank you to every player and supporter who has contributed to this season.

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 6 – 6 Monte Mar
San Miguel 12 – 0 Benitachell
Quesada 9 – 3 Bonalba
San Luis 11 – 1 El Cid
Greenlands 5 – 7 Emerald Isle
La Marina 1 – 11 Monte Mar

20th March Javea Green 12 – 0 La Siesta

Woken up from my beauty sleep at 7.30am by torrential rain and huge thunder claps, no chance of playing today were my first thoughts, but once again I was proved wrong! The match started with the skies overcast and it wasn´t long before the raindrops arrived and for the first 6 ends or so it was very uncomfortable. Soon after though it cleared and for the remainder of the morning it was quite pleasant and so was the final result.

Clive English´s team started slowly and were trailing 6-9 after 9 ends and in fairness Clive was taking a “bit of stick” from his fellow Skips, and why not I have to ask myself, if you can´t take the “mick” out of your Captain what is the point of playing Winter League! Anyway it seemed to work because over the next 4 ends they picked up 9 shots and led 15-12, but then they were pegged back again to 15-15 after 15 ends. Not to be denied this team won the last 3 ends to finish 22-15 up.

Chris Evans drew probably the toughest visiting team Skipped by Mike Edwards, but raced into an 11-0 lead after 5 ends, remained 11 shots up after 10 ends and continued the symmetry to still lead by 11 shots after 15 ends. They then dropped a 4 to get the nerves jangling but there was no need to worry as they came in with a final score of 23-17 and a great win.

What can I say about Jack Wardrop´s team, they were all simply magnificent! From the very first end they were all on the ball and a run of 9 scoring ends on the bounce gave them an unassailable lead of 25-2, they somehow then lost 3 ends on the trot but finished in style with a 4 and a 3 to wrap up the match 32-10. Jack said later that he only remembered having to play about 4 shots, what a great position to be in for any Skip.

Derek Eldon´s team had an early run of 5 scoring ends and led 10-3 after 8 ends and despite dropping a 4, they controlled the match to win 19-10.

Even if John Coates match was not match of the day, it was certainly the finish of the day! At 9-1 up after 6 ends this looked like a fairly routine win for our team and not a lot had changed after 12 ends, as we still led comfortably 15-11. The next 5 ends saw La Siesta get the better of the scoring and we went into the last end “all square” at 16-16. We were holding shot until La Siesta´s three, Rab Logan, played two fabulous shots and left John in a very uncomfortable position, 2 down with one of the touchers just 2 inches in front of the jack and no Javea back woods. I was on the next rink and it looked impossible. John then ignored the head and played his first wood to within a foot of the ditch, the opposing Skip dropped his last wood short of the head to block John´s last wood. Again I looked at the situation and it still seemed impossible. John had a good look at the head, marched to the mat and delivered a bowl that was no less than World class! He struck the opponents wood perfectly so that it pushed the jack back about 3 metres into the ditch, where John´s first wood was waiting. What a shot, what a finish, well played John.

So, we have just one match left in our season and we have done brilliantly. The team has been led superbly by our Captain, Clive English, and I hope that the team spirit has shone through in my reports. Javea Green Winter League team wants to win every match but we also want to enjoy every match and enjoy each other´s company. We all know that there will be fall-outs along the way, but it is how you treat those fall-outs that tells the real story. All I ever say to those who have been upset this season is that until you have Captained a team for a full season, you will not understand the emotional pressure that you suffer. Be thankful that Clive has soldiered on, I know I am.

So, our last match of the season is away to Vistabella next Wednesday. They have also had a brilliant season and if we want to win the League title we know we will have to put in the performance of a lifetime, but it is possible. Roll on next week, I can´t wait!!

OTHER MATCHES
Bonalba 1 – 11 Vistabella
El Cid 2 – 10 Quesada
Benitachell 8 – 4 Greenlands
Emerald Isle 10 – 2 La Marina
Monte Mar 3 – 9 San Luis

13th March Greenlands 2 – 10 Javea Green

The impressive end of season run continues with a win at a resurgent Greenlands by 10-2.

John Coates and his team are really gelling together and they followed last weeks victory with an even more impressive win today. They won 12 ends and racked up 27 shots to Greenlands 9.

Derek Eldon’s team were 7 -1 up after 5 ends but then lost 8 of the next 9 ends to trail 10- 13. The team then dug in to pick up the last 4 ends and take the points 17-13.

Chris Evans’s team were 5-0 up after 4 ends but by the 8th end they had been pegged back to 6-6. They then stepped on the gas and won 8 of the remaining ends to record a 22-11 win.

Clive English’s team came up against a strong in-form home team and despite winning the first 2 ends, they soon found themselves chasing the match. The final score of 8-20 reflected the disappointing performance of our players. I am sure they will bounce back next week!

The most exciting match saw Jack Wardrop’s team having a great tussle with Greenlands Skip Tom Hill. The scores were locked at 6-6 after 6 ends and we led narrowly 12-11 after 12 ends. We won the next 3 ends to lead 16-11 and the game appeared to be in the bag, but Greenlands picked up a one followed by a two and we were now leading 16-14 going into the 18th end. When Jack went to bowl his two woods we were 4 shots down, he played a heavy first wood but found a gap and the with the last wood of the match he drew to within 6 inches for second shot and a narrow 16-15 win!

Nest week we entertain La Siesta.

OTHER MATCHES
San Luis 10 – 2 Benitachell
El Cid 2 – 10 Bonalba
Monte Mar 4 – 8 Quesada
La Marina 6 – 6 San Miguel
La Siesta 2 – 10 Vistabella

7th March Javea Green 10 – 2 Emerald Isle

Two games in two day and two great results…………………so not a bad week!

Derek Eldon’s team were involved in a very close encounter and were boosted by picking up two 4’s and a 5 and led 17-16 after 16 ends. Unfortunately a disastrous 17th end saw them drop 6 shots and with the opposition Skip putting 2 shots close to the jack on the 18th end they were unable to create a dramatic end, the final score of 18-22 was a disappointment. I have to give Derek a mention today as he played a blinder!

John Coates´ team found their way from the off today and were 11-4 up after 9 ends and moved into a 15-5 lead after 13 ends. A little blip saw them drop 6 shots over the next 3 ends but then picked up a couple of singles to ease home 17-11.

Clive English´s team were held for the first 9 ends and were leading 8-7 but then they won the next 45 ends picking up 14 shots and it was game over. The final score of 23-13 reflected a comfortable win for the team.

Chris Evans´ team won 10 of the first 12 ends and led 18-5 effectively finishing the opposition off before they got started! The next 4 ends went to the opposition but it wasn´t enough to panic our team and we closed the match out 21-12-

The comeback of the day went to Jack Wardrop´s team who only managed to win 3 ends in the first 13 and trailed 10-17. Surely against the experienced side that faced them, this deficit was too big to overcome. A 3 on end 14 gave them hope but it was the last 3 ends that were the deciding factor. A 4 put them within one shot, a 3 on end 17 put them ahead by 2 shots and then to round it off they picked up 3 more shots on the 18th end to put the icing on the cake and a 23-18 win. A great lesson to us all, the game is never over until it´s over!

Our Berleen team still have hopes of winning the league but need 2 victories in their last 2 matches to achieve their goal. With this in mind the first 10 ends couldn´t have gone much better and they led 15-2. Emerald Isle came back into the match by picking up 7 shots and reduced the deficit to 16-9 with 3 ends to play, but it wasn´t enough and despite dropping a 5 on the last end our team won 18-14.

6th March Javea Green 12 – 0 Monte Mar

Now that’s what you call windy conditions, not quite as bad as you can encounter at Vistabella, but pretty bad!

So our second 12-0 of the season came courtesy of a massive win over Monte Mar by 136-51. Wins on every rink in very difficult circumstances but apart from that, very little to say about todays match.

I would like to offer our encouragement and congratulations to Monte Mar who, despite the fall in Member numbers, continue to fulfil their fixtures with a smile on their faces.

Another home match tomorrow sees us welcome Emerald Isle to the Inn on the Green. This is the match originally scheduled for 10th April.

OTHER MATCHES
Vistabella 7 – 5 Greenlands
La Marina 8 – 4 Benitachell
San Miguel 8 – 4 El Cid
Emerald Isle 9 – 3 La Siesta
Bonalba 10 – 2 San Luis

27th February Javea Green 11 – 1 San Miguel

Smiley faces all round today!

What a difference a week can make in politics and bowls. After the disappointment of last week, the team had a much better result today against a strong San Miguel team, and suddenly everyone is smiling again. 11-1 was the final points tally and a shot score of 101-56, very impressive!

Derek Eldon´s team struck first blood with a convincing 26-10 victory. This match was well contested over the first 10 ends and we led narrowly 8-6. We then won 6 out of the remaining 8 ends, including picking up a 7 on the 17th, to pick up the 2 points.

Clive English´s team won 15 ends, so it is no surprise that they won comfortably 21-6.

Jack Wardrop´s team dropped 3 shots on the first end but then won the next 6 ends to open up a 13-3 lead and this rather decided the outcome of the match. The final score was 22-13 in our favour and 2 more points.

John Coates´ team had a dreadful start and were 0-8 down after just 3 ends. After 10 ends they still looked in trouble, trailing 5-11. Slowly but surely our team nibbled away at the lead and reduced it to 9-11 after 13 ends but then dropped 2 more shots to trail by 4 with 4 ends to play. But then the match turned on its´ head as our team picked up 9 shots to record a brilliant 18-13 win. All four players deserve a pat on the back for sticking to the task and working together to get the points.

The last match to finish was surprisingly the one with Chris Evans as Skip, but it finished in an almost perfect way. Our team led from the start and were 8-4 ahead at the halfway stage. The San Miguel team then won 7 of the next 8 ends to take a 4 shot lead into the last end and looked comfortable for the 2 points. Our team then produced a brilliant last end, with every player putting a wood in the count to draw level at 14-14. A great finish and one more point.

A big thank you to our Berleen and reserve players who came along and enjoyed a competitive match against each other. The final score was 16-11 to one of the teams.

We have 2 home matches next week with Monte Mar visiting us on Wednesday and Emerald Isle on Thursday. As always the Winter League would like to thank those Members who come along and support the team, it is very much appreciated.

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 2 – 10 Vistabella
Bonalba 2 – 10 Emerald Isle
Monte Mar 7 – 5 Greenlands
San Luis 12 – 0 La Marina
La Siesta 4 – 8 Quesada

20th February La Marina 6 – 6 Javea Green

We travelled to La Marina full of optimism, with high hopes for a good points haul ……………………………………..we returned in a sombre mood and the realisation that our chances of winning the league had all but disappeared!

As you know I normally do a small piece on each match but this week I feel in reflective mood and I am going to do just a general summary of where I think we are. To see the results of each match you can go to the scorecards tab.

With no disrespect to our hosts, todays match was one where we should expect to be picking up a minimum of 10 points, so why didn’t we? This has not just happened today, we can go back to the middle of December and see that was when our fantastic start to the season started to waver. We lost 2 matches on the trot and since then have only won 2 matches out of the next 6, hardly Championship winning form. So let’s not dwell on today let’s have a look at what’s happening.

It is my opinion that we seem to have lost our confidence and that bit of swagger that sees you over the winning line even when you may not deserve it and that’s what you need to be winners. Can we get that back, of course we can, but we have got to start believing in each other, start taking responsibility for our own performance and start looking for reasons why we can win and not looking for excuses for why we have lost!

We now have 3 home matches in a row, so that presents us with the ideal opportunity to get some points but more importantly start playing as a team again and get the smiles back on our faces!

OTHER MATCHES
Vistabella 12-0 Monte Mar
Quesada 6 – 6 Benitachell
La Siesta 8 – 4 Bonalba
Greenlands 10 – 2 San Miguel
Emerald Isle 8 – 4 El Cid

13th February Javea Green 10 – 2 El Cid

Our worst result of the season was a distant memory as we welcomed our neighbours and friends from El Cid ……………………. could we bounce back and pick up a good result? As it turned out we won 10-2, a reverse of last weeks result, onwards and upwards, it’s only a game!

Derek Eldon’s team picked up a 3 on the second end but then couldn’t get a foothold in the match, winning just that one end in the first six to trail 3-5. A run of scores then saw them open up a 16-6 lead before being stopped in their tracks with a dropped 5. The next end saw us trailing by 3 but Derek played 2 great shots to turn the end round and put 1 more on their score card. From then on it was one way traffic with a final score of 27-11.

Ken Davey’s team were drawn against arguably El Cid’s strongest team. They started well and led 8-5 after 8 ends, unfortunately they then lost the next 6 ends to trail 8-12. The next 2 ends saw us draw level but dropping a 4 on the penultimate end scuppered their hopes of picking up a win, the final score was 12-17.

Chris Evans’ team lost the first 2 ends but then only lost 3 more ends in the entire match and ran out comfortable winners 26-10. Bowls is a team game and needs all 4 players to contribute but I have to comment on the number of times I heard “well bowled Chris”. It was obvious that Chris Evans had a great game today. Well done!

Jack Wardrop’s team won the first 6 ends to lead 8-0 and extended the lead to 17-5 after 13 ends. A bit of a stutter saw them drop a 1, a 2 and a 6, to give El Cid a bit of hope at 17-14. Fortunately it was quickly snuffed out and we won the remaining 2 ends to register a 22-14 win.

Our Captain, Clive English, was involved in the tightest match of the day against the El Cid all ladies team. Clive was very complimentary after the match and said what an outstanding game Ros Dingle played for the visitors at lead. The scorecard read 6-6 after 6 ends and 12-11 after 12 ends, it was only at this point in the match that we were able to get away. Our team won 5 of the last 6 ends to win by 19-12.

Our Berleen team was Skipped once more by John North and from what I have been told that was a very good choice, as he played a “blinder”. This was another match where the scores were pretty close throughout the match and after 14ends we led by 11-9. The last 4 ends saw each team win two of them, but we held on to win 14-11.

Next week we are back on the road to La Marina and hopefully another good win!

OTHER MATCHES
Emerald Isle 4-8 Vistabella
Bonalba 10-2 Monte Mar
Quesada 10-2 La Marina
Greenlands 10-2 La Siesta
San Miguel 4-8 San Luis

6th February San Luis 10 – 2 Javea Green

A tough match was always on the cards as we visited San Luis ……………………………………..and so it proved to be, as we lost 2-10. This score, in my opinion, didn’t truly reflect the action on the green as we lost the overall shot difference by just 3 shots!

Derek Eldon’s team were involved in a cracking match with the lead changing hands early on and after 10 ends we were locked together at 9-9. After 14 ends there was still just one shot separating the teams but then the next two ends proved to be pivotal. On both occasions we were holding multiple shots but the opposition Skip, Ian Kenyon, fired the jack into the ditch and picked up a 2 and a 4. We were 5 down with just 2 ends remaining so despite picking up 4 shots we were left on the wrong side of the 16-17 result.

Velia Wood’s team drew, what has often been the short straw when playing at San Luis, the formidable team Skipped by Keith Jones. Our team managed to win 8 of the ends but on 7 of them they only picked up singles. After 13 ends the deficit was just 5 but San Luis reeled off the next 4 ends to inflict a 9-18 defeat.

Jack Wardrop’s team started slowly and were trailing 2-9 after 6 ends and 8-16 after 15 ends and the game looked over. A dramatic 6 on the 16th end suddenly gave us a hope of winning but unfortunately it was not to be and we lost by 2 shots 15-17.

Chris Evans’ team were also involved in a nail biter that went down to the last wood of the match. A quick start saw us take an early 5-1 lead but that was soon pegged back in the next 2 ends and the score was 7-7 after 7 ends. From then on the scores were never separated by more than 2 shots and we came to the last end 15-16 behind. With most people watching San Luis held the shot by about 2cms, then Chris managed to “use” a short wood to give us shot by about 5cms and a draw was on offer. With the overall scoreboard not looking good, Chris made the positive decision to go for the win. Unfortunately she arrived in the head with a bit too much weight and pushed our wood on to the jack which then moved to their wood, giving them the win. How frustrating!

It was left to Clive English’s team to bring home our only points of the day and that didn’t look too obvious as after 10 ends we trailed 7-8. A great second half saw our team pick up three 3’s and a 4, giving us a comfortable 22-11 victory. This was not quite enough to secure the overall shot difference.

A great day for our Berleen team brought a little smile to our faces as they won 16-13. This match was decided by a four end spell starting on end 11 that gave us 10 shots. Well done, this keeps us in the hunt for the title!

So today the result was disappointing, but we had a great day with some great bowling with some old friends and what can be better than that!

OTHER MATCHES
El Cid 10-2 Greenlands
Bonalba 6-6 San Miguel
La Siesta 2-10 Benitachell
Vistabella 10-2 Quesada
Monte Mar 5-7 Emerald Isle

30th January Benitachell 6 – 6 Javea Green

A local derby against our “friends” at Benitachell…………………and no sign of the flooding that plagued our first encounter!

The corresponding match last season finished 6-6 with a shot score of 96-96, wouldn’t it be fun if this years’ encounter could be as close!

Jack Wardrop’s team came up against a team with Iris Gardner leading well and Alex Fisher Skipping as Alex Fisher does, which is pretty good by anyone’s standards. Personally I think it is about time he retired! We were 0-11 down before staging a fight back, that at its’ best saw us trailing 8-13 with 3 ends remaining. Unfortunately dropping a 4 on the 16th end rather ruined our plan and 5 shots to us on the next 2 ends saw a final score 13-17.

Clive English’s team also started slowly and trailed 0-5 after 3 ends, but their reply saw them level the match at 9-9 by the 11th end. They won 5 singles out of the last 7 ends that gave them a hard earned but well deserved 14-12 win.

Brian Manser’s team bucked the trend and won the early exchanges and indeed led 8-3 before being brought down to earth by dropping a 5. This unfortunately signalled the end of our challenge and we went down 15-20.

Chris Evans, as last year, was involved in the only drawn match of the day, this one finishing 14-14. We started slowly and trailed 1-6 before a run of 4 winning ends on the trot saw us lead 8-6 at the halfway stage. The second half was nip and tuck and we entered the last end trailing by one shot but managed to get the shot that gave us the draw.

The last match to finish was on rink one and although the match was going to be won by Derek Eldon’s team, as we were leading 23-15, the interest was centred on the shot difference. The two Captains had added up the scores and the teams knew that Javea held the overall shot difference by just one shot. Unfortunately for us Linda Richards, playing at 2, drew to within a couple of inches of the jack and we were unable to move it, so Benitachell picked up the extra shot. This left the match score at 6-6 and the shot difference at 79-79. What a great match!!

Our Berleen team went into their match proudly sitting at the top of the table, ouch! 9-37 wasn’t exactly what was expected. However, on the bright side we did win the first match at the Inn on the Green 35-6, which gives us an aggregate win of 44-43, well done the Berleen Team!

OTHER MATCHES
Emerald Isle 8-4 San Miguel
La Marina 2-10 Vistabella

23rd January Quesada 6 – 6 Javea Green

We travelled to Quesada and arrived to find plenty of sunshine but a lively wind……..playing conditions were not going to be easy.

