Season Updates 2024
2024 SEASON
Match Report: Astley Park (H) - Hateley League - 22nd August '24
We brought the curtain down on our Hateley League season in style this afternoon with a superb win over Astley Park. Building on last week's (probable) record 115-38 victory over North Shields WE and featuring the long-awaited league debut of Mr. Andrew Gibson, the win was never really in doubt after around 7 ends, but securing the final points of the match went to the final bowl of the final end! We love the drama.
Biggest winners were Chris, Sue and Dave Wyatt who played really well (honest, we did) and triumphed 32-13 despite relaxing and losing 7 shots in the final 3 ends. The winning margin could/should have been greater.
On Rink 1 Reg, Ian & Colin also did us proud with an excellent 26-10 win. They were 10-1 up after 6 ends and never looked back.
In his first game as skip Paz led George and Anthony to another good win. This was close throughout and after 16 ends they were behind 13-16 before scoring the last 9 shots and taking the win 22-16.
The drama though was all on Rink 4 (actually Rink 5 as you look at the green). Andrew made his debut and did really well, as did Lynne and Ronnie. The game was close throughout but we went into the final end leading 14-12 and needing the win to take all 14 points. With the final wood in his hand Astley lay 2 and were sitting with a draw until, of course, Ronnie rolled in superbly to take 1 wood out, leave Astley with one, and give us the win (14-13) and an overall 14-0 victory. The final aggregate score was 94-52.
So that's it for another year. Once we know where we finished we'll post the table here. Well played everyone - another really good Hateley season.
Match Report: Gosforth Garden Village (H) - Clegg League - 21 August '24
Amid much sobbing and soul-searching, our relegation back down to Division 4 was confirmed on Wednesday evening. Needing at least a 12-2 win to have a chance of staying up we slumped to a 4-10 defeat.
Our best rink winners were Richard, Reg & Tom who triumphed 24-16 on Rink 1 in a game which was closer than it perhaps sounds. Well played chaps.
Next to them were Chris, Sue and George whose opponents loved the 'idiosyncracies' of Rink 2 [sniggers]. Our trio played well though and took a tight game 17-13.
Alas our teams on Rinks 3 and 4 were less successful with Ron, Ryan & Connor and Neil, Keith & Michael both going down 14-21.
The net result - another agonisingly narrow defeat, this time 69-71. That's our FIFTH defeat by 4 shots or less. Fine margins, with a bit of luck we could easily have won 3 (possibly 5) games and have been comfortably in the middle of the table.
Never mind, we did OK and we weren't bottom - and we can look forward to playing Gosforth GV again next season.
Next season's title campaign begins now!
Match Report: Tynemouth (A) - Knott Cup - 19 August '24
We brought our Knott Cup 'campaign' to a close this evening with ANOTHER incredibly narrow defeat - this time away at the hands of local rivals Tynemouth and in the most unfortunate of circumstances. Played on the most autumnal evening since last autumn and on a green that (being charitable) could be described as 'slow', it was hard work from the off.
First, the good news - we won two rinks. Chris, Connor and Michael took control early on and never really let up, running out convincing 29-7 winners.
Our other winners were Neil and Ian. You'll note just two names - sadly their other man, Geoff, threw his shoulder out on the first end (or it might have been the 3rd) and had to retire from the game meaning we had to play with just two players and would lose 1/3 of our score. Neil and Ian did really well though and going into the final end led 19-9 (so 12.66-9 once the 1/3 was taken off). Happily Tynemouth could only gain 3 on the final end and so we ran out 12.66 - 12 winners. Excellent effort Neil & Ian.
Our other two rinks were losses. Reg, Tony H and Dave Wyatt ran their opponents close on Rink 5 (nearest to the Metro) but eventually succumbed 16-21. Hard lines chaps.
Finally, on Rink 3, Ronnie, Lynne and Sue came up against good opponents who used the full length (width??) of the green and made life very difficult for our trio. Given the length of the grass and the slowness of the green it was occasionally necessary for our team to take a run-up before bowling and, on more than one occasion, they bowled overarm - but it still wasn't enough. Sadly they went down 7-26.
The upshot of all that was an agonising loss by just 1.33 shots (64.66 - 66) and just 4 points gained. Ah well, there's no relegation and we may have finished better than 2nd bottom (which is where we finished last year).
Onwards and upwards!
