Top Two Cruise to Wins

League leaders, Lodge Farmers, returned to winning ways when beating The Borough comfortably. Farmers took the first four legs, each by double figure scores and lead by 52 pins going into the last leg. The Borough then made their best leg score of the game – 66 pins – to leave Lodge Farmers needing only 15 pins to win the match. While that presented no problem for Lodge Farmers, they were disappointed not to top their opponents last leg score. It would have given them a maximum points haul, but narrowly missed out by scoring 65 pins. For the winners, Rachel Morris was in good form with 42 (13 & 12 stacks); while Tim Jones recorded 38; and Frank Morris and Glyn Morley 37 each. Best for The Borough came from Sarah Edwards with 33; Julian Workman 32; and 31 each from Charlie & Scott Few; Tom Baker & Steve Court.

Engineers, in second place, were well below their best in over coming bottom team C&G Show in a low scoring game. Engineers won the first two legs for a 46 pin lead but stalled with a low third leg effort. C&G Show then took advantage to register their best leg score of the game – 67 pins – and reduce their deficit to 38 pins. After leg four, though, Engineers had recovered to extend their lead to 53 pins, only to again stall by dropping in a low last leg score. C&G Show were finally left over 100 pins to win and while this was never likely to be made, still had the satisfaction of earning another consolation point by winning leg five. Engineers were grateful to the Kelso family trio of Brandon, Joe, and Josh making 35 each and top scorer Ian Greenway with 38. Adam Feeney made 40 (15 stack); Neil Jay 33; and Rich Fisher 32 (11 stack) for C&G Show.

Nomads had a welcome win to pull away from the bottom of the league when beating Bernie’s Bolts and at the same time, dented The Bolts’ push for a top two finish. The game was tight however over the first four legs, one of which was tied, with never more than seven pins, in Nomads favour, separating the teams. Nomads then bowled a good last leg score, the highest leg score of the game, to leave their opponents needing 77 pins to win. And although The Bolts’ scored well, they found that target out of reach. Alan Cummings was again Nomads’ top scorer with 43 (14 stack); while James Marshal and Phil Jones made 36 and 34 respectively. For The Bolts, Jim Williamson made 41 (13 stack); And Gill-Smith 38 (10 stack); and Jess Andrews 36.

Results

C&G Show 265 (3pts) – Engineers 311 (8pts)
Lodge Farmers 344 (9pts) – The Borough 293 (2pts)
Nomads 328 (8.5pts) – Bernie’s Bolts 317 (2.5pts)

Last years champions, Engineers, closed in on current league leaders, Lodge Farmers, with a maximum point haul against struggling Nomads. Engineers took the first two legs for an 18 pin lead and effectively ensured they would win the game by winning leg three by 24 pins before also comfortably winning leg four. Nomads best leg score in the final leg looked likely to earn them a consolation point only for Engineers anchor man to make the necessary seven pins for another leg point for his team.
Joe Kelso lead the way for the winners with 44 (14 stack) with Andy Clewlow making 42 (15 stack) and Maurice Wroe 36. Nomads best came from James Marshal with 35; Dave Maule 32 and Graham Hanley & Mac Eaton 30 each.

Meanwhile league leaders, Lodge Farmers, and Bernie’s Bolts each won two of the first four legs after which Lodge Farmers held a single pin lead. The Bolts then made a 78 pin last leg score helped by stacks of 13 and 11 from Dean Lowe & John McSweeney respectively. Farmers, needing to match that leg score to win the game, found it too far out of reach to lose only their second game of the season. The Bolts’ top scorer was Dean Lowe with 42 closely followed by Andy Gill-Smith with 40 (13 stack); and Paul Blayney 39 (11 stack). And with four stacks this was by far The Bolts’ best ever total of stacks in a game. Lodge Farmers ended the game some 18 pins adrift despite Alan Rumble making an 11 stack in a total of 38, and Frank Morris & Lynne Pemberton making 34 and 33 respectively.

Facing a first leg score of 52 by C&G Show, Jumbo Jets responded with 73 pins and continued to dominate by taking legs two and three for a lead of 39 pins. C&G though fought back well in the last two legs with good winning totals to pick up two consolation points. Angela Guest again scored well for C&G with 35 pins, a total matched by Rich Fisher while Keith Edwards & Jay Attwaters made 31 each. The Jets best came from Dennis Compton with 38 and top scoring for his team for three consecutive weeks, and Liz Rowberry and Len Quartly both making 33 pins.