Four of the five matches were very close and ended with no more than 3 shots separating the winners from the losers.

Derek Eldon’s team picked up a 4 early on to lead 5-2 which became 6-6 after 8 ends and then 11-11 after 14 ends. The decisive action in the match was on the 15th end, when we picked up a match winning 5 shots to lead 16-11. The last 3 ends all went to Quesada, but Derek was able to put his last wood up his jumper as we held a narrow lead 16-15.

Clive English’s team went into an early 4-1 lead but only recorded 2 singles in the next 7 ends and trailed 6-9. The next 5 ends saw them move into what looked like a winning lead 15-10 with just 3 ends to go. Unfortunately it was not to be, as like the first match reported on our team lost the last 3 ends, but in this case it was disastrous and they went down 15-17. Clive was very disappointed as he felt they should have won the match.

Jack Wardrop’s team were 5-5 after 6 ends but then had a bit of a purple patch, winning 5 out of the next 6 ends to lead 13-6. They went into the last end 17-10 up and with the overall shot difference already decided in Quesada’s favour, they opted for a conservative approach and gave up 4 shots to win 17-14, well that’s what Jack told me!

Brian Manser’s team continued their run of good results by recording a narrow 16-14 victory. They led 7-6 but then dropped a 5 on the 9th end to trail 7-11. The margin remained at 4 shots until the 13th end, but then the fight back started and with 2’s on three of the next 4 ends and a single on the last they managed to hold off a strong team Skipped by Bill Pain. We learned today that Bill is going back to the UK shortly and Javea Green would like to offer their best wishes to Bill and his family for their future.

So, I have covered the close matches which just leaves the match with Chris Evans as Skip. This was the one that really got away, and our team only picked up one shot over the first 9 ends and trailed 1-16. The next seven ends saw a bit of a revival and we actually won them 7-5, however it was too little too late and they went down 8-24.

The overall shots saw a win for Quesada by 84-72, with the match score 6-6. Another great away day was completed with an excellent carvery and a couple of small beers.

We also said goodbye to Ray and Maggie Gall who came out for the first time in September and intended staying for the season. Unfortunately their rental accommodation was very cold and they decided to cut the trial short. We wish them luck back in the UK.

OTHER MATCHES
** Benitachell 8 – 4 Emerald Isle
Vistabella 9 – 3 San Luis
La Siesta 6 – 6 El Cid**
Bonalba 2 – 10 La Marina
San Miguel 8 – 4 Monte Mar

16th January Javea Green 12 – 0 Bonalba

This week saw us entertain our friends from Bonalba and gain our first “clean sweep” of the season plus a win for our Berleen team!

Clive English’s team were involved in the most dramatic match and found themselves trailing 4-8 after 8 ends. It didn’t get much better over the next 8 ends and they were now trailing 11-17 with just 2 ends to go and with the opposition bowling well, the game looked over. The 17th end saw us pull 3 shots back but still needing 4 shots on the 18th, Clive went to the mat 1 down. He then did what Clive does best, closed his eyes, smashed the head and killed the end! The 18th end was replayed and Clive trailed the jack with his last wood to pick up 4 shots and a dramatic 18-17 victory, the only time they were ahead in the match. “Did you see that last shot” was the most used sentence during lunch, mainly by Clive, but it was a great shot!

Derek Eldon’s team had a great start and won 7 of the first 8 ends to lead 16-3 and went on to win 27-10.

Chris Evans’ team led from the first end and without ever shaking the opposition off completely, they were able to coast home winning 18-12, never being behind at all.

Jack Wardrop’s team also led from start to finish but never led by more than 4 shots until the final end when they picked up a 6. The final score of 19-9 probably flattered us a little, but we are quite happy to take the points.

Brian Manser’s team became the third team on the day to never be behind the opposition. They won the first 4 ends before being pegged back to 7-6 and then managed to pick up a series of one’s to hold Bonalba at bay. The final score was 16-11

The Berleen Team was Skipped this week by Joe Schulein and after a fairly even start that saw the teams locked at 5-5 after 6 ends, our team won the next 5 ends to build up a 10 shot lead. They held on to the advantage to record a 20-12 win.

The next three weeks sees us tackle tough away matches at Quesada, Benitachell and San Luis, certainly not a time for the faint hearted!

OTHER MATCHES
** Benitachell 10 – 2 El Cid
San Miguel 8 – 4 Vistabella
Emerald Isle 8 – 4 Quesada
San Luis 10 – 2 Greenlands**

9th January Emerald Isle 8 – 4 Javea Green

The last match of the first half of the season saw us travel to Emerald Isle and unfortunately suffer our second defeat of the season. Not what we wanted to start the New Year.

Jack Wardrops’ match started amid a flurry of high scores and after just 6 ends we were 7-10 down, the next 4 ends went the wrong way and we were 7-17 adrift and looked out of it. Some good bowling saw our team reduce the deficit to 19-22 entering the last end but they could only manage a single shot, finally losing by 20-22.

Chris Evans’ team had a day to forget, an absolute nightmare, I could go on but I feel that you have probably got the message by now. After 15 ends we had only won 1 end and trailed 2-31, however a fantastic finish saw us pick up 6 shots losing 8-31. We’ve all been there and you have our sympathy!

Alan Phillips’ team started brilliantly and led 11-1 after 5 ends, however the home team found the green and gradually reeled us back in and the score was 12-10 to us after 11 ends. Another couple of 2’s and we were still looking comfortable at 16-10, but one horrendous end for all 4 players saw us drop a 5, which was quickly followed by a 3 and a couple of singles. We lost a match that we should have won by 17-20.

Brian Mansers’ team had a really hard fought even game that saw the scores stay pretty close throughout the match. We trailed early on but recovered to stand at 10-10 after 12 ends, a 3 and a single saw us lead14-11 with 3 ends to go and by picking up 2 more singles in the last 3 ends, we held on to pick up 2 points with a 16-13 win.

Clive English’s team started brightly and swept into 9-1 lead after 6 ends but then found themselves being pegged back to 11-11 after 13 ends and then it got worse and they were 12-14 down with just 2 ends to play. Fortunately they played them well and picked up 5 shots to win 17-14 and 2 more points were added to our small tally!

Diane Manser Skipped the Berleen Team and to be honest they were never really in the game. They trailed 2-10 after 6 ends, 6-14 after 12 ends and they only managed one more point in the last 6 ends, finally losing 7-20.

Not a good day at the office for Javea Green.

OTHER MATCHES
Monte Mar 3 – 9 Benitachell
El Cid 9 – 3 La Marina
Greenlands 11 – 1 Bonalba
La Siesta 2 – 10 San Miguel
Quesada 10 – 2 San Luis

12th December Javea Green 5 – 7 Vistabella

At home today, last match before the Christmas break, what would Santa bring us ………………………. not a lot, but to be honest it could have been a lot worse!!

Vistabella arrived at the Inn on the Green in buoyant mood after their 10-2 victory over El Cid yesterday, took them to the top of the table, albeit having played a game more than us. They then carried on their good work, winning 2 rinks, drawing 1 rink and picking up the bonus points for shot difference. But as I said earlier, for most of the match it looked as though we were only going to get 2 points.

Jack Wardrops’ team started very slowly and only picked up 2 singles in the first 12 ends and trailed 2-14. A brief revival saw them pick up a 5 which helped them back to within 5 shots at 10-15 and a glimpse of a surprise victory, but it was not to be and they went down 11-17.

On the next rink Alan Phillips’ match followed a similar pattern, winning just one of the first 8 ends, a mini revival saw us win 5 singles in a row and get back to 7-10, but that was it! The final score of 7-19 felt a bit harsh but overall they bowled better than us and deserved the 2 points.

So to the good news and a solid victory for Chris Evans’ team. They dropped a 4 on the first end but then never looked back. 9-4 up after 5 ends became 17-8 after 12 ends and a final flurry of 6 shots on the last 3 ends saw a winning score of 24-11. Well done team, a much needed 2 points.

Clive English’s team were 4-12 down after 9 ends and a comeback seemed unlikely, especially when after 13 ends they still trailed by 8 shots. They then picked up 8 shots in 3 ends and went into the last end trailing by 2. Clive drew his first wood but missed with his second and it was all down to the measure to see if we were holding 2 for the draw or 3 for the win. The giveaway for the more observant watching on, was Pat Wardrop doing a little jig of delight behind the Vistabella number 3, who was measuring. Sure enough it was ours and they won 18-17.

The last match to finish was Brian Manser’s team, who had a last minute shuffle of personnel, following a call from Niel Roake who was stuck at home waiting for the grua, his car would not start! Joe Schulein came in as a replacement. Brian bucked the trend of trailing early on by racing into a 13-3 lead after 8 ends and all seemed well. Unfortunately the wheels fell off and while he waited for the grua, Vistabella stormed into a 4 shot lead and went into the last end leading by 1. Fortunately we picked up the shot to secure a valuable draw 19-19.

So, today was our first defeat of the season and we didn’t enjoy it, but listening to the Skips after the fantastic Christmas lunch provided by Jan and her staff, it was felt that Vistabella deserved the win.

At last our Berleen Team had a match and following the shuffle of players, Brian Taylor was dragged from behind the bar to Skip the team. It looks like it may have been a good decision as they led after 12 ends by the narrowest of margins 10-9, but then the next 2 ends were pivotal as they picked up 7 shots and then finished in style with 7 more on the last 2 ends. The final score was 25-10.

I would like to finish, by wishing everyone who plays in the Winter League a very Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year. See you in 2019.

The scorecards will be put on the new tab later.

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 3 – 9 San Miguel
Emerald Isle 10 – 2 Greenlands
Monte Mar 4 – 8 La Marina
Bonalba 4 – 8 Quesada
El Cid 2 – 10 San Luis
Vistabella 10 – 2 El Cid

5th December La Siesta 2 – 10 Javea Green

On the road again today to La Siesta who were languishing at the foot of the table, would this be our first 12 pointer of the season? …………………………. Unfortunately not! Read more to see which Skip failed to pick up the 2 points!

So we still haven’t quite managed a 12 pointer, but another win keeps us near the top of the table.

The biggest win of the day was achieved by Clive English’s team with a score of 30-7. Clive said after the match that the front two of Chris Salter and Pat Wardrop, set the tone of the match with some superb bowling. John Pittaway, playing at three, cashed in on the platform set by the front two and Clive kept the scorecard up to date!

Jack Wardrops’ team also had a comfortable win 26-8 with a fine all round team performance.

Brian Mansers’ team had a tough match but were able to gain the upper hand in the second half and eased away to win 20-15.

Chris Evans’ team were also neck and neck for a big part of the match, but some excellent bowling by Ray Gall and Chris saw the team home winning 20-12.

So that leaves just one match to report on and you have probably realised that this must be the losing team. However, I don’t like to use the term “losing” I prefer to say came second! So with that in mind, in second place was Alan Phillips’ team by 17-23. This match was littered with high scoring ends and unfortunately we lost more of those than we won resulting in, as I may have mentioned, us coming second.

A tough match next week as we entertain Vistabella in the last match before Christmas and at long last another Berleen match, whoopee can’t wait for my Christmas dinner!

I have added a new feature to the Winter League page with the addition of a “tab” for the scorecards, this replaces the Rink Results section and offers information on the line ups of both teams rather than just our team. Both Benitachell & San Luis Bowls Clubs have been showing scoresheets for some time and I think it is an interesting feature, so I have copied them! I would like to thank Ken Davey for the help he offers me whenever I have a problem on these pages.

OTHER MATCHES
Greenlands 4 – 8 Benitachell
La Marina 2 – 10 Emerald Isle
Vistabella 11 – 1 Bonalba
Quesada 2 – 10 El Cid
San Luis 6 – 6 Monte Mar

28th November Javea Green 10 – 2 Greenlands

We welcomed Greenlands to the Inn on the Green, on a beautiful sunny but crisp November morning. By the time play started the sun had warmed up and so had our bowling and the result was a very healthy 10-2 victory.

We had three massive wins that gave us the overall shot difference bonus by 115-54!!

Brian Mansers’ team set the ball rolling with a 32-9 win. A couple of changes from last week saw Jean McLaughlin switch to lead and the return of our Club Captain Jenny Rich at two. Tony Hesketh-Field was missing as he continues to look after his wife Carole and the Winter League team send their best wishes to them both.

Chris Evans’ team had Dennis Reeves stepping in at three for Ray Gall who had to dash back to the UK because of a family illness. Hopefully everything will be well and he will be back with us soon. Best wishes from us all. The team coped in his absence and recorded a big win by 26-7.

Jack Wardrops’ team had a similar victory winning by 25-9. A special mention for Lynne & Derek Eldon who both had superb matches.

Alan Phillips’ team were involved in a close game and the turning point was when Tom Hill, the Greenlands Skip, unluckily gave 3 shots away from a holding position on the 13th end. Our team went on to win by 18-13.

The only losing team was our Captain Clive English, who was quick to point out that they won the week before! They went down narrowly by 14-16 on Rink 2. This rink seems to be causing some concern amongst our players, but the visitors clearly enjoyed it!

No Berleen again this week but 8 of our reserve contingency enjoyed a match on Rink 1. The final score was 17-13 to four of them! Well bowled!

RINK RESULTS
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dennis Reeves, Chris Evans 26 – 7
Lynne Eldon, Jan Phillips, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 25 – 9
Dee Hamilton, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 18 – 13
Mark Ivory, Jill Nobbs, John Pittaway, Clive English 14 – 16
Jean McLaughlin, Jenny Rich, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 32 – 9
Berleen – No Match

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 4 – 8 San Luis **
Bonalba 10 – 2 El Cid
Quesada – Mone Mar
San Miguel – La Marina
Vistabella – La Siesta**

21st November Monte Mar 6 – 6 Javea Green

Expectations were high today for a good result at Monte Mar …………….. but we came back disappointed after sharing the points 6 – 6.

Chris Evans’ team started well and never looked back, romping home to record a massive win.

On the next rink Captain Clive English led his team to an emphatic victory, so 2 matches won and the shot difference guaranteed.

Unfortunately, that is where the good news finished.

Jack Wardrop’s team looked home and dry as they moved into a reasonable lead, but it slipped away from them and then the opposition Skip played some fantastic shots on the last 2 ends to deny a dramatic comeback.

Brian Manser’s team trailed more or less from start to finish and whatever they did just wasn’t good enough to reel in the opposition.

Alan Phillips’ team started well but let a 6 shot lead go. Going into the last end they trailed by 1 shot but Matt & Velia put 2 woods within inches of the jack and a victory looked on. However the opposition number three played probably the best 2 shots of the match to snatch the points away!

OK, we were disappointed to come home with just 6 points, but we have had a tremendous start to the season and that is the first match in seven, that we have failed to win! A home match next week, so the perfect opportunity to bounce back.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Phil Woodhead, Ray Gall, Chris Evans 35-9
Lynne Eldon, Dee Hamilton, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 17-22
Jan Phillips, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 15-17
Mark Ivory, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 23-11
Tony Hesketh-Field, Diane Manser, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 10-20
Berleen – No Match

OTHER MATCHES
Greenlands 2 – 10 Vistabella
Benitachell 10 – 2 La Marina
El Cid 8 – 4 San Miguel
La Siesta 2 – 10 Emerald Isle
San Luis 8 – 4 Bonalba

14th November San Miguel 3 – 9 Javea Green

Alarm is set for 6.30am as we have our first coach journey of the season to San Miguel and what is likely to be a very tough match. Just got in at 7.00pm and delighted with a brilliant 9-3 win!

Some really tight matches today, as was expected, and after about 12 ends it looked like we could be coming away with just 2 points. But the teams rallied and pulled out all the stops to reverse the results in spectacular fashion.

Chris Evans team were 11-18 down with 3 ends to go and were still trailing by 4 shots going into the 18th end but Chris played a great shot taking out San Miguels closest wood to pick up a 4 and grab a draw 18-18.

Jack Wardrops’ team were 13-11 ahead after 12 ends and lost 4 of the last 5 ends, fortunately all singles. On the last end Jack was 2 down but drew his last wood for second shot and hang on to win 17-16.

Alan Phillips’ team had a tight match, with the lead changing hands on several occasions. In the end, despite losing the last 3 ends, they were able to hang on to record an 18-15 win.

Captain Clive English’s team were on the end of a right battering early on and trailed by 3-18 after 9 ends. But in a determined second half they managed to restrict the score to a 16-23 defeat. With 2 points up for grabs for shot difference, it is important in all matches to play the full 18 ends and not give up.

Talking of shot difference, this was all but assured by Brian Manser’s team, who recorded a spectacular 27-8 win and not surprisingly led from start to finish!

RINK RESULTS
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Ray Gall, Chris Evans 18 – 18 **
Jean McLaughlin, Dee Hamilton, Dave Ings, Jack Wardrop 17 – 16
Jan Phillips, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 18 – 15
Mark Ivory, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 16 – 23
Tony Hesketh-Field, Diane Manser, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 27 – 8
Berleen – No Match**

OTHER MATCHES
Emerald Isle – Bonalba
Greenlands – Monte Mar
La Marina – San Luis
Quesada – La Siesta
Vistabella 6 – 6 Benitachell

7th November Javea Green 10 – 2 La Marina

A bit of a delay this week in posting the report, but we only got back from the UK at 11pm last night. But another great win in my absence, well done Javea! I also hear that there was a delay in starting the match, as La Marina were held up on the motorway due to an accident, fortunately not involving them.

Looking at the results it certainly looks fairly comfortable, 4 wins and a healthy shot difference. Clive reported that he had a fairly tight match up to 12-12, but his team were then able to pull away and win the last few ends for a 7 shot victory.

There were also victories for the teams Skipped by Jack Wardrop, Chris Evans and Brian Manser. The only disappointment saw the team Skipped by Velia Wood go down to a 16-24 defeat when they were leading with just 4 ends to be played. Perhaps I might get my place back next week?

There was no Berleen match this week and with Quesada announcing their withdrawal from the Berleen League, there is grave danger that we might not have the extra competitive match for those players knocking on the door for selection.

RINK RESULTS
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Ray Gall, Chris Evans 23 – 14
Lynne Eldon, Dee Hamilton, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 21 – 16
Jean McLaughlin, Matt Taylor, John Pittaway, Velia Wood 16 – 24
Mark Ivory, Pat Wardrop, John Coates, Clive English 19 – 12
Tony Hesketh-Field, Diane Manser, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 19 – 15
Berleen – No Match

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 6 – 6 Quesada
Bonalba 8 – 4 La Siesta
El Cid 2 – 10 Emerald Isle
Monte Mar 4 – 8 Vistabella
San Miguel 8 – 4 Greenlands

31st October El Cid 3 – 9 Javea Green

Lots of rain throughout the night but the weather forecast was correct and the sun shone brightly as we arrived at El Cid. Surely the day couldn’t get any better but it did for some, as we came away with 9 points!