Match Report: New Delaval Knights (H) - Clegg League - 14 August '24
Our penultimate match of the season (in the Clegg League) saw us take on New Delaval Knights (NDK) at home. Last year with did the double over them; this season the tables were turned as we lost 2-12 with a -22 shot aggregate.
Our only winners were Chris, Sue & George who did well to win 26-11 on Rink 1. The NDK trio seemed to 'get' the rink quite early, but from 2-3 down our trio went on a 10 end/19 shot run and the opposition never recovered.
On the other rinks all our teams had a tough night. Richard, Reg and Dave K were leading 9-8 after 14 ends before their opponents pulled away and we suffered a 13-21 loss.
It was a similar story on Rink 3 where Neil, Geoff and Connor took an early lead before their opponents also pulled away and eventually took the game 9-19.
Finally, it was a tough evening for Ronnie, Ryan and Keith on Rink 2. They came up against some excellent bowling and went down 9-28.
All of that meant a 2-12 (57-79) defeat and, sadly, almost certain relegation back down to Division 4. We gave it a good go - we'll just have to win Div 4 next season.
Before that though we have a final match next Wednesday (21st) when we take on Gosforth Garden Village at home. 14 points and positive end to the Clegg season would be nice.
Match report: Wallsend Park (A) - Knott Cup - 12 August '24
Played on a beautiful, warm evening on a good green, our penultimate game of the season ended with a fine 13 shot aggregate and 10-4 win.
We had two rink wins with Ronnie, Lynne and Connor doing extremely well to beat good opposition 21-16. The game was tight throughout and we trailed 15-16 after 17 ends before 6 unanswered shots took the victory.
On the adjacent rink Chris, Anthony & Dave Wilson were also in a tight game but found themselves 7-10 behind after 13 ends - at which point Anthony and particularly Dave went into overdrive. 8 ends and a 17-shot run later they'd ran out 24-10 winners. Big grins all round.
Our other two rinks were narrow losses. Reg, Ian and Paz kept things tight throughout before going down 12-17. On the final rink, which finished what seemed like a good hour and a half after the others (!!), it was also very close. With the game tied 15-15 after 20 ends it was all to play for, but the opposition just nicked it and took the game 15-16.
Well played all - an away win at Wallsend Park is not to be sniffed at.
Just one game to go - away at Tynemouth which was postponed a couple of weeks ago due to the biblical deluge. No idea when it is though - watch this space.
Match Report: Rockcliffe Rollers (A) - Clegg League - 7 August '24
A night to forget on the Coast as we succumbed to only our second 0-14 defeat of the season. So this won't take long!
For a brief period we looked like we might be in with a shout, but excellent opposition play quickly snuffed that out.
Closest losers were Chris, George & Geoff who kept plugging away and lost narrowly, 17-18. Both trios of Neil, Ryan & Tom and Richard, Reg and Kevin led for periods of their matches and looked well placed to earn points, but it wasn't to be as Neil et al lost 13-19 and Richard et al went down 14-19.
Our final rink (Ron, Keith & Connor) found things difficult from the off and, in the face of accurate and consistent bowling, lost 7-29.
With two games to go we're not relegated yet - but we need two wins. Next up it's table-topping New Delaval Knights at Home next Wednesday (14th). Keep the faith!
MATCH REPORTS - w/c 29 JULY '24
Crawford Park (H) - Knott Cup
An 'extra' fixture for us, apparently to make things balance due to other teams withdrawing from the league. Ah well, we lost, by quite a lot.
First, the good news. Well done Chris, Sue & Tom who prevailed 20-17 against good opponents. Also commiserations to Ronnie, Lynne & Ian who went down narrowly 15-18.
Alas our other two rinks suffered heavy defeats 11-25 and 16-26. So it was a 3-11 & 24 shot defeat. Onto the next one.
Throckley 'A' (H) - Public Utilities League
The other match played on the green this evening was much better! To cut a long story short, the first rink to finish lost 13-23 - hard lines Eddie, Paz and Dave K. The other rink was going better though, but needed to win by 11 shots to take the match. With the final end in play our triple (Ryan, Dave W and JT) were 9 ahead. For those of you for whom Maths is a challenge, that means we needed to take the final end by 2 shots. And of course we did. Well played chaps - and excellent 1 shot (38-37) victory. Never in doubt!