Results

Engineers 342 (10pts) – Nomads 290 (1pt)
Bernie’s Bolts 327 (8pts) – Lodge Farmers 309 (3pts)
C&G Show 279 (3pts) – Jumbo Jet Set 303 (8pts)

Lodge Farmers Extend League Lead

There was a maximum points haul for the league leaders, Lodge Farmers over Jumbo Jet Set.  Boosted by an 11 pin stack by Jamie McGill in leg one, Farmers took that leg by eight pins and then won each of the next three legs by a single pin to be ahead by 11 pins. Jets last leg score of 62 pins was never going to be enough to present Farmers with problems who cruised to the 52 pins needed to win the match. And for good measure finished with a last leg total of 69 pins to win that last leg. Top scoring for Farmers were Frank Morris with 42 (incl a 13 stack); McGill 38; and Andy Rumble 37. For Jumbo Jets, who were disappointed not to win one or more of the three middle legs, best scorers were Dennis Compton with 40; Mick Stanton 34; and 33 each from Rob & Len Quartly.

Although losing against Engineers, The Borough’s recent form stood them in good stead when they denied Engineers maximum points. Engineers easily took the first two legs to build an 18 pin lead. Undaunted, The Borough rallied to take leg three to reduce their deficit to just six pins, before only losing leg four by a single pin. They then left Engineers to get 50 pins to win the game. Although Engineers managed that, they couldn’t top The Borough’s last leg total of 56 pins. Stephen Mears, for The Borough, scored 42 (incl 14 stack); Scott Few 32; and Michelle Court 31. Engineers had Joe Kelso making 35; and Andy Clewlow & Luke Saunders 34 each.

Only five pins separated Nomads and C&G Show with the former just edging the result. The first leg had Nomads only two pins ahead, before the teams shard leg two. Nomads then won leg three to be nine pins in front but couldn’t maintain their impetus as C&G won the last two legs. Nomads last leg score left C&G needing 67 pins but despite making a good attempt finally fell just short. For Nomads Geoff Lout and Mac Eaton made 36 each while with 33 each were James Marshall, Eddie Upright, Graham Hanley & Alan Cummings. And C&G had 34 each from Neil Jay, Rich Fisher, Paul Hollis & Dave Orton.

Results

Lodge Farmers 325 pins (10pts) – Jumbo Jet Set 307 (1pt)

The Borough 286 (3pts) – Engineers 292 (8pts)

Nomads 310 (7.5pts) –  C&G Show 305 (3.5pts)                        

Great Last Leg by The Borough Wins Game

Looking down and out when needing a massive 77 pins in their last leg to win the game, The Borough players scored well throughout the leg to set up last man Scott Few for some heroics. Few needed to score at least a 14 stack to get his team over the line and with his first ball took all nine pins (a flopper) only to surprisingly miss scoring with his second bowl. But still needing five from his last bowl for a great team win, Few made no mistake by taking another eight pins. This was The Borough’s third win in four games after losing their first seven games and they continue to  climb in the league table. Scott Few finished with 39 pins (incl that 17 stack), and teammates Michelle Court and Steve Court made an excellent 36 each.

For shell shocked Jumbo Jet Set, best scorers were Dennis Compton with 43 (13 stack); Liz Rowberry 35; and Pete Battle-Welch 34.

League leaders Lodge Farmers lost their first game of the season to Engineers, last year’s champions, but still won three legs to still hold a slight advantage in the title race. While Bernie’s Bolts cannot be discounted, the third fixture of the season between Lodge Farmers and Engineers in April could well decide the destiny of the league trophy. In this fixture, the second between the teams, Lodge Farmers fell behind by nine pins after leg one although, by winning legs two & three, had reduced that deficit to just three pins. But despite then make a good fourth leg score, found themselves 14 pins adrift as Engineers hit a match winning fourth leg score of 75. Lodge Farmers were finally left an unlikely 79 pins for victory, and so it proved, although they picking up a valuable fourth )consolation point by edging the leg.

Engineers had Craig Sears scoring 38, with 34 each from Brandon Kelso; Andy Clewlow; Maurice Wroe; & Josh Kelso (15 stack) while for Lodge Farmers, Andy Whittle made 46 (15 & 11 stacks); Richard Long 36 (12 stack); & Jamie McGill 34 (13 stack).

Although Bernie’s Bolts lie second in the table, they have played more games and may rue not picking up more points against C&G Show. The game saw a draw, a rare event, with the first leg halved before each team won two of the other four legs and ending with the same pin total. After leg two The Bolts had secured a one pin lead only to find themselves behind by five pins after leg three and falling even further adrift by 11 pins at the conclusion of leg four. C&G Show then managed a 52 last leg score to leave The Bolts to make a tricky 64 to win and last man Craig McSweeney held his nerve to score seven to earn the draw.