I need to get my match out of the way first. Seven ladies and me, this was truly my worst nightmare and so it turned out, as I was the worst player on the rink and we lost 11-18. There, I’ve done it, I feel so much better, let’s have another gin and tonic!

Clive English’s team got off to a flyer and continued to soar for 18 ends winning 28-7. This guaranteed us the 2 bonus points for shot difference, well done Captain.

The other 3 matches were very close affairs.

Chris Evans’ team were out on Rink 6 and went into a good lead and looked comfortable. Unfortunately they dropped a 5 on the 14th end and El Cid came back at them. We were able to regain our concentration and hold on for a narrow 22-19 win.

Jack Wardrop’s team were involved in a low scoring match and without anyone really hitting top gear they were able to grind out a 13-12 win. Sometimes it is more satisfying to win in this fashion than all playing brilliantly and winning comfortably. (And if you believe that tosh you are dafter than I thought).

The last match to finish saw Brian Manser’s team trailing 12-13 as they entered the 18th end. El Cid were holding shot with a toucher which Brian was able to dislodge to grab shot. Not to be outdone Paul Leeder drew shot but with the last wood of the match Brian was able to outdraw Paul for the draw. A great finish to a tight game and a valuable point earned.

Our Berleen team raced into an early lead but got pulled back to set up a tense finish. Everyone played well but the glory went to Skip Dave Ings who played a great shot when 5 down. They eventually won 22-15.

RINK RESULTS
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Ray Gall, Chris Evans 22-19
Mark Ivory, Pat Wardrop, John Coates, Clive English 28-7
Brenda Burgess, Diane Manser, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 11-18
Jean McLaughlin, Tony Hesketh-Field, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 13-13
Lynne Eldon, Jan Phillips, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 13-12
Berleen – Joe Schulein, Dee Hamilton, Margaret Walker, Dave Ings 22-15

OTHER MATCHES
Vistabella 10 – 2 Emerald Isle
San Luis 8 – 4 San Miguel
La Marina 4 – 8 Quesada
La Siesta 3 – 9 Greenlands
Monte Mar 2 – 10 Bonalba

24th October Javea Green 8 – 4 San Luis

On yet another beautiful sunny morning, we welcomed our friends from San Luis to the Inn on the Green …………………………… and they left with 4 points.

Jack Wardrop’s team had a shaky start and found themselves 1-8 down after just 3 ends. But they slowly clawed their way back and finally came out on the right side of a 21-15 result. The crucial action was on the 17th end when they were 18-15 ahead but 3 down, Derek played a great shot to take the jack into the ditch and win the end.

Alan Phillips’ team returned to winning ways with a comfortable 22-9 victory.

The other victory saw Clive English’s team 4 shots ahead going into the last end, drop 3 shots and narrowly hold on to a 17-16 win.

Chris Evans’ team battled bravely but were unable to narrow the gap and went down by just one shot losing 14-15.

Brian Manser’s team were up against a very strong team, skipped by Russell Marks and despite some good bowling went down 16-21.

So three victories plus the shot difference gave us an 8-4 win.

The Berleen Team suffered a severe shock to the system, after winning their first 3 matches and racing into a 7-0 win, they lost the plot and collapsed to a 12-29 walloping!

RINK RESULTS
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Ray Gall, Chris Evans 14-15
Mark Ivory, Pat Wardrop, John Coates, Clive English 17-16
Brenda Burgess, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 22-9
Jean McLaughlin, Tony Hesketh-Field, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 16-21
Lynne Eldon, Jan Phillips, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 21-15
Berleen – Steve Upton, Margaret Walker, Diane Manser, John Pittaway 12-29

OTHER MATCHES
Emerald Isle 8 – 4 Monte Mar
Greenlands 6 – 6 El Cid
San Miguel 11 – 1 Bonalba
Benitachell 8 – 4 La Siesta
Quesada 10 – 2 Vistabella

17th October Javea Green 8 – 4 Benitachell

We made the short trip to Benitachell to find the green waterlogged. It was agreed that we would re-convene at 1pm to see how the green was. We returned at the agreed time to find the green still waterlogged and nothing could be done to make it playable.

It was then agreed that we could go back down the hill to Javea and the Javea players started working on the green, cleared the water and “bingo”, within 30 minutes it was playable!! Praise the Lord!

The sun shone brightly and the bowls was played in the fiercely competitive friendly spirit that we all love and respect.

I will start this evening with Chris Evans’s team who had a really tough and close encounter, finally coming out on top 13-12. Chris Salter reverted to lead and had a fabulous game and this was backed up by Chris Evans at Skip, who held the team together. (Chris & CHris, Please put your 5 euro notes in an un-marked envelope beneath the pot of daffodils by the Casita as agreed for favourable mentions!).

Brian Manser’s team had a great start and led comfortably, finally recording a great win by 26-12.
The other win saw Jack Wardrop’s team hold off a strong challenge from a determined Benitachell team winning 17-14.

So, how did the Captain and Vice-Captain fare this week? You might well ask and on behalf of the Vice-Captain I would like to offer a host of excuses, bad shoulder, too many matches, poor team, good opposition, sun in my eyes etc., etc., wrong coloured cap, I could go on ………………. (We lost 14-21).

As for the Captain, his team were just outplayed and went down 13-21.

The Berleen Team were in fantastic form and led 18-0 before going on to win 35-6. Well done to all of the players who have contributed to 3 wins from 3 matches.

RINK RESULTS
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Ray Gall, Chris Evans 13-12
Mark Ivory, Pat Wardrop, John Coates, Clive English 13-21
Brenda Burgess, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 14-21
Jean McLaughlin, Tony Hesketh-Field, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 26-12
Lynne Eldon, Jan Phillips, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 17-14
Berleen – Steve Upton, Margaret Walker, David Ings, Diane Manser 35-6

OTHER MATCHES
Monte Mar 8 – 4 El Cid
La Siesta 3 – 9 La Marina
La Siesta 0 – 12 San Luis
Quesada 10 – 2 Greenlands
San Miguel 10 – 2 Emerald Isle

10th October Javea Green 7 – 5 Quesada

First home match of the season saw us welcome Quesada to the Inn on the Green and I have to say it looked in splendid condition. Thanks to Mick Gilbey, who I believe is now our resident “caretaker”. I wonder how many of our team noticed that the “iconic” palm tree, behind Rink 7, is no more!! It has been cut down to a mere stump!

Where was I, ah yes, Quesada at home, always a difficult team to play against as was proved again today. I will start with the good news this week.

Clive English´s team had a fairly even start and after 11 ends were leading 12-8. They then had a tremendous run winning the last 7 ends and accumulating 16 shots to run out victorious 28-8.

Alan Phillips´ team were always in control of this match and led 10-5. They then secured the match with consecutive 5´s to gain an unassailable lead, final score was 26-14.

Brian Manser´s team were involved in the nail biter, as they were drawing 16-16 after 16 ends. It looked like another 2 points were safe as our team picked up 3 shots on the 17th end and were 2 up on the last end. Unfortunately Quesada had different ideas and a fabulous shot by the number 3 took the jack away and left them holding 3 shots and the draw.

Chris Evans´team were totally out of sorts today and only managed to win 5 singles all match. The final score was 5-21.

The team Skipped by Jack Wardrop were involved in a very close affair and after leading 4-0 they lost the next 7 ends to trail 4-11. They then staged a great fightback to take the lead by 16-11 after 15 ends and looked like 2 points were in the bag. Unfortunately the last 3 ends were snaffled by Quesada and left our team in second place with a score of 16-19.

The Berleen Team had a completely new line up this week but continued their great start to the season winning 26-9. This result came after a slow start that saw us trailing 1-7 but then promptly picking up a 7 on the 5th end and there was no looking back.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Phil Woodhead, Chris Salter, Chris Evans 5 – 21
Lynne Eldon, Jan Phillips, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 16 – 19
Brenda Burgess, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 26 – 14
Mark Ivory, Steve Upton, John Coates, Clive English 28 – 8
Tony Hesketh-Field, Diane Manser, Niel Roake, Brian Manser 20 – 20
Berleen – Margaret Walker, Joe Schulein, Jenny Rich, Dave Ings 26 – 9

OTHER MATCHES
El Cid 10 – 2 La Siesta
Emerald Isle 10 – 2 Benitachell
La Marina 8 – 4 Bonalba
Monte Mar 0 – 12 San Miguel
San Luis 9 – 3 Vistabella
No Match – Greenlands

3rd October Bonalba 3 v 9 Javea Green

Alarm set, directions to Bonalba printed out, bowls bag ready, lucky pants on ……….. off we go to our first match of the season!

We knew before we arrived at Bonalba that this was going to be a tough match. Bonalba are in their tenth season and have steadily improved over the years and with it their confidence has grown. They know that they are capable of beating the top Clubs, the question to be answered was, could they today. After 6 ends it looked possible, as Bonalba were ahead in 4 matches, read on for the outcome.

Our team Skipped by Jack Wardrop had got off to an absolute flyer and were 13-0 up. The opposition fought their way bag to trail by just 4 but then our team picked up a 6, game over. Eventually they ran out comfortable winners by 31-13.

Alan Phillips’ team were doing OK but couldn’t close a 2 shot gap until the 13th end when they finally got level at 11-11. The next 3 ends proved crucial as we picked up 7 shots with no reply. We lost the last 2 ends but held on to win 18-15.

Chris Evans’ team also had a close game but with all players contributing pulled away for a well earned 2 points winning 19-11.

The match of the day was Clive English’s team who were 0-9 down, 13 -9 up and then 17-13 down! They went into the last end trailing by 1 shot but Mark Ivory, playing his first match for the WL, trailed the jack and stayed with the wood. This turned out to be the shot that gave us an 18-18 draw and 1 point.

Unfortunately the losing team was Brian Manser’s, who despite some competitive bowling succumbed to the opposition losing 11-18.

There was a good win for the Berleen team Skipped by Diane Manser 21-13.

It was good to see Mark Ivory and John Bagdonas making their debuts for the WL team and speaking to them after the match they both said they enjoyed the experience.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Phil Woodhead, Chris Salter, Chris Evans 19 – 11
Lynne Eldon, Jan Phillips, Derek Eldon, Jack Wardrop 31 – 13
John Bagdonas, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 18 – 15
Mark Ivory, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 18 – 18
Dee Hamilton, Jenny Rich, Margaret Walker, Brian Manser 11 – 18
Berleen – Tony Hesketh-Field, Niel Roake, Tony Walker, Diane Manser 21 – 13
Friendly – Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Brenda Burgess, Joe Schulein 14 – 21

OTHER MATCHES
El Cid 8 – 4 Benitachell
Greenlands 4 – 8 San Luis
Quesada 9 – 3 Emerald Isle
Vistabella 8 – 4 San Miguel
No Match – Monte Mar
La Siesta v La Marina postponed

WEEKLY REPORTS & ALL TEAMS LEAGUE RESULTS 2017/18

Scribe Alan Phillips
UNBIASED REPORTS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE COMPILED BY ME!!

28th March Vistabella 4 – 8 Javea Green

Last match of the season saw us make the difficult journey to Vistabella, would it be a happy ending ……………………. unfortunately not!!

We went into the last match of the season knowing that only a better result than San Luis got against La Marina, would see us crowned Champions. With 4 ends to go it looked like we were on to a hiding, and the best we could hope for was a paltry 2 points. But then everything changed, please read on.

The 2 points looked safe as Chris Evans´s team were in a commanding position and they went on to win by 19-13.

The bad news was Derek Eldon´s team were trailing by a considerable number and finally went down heavily 8-23.

The excitement was elsewhere, as the three remaining matches all went into the last end with the scores level.

Alan Phillips´ team found themselves one shot down, when Jean McLaughlin touched the jack but unluckily sent it just 2 inches behind an opposition bowl. Dave Gardiner played a great wood into the shot wood and pushed the jack back for 2. Final score 20-18.

Clive English had the last wood of the match and was trailing by 2 shots, but played an absolute blinder to draw within 6 inches and pick up the win by 15-14.
Jack Wardrop finished off his brilliant first season at Javea with another win. Once again this match was won by just the one shot 18-17.

So we won the match 8-4 now we had to wait anxiously to see if that was enough. Unfortunately the news filtered through that San Luis had won by the same margin, which gave them the league by the one point.

Obviously everyone at Javea Green sends their congratulations to San Luis BC on their third consecutive League title.

The Berleen Team finished the season in the worst possible way with a right mauling 4-35. The good news was that they were leading 4-2 after three ends.

Thank you for reading my reports this season. I apologise to those who feel that they have not been mentioned enough but can assure them that I did not fall into that category.

See you all next season with more “unbiased” reports!

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Chris Salter, Dave Gardiner, Alan Phillips 20 – 18
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 19 – 13
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Brian Manser, Derek Eldon 8 – 23
Jan Brown, Steve Upton, John Pittaway, Clive English 15 – 14
Matt Taylor, Dee Hamilton, Velia Wood, Jack Wardrop 18 – 17
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Brenda Burgess, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 4 – 35

OTHER MATCHES
San Luis 8 – 4 La Marina
San Miguel 8 – 4 Benitachell
La Siesta 2 – 10 Emerald Isle
Bonalba 10 – 2 Monte Mar
Greenlands 10 – 2 Quesada

21st March Bonalba 4 – 8 Javea Green

A short trip to Bonalba promised lots of points …………………. but we didn´t deliver and only picked up 8, will that be enough come the end of the season?

With just two games to go and the pressure mounting, we made the trip to Bonalba with high expectations.

I took over the role of Skip in a changed team, with the absence of Lynne and Derek in Cyprus, and we got off to a quick start and built up an early lead. This was maintained and then extended throughout the game to pick up 2 points and a healthy shot difference of 13.

Nick Cole´s team had a close encounter and found the opposition Skip in fine form. However the team managed to keep in front and won 18-12. Nick misses next week as he has to return to Germany. We all wish him well and hope to see him back at Javea next season.

The other winning team saw Jack Wardrop Skip them to victory in a low scoring game and win 15-9. It is so important to make sure you that when you lose an end, it is only a low score.

Clive English´s team went into the last end trailing by 5 shots and were unable to claw them back, just missing out by 2 shots in a 16-18 defeat.

Chris Evans´ team had a real nip and tuck game but lost the match over one bad end, dropping 5 shots. The final score was 13-17.

The Berleen team needed to win their last 2 matches and the title was Javea Green´s. Unfortunately they met a very strong Berleen team and lost heavily 8-29. Such a shame after a really good season.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Chris Salter, Dave Gardiner, Nick Cole 18 – 12
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 13 – 17
Jan Phillips, Niel Roake, Brian Manser, Alan Phillips 21 – 8
Jan Brown, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 16 – 18
Matt Taylor, Dee Hamilton, Velia Wood, Jack Wardrop 15 – 9
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, John North, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 8 – 29

OTHER MATCHES
Greenlands 2 – 10 San Luis
Monte Mar 8 – 4 Benitachell
Quesada 4 – 8 Emerald Isle
La Marina 8 – 4 San Miguel
Vistabella 10 – 2 La Siesta

14th March Javea Green 10 – 2 San Luis

Great weather, great day …………. great result! Ten points against our closest rivals for the title, can´t get much better can it?

Where do I start this week? In all honesty I didn´t expect to pick up 11 points last week at home against Benitachell and likewise this week, 10 points against what I consider to be the strongest team in the league, was gleefully accepted . Two brilliant home performances have put us back in with a shout and two brilliant away performances could give us the title. It is in our hands.

A couple of big wins saw Chris Evans´ team back to winning ways storming home 24-15 after trailing 5-13 early on and Clive English´s team winning 18-10. These two results went a long way to securing the bonus points for the shot difference of 86-78. Should be a happy house tonight for those two, apart from the coughing and spluttering as they cope with the dreaded lurgi.

Jack Wardrop´s team held on to win narrowly, despite a strong comeback from San Luis Captain Keith Jones´ team, 19-17. I believe we led this one by 10 shots at one time. This side has gelled together in a short space of time and is becoming one of our most potent forces.

Nick Cole´s team also battled hard and won 18-12. This team has benefitted from consistency of selection and goes from strength to strength.

Derek Eldon´s team were on the wrong side of a high scoring game losing 7-24. Changes will have to be made for next week´s game, but only because Lynne and Derek Eldon are off to represent Spain in Cyprus. Good luck to you both.

The Berleen team have also had a couple of great wins with Brian Manser as Skip, against the teams sharing the top places. Today they won 25-12 and two more wins at Bonalba and Vistabella, will give them the title.

Overall a great days bowling against great opposition, played in the right spirit in front of lots of supporters from both Clubs. I do enjoy the Winter League and the atmosphere created.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Dave Gardiner, Nick Cole 18 – 12
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 24 – 15
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Alan Phillips, Derek Eldon 7 – 24
Jan Brown, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 18 – 10
Matt Taylor, Dee Hamilton, Velia Wood, Jack Wardrop 19 – 17
Berleen – Chris Salter, John North, Diane Manser, Brian Manser 25 – 12

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 12 – 0 La Siesta
Quesada 12 – 0 Bonalba
San Miguel 12 – 0 Greenlands
Emerald Isle 12 – 0 Vistabella
La Marina 10 – 2 Monte Mar

7th March Javea Green 11 – 1 Benitachell

Great weather, great day …………. great result! Eleven points against our local rivals, can´t get much better can it?

Clive welcomed Benitachell to the Inn on the Green and congratulated them on their fantastic win in the Premier Twenty final against San Luis. After that it was gloves off and down to business!

The battle for the Berleen League hotted up a little more today, as our team beat our top of the table visitors 17-11. The match was always closely fought but Benitachell had the better of the first half and led 5-9. Our team weathered the storm and finished strongly to win 17-11. With three matches still to be played, Javea have put themselves in contention for the title.

In the main league four of our teams came out of the blocks in determined mood and raced into, what proved to be, match winning positions.

Derek Eldon´s team were 12-0 to the good and then shared the next 18 shots to win 21-9.

Nick Cole´s team were 15-0 up and controlled the game to win 28-5. Our players said that the score probably didn´t reflect the play and they had to be on the top of their game to keep the opposition at bay.

Clive English´s team were also well ahead from the first few ends and their match followed the same pattern as the others, winning 19-12.

Jack Wardrop´s team sailed along quite serenely and won their match by 18-7.

The final match to finish saw Chris Evans´team playing against arguably Benitachell´s strongest team and what a match it was! Trailing 13-16 with 2 ends to play, we picked up a 2 to trail by one shot going into the last end. I think we felt a little disappointed at the end when we were only able to pick up the one shot for a 16-16 draw, but that is probably just being greedy to hope for a whitewash against a very good team.

Next week sees “table toppers” San Luis come to the Inn on the Green. A repeat performance is an absolute must, if we hope to wrestle the title from their grip! Your support would be welcomed as always!