Whitley Bay & Monkseaton (H) - Clegg League
We went into this game, as we will in every Wednesday match until the end of the season, under pressure as we need as many points as possible to have a chance of avoiding relegation. We also went into this game looking to avenge the 0-14 thumping we were given by WBM a few weeks ago.
You'll be delighted to learn, readers, that we gained the victory we needed. Star performers were Tom, Geoff & Reg whose opponents couldn't grasp Rink 1 (playing across the green) and consequently our trio put them to the sword 34-8. A fabulous win.
Not quite as good, but still very good, were George, Sue & Chris who romped home 30-10 on Rink 3.
Our other two rinks were losses. Ronnie, Keith & JT lost unluckily by just 1 shot (14-15) with final bowl of the match as the WBM skip knocked one of his teams woods up to turn a 4 up for us into a 1 up for them. Booooooo!
Rink 4 was a bit tougher as Dave K, Ryan and Richard went down 12-20. A good effort on a tricky rink.
Overall though we enjoyed an excellent 10-4 (90-53) victory which keeps us in touch with Seaton Sluice & Hexham Elvaston.
Now we need to get something from our trip to Rockcliffe next week. The bigger they are, etc .....
Willington Quay (A) - Hateley League
And so it was time for our annual trip to Willington Quay to get thumped on a Thursday afternoon. However, this time, on a hot, muggy, sweaty afternoon, we turned in a much better performance - but we still lost.
Our single rink winners were Ronnie, Lynne & Anthony who triumphed 19-14. A '4' at the 18th end put them in control and they comfortably saw out the final three ends. Well played.
On the other outside rink Chris, Sue and George battled through a tight game against irritatingly accurate and consistent opponents. Playing the final end they were 13-16 down, but good bowling from George & Sue had them lying 3. Needing to roll in for a 4th to win the game Chris' final wood looked set to do it before rolling agonisingly through - and so it was a 16-16 draw.
Our other two rinks were losses. Eddie, JT and Keith trailed throughout - after 15 ends it was 6-17 - but kept going and made a mini recovery to only lose 13-18.
Unfortunately Geoff, Paz and Colin came up against good opposition and went down 12-23.
Overall it was a 3-11 (60-71) defeat. It's been a good season though and we have 3 games left to secure a creditable 5th place in the table.
Match Report: Gosforth Garden Village (A) - Clegg League - 24 July '24
What a game and what an ending to our first visit to Gosforth GV. We won 11-3 (narrowly AGAIN, 71-69) but that doesn't begin to tell the full story.
On Rink 4 Reg, John T and Kev were having a close game until they dropped a '6' at the 15th end to go 9-17 behind with only 6 ends to play. To their credit they kept going, earned a crucial '5' at the 19th end and finished with an excellent 19-19 draw.
Rink 3 saw Richard, Ryan and George in a relatively low-scoring game where the lead changed hands half a dozen times. With 2 ends to play they trailed 14-16 and looked up against it ... before winning the last 2 ends and taking another good draw 16-16.
Chris, Sue & Tom started very slowly (!!) on Rink 2 and after 4 ends were 0-7 behind. They tied the game after 8 ends; went on to lead 13-10; but found themselves 14-18 down with 1 end to play. At the 21st end they were lying '1' with another 3 woods close but the opposition were in 2nd ... not enough. Happily Chris managed to take out the opposition bowl to leave them, remarkably, lying '4' and the third draw of the evening was secured- 18-18.
So, 3 games finished, 3 draws achieved, everything was riding on the final game and Ronnie, Geoff and Keith.
Our intrepid trio led throughout, at one stage by as much as 16-7, but by the final end their lead had been whittled down to just 1 (17-16). With the final wood of the match in Ronnie's hand the opposition were lying 2 shots and therefore would win the match and would take an 11-3 victory. No pressure! Then came a moment which would be replayed endlessly if the match had been televised (yes, I know, it never would be but stay with the point). As calm as you like, with the outcome of the whole match coming down to his final bowl, Ronnie strolled onto the mat and delivered the most perfect of woods right onto the jack much to the delight of his teammates. (NB. Apparently some of us got quite excited and made a lot of noise. Apologies!). All this meant we took the final game 18-16, the match 71-69, and the points 11-3. Wow!
Coming back down to earth we remain 2nd from bottom in the league but we're by no means out of it. We have four fixtures remaining, three of which are at home, and next week (1 July) we entertain Whitley & Monkseaton. Come on!!