Bernie’s Bolts Paul Blayney made 35 and Jess Andrews & Craig McSweeney 34 each. For C&G Show, Dave Orton top scored with 36; Angela Guest 35; and Bryan Smith 34.

Another Win for Lodge Farmers

After narrowly losing leg one against Nomads, league leaders Lodge Farmers upped their game to take the next three legs to open up a 23 pin lead and put the game out of reach of their opponents with the last leg still to be played. Nomads then collected another leg point by making a good score in that leg to which Lodge Farmers replied with their lowest leg score of the game. Overall though, Lodge Farmers ran out comfortable winners and continue to be favourites to be league champions.

In good form for Lodge Farmers was Rachel Morris who could have had an even bigger score but for missing out on a stack chance. Morris finished with 42 pins and had good support from Tim Jones with 40 and Glyn Morley with 36. For Nomads, the trio of James Marshal, Mac Eaton, and Alan Cummings made 35 each. Cummings score keeps him well ahead in the individual competition to make the most pins over the season.

Bernie’s Bolts returned to winning ways when bringing The Borough’s recent revival to a halt. The Borough’s cause was hindered by playing a man short and they had to be content with a consolation half point when matching The Bolts discounted score in leg three. The Bolts finished the game as comfortable winners having opened up a 16 pin lead in leg one and extending it to 21 after leg two before further extending the winning margin over the last two legs.

Best scorers for The Bolts were Andy Gill-Smith with 35, and with 32 each, Craig & Lewis McSweeney and Jim Williamson. The Borough had another good score of 35 from Charlie Few and team mates Steve Court and Julian Workman made 31 and 30 respectively.

Results

Lodge Farmers 324 pins (8pts) – Nomads 308 pins (3pts)

Bernie’s Bolts 297 [10 players] & 283 [9 players] (9.5pts) – The Borough 243 [9 players] (1.5pts)

Successive Wins Boost The Borough

With a lead of eight pins after leg one, The Borough held on to narrowly beat Nomads and join their opponents on the same points tally in the league. Nomads took leg two to reduce their deficit to four pins but that was as close as they came to overhauling The Borough. Legs three & four were closely fought, with The Borough winning both after which they had extended their lead to seven pins. Nomads then took the last leg for another consolation point, but fell just short of their winning target.

For The Borough, Scott Few made 38 (incl 11 stack), Steve Court 36 and Jack Court 33 (incl 12 stack). In reply, best from Nomads came from Mac Eaton with 38 and Alan Cummings & Phil Jones with 35 each.

Despite a poor first leg score which was still enough to win the leg, leaders Lodge Farmers were otherwise comfortable winners of their game against C&G Show. Lodge Farmers won each of the remaining legs to record a maximum points haul with good scores of 38 (incl 12 stack) from Andy Rumble, 37 by Frank Morris and 34 (incl 12 stack) from Jamie McGill. C&G Show might just have taken the last leg for a consolation point, but were undone by those two stacks from their opponents. Top scorers for C&G Show were Neil Jay with 33 and Rich Fisher & Dave Orton with 31 apiece.

It is usually a tight game between Jumbo Jets and Bernie’s Bolts and this last encounter was no exception. Although losing leg one, Jumbo Jets put in a match turning leg two score of 74 to take a nine pin lead. They then won the next two legs narrowly, although The Bolts were close to taking the legs themselves. Leg five, though went The Bolts way, but found the game’s winning target of 73 out of reach. Darren Summers made 43 (incl 12 stack), and Dennis Compton & Rich Johnston 36 each for Jumbo Jets while in reply, The Bolts best were Paul Blayney with 37, Lewis McSweeney 34, and 33 each from Craig McSweeney and Andy Gill-Smith.

Results

The Borough 307pins (8pts) – Nomads 302 (3pts)

C&G Show 273 (1pt) – Lodge Farmers 312 (10pts)

Jumbo Jet Set 319 (8pts) – Bernie’s Bolts 310 (3pts)

Lodge Farmers Lead the Way

The first two weeks of 2025, have seen Lodge Farmers emerge as slight favourites for the league title.

In week one, they beat The Borough to set a seven match winning sequence to remain unbeaten and have a game in hand over the chasing pack. For Lodge Farmers, Andy Whittle starred making 43 (incl a 14 stack) and Richard Long 37, while for The Borough best scores came from Rhiannon Moseley and Steve Court with 37 and 35 respectively.