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Dave Gardiner, Nick Cole 28 – 5
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 16 – 16
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Alan Phillips, Derek Eldon 21 – 9
Jan Brown, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 19 – 12
Matt Taylor, Dee Hamilton, Velia Wood, Jack Wardrop 18 – 7
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Chris Salter, Diane Manser, Brian Manser 17 – 11

OTHER MATCHES
Bonalba 5 – 7 La Marina
San Luis 8 – 4 Emerald Isle
Monte Mar 4 – 8 Quesada
La Siesta 4 – 8 San Miguel
Greenlands 8 – 4 Vistabella

28th February Emerald Isle 10 – 2 Javea Green

Another early start, another long trek down the motorway and ………………unfortunately another defeat. This was not the plan!

Every so often you just have to say “what a strange old game bowls is”. We lost the match 2-10 but with just a couple of ends to play it could have been 6-6 and then in another way we were lucky to get 2 points, weird eh!!

Let´s get rid of the two matches that unfortunately we failed to contest too closely. Chris Evans team lost 13-21, although a minor recovery in the middle did give us some hope, but it was short lived. The other match saw Clive English´s team fail to get out of first gear, although Clive did say the front end of Jan Brown and Pat Wardrop played well, so by default that must mean the back end didn´t get out of first gear, looks like you will have to make your own mind up on that one.

So how did we nearly get 6 points? Derek Eldon´s team were involved in a really tight game with just 9 shots scored in the first 9 ends. Then the heavens opened and shots were being thrown around like confetti, until we got to the last end and we were trailing 13-15. Lynne put two woods round the jack and Neil added a third and with the jack nestled between them in a straight line, the opposition team were unable to disturb the head, although they did get mighty close, so 2 points 17-15.

Jack Wardrop took over as Skip and played 18 ends with just 23 shots being scored, unfortunately the odd shot went to Emerald Isle who took the spoils with a win 11-12. On the last end we had a couple of opportunities to draw in and snatch at least a point but narrowly failed to do so.

Nick Cole´s team also had a really low scoring start to the match but were able to forge ahead and lead by 15-11 with just 2 ends to be played. Unfortunately disaster struck on the 17th end, when all of our team failed to get within a metre of the jack and we dropped 6 shots. Trailing by 2 shots on the last end, Nick played the last wood of the match and for all the world it looked as though he was going to pick the jack up, but he didn´t!! One shot to Emerald Isle, 15-18 the final score.

The Berleen team also had a topsy turvy game and led for long periods but again they failed to capitalise on the opportunities and went down 16-19.

So, a bad couple of weeks on the green and with just 4 matches remaining a mighty change in fortune is needed if we are to win this League.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Dave Gardiner, Nick Cole 15 – 18
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 13 – 21
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Alan Phillips, Derek Eldon 17 – 15
Jan Brown, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 7 – 22
Matt Taylor, Dee Hamilton, Velia Wood, Jack Wardrop 11 – 12
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Tony Hesketh-Field, Brian Taylor 16 – 19

OTHER MATCHES
Vistabella 2 – 10 San Luis
Benitachell 10 – 2 La Marina
Quesada 6 – 6 San Miguel
Monte Mar 2 – 10 Greenlands
Bonalba 5 – 7 La Siesta

21st February Greenlands 8 – 4 Javea Green

I said last week that we had a tough run of matches coming up …………………………………..but I didn´t mean today!!!

In all fairness and with total respect to Greenlands, we didn´t see this as one of the difficult matches but having said that, we didn’t go down there and take them for granted either. It just didn´t happen today and sometimes you have to be big enough to take it on the chin and come back trying even harder next week!

The bad news started quite early with Alan Phillips´ team falling behind early on and then never able to compete with a very confident home side, finally losing very heavily 9-28.

On the next rink Nick Cole´s team were flying from the start and with a superb display of lead bowling by Jean McLaughlin being backed up by Jan Phillips, Dave Gardiner and Nick had a relatively easy morning. Every shot was coming off and they raced into a 20-0 lead before the home team managed to salvage a little, the final score 26-9.

Another good win was secured by Clive English´s team, again the front end of Jan Brown and Pat Wardrop were to the fore and they were backed up very efficiently by John Pittaway and Clive. A good win 26-14.

Our most consistent side this year have been Chris Evans´ team, but even they struggled to get a foothold in the match and went down 14-19.

The final match saw Derek Eldon´s team go the way of our other losing sides and although they were 7-7 they failed to make headway into a resilient home team, going down 12-21.

Shell shocked was probably the best way to describe our team as we boarded the coach for a wonderful lunch at La Luna in Benijofar. However, by the time a couple of beers had been quaffed and lunch consumed, the journey home was enjoyed by all and we look forward to doing it all again next week at Emerald Isle.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Dave Gardiner, Nick Cole 26-9
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 14-19
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 12-21
Jan Brown, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 26-14
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 9-28
Berleen – NO MATCH

OTHER MATCHES
San Luis 10 – 2 Benitachell
SAn Miguel 10 – 2 Bonalba
La Marina 4 – 8 Vistabella
Emerald Isle 8 – 4 Monte Mar
La Siesta 2 – 10 Quesada

14th February Javea Green 6 – 6 San MIguel

A tough run of matches started with the visit of San Miguel ……………………….. and we were so close to pulling off a 10-2 victory but had to be satisfied with 6-6.

Chris Evans team set the ball rolling with a fantastic 30-4 win against an inform Lyn Greenland. This team is really ticking at the moment and shows what a great team spirit and trust in each other brings to any group of players. This team is an example to us all.

Clive English and his team gave us our other victory with a solid 22-16 win. John Pittaway seems more comfortable playing at three and he had a super game.

Alan Phillips team are having a bit of a blip at the moment and lost their second game in succession by 11-18.

So how was it nearly 10-2 as stated above. The last two matches saw Derek Eldon´s team go into the last end 19-19 and despite some great shots being played were just unable to get the shot needed and went down 19-20. In the other match Nick Cole´s team were just one shot down 13-14 going into the last end, but they were also unable to convert the opportunity and lost 13-16.

The Berleen Team continued their push for our first ever Berleen title by winning comfortably 26-13.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Dave Gardiner, Nick Cole 13-16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 30-4
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 19-20
Jan Brown, Pat Wardrop, John Pittaway, Clive English 22-16
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 11-18
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Diane Manser, John North, Brian Manser 26-13

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 6 – 6 Vistabella
Bonalba 6 – 6 Emerald Isle
La Marina 8 – 4 Greenlands
Monte Mar 8 – 4 La Siesta
San Luis 8 – 4 Quesada

7th February Quesada 4 – 8 Javea Green

Remember last season, travelled to Quesada and came back with nothing, zero, zilch …………………. We are a different team this year, came back with a brilliant 8 points, well done Javea!

It´s always a tough place to go and this week was no exception. The 8 points were hard earned, as with about 4 ends to go the score could have finished 4-8 to Quesada. A top performance by everyone.

We ended the day with 2 wins, 2 draws and a healthy shot difference of 21 earned mainly by a superb 32-7 win by Derek Eldon´s team. They were boosted by the return of Jack Wardrop and the whole team all chipped in when needed to ensure a great win.

Chris Evans´ team found themselves 12-16 down with just 2 ends to play and looked to be out of it, but a superb 5 on the 17th put them 1shot ahead, which was consolidated with another 4 shots on the last end. Great win 21-16.

Clive English´s team raced into a lead by 8-1 and looked unstoppable, but they were pegged back and lost 8 ends on the trot. Fortunately they stopped the rot in time and salvaged a creditable 14-14 draw.

Nick Cole was again last to finish, I think he is just looking for the headlines now (see last week), but delaying the match by getting the deck chair out for 10 minutes was just too blatant! Anyway, last match he was and 16-18 down. We were holding 1 shot but needed 2 for a draw and with his last wood Nick managed to glide (not wick) off an outside wood and pick up the extra shot. Great shot Nick, well done team 18-18.

Please read this last match report quickly and then dismiss it from your minds equally quickly, Alan Phillips´ team lost 9-18.

Moving on, what a great win for the Berleen team. This keeps us in contention and demonstrates the strength in depth that we can fortunately draw on.

Still a long way to go and anything can happen, but I am certainly enjoying the ride this season.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Dave Gardiner, Nick Cole 18-18
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 21-16
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 32-7
Jan Brown, John North, John Pittaway, Clive English 14-14
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 9-18
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Pat Wardrop, Diane Manser, Brian Manser 23-17

OTHER MATCHES
Emerald Isle 8 – 4 Benitachell
San Miguel 4 – 8 San Luis
Greenlands 11 – 1 Bonalba
La Siesta 1 – 11 La Marina
Vistabella 12 – 0 Monte Mar

31st January Monte Mar 2 – 10 Javea Green

Today was the first of four away days in the next five matches and on paper was probably the easiest match ……………………but did it turn out that way, well only just. See below.

Not much to be said about the game Skipped by me today, as we had a very strong first half and a very strong second half. We dropped just 2 shots and finished with a winning score of 30-2.

John Pittaway´s team had a bit of a battle early on but managed to keep their noses in front to record a fairly comfortable 18-12 win.

Chris Evan´s team started quickly and were 8-2 ahead only to be pegged back to a level score, before putting their collective foot on the pedal and winning by 26-13.

Our Captain Clive unfortunately had a day to forget, as he managed to convert several ends from a winning position to a losing position. Despite their best efforts Lynne, Niel & Derek could not repair the damage and they lost 11-14.

The last match to finish saw Nick Cole Skipping on his return to the team, having not played since 1st December. The match all hinged on the last end and with our team trailing by 4 shots, 14-18, the mission looked impossible. Our returning hero, “super” Nick, had the last wood of the match and our team was holding one shot, Monte Mar had the next 2 shots and then we had the next 4. Nicks´ task was to take out the two woods belonging to Monte Mar. With everyone watching , the lights dimmed and Sky Sports waiting to go to the adverts, Nick smacked the woods out of the head, with a controlled weighted shot and secured a fabulous 19-18 victory!

Don´t you just love this game!

On a sadder note, I have just received the news that Jerry Bartley has lost his battle with cancer. Jerry has umpired on many occasions at Javea Green and will be sadly missed by all those who knew him. Javea Green sends condolences to his family and his friends at Finca Guila Bowls Club.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 19 – 18
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 26-13
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Derek Eldon, Clive English 11-14
Jan Brown, John North, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway 18-12
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 30 – 2
Berleen – No Match

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 10 – 2 Quesada
La Marina 3 – 9 Emerald Isle
La Siesta 8 – 4 Greenlands
Bonalba 2 – 10 San Luis
San Miguel 9 – 3 Vistabella

24th January Javea Green 10 – 2 La Siesta

Went to bed last night feeling under the weather , was it a dreaded “man cold” ……………………… fortunately for me not yet and I was able to join in the match. We won at home last year by 11–1, could we get a maximum this year. Of course we could, 4 winning matches finished and 15–9 up in the other with just 2 ends to play, what could go wrong!

Our Captain Clive´s team raced into a 9-1 lead and were then pegged back to 9-8 but they were only kidding as they went out of sight 34-9.

Vice-Captain Alan´s team also started strongly and were 15-2 up and coasting, but a couple of loose shots by me on the 17th & 18th ends let La Siesta in for 7 shots. The final score was 23-12.

John Pittaway, Skipping in the absence of Nick Cole, ground out a hard fought victory by 20-14.

Chris Evans team had a comfortable win and weren´t really challenged, coming home 26-10.

So what could go wrong in the last 2 ends? Remember we were 15-9 up but on the 17th end we dropped 3 shots and that just heaped the pressure on our players in the last end, as the lead was now down to 3 shots. None of our bowlers was able to get within a metre and La Siesta happily picked up 4 shots and an unexpected 2 points, winning 15-16. Never mind team we have all done it in the past, well perhaps I haven´t, unless someone can remind me!!

Has anyone just seen Greg Harlow drop that 4 on the last end of the World Quarter Finals …… does not seem half so bad now does it!!

Let´s finish on a high with our Berleen team getting back into winning ways, with a 19-13 win.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Brian Manser, Ken Davey 15 – 16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 26 – 10
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Derek Eldon, Clive English 34 – 9
Pat Pittaway, John North, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway 20 – 14
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 23 – 12
Berleen – Diane Wynne, Brenda Burgess, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 19 – 13

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 8 – 4 Greenlands
Vistabella 10 – 2 Bonalba
Quesada 6 – 6 La Marina
San Luis 12 – 0 Monte Mar
Emerald Isle 6 – 6 San Miguel

17th January La Marina 4 – 8 Javea Green

The second half of the season started with a trip to La Marina ………………………… and finished with another hard fought 8 points. This match could have gone badly wrong for us but a couple of our teams pulled out the stops and dragged us over the line.

One of those matches saw Brian Manser´s team trailing 11-14 with 3 ends to go, then picking up a 3 and a 2 to go into the last end 16-14 ahead. Brian was 2 shots down but managed to move one of their shots and clinch the points with a narrow 16-15 win.

Chris Evan´s team seemed to be coasting at 17-9 with 3 ends to go but set the nerves racing by dropping 6 shots and entered the last end at 17-15. Fortunately they were able to hold their nerve and picked up 4 shots, winning 21-15.

The third win and the one that secured the overall shot difference bonus points, saw the team Skipped by Clive English with Derek Eldon at three win very comfortably 27-6 and justified the Selection Committee´s decision to put them together.

John Pittaway took over as Skip in Clive´s team and looked to be capable of picking up 2 more points as they led 9-4. Unfortunately a run of bad ends saw them trailing 14-18 as they went to the last end. John managed to “kill” the end once and give the team a second chance to pull off a surprise comeback, however despite making a great effort he was unable to remove La Marina´s closest shot. They lost 15-18.

The last match turned into a disaster, much in keeping with our Captain´s match last week. Please feel free to scroll down the page to last week´s report for reference purposes. This week it was our Vice Captain, aka Alan Phillips´s team, who were leading 10-8 after 9 ends, until the “proverbial wheels fell off and disappeared over the cliff never to be seen again” etc, etc!! We also failed to win another end and went down 10-23.

People say it´s only a game and it´s the competing that counts not the result, but that´s not what my fellow Skips said to me in the Selection Meeting on the coach.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Diane Manser, Brian Manser 16 – 15
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 21 – 15
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Derek Eldon, Clive English 27 – 6
Jan Brown, John North, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway 15 – 18
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 10 – 23
Berleen – No Match

OTHER MATCHES
Bonalba 5 – 7 Benitachell
La Siesta 0 – 12 San Luis
Greenlands 2 – 10 Emerald Isle
San Miguel 8 – 4 Monte Mar
Vistabella 8 – 4 Quesada

10th January Javea Green 6 – 6 Vistabella

With Christmas Puddings and New Year Resolutions well and truly in the distant past, Vistabella came to Javea ………………………………………….. and went home happy with 6 points.

The overnight rain cleared away and blue skies welcomed the Winter League to their first match in 2018 and their last match in the first half of the season. We have had a fantastic first half picking up 97 points but it cannot be overlooked that 7 of the 11 fixtures have provided us with “home” advantage. The team continues to be stretched to the maximum and we really need some of our “newer” bowlers to join the Squad and try their luck with 2 woods. I know the travelling can seem daunting and just 2 woods is difficult but there is absolutely no doubt that a spell in the WL can make you a better player!

This week saw 4 of the 5 matches end with decisive shot differences of at least plus 9 shots.

Our Captains´ team started well and led 9-4 after 8 ends but then not only did the proverbial “wheels fall off” but they disappeared over the cliff never to be seen again!! They failed to win another shot, going down 9-28.

Derek Eldons´ were doing so well before Xmas, but they had a day well worth forgetting and lost 14-27.

Ken Davey stepped in again for us as Skip and carried on with his recent good form for the Quartz and steered his team to a superb 21-8 win.

Chris Evans´ team had a little scare when the opposition came back from an early deficit to take the lead. However the ship was steadied and they ran out comfortable winners 18-9.

The most exciting tussle involved my team and following early even exchanges, the Vistabella team moved into a fairly comfortable 16-6 lead. The fight back started and a couple of shots were won before we were gifted a 5 and then won a crucial 4 to get back to 16-16. We then won I shot on the 16th end before they won 2 shots on the 17th end to lead 18-17 going into the last end. Once again the head changed hands before Velia Wood played a fantastic shot to move the Vistabella shot bowl and leave us holding 2 for the match. Fortunately the opposition Skip was unable to change the situation and I was more than happy to tuck the last wood of the match up my shirt!

The Berleen Team entered the match knowing a win would keep the pressure on the leaders, unfortunately they started slowly and went down quite heavily 12-21.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Brian Manser, Ken Davey 21 – 8
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Paul Brown, Chris Evans 18 – 9
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Dave Gardiner, Derek Eldon 14 – 27
Jan Brown, John North, John Pittaway, Clive English 9 – 28
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 19 – 18
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Brenda Burgess, Alan Travers, Diane Manser 12 – 21

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 8 – 4 San Miguel
La Marina 6 – 6 San Luis
Emerald Isle 9 – 3 La Siesta
Monte Mar 8 – 4 Bonalba
Quesada 8 – 4 Greenlands

13th December Javea Green 12 – 0 Bonalba

Dong Dung Merrily on Hugh …………………………… stopped and celebrated Christmas today as I wasn´t the designated driver!!

A great result today, which sends us into the Xmas break with a healthy lead at the top of the table, but can we hang on to it? The second half of the season will be a challenge for us all!

We had 5 players missing today, so a big thank you to those players coming into the team and playing their part. The Winter League squad appreciate your support.

The score lines, see below, really speak for themselves as each & every team finished with emphatic wins.

So let´s re-charge the batteries, enjoy the Xmas break and wish for a happy and healthy New Year for our Club and for all bowlers across the Costa Blanca.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin, Jan Phillips, Brian Taylor, Ken Davey 31 – 8
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 24 – 18
Lynne Eldon, Diane Wynne, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 24 – 12
Jan Brown, Pat Wardop, John Pittaway, Clive English 31 – 13
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 22 – 9
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Margaret Walker, Diane Manser 26 – 9

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 12 – 0 Monte Mar
Emerald Isle 8 – 4 Quesada
San Luis 10 – 2 Greenlands
San Miguel 8 – 4 La Marina
La Siesta 4 – 8 Vistabella

6th December San Luis 8 v 4 Javea Green

A tough match awaited as we made the early start to San Luis …………………………… and tough it was, losing our first match of the season 4-8.

The rinks at San Luis are the shortest in the League, they are pretty quick and they are “challenging”. Some of our teams mastered them while others struggled, but irrespective of the results everyone enjoyed the match against some good friends and fierce rivals.

Derek Eldon´s team maintained their winning streak and are showing the value of having a settled side over the last 4 matches. A winning margin of 12 shots, in a game that they controlled from start to finish, nearly helped us to pick up the bonus points for shot difference.

The team Skipped by Clive English, also had a good win 23-17 but they had to fight all the way against a San Luis team that refused to lie down.

Brian Manser stepped up to Skip, in the absence of Nick Cole, and was involved in a really tight battle with Russell Marks. Unfortunately at 11-11 after 15 ends our team dropped 4 shots and were unable to recover, finally going down 13-16. We welcomed Jean McLaughlin into this team following her move from El Cid and I am pleased that reports of her first showing were very good.