Match Report: Hexham Elvaston (H) - Clegg League - 26 June '24
Another excellent night for the club as we did the double over Hexham Elvaston (we won 9-5 away earlier in the season). Tonight it was a 10-4 with a 70-52 aggregate - and it was very nearly 14-0.
We had two rink losses, both by just 1 shot. On Rink 1 Kevin, Richard and Reg initially went 0-7 behind but fought back before eventually losing 15-16 on the final end. A great effort.
The other side of the green (Rink 6) saw a titanic struggle with Tom, Ryan and Neil in a game that never had more than 2 shots in it and which went into the final end 14-14. in the final end Tom led off and had shot, then it was them, then Ryan, then them, then Neil ... and finally, with the final wood of the match ... them. A great game but a 14-15 loss.
On his favourite rink - 2 obviously - Ronnie led Connor and Keith to a superb 20-12 victory which, to be honest, was never in doubt as they had control from the start.
Finally, on Rink 5, Geoff, Sue & Chris also took control early and gradually eased away, ultimately enjoying a convincing 21-9 win.
And excellent win, our second on the bounce - but now a challenging away trip to Westerhope next week.
Match Report: Crawford Park (H) - Knott Cup - 24 June '24
Before this evening this seasons' record vs Crawford Park read played 3, lost 3. But this evening that was to change - and with a late dramatic twist which must have left Crawford feeling like Scotland the night before.
In the end we had 3 rink wins and 1 defeat and took a 12-2 victory, with just 3 shots in it (79-76).
First, our only losers were Ronnie, Sue and Dave Wilson who battled throughout to stay in touch with their opponents on Ronnie's favourite [coughs!] Rink 2. This included a '6' at the 13th end and 3 shots in the final two ends to go down narrowly 18-23.
On Rink 3 Neil, Anthony and Dave K also enjoyed a tight game. From leading 10-2 they found themselves 10-13 behind before regaining the initiative and taking the game 21-17, with a valuable 3 at the final end.
Rink 1 saw Reg, Eddie and Paz trail for much of the game, but with just two ends left they'd managed to keep in touch 13-16. However, a superb 4 at the penultimate end plus a further 1 at the last saw them take a superb 18-16 win.
And finally, to the drama on Rink 6. From 5-12 down after 9 ends Chris, Geoff and Ryan rallied to lead 13-12. The lead then swapped hands twice more before a 4 for Crawford at the 19th end followed by 1 at the 20th took our opponents to a 16-20 lead and looked to have sealed the game. With just one bowl remaining at the final end our team had 5 bowls near the jack, but were only counting 1 with Crawford lying 2nd. At the same time, unbeknown to our trio, Crawford were sitting on a 3 shot lead on the aggregate score. However, following discussions with and advice from his teammates, Chris played with a bit of force and, astonishingly, managed to do exactly what he hoped. Striking Geoff's wood perfectly he knocked it into Crawford's wood which popped out of the head and left our trio with a barely believable '6' - turning a 16-20 deficit into a 22-20 win ... and more importantly turning a 3 shot aggregate deficit into a 3 shot aggregate win.
A great effort from all involved tonight - we don't beat Crawford very often so this was an excellent victory.
Next match? We have a free week in the Knott Cup next Monday. So we're next in action in a two weeks' time (8 July) when we make the short trip to The Parks to take on North Shields West End.
Match Report: Willington Quay (H) - Hateley League - 20 June '24
Full report to follow
Match Report: Seaton Sluice (A) - Clegg League - 19 June '24
Won 12-2, full report to follow ...
Match Report: Percy (A) - Knott Cup - 17 June '24
This won't take long. We took a bit of a pasting this evening in a game which finished in constant drizzle/rain - but at least it wasn't windy! We had 1 rink win with Chris, Sue & Anthony triumphing 16-15 in a really good game, despite a squeaky final end where the opposition gained 3 shots.
All other rinks lost, and the final score was a narrow 45-97 (2-12) loss.
Next - which happens to be Crawford Park at home on 24 June.
Match Report: New Delaval Knights (A) - Clegg League - 12 June '24
Lost 68-71 (4-10), report to follow ...
Match Report: North Shields West End (H) - Hateley League - 6 June '24
We suffered a 4-10 loss this afternoon as North Shields West End took a deserved win.