Engineers kept on the leader’s tail by easily beating C&G Show thanks largely to the Kelso family of Brandon scoring 42 (incl 16 stack), Joe 38, and Josh 36. C&G Show had good individual scores of 34 each from Angela Guest and Paul O’Neill, with the former continuing to top her team’s aggregate scoring and averages.

Nomads continue to struggle as they lost to a resurgent Bernie’s Bolts in a low scoring game. Alan Cummings top scored for Nomads with 38 pins with Phil Jones chipping in with 35. Bolt’s had Andy Gill-Smith make 36 and Lewis McSweeney 35.

The second week started well for The Borough, who claimed their first win of the season to climb off the bottom of the table when they beat C&G Show. It meant that C&G Show slipped to the basement spot despite another good score from Angela Guest 41 (incl 11 stack) and a season’s best of 39 (incl 11 stack) from Rich Fisher. The Borough’s winning total of 332 was their season’s best boosted by Jack Court with 41 (incl 14 stack), and 37 each from Steve Court, and Scott and Charles Few – the last two each having stacks of 13.

Jumbo Jets started their year with a win over Nomads thanks to 35 pins from Dave Marriott and 34 each from Rob Quartly, Darren Summers and Dennis Compton. Nomads’ skipper Alan Cummings again top scored with 38 to maintain his excellent form but was disappointed to miss out scoring even more having set up a stack scoring opportunity. Mac Eaton also scored well for Nomads with 37.

The surprise of the new year was Engineers failing to score over 300 pins. Opponent’s Bernie’s Bolts took advantage to rack up a welcome second win of 2025 and hint they might yet force themselves into the title race. For the winners, Jim Williamson made 40 and Craig McSweeney 38. Best scores of 34 for Engineers came from skipper Andy Clewlow and Brandon Kelso.

Lodge Farmers 326 pins (9pts) – The Borough 297 (2pts)

C&G Show 307 (2pts) – Engineers 338 (9pts)

Nomads 284 (3pts) – Bernie’s Bolts 302 (8pts)

The Borough 332 pins (9pts) – C&G Show 324 pins (2pts)

Jumbo Jet Set 308 (8pts) – Nomads 294 (3pts)

Engineers 294 (3pts) – Bernie’s Bolts 315 (8pts)

C&G Show Get First Win

A welcome first win of the season for C&G Show meant they climbed off the bottom of the table and be replaced by opponents, The Borough, still to register a win. C&G took a slender two pin lead after leg one and increased their advantage to 12 pins after leg two. The Borough then fought back in leg three to reduce the deficit to 10 pins but couldn’t maintain that impetus. They fell further behind after leg four and although recovering slightly in leg five, they could leave C&G only needing 43 pins for victory. C&G comfortably made that score and had Aaron Evans finishing with 41 (incl 14 stack), Angela Guest 37 (13 stack), and Dave Orton 35. The Borough had four players all making their top score of 31 – Michelle Court, Kim Workman,  Rhiannon Watson & Julian Workman.

League leaders, Bernie’s Bolts, could only pick up a couple points in their season’s first loss to Engineers. While those points extended their lead slightly at the summit, they will be disappointed not to have collected more points. They were trailing by only four pins after leg three and looked capable of winning the game but their reply to Engineers’ fourth leg score of 71 saw them instead slip 20 pins adrift. And then another low score in leg five left Engineers only 38 pins to win. Not surprising that this was comfortably achieved by Engineers who went on to also take the last leg. For Engineers, Brandon Kelso made 42 (12 stack), Ian Greenway 36, and Luke Saunders & Josh Kelso 35 each.  In reply for The Bolts, it was 35 apiece for Paul Blayney and Lewis McSweeney and 34 for Dean Lowe.

The game between Nomads and Jumbo Jet Set was yet another that swung decisively in leg four. Only seven pins, in favour of Jumbo Jets, had separated the teams after leg three and a close finish looked on the cards. Nomads then had a poor leg score of 55, and Jumbo Jets took full advantage by registering a 71 score to lead by 23 pins at that stage. Nomads were finally left a near impossible 90 pins to win and so it proved although they did come close to winning the last leg which would have given them an extra consolation point. Nomads’ top scorer with 38 was Eddie Upright, followed by 36 each for Alan Cummings and Andrew Coombes (incl 12 stack). Jumbo Jets best were Mick Stanton with 38 and Steve Wardle and Rob Quartly with 37 each.

