While England’s B team were losing to Belgium in Russia, the most of Oxford and District Bowls League players enjoyed the sunshine in central England. A few succumbed to the allure of the football and will have to wait to enjoy the pleasure of bowls at a later date.
Of those who played, members of Watlington and West Witney Bowls clubs enjoyed their evening more than their opposition, achieving comfortable victories and leaving the losers that bit closer to end of season relegation.
Three rinks at Watlington were very one-sided with Kidlington players unable to make any real impact in their games. The fourth rink was very close with the veterans of Bob Gilkes rink winning by a single shot, scored on the last end, and no side scoring more than two shots on any end.
The match at Witney was a much closer affair with both side trading big shot winning margins on several ends. Two games involved last ditch comebacks with both going to the home side. Paul Skidmore’s rink found themselves eight shots ahead after seven ends only to trail by two shots at twelve ends to Alan Leys rink for City and County. Paul then regrouped and won three of the next four ends well to lead by six shots with two ends to play but Alan was not giving up and took five shots in the last two ends to finals lose by a single shot.
Kevin Alder’s win was even more bizarre as he was facing a three man team skipped by Chris Lewis. The game came down to who won the final end as Chris’s trio knew they would give away a quarter of their score and finished the seventeenth end trailing by half a shot! It meant that the game was won and lost on the final end with Kevin winning it to complete Witney’s whitewash.
In Division 2, Carterton once again showed why they were division one champions two seasons ago. Usually, their trips to Shiplake have meant them taking a weaken team because of the travel time involved, this year they took a strong side and won on all rinks. Three were as comfortable as the score suggests but the game between David Webb and Sami Timms’s rinks fluctuated wildly with both teams holding the lead at different times and either could have won as it came down to the final end.
Witney Town maintained the challenge for a top two place with a good win at home to Hanborough. Easy wins for two skips and an equally one-sided loss on a third rink. The final rink proved close and at sixteen ends Ken William’s men were leading by two shots but Phil William’s led his side to victory with four shots over the last two ends.
South Oxford and Charlbury fashioned a thriller over the last four ends: at fourteen ends the sides were locked at two rinks each with South leading by sixteen shots across the four rinks. However, Charlbury closed the gap end by end and went to the final end only one shot behind overall. The final ends went three-one to the home side to snatch the match points.
Banbury Central continued their topsy-turvy season in Division 3 losing heavily at Headington fielding three rinks that seem to have had their minds on the football rather than the bowls. Colin Whitehead with the pick for Headington, restricting his opponents to three winning ends all match. Only Eric Trinder’s men provided real opposition for the home side building up a significant first half lead that their opponents were unable to overcome.
Almost as one-sided, but with a worse outcome for the visitors, was the final match in the division this week with Thame welcoming a struggling City and County side and winning on all rinks. Most interesting rink was that fought out by John Timms and Gary Gray’s men. The latter lead by seven shots after thirteen ends but lost their way letting John’s men back into the game which they won with two shots on the final end.
Bicester are back to the top of Division 4 having beaten West Oxford comfortably on three rinks. The final rink went to the wire with Tony King’s men needing a three to tie and, agonisingly, managing only two shots to give Chris Sherwood’s men West’s single point.
South Oxford travelled to Bloxham hoping to maintain their position at the top of the league but the home side had a different agenda. A six on the third end ensured a Bloxham victory for Dave Morse’s rink, while Tony Gardner needed to win the final end against John Guest and Alan Miles’ men hung on to the big early lead they had built up over the first half of their match but the almost story of the week came from the one Oxford winning rink where John Cope’s men saw their fourteen shot led whittled down to a single shot by Jim Lucas and his rink before Jim ran out of ends.
The final match of the week continued the divisions odd season as title challengers Chadlington entertained struggling Woodstock and, surprisingly, lost on three rinks! Dave Francis triple led the way for the visitor building up a big enough lead to be able to drop twenty-five percent of their score and still win. Paul Shipton also won, albeit more comfortably, but the other two rinks went to the wire. Tim Stevens rink scored six over the last two ends to snatch their victory whilst Julian Horsey also took the last two ends to grab their point.
League report
League tables
Match results