Our two rink wins were both very close affairs. On Rink 3 Chris, Sue & Paz withstood a late fightback from their opponents and held on for a low scoring 14-12 win. Our other winners were Neil, Michael and Keith on Rink 1. They were behind for long periods and trailed 11-16 with just four ends to play - which is when the fightback started. At the final end they were still one behind but took two shots in a very tight end and therefore won 17-16. Excellent stuff.
Rink 2 saw Ron, Lynne and Anthony come up against some excellent bowling and they went down 11-23.
The main drama was on Rink 4 where Geoff and Reg had to play a man down as Eddie was unavailable. So even though they had an extra bowl each, they had to drop 1/3 of their score, and their opponents were also extremely accurate. The outcome was a close 16-21 loss, but adjusted down to 10 2/3 -21.
All that meant a 52 2/3 - 72 loss, but at least we gained four points. And it didn't rain!
Next up is a trip to Seaton Delaval as we face Astley Park on 13 June.
Match Report: Rockcliffe Rollers - Clegg League - 5 June '24
Same old same old in the Clegg League - we played well but lost another game which was tight throughout but just slipped away from us at the end.
We had one rink win where Chris, Sue and George triumphed 20-11 on Rink 1 (playing across the green). This, however, doesn't tell the full story. With his first wood of the 3rd end George suffered a fairly significant tear of his right bicep. (Diagnosed by a physio playing for Rockcliffe on an adjacent rink). He tried to continue but was unable to bowl right-handed, however rather than leave the green he bowled left handed for the remainder of the match - still managing to earn a couple of shots!! Chris & Sue bowled well to keep it really tight and our three rallied from 5-7 down to 13-7 up and finalely 20-11 at the end. Cheers George!
Our other three rinks were losses. On Rink 5 (numbered 4 for the evening) Ronnie, Connor and Ryan started well but were pipped by their opponents 16-21.
Rink 3 saw Reg, Kevin and Richard right in it after 18 ends when they were just 14-15 down. Sadly for us their opponents finished strongly and we went down 14-20
The final game of the evening saw Neil, Keith and Tom sitting 11-9 up after 15 ends, but their opponents also finished really strongly and took the final six ends and turned our lead into an 11-19 loss.
So overall a tight game slipped away 2-12 with a 61-71 shot aggregate.
On to the next one then - when we visit league leaders New Delaval Knights on 12 June. Heads and chins up!!
Match Report: Tynemouth (H) - Knott Cup - 3 June '24
The team gained a convincing win over local rivals Tynemouth on Monday night where the match score of 11-3 was backed up by an impressive 81-55 aggregate score.
The foundation for the win was laid by Reg, Ian and Ryan who after 16 ends were 25-0 ahead!! At that point they relaxed slightly but still romped home 30-4. A brilliant result.
Our other winning rink came from Ron, Lynne and Tom who took their game 23-17, while Dave K, Anthony & Tony achieved that rarity, a draw, where they were held 15-15 in what was clearly a very tight game. Another point gained though.
Sadly Keith, Dave Wilson & Colin were our only losers, but only went down 13-19.
However, that's another excellent Monday night win. Well played everyone.
Our next game is in a fortnight (17 June) when we don't travel anywhere but we're still playing away! Yes, it's Percy!!
Match Report: Forth (A) - Hateley League - 30 May '24
Another beautiful day at (OK, near) the Coast saw us travel to Churchill Playing Fields to take on Forth - and it was a trip well worth taking as we came away with 12 points.
Leading the way were Neil, Ian and Michael who romped home 33-6! Nearly as good were Ronnie, Lynne and Geoff who took their time to get a grip on the game but once they did, with them trailing 6-7 after eleven ends, they never looked back. From that point they only lost two more ends and finished with a 25-9 victory.
Our other winners were Reg, Keith and Anthony who were 8-9 behind after twelve ends before they too took control, including a '6' at the fourteenth end, and built an 18-10 lead. They finally ran out 20-14 winners.
Our loss came from Chris, Sue and Colin who played a tight game and managed to win eleven of the twenty one ends. Giving up two '4's and two '5's doesn't help a great deal though and they lost 17-28. A bit more consistency would be nice.
Overall, however, we won 12-2 with a 95-57 aggregate - our largest win of the year!
Next match: Home versus North Shields West End on 6 June.
POSTPONEMENT: our Clegg League match versus Whitley & Monkseaton (29 May) was postponed due to the late afternoon/early evening biblical downpour. At one point Noah turned up with his woods but it was too wet even for him.