Results 

C&G Show 305 (9pts) v The Borough 283 (2pts)

Bernie’s Bolts 305 pins (2pts) v Engineers 329 pins (9pts) 

Nomads 306 (2pts) v Jumbo Jet Set 333 (9pts)  

Lodge Farmers Survive Scare

In the game between last season’s top two, Lodge Farmers were cruising after four legs when holding a 15 pin lead against champions Engineers. But having scored well to that point, their last leg score of only 57 left Engineers seeking a difficult 73 to win which they so nearly made when being boosted by skipper Andy Clewlow’s 13 stack. It left Engineers’ last man wanting nine to tie and 10 to claim an unlikely victory – but he could only muster six. Farmers deserved their win given their early surge and had skipper Glyn Morley top scoring with 39. Also with 39 was Paul Cotton while Tim Jones made 36. Engineers’ Ian Greenway scored 44 (incl 13 stack), Clewlow finished with 36, and Craig Ellis 35.

Top of the current table are Bernie’s Bolts after four wins from their opening four games. Their win over C&G Show though was a bumpy ride. After leg three C&G Show held a six pin lead, only to then have a poor score of 48 in leg four to which Bolts replied with 65 to get their noses in front and lead by 11. Although C&G Show recovered in the last leg, their score was matched by The Bolts who ran out comfortable winners. Again scoring well for Bernie’s Bolts was Andy Gill-Smith with 34 with 33 each coming from John McSweeny and Mark Andrews. For C&G Show, Keith Edwards totalled 40, Paul Hollis 34, and Paul Clifton and Dave Orton 31 apiece.

First win of the season for Jumbo Jet Set in defeating The Borough still seeking their season’s opening win after four games. The Jets won the first three legs for a 20 pin lead. But as so often, put in a low score, this time in leg four, to which The Borough replied with an excellent 67 to reduce their deficit to just nine. The Borough’s fifth leg score left Jumbo Jets wanting only 53 to win which they made if rather unconvincingly. Another skipper, Len Quartly, top scored for Jumbo Jets with 36 while team mates Rich Johnston made 33, and Steve Wardle & Dennis Compton 32 each. The Borough’s best were Julian Workman with 34, Steve Court 32, and 31 each from Kim Workman and Rhiannon Watson.

Results

Lodge Farmers 332 pins (7.5pts) v Engineers 329 pins (3.5pts)

Bernie’s Bolts 308 (8pts) v C&G Show 296 (3pts)

Jumbo Jet Set 304 (9pts) v The Borough 294 (2pts)

Bolts and Farmers Early Pace Setters

Bernie’s Bolts have started the season with three straight wins. And the latest saw them comfortably beat Jumbo Jet Set to retain top spot. Jumbo Jets bowled first, and scored well with 68 pins, only to see The Bolts top that score. The Bolts then continued to score well in the next three legs, to which a deflated Jumbo Jets had no answer. So it was something of a surprise when Jumbo Jets took the last leg by a single pin, to earn a consolation point and deny The Bolts maximum points. In good form for The Bolts were Andy Gill-Smith making 44 (incl 15 stack), Mark Andrews 40 and John McSweeney with 36. For Jumbo Jets, Rob Quartly lead the way with 36, followed by Len Quartly 35 and Steve Wardle 32.

Tight on Bernie’s Bolts heels are Lodge Farmers, after also winning their first three games of the season. Farmers were unfazed by losing the first leg to C&G Show, and made consistent good scores to win each of  the remaining four legs to ease to victory. Skipper, Glyn Morley again shone for Farmers making 40 (12 stack) and Frank Morris and Sue Morris chipped in with 37 and 34 respectively. In what was their first game of the season C&G Show were a little rusty but had Paul Hollis make two stacks of 14 and 13 in a total of 41 while debutant, Neil Jay scored 38 and Angela Guest 37.

Nomads secured their season’s first win when consigning The Borough to a third straight loss. The Borough won two legs narrowly, but fell well adrift in the other three legs to allow Nomads to open up a fairly comfortable lead. For Nomads, Alan Cummings again top scored with 38, and Eddie Upright and Geoff Loat made 37 and 32 respectively. In reply, The Borough’s best were 33 pins each from Michelle Court and Steve Court, and 31 each from Tom Baker and Rhiannon Watson.

Results

Bernie’s Bolts 329 (9pts) v Jumbo Jet Set 297 (2pts)

Lodge Farmers 329 pins (9pts) v C&G Show 313 pins (2pts)

Nomads 301 (8pts) v The Borough 283 (3pts)