Alan Phillips´ team never really got going in the match, despite the best efforts of the “front end” Tony Hesketh-Field and Matt Taylor. If we managed to hold shots, home Captain Keith Jones showed his considerable ability and either drew shot or smashed our wood out of the head! The eventual score of 10-23 was disappointing.

Chris Evans´ team were once again the last match to finish and were battling hard to pick up 2 more points with a win and the 2 points for shot difference. After 15 ends they were 11-13 down but they lost the last 3 ends to finish 11-20.

The final match score of 4-8 was probably 2 points worse than we hoped for but as our Captain Clive said on the coach, “that match has gone, let´s continue our good form and be ready for next week at home to Bonalba”.

The Berleen Team were well in the game at 9-9 but then the wheels came off and they slid to a 14-22 defeat. Thanks to Margaret Walker and Steve Upton who played after late “call-ups” following a couple of withdrawals. Our Winter League is being stretched to its´absolute limits at the moment and we are appreciative of the support of our Club Members who do not normally play for us.

RINK RESULTS
Jean McLaughlin,Jan Phillips, John North, Brian Manser 13 – 16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 11 – 20
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 22 – 10
Jan Brown, Pat Wardop, John Pittaway, Clive English 23 – 17
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 10 – 23
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Margaret Walker, Diane Manser 14 – 22

OTHER MATCHES incl postponed matches from 29th November **
Monte Mar 0 – 12 La Marina
Bonalba 4 – 8 Quesada
Greenlands 0 – 12 San Miguel
La Siesta 2 – 10 Benitachell
Vistabella 2 – 10 Emerald Isle
Emerald Isle 10 – 2 San Luis
San Miguel 11 – 1 La Siesta
Vistabella 10 – 2 Greenlands
Quesada 8 – 4 Monte Mar
La Marina 8 – 4 Bonalba**

1st December Benitachell 6 v 6 Javea Green

So we made the long trek to Benitachell on Wednesday ……………………….. and then did it all again on Friday! The weather was dry but bitterly cold with a strong wind gusting across the green in all directions. But did it stop us from enjoying the match, of course it did!

We have had a very busy weekend, so please accept my apologies for the delayed posting of this report and because of the lateness I will keep it shorter than normal.

I must start by congratulating our Berleen team of “ladies” for a terrific win 13-11. Well done to Pat Pittaway, Jean McLaughlin (welcome to Javea), Diane Wynne and Skip Diane Manser.

Our 2 winning rinks were those Skipped by Derek Eldon and Alan Phillips and the losing rinks were Clive English and Nick Cole. I need to thank Nick for delaying his trip down south which enabled him to play for us and as he only narrowly lost 13-28, I know he was pleased with his decision!

So, the last match to finish saw Chris Evans team 13-11 up with just the last end to play and the scores from the other 4 matches saw the match locked at 81-81 and 4 points each. When the Skips came to play their woods, we were holding shot and an 8-4 score line, a great way for the match to end. Unfortunately Alex Fisher had other ideas and with his first wood promoted their wood for shot, so far so good still 8-4 to us. With his second wood he removed our bowl and left Benitachell holding 3 shots and a score line of 8-4 to them, not good. Chris had the last shot and with every player watching, apart from those who were trying to thaw out in the Clubhouse, she drew third wood. That meant her game finished 15-15, the shot difference finished 96-96 and the match finished 6-6. If we had known that at the start of the day we could have stayed indoors with a mug of cocoa and watched a recording of last weeks “Strictly Come Dancing”.

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Pat Wardrop, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 13 – 28
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 15 – 15
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 27 – 16
Jan Brown, John North, John Pittaway, Clive English 17 – 21
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 24 – 16
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Jean McLaughlin, Diane Wynne, Diane Manser 13 – 11

22nd November Javea Green 12 – 0 Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle came to Javea today ……………………………………………and we blew them out of the water, what a great team performance!

Following the recent Premier 20 match, when we drew 4 matches each, we were expecting a really tough game but everything went our way and we won on all rinks, including the Berleen game.

I will start the report with the first match to finish, which for the first time in 3 seasons was Chris Evans´ match. Then to top it all, Chris put the mats away without being nagged. As far as I am concerned it can´t get much better! You might be wondering if I am going to say anything about the match which her team won comfortably 21-14, well the answer is no!

Clives´ team set off at 100 miles an hour and were 15-1 up, if Emerald Isle expected them to slow down then they were disappointed and our team motored on to win 29-9.

Nicks´ team also started positively and took an early lead but Emerald Isle fought back to within 4 shots, only to see the Javea foot go on the gas again and run away to earn a 24-11 victory.

Dereks´ team played steadily throughout the match and were always in control to win by 20-9. As he said later in the Skips meeting, bowls is so much easier for the team when the Lead and Two set the foundations.

My match turned out to be the tightest score at 17-14, but in all honesty we never felt in that much danger. The Emerald Isle team consistently found the holes and once that happens you know that a win is more often the outcome.

What a win for the Berleen team 27-13. That´s 3 wins out of 4. Keep up the good work!

The season has started well but we have to remember that 5 of our first 7 matches have been at home and we have used that home advantage to great effect. We have already racked up three maximum 12-0 victories and the team is certainly looking stronger with the addition of Lynne, Derek, Pat & Jack to our Squad.

The Winter League Squad sends its best wishes to Paul Brown and hopes he returns soon from his exploratory knee operation.

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Pat Wardrop, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 24 – 11
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 21 – 14
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 20 – 9
Jan Brown, John North, John Pittaway, Clive English 29 – 9
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 17 – 14
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, David Ings, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 27 – 13

OTHER MATCHES **
La Marina 6 – 6 Benitachell
La Siesta 4 – 8 Bonalba
San Luis 8 – 4 Vistabella
Greenlands 12 – 0 Monte Mar
San Miguel 2 – 10 Quesada**

15th November Javea Green 12 – 0 Greenlands

Home to Greenlands, expectations of a good result were high …………………………and we were not disappointed, read on!

After just one end we were 21 shots ahead and the scene was set, with no disrespect to our opposition, for a relatively easy morning. A couple of teams experienced problems, so I will cover those first.

Nick Coles´ team picked up 4 shots on end one and then extended the lead to 10 shots before Greenlands started a fight back that saw them all square at 14-14. On the next end they were one shot down when Brian Manser played a great trail shot that resulted in our team picking up a five. They then went on to win 25-16.

Alan Phillips´ team moved into a 13-3 lead after 9 ends but then lost 5 of the next 6 ends to a rejuvenated opposition and led narrowly 14-11 but found themselves 2 down. At that point Velia Wood drew shot bowl with a toucher and then followed it up by moving the jack 6 inches to make it into a three. Game over and 7 more shots in the last 2 ends gave us a 24-11 victory.

Clive Englishs´team were comfortable at 17-5 up with just 5 ends to go but then lost all 5 ends! They still delivered the result though by 17-13. The other two matches resulted in a resounding victory for Derek Eldons´ team 29-10 and an equally impressive result for Chris Evans´team 23-13.

Thank you to Angela Sankey, Steve Inglis, Alan Stephens and Dave Ings who gave up their time to play our Berleen Team of Pat Pittaway, Diane Manser, Pat Wardrop and Brian Taylor. This match followed the pattern of the WL matches as our Berleen Team dropped 6 shots on the first end. They showed their determination though and came back to win 21-15.

The Winter League have had a great start to the season but the next three matches could really test our potential to become Champions. The matches are Emerald Isle at home, followed by trips to our neighbours Benitachell and then a coach trip to San Luis on 6th December.

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Paul Brown, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 25 – 16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 23 – 13
Lynne Eldon, Niel Roake, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 29 – 10
Jan Brown, John North, John Pittaway, Clive English 17 – 13
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 24 – 11
Berleen – NO MATCH

OTHER MATCHES **
Benitachell 1 – 11 San Luis
Bonalba 4 – 8 San Miguel
Quesada 12 – 0 La Siesta
Vistabella 10 – 2 La Marina
Monte Mar 4 – 8 Emerald Isle**

8th November San Miguel 5- 7 Javea Green

A long trip down to San Miguel ………is all made worthwhile when you come away with 7 points, but it could have been quite different!

Let´s start with the winning teams today, which were Chris Evans´ team who took an early lead and then controlled the match all the way winning 21-13. The only downside was dropping three shots on the final end. The other winning team was Skipped by our Captain Clive English, who were 3-6 down but then picked up 11 shots in three ends to take a commanding lead. Unfortunately for us, San Miguel fought back to level the match up at 14-14, but our team responded immediately with 5 shots on the next end and ran out winners 21-19.

The losing teams, or to put it another way, the teams who came second, were Skipped by Derek Eldon, who was 0-7 down after just 3 ends and then won the next 15 ends 12-10, unfortunately the first 7 shots could not be ignored, so they went down 12-17. The other team was Skipped by Alan Phillips and they found themselves 5-13 down with just 3 ends to play, but hung in and picked up 5 shots to lose narrowly by 10-13.

Nick Cole´s team were involved in a dramatic finale and the match hinged on the last shot to be played. Our team led 15-14 after 17 ends but were 3 shots down and match down when Nick played the last wood. Fortunately he was able to promote one of our woods and cut the shots to just one against and a 15-15 draw and another valuable point.

So, 2 wins each and one draw gave us 5 points each but who would get the bonus 2 points for shot difference. Well the shots were added up and we scored 79 to San Miguel 77, so 2 more points for us.

On the coach journey home I posed the teaser “who should get the credit for the bonus points?” Some said Nick, without that last shot we could have lost 4-8, some said Chris Evans, because her team had the largest winning margin , I said my team because we didn´t give up and those 5 shots over the last 3 ends were the most important. After much deliberation I have decided it was our team. Anyone who wants to take over the role of Scribe and the obvious benefits it allows, must bide their time!! OK, I have had a re-think and the credit has to go to Nick, I am gutted!

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Paul Brown, John Pittaway, Nick Cole 15 – 15
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 21 – 13
Lynne Eldon, Diane Manser, Jack Wardrop, Derek Eldon 12 – 17
Jan Brown, John North, Brian Manser, Clive English 21 – 19
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 10 – 13
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Niel Roake, Pat Wardrop, Brian Taylor 16 – 10

OTHER MATCHES
Emerald Isle 6 – 6 Bonalba
** Greenlands 4 – 8 La Marina
La Siesta 10 – 2 Monte Mar
Quesada 7 – 5 San Luis
Vistabella 4 – 8 Benitachell**

1st November Javea Green 8 – 4 Quesada

Toughest test of the season ………………………and we overcame it to pick up another 8 points!

Alan Phillips´ team set off at a really fast pace with some superb lead bowling by Tony Hesketh-Field and were soon 9-1 up. From then on it was just a case of keeping the heads tight and picking up the shots when available. The final score of 21-12 was a fair reflection of the match.

On the adjoining rink, Chris Evans´ match followed a very similar pattern and they established a comfortable lead of 14-1. Again they managed the match to its´ conclusion, winning by 25-9. I understand that Phil Woodhead was probably the star performer in this team.

Jack Wardrops´ team had a much closer match and were 11-11 after 14 ends. A strong finish, with some great bowling by Paul Brown, saw another 2 points put safely in the bank and an 18-12 win.

Clive Englishs´ team also found themselves locked in a great battle and were evenly balanced at 10-10. Unfortunately this match went the way of our visitors Quesada, and we lost by 11-19.

The final match saw a “below par” performance from Derek Eldons´ team. Apparently the whole team failed to get to grips with the rink and on the occasions they got close, the opposition Skip, Jackie Breslin played superbly.

The Berleen Team were involved in a tremendous tussle which went down to the wire, 12-12 after 17 ends. Unfortunately dropping 5 shots on the last end usually means only one thing, defeat!

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Paul Brown, John Pittaway, Jack Wardrop 18 – 12
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 25 – 9
Lynne Eldon, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole, Derek Eldon 15 – 24
Jan Brown, John North, Brian Manser, Clive English 11 – 19
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 21 – 12
Berleen – Chris Reeves, Niel Roake, Pat Wardrop, Diane Manser 12 – 17

OTHER MATCHES – **
Monte Mar 2 – 10 Vistabella
Benitachell 10 – 2 Emerald Isle
Bonalba 7 – 5 Greenlands
La Marina 9 – 3 La Siesta
San Luis 11 – 1 San Miguel**

25th October Javea Green 10 – 2 Monte Mar

Another home match, another win ……………………but next week Quesada are the visitors, should be a cracker!

On a great morning for bowls, Javea once again put in a commanding performance across all rinks and it was unfortunate that Chris Evans team couldn´t just get over the line for a maximum return.

I will start my report with Chris´s match and from the start to the end, there were never more than 2 shots in it. The last end saw us needing 1 for a draw and 2 for a win, but despite a couple of great shots being played we were unable to get the shots.

Clive English´s team were also involved in a close game and after 9 ends were just 9-7 in front but an excellent second half saw them run away to win by 24-10.

Jack Wardrop Skipped for the first time in a Javea shirt and was happy to report that he didn´t have much to do, apart from fill in the scorecard! Not totally true Jack, I saw you play one good shot!

Derek Eldon´s team passed 30 shots again and racked up a massive 37-15 win. It´s good to see Nick getting back to form in that team, after hardly playing for 10 months this year.

The other winners were Alan Phillips´s team who won by 26-4 and won 15 of the 18 ends on offer.

A big thank you to our remaining squad members, Brenda Burgess, Brian Taylor, Pat Pittaway, Niel Roake, Pat Wardrop, Diane Manser and a couple of infiltrators, Peter Shaw and Alan Travers, who played a competitive “friendly”.

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Paul Brown, John Pittaway, Jack Wardrop 21 – 14
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 15 – 17
Chris Reeves, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole, Derek Eldon 37 – 15
Jan Brown, John North, Brian Manser, Clive English 24 – 10
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 26 – 4
No Berleen Match

OTHER MATCHES
Quesada 8 – 4 Benitachell
San Luis 10 – 2 Bonalba
Emerald Isle 10 – 2 La Marina
Vistabella 8 – 4 San Miguel
Quesada 12 – 0 Vistabella

18th October La Siesta 4 – 8 Javea Green

The weather forecast was not good and we were on the road to one of our bogey teams, would it be a happy ending? Well it only rained for about 5 minutes and we won the match 8-4, so overall we were quite pleased with the outcome.

Clive´s team started brightly and were comfortably in front 10-1, but the second half of the game proved to be much tougher and they were edged out 16-18 and were rightly disappointed, it should have been a win.

Chris´s team also took control of the game early on and were looking good. Unfortunately they dropped a 5 and the last few ends were a bit more nervous than they should have been, but they held on for a 15-13 victory.

Alan´s team were involved in a really tough game and found themselves 7-8 down at the halfway stage, however a fantastic second half saw them win every end and walk away with a 22-8 win.

Derek´s team raced into a big 14-1 lead early on and as so often happens, perhaps took their foot of the gas but still ended up with a comfortable 19-11 win.

John Pittaway´s team probably drew the toughest match against Mike Edwards team and although they battled to the end they did lose 13-17.

Brian Taylor Skipped our Berleen Team to an impressive victory by 20-13

RINK RESULTS
Chris Reeves, Dennis Reeves, Paul Brown, John Pittaway 13 – 17
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Jack Wardrop, Chris Evans 15 – 13
Lynne Eldon, Tony Hesketh-Field, Nick Cole, Derek Eldon 19 – 11
Jan Brown, John North, Brian Manser, Clive English 16 – 18
Jan Phillips, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 22 – 8
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Niel Roake, Pat Wardrop, Brian Taylor 20 -13

OTHER MATCHES
Bonalba 6 – 6 Vistabella
Greenlands 0 – 12 Benitachell
La Marina 4 – 8 Quesada
Monte Mar 0 – 12 San Luis
San Miguel 4 – 8 Emerald Isle

11th October Javea Green 12 – 0 La Marina

A great start to the season picking up all 12 points on offer. As can be seen from the results, it was a relatively easy day at the office for all teams or was it? Our Captain Clive and his team drew our long standing friends Wendy and Barry Latham and that is enough to guarantee a tough game. After 9 ends we were trailing 3-7 but then our team went on a great run of 9 ends without reply to win 22-7. Thank you to our remaining Squad members who played a highly competitive match on Rink 7 between themselves.

RINK RESULTS
Chris Reeves, Dennis Reeves, Paul Brown, John Pittaway 34 – 10
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 24 – 8
Lynne Eldon, Jack Wardrop, Nick Cole, Derek Eldon 30 – 11
Jan Phillips, John North, Brian Manser, Clive English 22 – 7
Tony Hesketh-Field, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 22 – 13
Berleen – NO MATCH

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 10 – 2 Bonalba
San Luis 2 – 10 La Siesta
Emerald Isle 6 – 6 Greenlands
Monte Mar 2 – 10 San Miguel
Quesada 12 – 0 Vistabella

WEEKLY REPORTS & ALL TEAMS LEAGUE RESULTS 2016/17

Scribe Alan Phillips

12th April Javea Green NO MATCH

Congratulations to San Luis on winning the Winter League and Quesada on winning the Berleen.

We did ourselves proud in both Competitions and have seen some newer bowlers joining our team and showing tremendous potential for the future.

A big thank you to Clive from the Winter League Squad for his leadership this year.

5th April Quesada 12 – 0 Javea Green

On the 22nd March we were celebrating our first 12 – 0 win of the season, today we suffered our first 12 – 0 defeat of the season ……………………… not the ending to our Winter League season that we wanted.

What can we say, we were totally out bowled on every rink!

See you next season.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Alan Travers, Paul Brown, John North 9 – 25
Chris Salter, Dee Hamilton, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner 11 – 21
Pat Pittaway, Jim Menzies, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 10 – 19
Wendy Symonds, David Ings, Brian Manser, Clive English 13 – 28
Niel Roake, Jan Phillips, Matt Taylor, Alan Phillips 11 – 22
Berleen – Keith Hamilton, Steve Upton, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 15 – 21

OTHER MATCHES to follow
Vistabella 8 – 4 San Luis
La Siesta 4 – 8 El Cid
Benitachell 10 – 2 Emerald Isle
Bonalba 11 – 1 La Marina
*San Miguel 10 – 2 Monte Mar**

1st April Javea Green 8 – 4 Benitachell

Third Winter League match in 6 days, plus the Fed 4´s Final on Tuesday ………………………… anyone else ready for a rest!!

There is always something special about a local derby and our matches against Benitachell are no different, so we were very pleased to finish the match with a victory by 8-4.

Alan Phillips´ team kept up their tremendous run with a 22-12 score line, which means 12 wins on the bounce! There were also impressive wins for Clive English 20-9 and John North who won a tight game 17-14. Chris Evans´ team never got going in their match and went down 7-18.

The match that got away saw John Pittaway´s team concede 10 shots in the last 4 ends to lose 21-23.

Our Berleen team had a bad day at the office and were outplayed, finally losing 13-20.

So, just one match to go on Wednesday, away to Quesada and then time for that well needed rest!