Match Report: Crawford Park (A) - Knott League - 27 May '24
It was our third and (happily) final league visit to Crawford this evening - and again we came away almost empty handed. Nice green, nice setting, nice people, we never win. Maybe next year.
On a green that was slow-ish (unsurprising given the daily and fully anticipated afternoon deluge), we had two rink winners.
Star performers of the evening were Neil (back from his hols), Dave K and Anthony who never trailed and from 10-10 at the thirteenth end eased away to an excellent 19-12 victory. Never in doubt.
Our other winners were Chris, Geoff and Ryan who flew out of the blocks to lead 10-1 after just six ends. At that point their opponents began to bowl and gradually ate into our trio's lead. The game remained tight throughout and going into the final end it was tied at 16-16. After some loose early bowls Geoff rolled one close to put the pressure on the Crawford skip, and Chris then put one even closer. Lying two shots Chris carried his final wood and we won 18-16.
On the adjacent rink Ronnie, Sue and Dave Wilson kept battling and recovered superbly from 8-17 down to just 16-17 after twenty ends. Alas their opponents nicked two at the final end and we went down 16-19.
The final rink had a tough night. Again Reg, Paz and Eddie kept trying but they came up against a Crawford skip (Ray) in great form and subsequently lost 7-29.
4 points gained then in a 60-76 defeat. Two wins and two losses in our Knott campaign so far. After our five games last year we'd only won 1 - so we're making progress.
Next match: Tynemouth (H) on 3 June.
Match Report: Gosforth Coxlodge B (H) - Public Utilities League - 23 May '24
Miraculously, the rain stopped (paused maybe) and thankfully the game went ahead with our six intrepid players delivering a huge 59-18 win.
Apparently the green was a bit on the [coughs] 'heavy' side and our trios used it to great effect. Richard, Paz and Ryan galloped home 30-9, with Dave K, Eddie and John T galloping only marginally less quickly and winning 29-9.
An outstanding result - well played all of you!
Next match: Centurion Park (A) - played at Innisfree - on 30 May. NB. It's an earlier start than normal (6pm) as the security guard likes to lock up at 9 and get home for his tea. Fair enough.
Match Report: Wallsend Park (H) - Knott League - 20 May '24
After a brief barren spell it was back to winning ways with an excellent, but close again, 12-2 win against our opponents from along the river.
We had three rink wins with Reg, Ian and Paz leading the way 18-12 in a match they led throughout. Just behind them were Geoff, Kevin and John T who won 18-14. They were trailing 6-11 after 10 ends but rallied to lead 18-12 with just 2 ends to play, from which point they comfortably saw the game out.
Our other winners were Chris, Michael and Ryan who won 21-20, but the margin should have been much greater. They led 18-8 and then 20-12 but allowed their visitors to pull level at 20-20. The final end saw our opponents lying 1, but Ryan produced a superb bowl to trail the jack and Wallsend were unable to recover.
The final match saw Ronnie, Dave Wilson and Connor go down 13-19. A '4' at the 16th end had them right back in it at 12-13, but their opponents snuck away winning four of the final five ends.
It was a really good result though, beating Wallsend Park is no mean feat.
Next match: Crawford Park (A) on 27 May '24.
Match Report: Crawford Park (A) - Hateley League - 16 May '24
No sooner had we escaped, suitably chastened, from Crawford Park on Wednesday evening, we were back there approximately 17 hours later - and we lost again. This time it was a bit of a thumping - 0-14 and 55-80 on aggregate.
Best losers were Chris, Sue and George who succumbed 15-17.
We'll leave it there. I'm sure we're all looking forward to our final league visit to Crawford, this time in the Knott League, on Bank Holiday Monday. Smashing.
The next Hateley game sees us at home on 30 May to last year's champions Willington Quay. So another easy one then!
Match Report: Crawford Park (A) - Clegg League - 15 May '24
Our first of three visits to Crawford this season (in different leagues) saw us come away with a 4-10 defeat.
We had two rink winners with Ronnie, Connor and Kev performing superbly to take the win 25-14. They were behind 11-13 after fourteen ends, but a run of 13 shots over the next five ends saw them take complete control and a comfortable win.
Our other winners were Richard, Tom and Ryan who had to bowl well to come through a tight game 17-14. Excellent stuff.
Our other two rinks were less successful with Chris, Sue and George just coming up short at 16-20, while Reg, Ian and Keith came against some superb bowling and went down 11-34.
