League & Cup Winners off to Flying Start

Having recently retained the Summer Cup trophy to add to their first ever League Championship success in season 24/25, Lodge Farmers took full advantage of a below performance by Bernie’s Bolts to record a maximum points haul. The first four legs all went narrowly to Lodge Farmers, who nevertheless found themselves ahead by a healthy 15 pins with only one leg to be bowled by each team. The Bolts’ last effort though was their worst leg score of the game and left Farmers only 37 pins to win and this was comfortably achieved by scoring 64. Farmers’ Tim Jones’ good form from last season continued with a first leg stack of 14 pins to eventually finish with a total of 44, while Frank Morris made 36 (incl 12 stack), and skipper Glyn Morley 35. For Bolts, 32 pins was their best individual total by three players, Vanda Mooney, Dan Goodman and Mark Andrews.

Last year’s League runners up, Engineers had a more uncomfortable ride against Nomads who won the first leg by four pins. Then a big score of 71 by Engineers in leg two, looked out of reach for their opponents, only for Nomads’ skipper, Alan Cummings continuing last season’s form, to make a 12 stack to tie the leg. Although edging leg three, Engineers were still adrift by two pins but then scored 74 pins in leg four including a ten pin stack by Mark Ganderton. Nomads’ response was their poorest leg score of the game and they dropped 20 pins adrift. And despite improving in the last leg, left Engineers only needing 42 pins to win which was easily reached, helped by another stack, this time 13 pins, by Ganderton, also keeping up his last season’s form. Consolation for Nomads was they took the last leg if only by a single pin. Ganderton finished with 43 pins, and team mates Brandon Kelso 41 and Pete Clewlow 35 for Engineers. For Nomads, Cummings finished with 35 pins as also did Jim Child and Dave Maule.

C&G Show, started against The Borough with the lowest leg score in the game and The Borough took control to open up an 18 pin lead thanks largely to Steve Mears with a 12 stack. C&G then fought back to take leg two, thanks to a Rich Fisher stack of 15, and also win leg three. Now just five pins behind and well in the game they lost leg four narrowly to go eight pins down, and were unable to produce a good last leg score to really challenge The Borough’s push for victory. Needing only 43 to open their season’s account with a win, The Borough comfortable made the score and with it won the final leg. The Borough’s best were Mears with 40, Michelle Court 36, and Julian Workman 32 while for C&G, Fisher totalled 35 and Keith Edwards and the ever reliable Angela Guest 34 each. 

Results

Bernie’s Bolts 285 pins (1pt) – Lodge Farmers 313 pins (10pts)

Engineers 336 (7.5pts) – Nomads 315 (2.5pts)

The Borough 297 (8pts) – C&G Show 275 (3pts)