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Alan Travers, Paul Brown, John North 17 – 14
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 7 – 18
Pat Pittaway, Jim Menzies, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 21 – 23
Wendy Symonds, Doug Bacon, Brian Manser, Clive English 20 – 9
Niel Roake, Dee Hamilton, Matt Taylor, Alan Phillips 22 – 12
Berleen – Brenda Burgess, Steve Upton, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 13 – 20

OTHER MATCHES
El Cid 8 – 4 Monte Mar
San Luis 10 – 2 La Siesta
Greenlands 2 – 10 Quesada
Emerald Isle 8 – 4 San Miguel
La Marina 4 – 8 Vistabella

29th March San Luis 6 – 6 Javea Green

For the third morning in a row, for some of us, it was an early start ………………………. this time for the long trek to “top of the table” San Luis, but it was well worth it, as we picked up a fabulous 6 points in a thrilling 6-6 draw!

There was some great action this morning and a dramatic finale, as a measure carried out by the Umpire went in favour of San Luis and denied us a 7-5 victory. With the other matches having finished Clive English was leading by 4 shots 17-13, playing the last end. Totting up the scores across the Rinks showed we needed one more shot to make the overall scores level, and Clive duly drew that shot. However the opposition Skip, Russell Marks, had the last shot and he drew close enough to require a measure for that fourth shot. The Umpire measured and could not separate the woods, it was that close! Clive winning by 20-13 and the final overall score being 76-77 in favour of San Luis.

Chris Evans was also involved in a close game and went into the last end all square at 14-14. Phil Woodhead drew close to the jack, which left San Luis 4 woods to outdraw him or take his wood out, fortunately they were not successful and our team picked up 2 shots to win 16-14.

Meanwhile on the next rink, Alan Phillips team led from the very first end through to the eighteenth end and won a very close game by 16-12. I don´t normally pick players out for “special” mention, (unless it´s me of course), but I have to say what a fabulous game Matt Taylor had at number 3, stepping in for Velia for his first match in that position.

The other two matches unfortunately didn´t go our way. John Pittaway´s team lost 15-17, which is quite an amazing score when you realise that John only won 6 ends! The last match saw John North´s team lose out 9-21.

Not a good day for our Berleen Team as they lost heavily 11-25.

Just two matches to go to complete our season. On Saturday morning we entertain our neighbours Benitachell and then next Wednesday we travel to Quesada.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Alan Travers, Jonathan Barr, John North 9 – 21
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 16 – 14
Pat Pittaway, Jim Menzies, Jenny Rich, John Pittaway 15 – 17
Wendy Symonds, Dee Hamilton, Brian Manser, Clive English 20 – 13
Niel Roake, Jan Phillips, Matt Taylor, Alan Phillips 16 – 12
Berleen – Brenda Burgess, Steve Upton, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 11 – 25

OTHER MATCHES
El Cid 8 – 4 Greenlands
Vistabella 12 – 0 Quesada
La Siesta 2 – 10 Benitachell
Monte Mar 5 – 7 Emerald Isle
Finca Guila 4 – 8 La Marina
Bonalba 2 – 10 San Miguel

25th March Javea Green 10 – 2 Bonalba

The alarm went off early and it´s a Monday ……………….. can´t be Winter League. Then the little grey cells kick in and we remember it´s a re-arranged match against Bonalba.

Could we follow up our great result from last Wednesday with another 12-0, unfortunately the answer was no, as John North´s team got pipped on the very last end by 15-17. All was well on the other rinks, with comfortable wins for Chris Evans 29-12 and Captain Clive, 32-10. John Pittaway´s team held off a strong challenge from Bonalba to win by three, 17-14 and there was a similar story for Alan Phillips´ team winning 16-14.

The Berleen Team was Skipped by Brian Taylor and they also had a close win by 19-16. We seem to have a couple of players missing every week but our replacements are doing themselves and Javea Green proud. Thank you!

What a great “end of season” lunch last Saturday at Piton, Pedreguer. Thanks to Chris Evans for organising the event and to everyone who attended.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Doug Bacon, John North 15 – 17
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 29 – 12
Pat Pittaway, Jenny Rich, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 17 – 14
Wendy Symonds, Dee Hamilton, Brian Manser, Clive English 32 – 10
Niel Roake, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 16 – 14
Berleen – Brenda Burgess, Steve Upton, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 19 – 16

22nd March Javea Green 12 – 0 El Cid

The illusive result has finally been achieved ……………………. (please sing) twelve nil, twelve nil, twelve nil, twelve nil etc., etc., Sorry El Cid but we have to enjoy this one!

So it finally happened, we managed to win on every rink and to make the day perfect, our Berleen Team also won their match, well done everyone!

Nick Cole was back for one match only and joined John North´s team to secure a close win by 18-15. We all wish Nick well as he flies off to Germany next week for his summer job! Hope to see you later in the year. John Pittaway´s team had a comfortable victory by 20-7, meanwhile Alan Phillips´ team were leading by just 6-5 after 10 ends but then left the opposition standing winning 7 of the remaining ends to win 21-6. Our Captain Clive went into the last 2 ends with just a one shot lead but finished in style winning 23-16.

Chris Evans drew arguably El Cid´s strongest rink and was asked before play started to keep the match score as close as possible, in case the shot difference was tight. Was that a motivational trick played by our Captain, whatever it was it worked, they won 18-9.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, John North, Nick Cole 18 – 15
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 18 – 9
Pat Pittaway, Jenny Rich, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 20 – 7
Brenda Burgess, Dee Hamilton, Brian Manser, Clive English 23 – 16
Niel Roake, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 21 – 6
Berleen – Jim Menzies, Steve Upton, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 21 – 9

OTHER MATCHES
Benitachell 12 – 0 Finca Guila
La Marina 10 2 La Siesta
Quesada 7 – 5 La Marina
Greenlands 8 – 4 La Siesta
Bonalba 8 – 4 Monte Mar
San Miguel 3 – 9 San Luis
Emerald Isle 4 – 8 Vistabella

15th March La Marina 6 – 6 Javea Green

Another 3 players had to withdraw from this weeks´ team………………. so Captain Clive was busy running up his telephone bill to get replacement players to make the journey to La Marina.

The match turned out to be quite a close affair, we won two games each and drew the other giving us 5 points each, the shots scored were 81 each giving us 1 point each, leaving the match drawn at 6 points each. As we said, quite close!

We might as well start with the drawn game which finished 14-14 and this was a match that nearly got away. Clive´s team were 10-14 down on the last end and needed three players to measure the final shot before declaring a four and a draw!

Chris Evans´ super run of wins came to an abrupt end as her team dropped a couple of big numbers in the last few ends, going down 15-25. Having said that, Dave and Chris drew a shot each on the last end that helped to secure the draw, not easy when everyone is watching expectantly. The other defeat was suffered by John Pittaway´s team, but I am sure they will agree that no blame could be apportioned to the Skip, as they slipped to a 9-22 loss.

The two wins were secured quite comfortably by the teams Skipped by Alan Phillips and John North. Both winning rather comfortably, see scores below.

Finally this week, we would like to thank Doug Bacon, Keith Hamilton and Dick Baron, for coming in at the last minute. They seemed to enjoy the match, the coach journey and the banter that make the Winter League very special.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Doug Bacon, John North 22 – 10
Jim Menzies, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 15 – 25
Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Brian Taylor, John Pittaway 9 – 22
John Pearse, Dee Hamilton, Brian Manser, Clive English 14 – 14
Niel Roake, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 21 – 10
Berleen – Brenda Burgess, Keith Hamilton, Diane Manser, Dick Baron 14 – 17

8th March Javea Green 8 – 4 San Miguel

Oh what a beautiful morning, (feel free to join in if you know the words), oh what a beautiful day …………………………………………………….. and so it turned out, with an excellent 8-4 victory against San Miguel, who WERE just behind us. I say WERE, because I think another Club has taken that spot for the moment!

What a great game it was today, with three matches ultimately being separated by just 2 shots. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong end of two of them! If you have been following my reports over the last few weeks, you will know that one of those losses just had to be our Captain, Clive English. He has had so many near misses recently and once again it was the last end that did for him, 17-19. John Pittaway also dropped 2 shots on the last end and went down by the same narrow score line, 17-19.

The winning rink by 2 shots, was John North and his ladies, who held off a bit of a fight back to get over the line 16-14.

Chris Evans team and Alan Phillips team kept their winning streaks going, with excellent wins by 19-13 and 28-11 respectively.

Our Berleen team returned to action after a four week break and picked up a superb 23-8 victory and now move above San Miguel into second place.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Jenny Rich, John North 16 – 14
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 19 – 13
Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 17 – 19
John Pearse, Dee Hamilton, Brian Manser, Clive English 17 – 19
Niel Roake, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 28 – 11
Berleen – Jim Menzies, Alan Travers, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 23 – 8

1st March Javea Green 10 – 2 Monte Mar

Monte Mar came to the Inn on the Green today in good spirits ……………………….. but they went home a little sadder, with only 2 points to show for their efforts.

So another opportunity to get the “clean sweep” passed us by, but we did pick up a very useful 10 points. Unfortunately John North´s team dropped a 5 when the scores were fairly level and this proved to be the difference, as they lost 14-19.

There was close match for our Captain Clive English´s team, as they were 13-14 down going into the last end, but then picked up a 4 to win 17-14. Chris Evan´s team continued their fine run of wins, this was their seventh in a row, winning 18-12. Alan Phillips team are also going well and recorded their sixth win in a row, winning 19-11. Looks like a bit of a challenge building up there! John Pittaway also recorded a comfortable victory by 20-12.

Our Berleen matches start again next week after 4 weeks without a game. What a pity that every team is not able to get enough players, the League would be so much better.

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Diane Manser, Jenny Rich, John North 14 – 19
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 18 – 12
Pat Pittaway, Mary Moynihan, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 20 – 12
John Pearse, Dee Hamilton, Brian Manser, Clive English 17 – 14
Niel Roake, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 19 – 11
Berleen – No Match

22nd February Greenlands 2 – 10 Javea Green

Another early start as we headed down the AP7 to Greenlands …….. and we came back a happy bunch with 10 points. However, the maximum 12 point haul still eludes us, but we were oh so close today!

John Pittaway´s team found themselves in trouble as they trailed 6 – 15, but picked up a potential game saving 6 shots on the 12th end. They then moved in front 17 – 16 and looked on track for an unlikely win, but were pegged back and went into the last end all square at 17 – 17. Unfortunately the home team nailed the jack first and neither Dennis nor John were able to move it, they eventually went down 17 – 20.

On the other rinks Chris Evans team had a tight match but some determined bowling saw them ease home 21 – 16, Captain Clive English had a similar match and also managed to gain two points with a 20 – 16 victory. The other teams controlled their matches from start to finish, Alan Phillips team won 20 – 9 and John North´s team had the biggest win on the day by 25 – 8.

No Berleen match today.

RINK RESULTS
John Pearse, Diane Manser, Jenny Rich, John North 25 – 8
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 21 – 16
Pat Pittaway, Mary Moynihan, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 17 – 20
Jim Menzies, Dee Hamilton, Brian Manser, Clive English 20 – 16
Niel Roake, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 20 – 9
Berleen – No Match

15th February Javea Green 11 – 1 La Siesta

After three away matches it was good to be back at the Inn on the Green …………………………. and very nearly our first clean sweep of the season!

But it was not to be and it was our Captain Clive who hung on for a 12-12 draw. His team were leading by 4 shots at 12-8 and playing the 17th end, but 4 shots down when visiting Skip Mike Edwards, unfortunately for him, tapped our wood in for 3rd shot. On the 18th end Clive found himself 2 shots down and the match all square at 12-12, then proceeded to make it worse by knocking our closest wood out. Not to be outdone Mike once again came to our rescue and tapped us in for 3rd shot and the draw! Always said what a decent fella he was!

On the other Rinks John Pittaway´s team and Chris Evans team had massive wins, while Alan Phillips and John North´s team both won, but were troubled at times by their visitors. Back on the road next week to Greenlands.

No Berleen match this week.

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Diane Manser, Jenny Rich, John North 19 – 15
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 36 – 6
Pat Pittaway, Mary Moynihan, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 33 – 6
John Pearse, Diane Wynne, Brian manser, Clive English 12 – 12
Matt Taylor, Carol Meare, David Meare, Alan Phillips 21 – 16
Berleen – No Match

8th February Vistabella 6 – 6 Javea Green

When the wind blows ……………………………………..there is no better place to be than Vistabella!!

The conditions were, at times, almost unplayable. Bowls were being sent the “wrong” side of centre and coming back to the jack. But it was the same for both teams and the Captains agreed at the after lunch speeches, that a 6 – 6 draw was a fair result and the shot difference of 84-86 in Vistabella´s favour, confirmed what a close match it had been.

Alan Phillips´ team set the ball rolling with an impressive 19-10 win and this was followed by another victory for Chris Evans´ team 23-15. John North produced the “magic” moment of the morning with the last wood of the match. He was trailing 14-16 and Vistabella were holding shot with a front toucher, but John had 4 woods waiting patiently about 2 metres behind the head. Sure enough John played into the holding wood and the jack popped back to our woods for 4 shots and victory!
Not such a good morning for our Captain Clive English who went down 12-21 nor John Pittaway´s team losing 12-24 and with those 2 defeats the shot difference bonus points went to Vistabella.

Our Berleen Team recorded a super win by 20-7. Our thanks go to Jim Menzies, Steve Upton, Peter Drake and Felicity Jenkins, who all stepped in as late replacements for our latest casualties!

RINK RESULTS
Jan Phillips, Diane Manser, Jenny Rich, John North 18 – 16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 23 – 15
Pat Pittaway, Mary Moynihan, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 12 – 24
Diane Wynne, Brian Taylor, John Pearse, Clive English 12 – 21
Niel Roake, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 19 – 10
Berleen – Jim Menzies, Steve Upton, Peter Drake, Felicity Jenkins 20 – 7

1st February Finca Guila 2 – 10 Javea Green

Woke up today, looked out of the window and the fog was so thick …………………………. you couldn´t see your hand behind your back!! But on the short journey down the AP7, the sun came out and all was well with the world and then it got better, a 10 – 2 victory!

So, who lost the 2 points? It wasn´t Chris Evans team who led from the start, 5-0 up after one end, through to the 18th end and a comfortable 20-16 win. Brian Manser´s team were well in control and ran out impressive winners by 25-12. John Pittaway´s team started badly and were 0-7 after two ends but then got a grip on the conditions and won 22-15. Alan Phillips´s team also started slowly and were 1-10 down and struggling for a foothold, but a determined second half saw them win 20 -16.

So who have I missed out, ah it´s our much loved and much respected Captain, Mr Clive English. What can I say, other than hard luck Clive, another defeat by the narrowest of margins 12-13. That´s two weeks on the trot that Clive has lost by just one shot.

No match this week for our Berleen team.

RINK RESULTS
Carol Meare, David Meare, John North, Clive English 12 – 13
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 20 – 16
Pat Pittaway, Mary Moynihan, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 22 – 15
Jan Phillips, Barry Elms, Jenny Rich, Brian Manser 25 – 12
John Pearse, Matt Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 20 – 16
Berleen – No match

26th January Bonalba 4 – 8 Javea Green

Hang on it´s Thursday, it can´t be another Winter League match …………………………. Aah, forgot about the snow last week!

So 2 games in 2 days wasn´t as difficult as we were led to believe and in fact we came away from Bonalba with our first win in 4 matches, but it was close. Four matches went down to the last end and appropriately the points were shared.

Chris Evans team racked up another win by 17-15, but they made the last couple of ends difficult for themselves by dropping a 6 on the 16th end! John Pittaway´s team were 3 shots down with 2 ends to play but managed to pick up 5 shots and win 14-12. Brian Manser´s team had a close tussle but dropped 4 shots on the 15th and 16th ends and could only reply with 2 singles on 17 and 18. Clive English went into the last end all square at 13-13 and found himself down to a bowl just 2 inches in front of the jack. He played a great running bowl to remove the shot wood, but was still 1 shot down. Unfortunately he was unable to draw the winning bowl for what would have been a dramatic victory. The final match saw Alan Phillips team get off to a flyer and lead 14 – 1 after 6 ends. After that the game settled down but they still ran out comfortable winners 26-13 and secured the bonus points for shot difference.

The Winter League welcomed two more debutants into the team and we are delighted that both Dee and Keith Hamilton played well and enjoyed the experience.

The Berleen team looked on track to pick up 2 more points as they led going into the 17th end and were holding 5 shots. Unfortunately the home Skip had other ideas and played a heavy wood into the pack and came out with 2 shots. We then lost the last end giving a final score of 14-17 in favour of Bonalba.
NOTE: The League Tables on the Winter League Home Page include today´s results.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Carol Meare, David Meare, Clive English 13 – 14
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 17 – 15
Niel Roake, Mary Moynihan, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 14 – 12
Jan Phillips, Dee Hamilton, Barry Elms, Brian Manser 14 – 16
John Pearse, Keith Hamilton, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 26 – 13
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Pauline Bishop, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 14 – 17

25th January Javea Green 4 – 8 Emerald Isle

We made our annual trip to the pantomime on Sunday and this week we played much better ……………………………….. Oh No we didn´t!!!!
Well we did a little, after two 10-2 defeats we only lost 8-4 this week.

Let´s face it, we knew this would be a tough period in the season, just look at our last 4 matches San Luis, Benitachell, Quesada and today, Emerald Isle. When we look at the results John North´s team were not really in the game and lost heavily, Clive English played brilliantly at Skip, but was always saving shots rather than adding shots and Alan Phillips´ team were level at 5-5 after 8 ends but then dropped a 5 and found themselves struggling to stay in the game after that.

The good news this week came in the form of Brian Manser´s team who, having lost the first two ends, turned the match round, took the lead and then controlled the situation through to an impressive victory. The other winning Skip was Chris Evans and this team is emerging as our most successful team of the season. Why this team you might ask and the answer may be found in the team selection. Apart from enforced changes due to illness or holidays, this team is the only one to have remained constant throughout the season!

The Berleen team were back to winning ways and what an impressive win it was, 25-14. Well done team, let´s keep up the pressure on the table-toppers!

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Carol Meare, David Meare, Clive English 10 – 19
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 16 – 13
Niel Roake, Mary Moynihan, Dennis Reeves, John North 6 – 22
Jan Phillips, Jenny Rich, John Pittaway, Brian Manser 18 – 13
Matt Taylor, John Pearse, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 11 – 19
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Barry Elms, Brian Taylor 25 – 14

11th January Javea Green 2 – 10 Quesada

Another tough match this week as we welcomed Quesada……………………………unfortunately, another big defeat. But it could have been different!

Alan Phillips´ team were trailing by 3 shots going into the last end and were holding 3 shots but the jack got moved and we were 3 down again. Velia then drew shot, Alan drew second shot and with the last wood of the match, all I had to do was repeat the first shot, we lost 18-19!!

Chris Evans´ team went into the last end leading by 1 shot, but found themselves 2 down. Dave Gardiner then drew shot before Jackie Breslin, Quesada Skip, played a great shot to put us 3 down and 12-14 in the match. Chris had the last shot and the chance to claim the game. We lost 12-14!!