The final aggregate was 69-82 - but at least we secured 4 points.
Our next Clegg match is at home vs Gosforth Garden Village on 22 May.
Match Report: North Shields West End (H) - Knott League - 13 May '24
Only our second Knott game of the season saw us take on nearby rivals North Shields WE - and like virtually every other game this season it was a close affair ... which sadly, in the end, went the wrong way!
We had two rink wins with the biggest margin being achieved by Chris, Geoff and Ryan. Playing on Rink 1 (away from/towards the Pavilion) they were 9-10 down after 11 ends with the game balanced on a knife edge. Happily they decided to get their fingers out and romped away to a comfortable 23-13 win (which was made to look a bit easier than it was by a '5' at the final end).
Our other winners were Reg, Ian and Eddie on Rink 4. In an even tighter affair they found themselves 13-14 down with just 5 ends to play - at which point they too took control and scored the final 8 shots to get an excellent 21-14 win.
Rink 2 saw a match in which the lead changed repeatedly and remained close until the final end. At 19-21 down after 20 ends, Dave K, Anthony and JT did their best to turn things round, but alas the opposition had other ideas and took a '5' and the game 19-26.
On the final rink (No. 3) Ronnie, Dave Wilson and Sue were right in it at just 7-8 down after 10 ends. At that point they began to find things tough and slipped to a 9-25 loss.
The result was a 4-10 defeat, but just 6 shots on the aggregate (72-78). Close again, but not close enough.
Next match: we welcome Wallsend Park (H) to the Northumberland Park Arena on 20 May.
Match Report: Springbank (A) - Public Utilities League - 09 May '24
And so our first foray into the Public Utilities League commenced in the West End of Newcastle - and our team emerged with the win.
It was clearly, again, incredibly close throughout as over 42 ends of bowling just 62 shots were scored. For those of you who can't be bothered to do the maths, that's an average of 1.47 shots/end.
Nonetheless our 'teams' of Richard, Dave Wilson & Kevin, and Dave K, Eddie & Ryan held their nerve and achieved 1 rink win and 1 draw (no idea who got what!). But it's the aggregate that counts and we took the 2 points with a 33-29 win. Well done team, what a start!
Our next game is in two weeks when we take on Gosforth Coxlodge (H) on 23 May.
March Report: Whitley & Monkseaton (H) - Hateley League - 09 May '24
We went into this game unbeaten, but another really close match went against us by just 4 shots.
First, the good news. It wasn't just warm, it was hot. What a lovely summer Thursday was! And the heat helped (most of us) as we claimed three rink wins.
Chris, Paz & George triumphed 20-15 on Rink 1, largely thanks to the efforts of George who adjusted best to a much quicker green.
On the adjacent rink it was the turn of Ronnie, Lynn & Keith who won 21-19. It sounds very tight, but the game was never really in doubt as our trio led throughout and went into the final end with a 6-shot lead.
Our third winners were Reg, Sue & Anthony who came home 19-15 in a game which was close until the 17th end where we began to establish a commanding lead.
Sadly in the final game Neil, Colin and John T went down 7-22 against a very strong opposition skip.
The end result was 6 points for the 3 rink wins, but a 67-71 loss on aggregate - and therefore a 6-8 match result.
While it looks like the loss was a result of the 7-22 loss, the other three rinks gave up 14 shots in the final two ends showing the importance of scrapping for every shot. All in all though, a good loss (if there is such a thing) against strong opponents. If all of our losses are this close we'll not do too badly this season.
Next match: Crawford Park (A) on 16 May.
Match Report: Percy (H) - Knott Cup - 29 April '24
Monday evening saw a successful opening to our Knott Cup season with a narrow win in the home 'derby' against Percy. In another game that was really tight throughout, we lost three rinks but took the aggregate, and so an 8-6 win.
Star performers were Ronnie, Dave Wilson and Connor on Rink 1. They were in control throughout and after 18 ends were actually 24-10 ahead. Their opponents then staged a mini comeback but our trio still ran out excellent 24-17 winners.
On Rink 2 Reg, Dave Wyatt and Ian kept battling and pulled a 12-18 deficit after 17 ends back to a narrow 17-19 defeat - vital scrambling for shots that made a difference in the end.
