Winning run ends in Plomer Cup

Henley welcomed Hagbourne Bowls Club last Wednesday to a 5 mixed triples Plomer Cup match. An extremely close match was played out with both teams winning two games and one drawn. However, Henley edged the overall win by scoring more shots overall, 87-73 to take 7 Plomer Cup points to Hagbourne’s 5. Joint top scorers were skip Joan Edwards, with lead Nigel Bridges and number two Hylton Jenkins and skip Peter Menhinick, with lead Melinda Swann and number two Peter Borsberry. Both teams won by 15 shots. Joan’s team started very strongly with their opponents only winning one of the first eleven ends to be leading by 19-1. With the game already won, they eased up and only won two of the remaining seven ends to win by 23-8. Peter’s team was the opposite, trailing 4-5 after six ends they then hit great form and with all three bowling well, only lost one more end from their remaining twelve ends to romp home 21-6. Simon Hatcher, with Andrea Tate and Paul Scrivens team started strongly and led 6-0 after two ends and always held the lead until end fifteen when their opponents edged ahead 12-13. With the Henley team all struggling at the same time and improved bowling from Hagbourne, this game was very close. They even had one end where an end was tied. The Henley team rallied at the end to salvage a draw 15-15. Steve Cooper, making his debut as a skip after an impressive first four months of bowling, with Karen Wakeling and Norman Daniells had a topsy turvy start, both winning and dropping a 6 shot end. trailed 9-10. They then dropped two more 3s which proved crucial, losing by 16-22. Kevin Browne, with Ian Ayres and Sally Daniells suffered a surprising heavy defeat. They were never really in the game and despite picking up a 4 on end thirteen were still trailing 6-17. Things remained close thereafter but Henley could not make any headway going down 12-22. So, a much closer match against a strong team saw Henley remain unbeaten for the season in this league, but only just!

On Sunday, Henley visited Caversham where a match played in the highest of spirits brought an end to Henley’s winning run in the Plomer Cup, with Caversham winning on three of the five rinks to take the victory by 96-73. Henley’s highest-winning rink was skipped by Peter Menhinick, alongside Glynis Holland as lead and Steve Cooper as number two. The teams were evenly matched at 8–8 after ten ends before Henley found another gear and began to pull away. A strong finish saw them record an impressive 19–15 victory. There was considerably less opportunity to relax on the rink of Peter Borsberry with Phil Smillie and Sally Daniells. At 10–2 down after seven ends, Henley had given themselves rather a lot of work to do. Undeterred, they steadily clawed their way back and by the twelfth end had levelled the scores at 13–13. A 4 on the next end put Henley ahead for the first time only for Caversham to fight back. With the scores level again at 18–18, it all came down to the final end. Henley held their nerve and possibly their breath – taking the deciding shot to win a cracking contest 19–18. If anyone thought one nail-biter was enough for an afternoon, first-time skip Paul Scrivens with Andrea Tate and Terry Hearmon had other ideas. They found themselves 8–2 down after six ends, but staged an excellent comeback and by the thirteenth were 2 shots ahead. The lead continued to change hands with Henley two shots ahead after 16 ends before Caversham levelled once again at 15–15 after seventeenth. For the second time that afternoon, everything rested on the final end but unfortunately for Henley, this time it was Caversham who took the deciding shot to win 16–15. A disappointing finish, but an excellent performance from Paul on his first outing as skip and certainly one way to make your debut memorable!. Skip Joan Edwards with Ian Ayres and Peter Watkins had a rather tougher afternoon. Caversham settled quickly and proved difficult to contain, whilst the combination of strong opposition and very hot conditions meant Henley never quite found their usual rhythm. Caversham ran out convincing 29–9 winners. Some afternoons are best filed under character building and this may have been one of them. Skip Norman Daniells, with Angelika Crisa and Peter Falle began brightly as they raced into a 4–0 lead. Caversham responded and by the sixth end the teams were level at 5–5. With little between them, the turning point came on the eleventh end when Henley dropped a 4 putting Caversham 13–7 ahead. Henley battled back over the following three ends and narrowed the gap, but couldn’t quite bridge it completely with Caversham eventually taking the game 18–11. The final score of 96–73 to Caversham perhaps doesn’t tell the whole story of an afternoon that included two last-end thrillers, some determined Henley comebacks and plenty of competitive bowls. Congratulations to Caversham on a well-deserved victory and thanks to both teams for a match played in excellent spirits. Henley will be hoping to return to winning ways next time, preferably with a little less drama for those watching!