John North´s team fought hard and were in the match after 15 ends drawing 15-15. Unfortunately it was not to be and they went down 13-19. Brian Manser´s team struggled throughout the match and lost heavily 7-25.

So, where was this week´s good news and it was provided by our WL Captain Clive English´s team, in the form of an impressive 17-14 win. I heard it on good authority that Clive played a “blinder”.

The Berleen Team suffered another close defeat, this time at the hands of “table toppers” Quesada, 10-13. Thanks to Mike Morffew and Dick Baron, who stepped in at the last moment following late withdrawals.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Carol Meare, David Meare, Brian Manser 7 – 25
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 12 – 14
Mary Moynihan, John Pearce, Dennis Reeves, John North 16 – 19
Jan Phillips, Jenny Rich, JohnPittaway, Clive English 17 – 14
Matt Taylor, Niel Roake, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 18 – 19
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Steve Upton, Dick Baron, Mike Morffew 10 – 13

4th January Benitachell 10 – 2 Javea Green

So, with the festivities over, we made the short trip to Benitachell …………………………..and came back after the Christmas stuffing!

We`ll start with the bad news as John North`s team went down 16-30, Alan Phillips` team 11-21 and Clive English´s team, after a fairly good start, fell 11-18. The nearly good news was Chris Evans´s team who put up a fabulous fight and went into the last end with a 15-14 lead but, and you could probably have guessed this ending, former Javea member Greg Sperring drew 2 great woods to steal the match 15-16.

The good news was the performance by Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, David Meare and John Pittaway, who were involved in a really tight match through the first 13 ends and were trailing 11-12, but a tremendous finish saw them win the last 5 ends to run out worthy winners 21-12, to pick up our only points.

Unfortunately the Berleen Team suffered a rare setback, losing a hard fought game by just 2 shots, 19-21.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, David Meare, John Pittaway 21 – 12
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Gardiner, Chris Evans 15 – 16
Jim Menzies, Mary Moynihan, John Pearce, John North 16 – 30
Pat Pittaway, Carol Meare, Brian Manser, Clive English 11 – 18
Matt Taylor, Dennis Reeves, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 11 – 21
Berleen – Steve Upton, Brenda Burgess, Margaret Walker, Diane Manser 19 – 21

14th December Javea Green 7 – 5 San Luis

We all arrived on a pleasant sunny morning looking forward to our Christmas lunch ……………………… but unfortunately we had to play 18 ends of bowls first!
We welcomed our friends from San Luis to the Inn on the Green for our final league match before the break, knowing a very competitive mornings bowling was in prospect and we weren´t disappointed. As last week, the final match to finish determined who gained the extra 2 points for overall shot difference. This week´s protagonist was our WL Captain, Clive English, who was trailing 13-19 but managed to pick up 3 shots, which meant the overall shots were 82-79 in our favour.
There were good wins for Chris Evans 18-6 and John North 15-12, while Clive English lost 16-19 and John Pittaway 18-27. The remaining match ended in a draw for Alan Phillips team 15-15.

Our Berleen team kept up their form with a hard fought 17-15 victory. Top of the table? We´ll find out when all of the other results are known.

This report cannot be complete without a special mention for visiting Captain Keith Jones who, amid much hilarity, was awarded a coveted “Wrong Bias” Certificate. I can´t imagine he´s delivered many of those during his illustrious career!
San Luis entertained us before lunch with a rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas, then we enjoyed a fabulous Christmas Lunch, before closing with a game of “stand up sit down bingo” won by Velia Wood.

In closing, I would like to wish all of my readers a very Happy Christmas and hope that we all enjoy a healthy New Year.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 18 – 27
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, David Meare, Chris Evans 18 – 6
John Pearce, Barry Elms, Mary Moynihan, John North 15 – 12
Jim Menzies, Carol Meare, Brian Manser, Clive English 15 – 12
Matt Taylor, Jenny Rich, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 15 – 15
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Margaret Walker, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 17 – 15

7th December El Cid 4 – 8 Javea Green

After a nice lie in this morning, I looked out of the window and the sun was shining ……………………just a short drive up to El Cid, a pleasant change.
What a great game today, on arguably the best green in the League? After 14 ends it looked like we might suffer a 10-2 defeat, but great recoveries from our Captain, Clive English and then Chris Evans, turned the tables and we sneaked a win by 80 shots to 77 and a valuable 8-4.
John North´s team took an early 5-0 lead but were soon chasing the game, but every time they got close the opposition pulled out winning shots and they finally lost by 14-27. No such trouble for Alan Phillips´s team who recovered from an early 0-4 setback to win comfortably 22-8. John Pittaway moved up to Skip this week and despite a spirited fight from his team, went down 13-16. Clive´s team had a tremendous tussle and managed to win the last 3 ends to secure a further 2 points with a 15-13 score line. The last match to finish (again?) was Chris Evans´s team, and they were trailing with 3 ends to go by 9-13, but with everyone else watching they pulled off a great finish. It was started by Dave Gardiner on the 16th end by trailing the jack and picking up 4 shots, then Chris found herself 3 shots down on the 17th end but played 2 great shots to take a lead into the last end where Dave stepped up to the plate again and drew shot wood to take the win.

Our Berleen team found themselves trailing 4-11, but stormed back in the second half of the match to win 18-15 and maintain their super start to the season.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, John Pittaway 13 – 16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 16 – 13
John Pearce, Mary Moynihan, Barry Elms, John North 14 – 27
Jim Menzies, Carol Meare, David Meare, Clive English 15 – 13
Matt Taylor, Jenny Rich, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 22 – 8
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Tony Walker, Margaret Walker, Diane Manser 18 – 15

30th November Javea Green 10 – 2 La Marina

It was raining quite sharply and the green was flooded ……………………………….but somehow we played all 18 ends in every match!!
Matt started pushing the water machine up and down and Dave Gardiner grabbed an upside down broom and started sweeping and then a few others ambled on to the green and swept forlornly and suddenly the green was “sort of” playable. So we started and after two ends it started raining, but no-one left the green and the British “stiff upper lip” was proudly displayed, so the rain departed and never came back.
It hardly seems worth mentioning the matches, but I will if only to tell you about our dear friend Barry Latham´s last shot, but that comes later. There were some rather comfortable wins in what were some rather uncomfortable conditions. Chris Evans team won 27-8, Alan´s team 22-9, John´s team 21-12 and to be fair those matches were never really in doubt. Our Captain, Clive, doesn´t like to do things the easy way and allowed the opposition to pick up 9 shots and get back to within one at 16-15. But was he just toying with us to ensure a mention in this report, quite possibly, because they immediately picked up a 4 and went on to win 22-15.
Brian´s team had a tough match and were always two or three shots down, but they hung in and got back to 13-14 with just the last end to play. With Javea holding shot the aforementioned Barry Latham came to the fore and digging deep into his many years of experience, he “wicked” in to steal the match. Barry agreed later that being lucky will always top being good!

What another solid performance from our Berleen Team, Skipped this week by Diane Manser, well done keep it going!

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, Brian Manser 13 – 15
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 27 – 8
John Pearce, Barry Elms, Mary Moynihan, John North 21 – 12
Pat Pittaway, Carol Meare, John Pittaway, Clive English 22 – 15
Matt Taylor, Jenny Rich, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 22 – 9
Berleen – Jim Menzies, Dick Baron, Margaret Walker, Diane Manser 21 – 9

23rd November San Miguel 8 – 4 Javea Green

We arrived at San Miguel with the rain falling and the green waterlogged and wondered what we were doing there …………………………………..but 60 minutes later we were on the green and play was about to commence. Well done to the home team for clearing the water so quickly and making our long trip worthwhile. Unfortunately San Miguel weren´t so generous when the match started, as we fell to our first defeat of the season 4-8.
The losing team´s this week were John´s team who went down heavily 9-25, Chris´s team who lost by 12-20 and Alan´s team who slipped to a 14-18 defeat. Good news for Clive´s team who picked up a good win 19-16 and Brian´s team, who despite dropping a 5, held on to record a victory of 13-12, their second one shot win in two weeks.

Another great performance by our Berleen Team of Tony Walker, Diane Manser, Margaret Walker and Skip, Brian Taylor who won 22-10. The match was quite close up to the 10th end when we led by just 3 shots at 11-8, but then our team won the next seven ends to run out convincing winners.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, Brian Manser 13 – 12
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 12 – 20
John Pearce, Barry Elms, Mary Moynihan, John North 9 – 25
Pat Pittaway, Carol Meare, John Pittaway, Clive English 19 – 16
Jim Menzies, Niel Roake, Jenny Rich, Alan Phillips 14 – 18
Berleen – Tony Walker, Diane Manser, Margaret Walker, Brian Taylor 22 – 10

16th November Monte Mar 6 – 6 Javea Green

Our away match today took us past Alicante airport …………………….to Monte Mar, never an easy place to pick up points. The match proved to be a real roller coaster of a ride and after about 14 ends I could see us possibly travelling home empty handed, but with a strong finish 3 matches were converted in our favour and we were just a whisker away from winning another!
Unfortunately Clive´s team got off to a slow start and struggled to make any headway, finally going down 13-21. Chris´s team had a really close match but came up against the “wily old fox” that is Bill Young and he played some great saving shots and they eventually went down 14-15. The other 3 matches were won, Alan´s team picked up a 5 on the 17th end and despite dropping 3 shots on the last end won 18-17. Brian´s team were involved in another close encounter and went into the last end 3 shots ahead but also lost the last end but hung on to win 14-13. The comeback of the day was on John North´s rink who were 6 shots down with just 2 ends to play but picked up a 6 and a 4 to win dramatically 23-19. The overall shot difference was lost by just 3 shots 82-85.

The Berleen Team´s winning start to the season came to an end when they went down narrowly 16-18.

On behalf of the Javea Winter League Squad, I would like to end this week´s report by wishing Nick Cole and the Spanish Team the best of luck in New Zealand.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, Brian Manser 14 – 13
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 14 – 15
John Pearce, Barry Elms, Mary Moynihan, John North 23 – 19
Jenny Rich, Brian Taylor, John Pittaway, Clive English 13 – 21
Jim Menzies, Niel Roake, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 18 – 17
Berleen – Pat Pittaway, Diane Manser, Margaret Walker, Jim Fletcher 16 – 18

9th November Javea Green 8 – 4 Greenlands

Fresh from their impressive home win against Benitachell ………………………………………………Greenlands arrived at Javea with an air of expectancy. The match was played in glorious sunshine and with the usual brilliant atmosphere enjoyed with most of our WL opponents. The first two rinks to make a “gallup” to the finish line were the teams Skipped by Chris Evans and Clive English. Chris´s team picked up a 5 on the fifth end and a 6 on the twelfth end on their way to a 26-10 win. Meanwhile Clive´s team picked up a 7 on the ninth end, where Clive was able to hit Greenlands´ shot wood and move the jack to our cluster. The other three matches remained close affairs right to the end. Nick´s team were 4 shots ahead with three ends to play and held on to win 18-16. Alan´s team were playing catch-up after starting slowly and being 1-12 down after 6 ends. They caught up and were just 4 behind playing the seventeenth end and were holding 2 shots, but then Mike Edwards, Greenlands Captain, played one of those shots that you just can´t believe and went 2 down, finally losing 15-18. In the last match John North´s team were 13-11 up with just 5 ends to play, but somehow the wheels came off rather spectacularly and they went down 16-27.
Overall though we shouldn´t be disappointed with today´s result and in fact this win gives us 5 wins out of 5 matches. A tough match awaits next week at Monte Mar.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 18 – 16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 26 – 10
Pat Pittaway, Carol Meare, Dennis Reeves, John North 16 – 27
John Pearce, Jenny Rich, John Pittaway, Clive English 21 – 11
Matt Taylor, Niel Roake, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 15 – 18
Berleen – No match

2nd November La Siesta 4 – 8 Javea Green

La Siesta has been our “bogey” team for the last few years …………………………… but not today!! OK, so it could have been better, but 8 points away from home is always a welcome addition to our points tally. Where do we start today, should it be with our Captain´s match or should I start with the good news and tell you about the 3 excellent wins by the teams Skipped by Nick Cole 31-7, Chris Evans 29-7 and Alan Phillips 23-13. As the scores show these matches were won comfortably and the bonus points for shot difference never seemed in danger, unless of course you glanced over at the scoreboard where our Captain was playing!
John North´s team came up against a team in fine form and although rallying late on, unfortunately suffered their first defeat of the season by a score of 15-23. There was no Berleen Match today but we still took a “friendly” team with us and they enjoyed the experience. La Siesta is not an easy green to play on and it is important to take the opportunity to play on “away” greens as often as possible.
So that´s it for this week apart from saying our Captain lost 7-29, while the rest of us held on to the shot difference by 105-79. Sorry Clive, only joking!

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 31 – 7
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 29 – 7
Pat Pittaway, Carol Meare, John Pearce, John North 15 – 23
Jim Menzies, Jenny Rich, John Pittaway, Clive English 7 – 29
Niel Roake, Dennis Reeves, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 23 – 13
Berleen – No match

26th October Javea Green 8 – 4 Vista Bella

We are always guaranteed a tough match when Vista Bella come to Javea …………………………. and today was no exception. Packed with good players, they are always a handful and many of us at Javea see them as the most likely team to break into the established top four!
Nick´s team opened up with a 3 but were pegged back quite soon and needed another 3 on the 7th end to take a lead of 8-6. There was never much in the game and they went into the last end just 2 behind but dropped a 2 and lost 14-18. Brian Manser´s team got off to a disastrous start and were 0-13 down after 5 ends! It was pointed out to me that they drew the next 13 ends 11-11, so should have been given a point……. don´t think it works that way Dennis, but nice try. The good news came in the form of a massive 25-8 win by John North´s team, 3 wins in 3 matches for them. Alan Phillips´s team went into an 8-4 lead after 6 ends and just held it all the way, to run out victors at 17-13. It was a similar story for John Pittaway´s team who also took an early 8-4 lead and won 17-12. Our Berleen Team, Skipped by Brian Taylor, gained another valuable 2 points winning 18-13.

Berleen – Tony Walker, Diane Manser, Alan Travers, Brian Taylor 18 – 13**

19th October Javea Green 10 – 2 Finca Guila

The forecast was wet and gloomy ………………………….. but it remained dry all morning and we finished the match with a good result, but it could have been different.
Nick Cole´s team had an absolute dream start picking up 6 shots, however an inspired performance from the Finca Guila squad and in particular Skip Norman Vickers, saw the match turned on its head and they lost 14-21. All of the other matches were fairly close affairs, with the lead changing hands on numerous occasions. John North and Clive English were able to secure the wins with a couple of ends to go, but Alan Phillips team went into the last end with just a single shot lead. Fortunately Velia Wood played her best shot of the match, (I was tempted to say only shot of the match), to ease the holding wood out and secure a 2 shot victory. Better late than never Velia! The final match to finish was, again, Chris Evans and her team. They had been under the cosh at 2-12 down, but fought their way back to 16-16 and then dropped a 3 on the 17th end. When Chris came to bowl the last shot of the match her team had given her the 3 shots needed for the draw, but she was able to go one better and drew a fourth shot to snatch an unlikely win.
So after two weeks every team has got at least one win under their belts, which is always a good sign. Unfortunately we have 4 players missing next week. Clive and Chris are off for a week celebrating Chris´s 70th birthday. Best wishes Chris for a wonderful day from the Winter League squad.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 14 – 21
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 20 – 19
Pat Pittaway, Carol Meare, David Meare, John North 22 – 11
Jim Menzies, Jenny Rich, John Pittaway, Clive English 22 – 16
Matt Taylor, Niel Roake, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 20 – 18
Berleen – No match

12th October Emerald Isle 4 – 8 Javea Green

The new season begins …………..
With expectations high, the Winter League made the long journey to Emerald Isle, who have returned after a short absence from the fold and with many familiar faces in their ranks would provide a tough first match. The weather was incredibly warm and early morning sweaters were soon cast aside and so were the nerves, as Javea moved into the lead on four of the rinks. Nick´s team stormed out of the blocks and were leading 17-5 before the home team got moving. They were clawed back, but always felt comfortable and won the match 21-16. A closer game was being battled out by John North´s team and they found themselves 7-10 down but picked up a very handy 6 shots. They then bowled tidily to run out victors 19-17. Meanwhile our WL Captain and Vice-Captain were not faring so well and both found themselves chasing their opponents. Clive went down 13-16 and Alan crashed out 12-22.
The last match to finish involved Chris Evans team´ who went into the last end 17-12 ahead, but with the overall shot difference between the teams being minus 1. Phil Woodhead drew the first shot and then Dave Gardiner managed to add a second. With Chris protecting the head, their Skip was unable to find a way in and we picked up a 19-12 win and the bonus points for shot difference 84-83.

We welcomed Matt Taylor and Niel Roake to the Winter League and although they weren´t on a winning team they both had impressive debut´s. Good luck for the rest of the season.

RINK RESULTS
Diane Wynne, Jan Phillips, Brian Manser, Nick Cole 21 – 16
Chris Salter, Phil Woodhead, Dave Gardiner, Chris Evans 19 – 12
Pat Pittaway, Carol Meare, David Meare, John North 19 – 17
Jim Menzies, Jenny Rich, John Pittaway, Clive English 13 – 16
Matt Taylor, Niel Roake, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 12 – 22
**Berleen – Margaret Walker, Alan Travers, Diane Manser, Brian Taylor 22-16 **

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LAST YEAR’S REPORTS

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**13th April **

Last day of the season………………and we had no match!!
You may remember that we re-arranged our last Winter League match of the season, because it clashed with our Spring Triples, (by the way, you might want to check out the report and see who won that competition!) so we waited in anticipation to see how Benitachell fared against Quesada. A draw or a narrow win for Quesada would see us finish second, unfortunately it was not to be as BBC won comfortably 10-2. Our congratulations go to San Luis Orcas for winning the League and to our neighbours BBC, who just pipped us for second place by 3 points, well done & well deserved.
Overall though it has been a great season and we have seen the emergence of some good new bowlers. Let’s hope that their success encourages others to “have a go” in the Winter League next season.
Finally, on behalf of Javea Green, I would like to thank June & Keith Jones for all their hard work & every other Club in the WL for making it such a competitive season.
See you all next year!
Results of the final day & final League placings can be seen on this site.