The other two rinks were even closer, with the lead seesawing between the teams in both games. On Rink 3 Chris, Dave K and Ryan won the first end and then gave up 10 shots in four ends! At that point they then went on a 12-shot run to lead 13-10 after 11 ends before finally going down 19-20.
That left just Rink 4 where Neil, John T and Kevin (plus 2 ends at the start featuring Keith as Kev hadn't arrived). There was never more than 4 shots in it at any point, but in a high quality match which saw the reverse situation of what was occurring on Rink 3, our trio pulled a 15-19 deficit after 18 ends back to a 20-21 defeat.
The upshot was a 6-2 deficit on rinks, but we took the aggregate 80-77 and therefore an 8-6 win.
That's three wins out of the last four matches versus Percy, and we play them again on Saturday (4 May, 1pm start) as we try to hold onto the Caush Cup.
No match (again!) in the Knott Cup next week, so we're next in action in this league on 13 May when we're at Home to North Shields West End.
Match Report: Hexham Elvaston (A) - Clegg League - 24 April '24
We got our longest trip of the season out of the way in just our second game - and achieved our first win at the same time. A strong team performance all round earned a 9-5 victory with a 69-59 shot aggregate, and like the previous week we were so close to making it even better.
Our only rink winners were Neil, Keith & Tom who took control from the 5th end and eased away to a comfortable 23-10 victory. On the adjacent rink Connor, Richard and Ronnie also looked set for victory but their opponents played an inspired final end to grab 3 shots and a 16-16 draw.
The other two rinks saw very narrow defeats. Chris, Sue and George were 6-16 down after 12 ends but then remembered how to bowl and staged a great comeback to lose by just 1 shot, 17-18.
It was similarly close on the final rink which, after an opening 0-5 run to their opponents, saw Alan, Dave K and Reg keep it close throughout and eventual go down by just 2 shots, 13-15.
So 1 rink win, a draw and the aggregate meant 9 points earned and a healthy middle-of-the-table spot after just two games. This one could easily have been 14-0.
The conclusion has to be we've started well and we're a long way from being out of our depth!
Next week (1 May) we're back at home as we welcome Westerhope to the Northumberland Park Stadium.
Match Report: Tynemouth (H) - Hateley League - 18 April '24
What a lovely afternoon. About 7 degrees and constant rain. Just what you need for the opening of the Hateley (over 50s and therefore more likely to feel the cold) League.
However the team didn't let the conditions put them off and turned in a superb performance to deliver a thumping 12-2 (70-31) victory over local rivals Tynemouth.
Biggest winners were Reg, Colin (home debut) and Kev who won 26-3 on Rink 1. Strong wins also came from Chris, Paz and George who romped home 21-4 on Rink 3, and from Neil, Ian and John T on the delightful Rink 2 who triumphed 15-7.
Our only losers came on Rink 4 where Ron, Lynn and Keith found themselves up against Tynemouth's strongest 'three' and went down 8-17.
Overall it was a really good afternoon, and if the conditions had been better we'd have played full games instead of 15 ends and we'd (probably) have won by a lot more.
There's no game next week, so we next play on 2 May when we travel to Rockcliffe Rollers. Let's keep up the good start to the season.
Match Report: Seaton Sluice (H) - Clegg League - 17 April '24
And so it begins!!
Our first season up in the dizzy heights of Division 3 began with a 2-12 loss to Seaton Sluice (who had dropped down from Div 2 last year - so to put it mildly, they were no mugs!) There was no shame though as we ran them close and lost by just 2 shots on the aggregate 66-68. So near and yet so far.
On a cold but mercifully dry evening we began with shade at the Pavilion End and bright sunshine at the Old Pavilion End - where it was about 5 degrees warmer. Sadly this only lasted for about 4 ends as the sun soon scuttled behind the houses, at which point the whole green plummeted into relative gloom.
In terms of the play, we learned how much a jump in standard this might be this season. We had just 1 winning rink on the night with Chris, Sue and Kev running out 20-12 winners (the opposition only had 2 players so they lost 1/3 of their score). The other 3 rinks, however, were very tight.
Neil, Keith & Tom went down by just 1 point (16-17) and Ronnie, Richard and Connor were just one worse at 15-17. In the final game Alan, Geoff and Reg found themselves 1-11 down after 8 ends but then staged a strong comeback. Alas it wasn't to be and they eventually went down 15-22.
So, a defeat but an honourable one. Let's hope we can gain our first win next week (24 April) when we're Away at Hexham Elvaston.