6th April San Luis Belugas 2 – 10 Javea Green

WHAT A GREAT DAY FOR JAVEA……..following todays results we are guaranteed a TOP THREE finish!!!!! Well done to everyone who has contributed to the success of this years Winter League campaign.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Barry Elms, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 17 – 13
Carol Meare, Jim Fletcher , Dave Gardiner, Clive English 14 – 15
Diane Wynne, Phil Woodhead, Velia Wood, John Pittaway 33 – 13
Jim Menzies, Pat Pittaway, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 29 – 15
Chris Salter, Jenny Rich, David Meare, John North 16 – 13
** Berleen: No Match**

30th March Emerald Isle 6 – 6 Javea Green

This is a difficult match for me to write my report on this week …………………………as I am 1700 miles away in the UK!
Anyway as you can see we picked up 6 points, courtesy of three decent wins, but lost the 2 shot bonus for shot difference as our two losses were quite heavy. Our winning Skips this week were Captain Clive English with a close 15-13 victory, John Pittaway won 16-10 and Dennis Reeves 17-12. Congratulations to our winning Skips, especially to John and Dennis who stepped in to replace myself and Nick Cole who unfortunately had to miss this game. John North’s team went down 9-19 and Chris Evans’ team lost 9-22. A big thank you to Felicity Jenkins, Margaret Walker and Tony Walker who stepped forward and helped us put a team together.
Obviously it was a big disappointment for Javea Green that we were unable to field a Berleen Team. I believe this is an unwanted first for our Club and we send our apologies to Emerald Isle.
HOT OFF THE PRESS – Javea sends its congratulations to San Luis Orcas – Winter League Champions!

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Tony Walker, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 9 – 22
Carol Meare, Felicity Jenkins, Dave Gardiner, Clive English 15 – 13
Diane Wynne, Phil Woodhead, Velia Wood, John Pittaway 16 – 10
Jim Menzies, Pat Pittaway, Barry Elms, Dennis Reeves 17 – 12
Chris Salter, Margaret Walker, David Meare, John North 9 – 19
** Berleen: Conceded match**

23rd March Javea Green 6 – 6 Benitachell

I wanted to bill this match as a “top of the table” clash ………………………… but as we were actually only second and third, we might fall foul of the Trade Descriptions Act if I do!
So, what happened in this much anticipated “almost top of the table clash”, well it ended in an honourable draw 6-6. The weather was great from the start and short sleeved shirts were the order of the day. Nick Coles team started the game strongly and on many of the early ends were holding shots, only for the opposing Skip Dudley Davies to play some fabulous shots and snatch the end from them. This theme continued for some time and Nick was 0-20 before picking up their first shots and they eventually went down 9-22. John North’s team had a fairly even encounter but finally went down by 15-18. The winning rinks this week were Chris Evans team by 18-12, Clive English by 17-15 and Alan Phillips who won 20-14, courtesy of a 6 on the 15th end. The Berleen Team had a close match and triumphed 18-16.
Matches between BBC and ourselves are always very competitive, but are always played in the right spirit and we trust that this will continue for many years to come. The lunch was absolutely superb value and Javea’s Winter League team would like to put on record their appreciation to Jan Bigsby and her staff, for her efforts throughout the season. Our last two matches are both away from home, starting with Emerald Isle next week.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Barry Elms, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 18 – 12
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 17 – 15
Diane Wynne, Phil Woodhead, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 20 – 14
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 9 – 22
Chris Salter, Brenda Watson, David Meare, John North 15 – 18
** Berleen: Pat Pittaway, David Ings, Brian Taylor, Jim Fletcher 18 – 16**

SUNDAY 20th March Javea Green 10 – 2 La Marina

Sunday afternoon, it can’t be the Winter League………………………… oh, yes it can and 10 more points in the bag!

This was a re-arranged match from 13th April, the weather was fantastic and the excellent result means that we move to 2nd in the League and welcome 3rd placed Benitachell to Javea on Wednesday. That sounds good!

All five matches, as you can see below, followed a similar pattern in terms of scoring and we ended up picking up 4 wins and one loss plus the points for the overall shot difference. We had a few absences today, but once again the “stand-in” players did us and themselves proud. They have been so important to us this season and we thank them for their ongoing support. Unfortunately the whole of Nick Coles’ team were “out of sorts” and lost heavily. We know our next match will present a much tougher challenge and we have to be on our toes if we are to get the better of them.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Barry Elms, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 21 – 9
Brenda Watson,Brian Walker, Dave Gardiner, Clive English 26 – 13
Diane Wynne, Phil Woodhead, Gail Chick, Alan Phillips 23 – 9
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 12 – 23
Chris Salter,Jim Fletcher,Jenny Rich, John North 24 – 13

16th March Quesada 7 – 5 Javea Green

The talk on the coach was that 6 points would be a good return………………………… we picked up 5, so not too disappointed!
Where did that elusive extra point go I hear you ask and unfortunately it was our Captain, Clive English and his team who, having fought back from a 1-7 deficit to lead 16-12 going into the last end, then dropped a 4 to draw 16-16. Unfortunately John North’s team had a day to forget going down massively, I won’t tell you the score it would be rude, (but it’s at the bottom of this report if you really want to know). The other losing rink was Skipped by Chris Evans and after a slow start they were unable to pull back the deficit and lost 11-19. The good news came from Nick Cole’s team who trailed 0-6 but came back strong to win 18-15 and Alan Phillips’s team who led most of the match to win comfortably 20-8.
The Berleen Team also recorded an impressive win by 21-12. Don’t forget the re-arranged home match on Sunday afternoon against La Marina and then our neighbours BBC visit us next Wednesday!!

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Barry Elms, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 11 – 19
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 16 – 16
Gail Chick, Phil Woodhead, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 20 – 8
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 18 – 15
Chris Salter, Diane Wynne, David Meare, John North 5 – 41
** Berleen: Pat Pittaway, David Ings, Brian Taylor, Jim Fletcher 21 – 12**

9th March Javea Green 6 – 6 Greenlands

What can I say, other than ………………………… TERRIBLE!
After the highs of last week, I have to say that we came down to earth with a bang this week and it just goes to show what a fickle partner “sport” can be! The bad news came in the form of three losses, Alan Phillips’s team went down 13-19, Nick Cole’s team lost 14-23 and John North’s team relinquished a 13-12 lead on the last end to lose 13-16. The good news came in the form of two impressive wins for Chris Evans’s team who beat Greenlands Captain Mike Edwards’s team 22-14 and Clive English’s team, who effectively won the two points for shot difference, with a massive 26-8 victory.
Despite the loss, Javea’s players thoroughly enjoyed the mornings bowling with Greenlands and it is good to see them playing so well. They have always been a strong Club and we wish them well in the Winter League. For the future of bowls in Spain, we need all of our Clubs to prosper.
The lunch was great as always and we all enjoyed seeing Nick Cole in his new role as waitress, but where was your “pinny” Nick, don’t want to get those whites dirty.
**

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Barry Elms, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 22 – 14
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 26 – 8
Chris Reeves, Dennis Reeves, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 13 – 19
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Norman Richardson, Nick Cole 14 – 23
Chris Salter, Jenny Rich, David Meare, John North 13 – 16

2nd March San Luis Orcas 2 – 10 Javea Green

What can I say, other than ………………………… FANTASTIC!!!!!
This year’s Winter League continues to throw up some weird and wonderful results and this, in some ways, was both. San Luis Orcas are sitting comfortably at the top of the table and their green can be difficult to play on, while we are pulling out the stops just to stay in the chasing pack. Add to this the fact that the Orcas are undefeated at home this season and full of confidence and you had the makings of a very difficult match for us. So to come away with 10 points, which equated to 4 wins plus the shot difference, was truly amazing. So let’s get to the match. Rink 2 saw John North’s team get off to a steady start and then win comfortably 25-18. On Rink 3 Chris Evans team had a battle royal against a very strong team and led for most of the match, but had to fight to the very end to secure a narrow 16-14 victory. Clive English’s team had a similar match, with only the odd shot separating the teams throughout. Fortunately our team had a great last end and won 16-14. The next rink along saw Alan Phillips’s team in deep trouble after dropping a 5 on the first end and being 8-24 down after 13 ends. They battled to the end and picked up 13 shots finally succumbing 21-27. The last match had Nick Cole’s team in a tense encounter, only to lose the lead for the first time on the 16th end. On the 17th end the San Luis Skip was unfortunate to give the shot away when he was holding and we went into the last end 17-16 ahead. The match was finally decided by Nick’s last wood. Nick was 5 shots down but drew his last wood superbly to within a couple of inches of the jack. This secured the win on his rink and confirmed the bonus points for shot difference to Javea.
The Berleen team could not keep up with the San Luis team, who are top of the League and despite picking up a 7 on the last end, went down 14-25.
Not surprisingly we were elated with the result and following lunch and a couple of beers, the coach journey home was quite raucous! Enjoy the moment.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Barry Elms, Gail Chick, Chris Evans 16 – 14
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 14 – 12
Chris Reeves, Dennis Reeves, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 21 – 27
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Norman Richardson, Nick Cole 18 – 16
Chris Salter, Jenny Rich, David Meare, John North 25 – 18
** Berleen: Diane Wynne, Pat Pittaway, Felicity Jenkins, Brian Taylor 14 – 25**

24th February Javea Green 11 – 1 El Cid

Well, that was a surprise ………………………… an emphatic 11-1 home win over our neighbours and friends from El Cid. These matches are always tough to call, as we play on each other’s rinks on a regular basis and should know them well, so to pick up 4 wins and a draw was better than expected. A couple of our teams got off to flyers and Chris Evans team won 27-9, while Alan Phillips team won 33-7. The other three matches were tighter to start with but Nick Cole’s team picked up a couple of big numbers just after the halfway point and won 26-14, while a similar story unfold with Clive English’s team as they ran out winners by 22-7. The match of the day this week saw John North’s team trailing 0-8 to arguably El Cid’s strongest team, but a spirited and tenacious performance saw them trailing just 13-14 on the last end. They managed to pick up the one shot needed for the draw on the 18th end following a measure. The Berleen Team won 22-6, so well done everyone, now for the trip next week to top of the table San Luis Orcas.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 27 – 9
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 22 – 7
Chris Reeves, Dennis Reeves, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 33 – 7
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Norman Richardson, Nick Cole 26 – 14
Chris Salter, Jenny Rich, David Meare, John North 14 – 14
** Berleen: Diane Wynne, Brian Taylor, Barry Elms, Jim Fletcher 22 – 6**

17th February Javea Green 11 – 1 La Siesta

Our bogey team visited Javea this week ………………………… but went home with just one point, although in fairness it was nearly two! Chris Evans’ team trailed all the way through this match and if it hadn’t been for picking up a six, they would have probably given up the chase. It looked all over on the last end, trailing by four shots and one down, Chris had the last wood of the match. She played a fantastic shot and was able to move the jack a couple of feet and pick up the draw 18-18, great shot Chris, well played team. The other matches all resulted in comfortable wins, as can be seen from the scores below. Once again the camaraderie of the Winter League shone through as everyone enjoyed a great lunch. No Berleen match this week.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 18 – 18
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 32 – 8
Diane Wynne, Barry Elms, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 23 – 15
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Norman Richardson, Nick Cole 24 – 15
Chris Salter, Jenny Rich, Gail Chick, John North 29 – 7

10th February Bonalba 2 – 10 Javea Green

Escape to victory …………………………was certainly today’s headline! With six ends still to be played Javea were up in one match, narrowly, and down in the other four, narrowly! So everything to play for, but with the wind blowing and the nerves tingling nothing could be taken for granted. As it happened the team skipped by Chris Evans led almost from start to finish and won 21-13. John North’s team were nip and tuck, but a six on the 14th end eased the nerves and they coasted home 23-11. Not such plain sailing for the other teams and Nick was the first to finish, picking up a three on the last end to overturn an 11-12 deficit to win 14-12. Clive English’s team managed to pick up another three, also on the last end, to draw their match 15-15 and not to be outdone, the team skipped by Alan Phillips also picked up a three on the last end to draw 16-16. So three great escapes and a fortuitous 10-2 win, phew!!

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 21 – 13
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 15 – 15
Diane Wynne, Barry Elms, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 16 – 16
Jim Menzies, Jan Phillips, Norman Richardson, Nick Cole 14 – 12
Chris Salter, Jenny Rich, Gail Chick, John North 23 – 11*
Friendly: Pat Pittaway, Maggie Richardson, Felicity Jenkins, Jim Fletcher 24 – 7**

3rd February San Miguel 8 – 4 Javea Green

Are there any easy matches in the Winter League …………………………was a question raised as we made our journey home from San Miguel. Another tough day but another great day of bowling. Pride of place goes to our Winter League Captain Clive, who with Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner and John Pittaway won 26 -20 and recorded their 6th successive win! Chris Evans had a much tighter game, but assisted by Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead and Greg Sperring, she also managed a win albeit by the narrowest of margins 15-14. Unfortunately the other matches went south. John’s team got close going into the last 3 ends but the match slipped away and Alan’s team dropped a 7 on the 5th end that really made life too difficult. Nick’s team were very unlucky as they found themselves 10 shots down but fought back to give themselves a chance on the last end. Nick needed to move the jack a couple of feet but just sliced it rather than catching it full on and they went down 15-17. A great win for the Berleen Team as they came back from a 6 shot deficit to record an impressive 22-16 win against a team that was second in the table!

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 15 – 14
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 26 – 20
Diane Wynne, Barry Elms, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 11 – 26
Chris Reeves, Jim Menzies, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 15 – 17
Chris Salter, Jenny Rich, Gail Chick, John North 17 – 23*
Berleen: Pat Pittaway, Jan Phillips, Maggie Richardson, Norman Richardson 22 – 16**

27th January Javea Green 3 – 9 Vistabella

Great expectations …………………………were in the air as Vistabella arrived at Javea, for what promised to be a great match. Unfortunately it didn’t go our way and by the time lunch was served the smiles had been replaced with grimaces! Let’s not get too despondent though and make no mistake this is a strong Vistabella team who, by their own admission, have probably underachieved this year. Let’s start on a positive and congratulations go to Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway and Clive English who were 1-8 down but took the lead when they picked up a “HOT SHOT”. That seemed to knock the stuffing out of their opponents and our team went on to win 27-12. Nick Cole’s team fought out a really tight match and after a bit of bad luck on the 16th end, pulled themselves together and picked up a single shot on the last end to draw 14-14. Chris Evans’ team were 13-7 up after 13 ends and looked like winning, but a great fight back by the opposition resulted in a 14-17 loss. John North’s team squared up to what was probably Vistabella’s strongest team and weren’t able to stay with them, going down 9-22 . Alan Phillips’ team were outdone by a fine performance by the opposition’s Skip, who was down by 3 shots on several occasions and converted them brilliantly. The Berleen team, skipped by Jim Fletcher, got off to an absolute flyer and were 10-0 up after just 2 ends. They also had a strong finish picking up 6 shots in the last 4 ends, unfortunately what happened in the middle is a blur, suffice to say they lost 18-21.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 14 – 17
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 27 – 12
Diane Wynne, Barry Elms, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 9 – 16
Chris Reeves, Jim Menzies, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 14 – 14
Chris Salter, Jan Phillips, Gail Chick, John North 9 – 22*
Berleen: Pat Pittaway, Peter Shaw, Brian Taylor, Jim Fletcher 18 – 21**

20th January Monte Mar 2 – 10 Javea Green

(sing) Oh! We do like to be beside the seaside……………….perhaps this should become our theme song, as we obviously enjoy our travels and picked up our fifth 10-2 away win of the season. This is a tough league and having been thrashed at Monte Mar last season, a return of 6 points would probably have been very pleasing, but again we exceeded our expectations. This team is consistently displaying great spirit and togetherness and whatever happens to the end of the season, our performances have dispelled the fears that the season started with! The losing team this week was John North’s team, who apparently played well but missed out on the win as a result of some super shots played by the Monte Mar skip. On the other rinks, Nick’s team were 2-5 down and then won an amazing 12 ends of the next 13, which were set up nicely by the front two, Chris Reeves and Jim Menzies. A similar story for Chris Evans’ team who won 7 of the first 8 ends to lead 20-2 and never looked back. After losing 5 of the last 6 ends last week in a defeat, Alan Phillips’ team turned the tables and won 7 of the last 8 to win on this occasion. The remaining clash saw Clive’s team have a relatively straightforward win, although Clive was called upon to kill 2 ends when facing shots down. The Berleen team unfortunately didn’t fare too well and went down heavily.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 27 – 17
Carol Meare, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 18 – 11
Diane Wynne, Barry Elms, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 17 – 11
Chris Reeves, Jim Menzies, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 23 – 10
Chris Salter, Jan Phillips, David Meare, John North 13 – 16*
Berleen: Pat Pittaway, Mike Wynne, Brian Taylor, Jim Fletcher 12 – 32**

13th January La Marina 2 – 10 Javea Green

This is a difficult report for me to write this week because…………………………..we had a great win but your scribe was the losing Skip! I know what to do, ignore it! So, a great win for Clive English’s team, who were having a very close encounter, but then ran away in the second half to win by 16 shots. Chris Evans’ team were in control throughout the match and won by 8 shots. Nick Cole’s team had a very tense battle, but every time they threatened to take a substantial lead the opposition just kept coming back, however they eventually picked up the points with a 3 shot victory. The last match to finish this week was also the closest. John North’s team were 2 shots ahead going into the last end and when Jan Phillips played two good woods the game looked over. However their number two moved the jack and John found himself three down and had to play a great wood to get second shot and subsequently hold on for a 17-16 win. So well done Javea, four great wins on a Rink that most players hadn’t played on for a few years.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 24 – 16
Diane Wynne, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 28 – 12
Barry Elms, Brian Taylor, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 9 – 13
Chris Reeves, Jim Menzies, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 21 – 18
Chris Salter, Jan Phillips, David Meare, John North 17 – 16
Berleen: NO MATCH

6th January Javea Green 8 – 4 San Luis Belugas

Happy New Year to everyone from the Javea Green Winter League Team ………………….. and now down to the business of picking up an easy 12 points against San Luis Belugas, who were “beached” near the foot of the League Table. If only it was that easy, after just a few ends John North was 15 shots down, Alan Phillips 11 shots down and Nick Cole 6 shots down, this was definitely not in the plans! Had we got a Plan B was the question and fortunately Nick’s team picked up a 7 followed by two 5’s to record a massive 33-8 victory. Alan’s team recovered and went into the last end all square at 18-18 and managed to pick up 2 shots to register another 2 points. John’s team were unable to stop the visitors and at one point were trailing by 25 shots to nil, but a strong effort over the last few ends saw them amass 10 shots and help the team win the bonus points for shot difference 95-94! Just shows that you should never give up. In the other two matches Chris Evans’ team was holding a decent lead but they lost the last 6 ends to miss out by 16-21. Our Captain’s team were 13-6 up but the opposition came back strongly to go into the last end just one shot behind, however we picked a 3 up to win 16-12, “never in doubt” was Clive’s after match comment! Unfortunately there was no Berleen this week but Dave Greenhalgh, Brian Taylor, Jim Fletcher and Pat Pittaway beat a “friendly” team from San Luis 26-17. Thanks to Steve Lilley who played for the opposition.

RINK RESULTS
Tony Hesketh-Field, Phil Woodhead, Greg Sperring, Chris Evans 16 – 21
Jenny Rich, Dave Gardiner, John Pittaway , Clive English 20 – 16
Diane Wynne, Barry Elms, Velia Wood, Alan Phillips 20 – 18
Chris Reeves, Jim Menzies, Dennis Reeves, Nick Cole 33 – 8
Chris Salter, Jan Phillips, David Meare, John North 10 – 35
Berleen: NO MATCH