Match Reports 2018
LEAGUE TABLES 2018
Our best position in the Cardiff Midweek League.
East Wales Private Greens - as at 18th September 2018 - also our best position.
Saturday 15th September Taffs Well 102-49 Pentyrch
****** Garth Cup stays in Taffs Well ******
A neat and symmetrical finish to the season, bookended between similar heavy defeats to Taffs Well in April and September in the Garth Cup, which stays safely in Taffs Well. Taffs Well went into the second leg with a lead of over 50 shots and had doubled that by the end of the afternoon. Taffs Well Captain, Lance Timothy said in his post match speech that the game had been played in a truly friendly spirit - it's always easy to be friendly when you're winning! Of course, congratulations to the Wellmen on their convincing win and genuine thanks for the hospitality, friendship, lending a player and agreeing to play our "home" match on their green. A very decent meal of sausage, chips, peas and onion gravy too.
Not too much to say about the match, other than to record the rink scores which were as follows:
Mark Krawiecki, Colin Howson, Peter Mynett and Bernie Simpson lost 30-7
Barrie Thomas, Bryn Owen, Russell Howell and Owen Morris lost 21-11
Brian Ilbery, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Beacham lost 25-10
Ian Broxton, P.Black (Taffs Well), John Eagle and Dave Ashmore lost 26-21.
We all look forward to renewing competition next year. Finally, just to repeat what was written at the end of the previous report, that it has been a good season for us, with some of the most encouraging results in recent years, particularly taking account of our number and profile of the playing squad. (See tables above) More wins and some matches that were only marginally lost. There is no doubt that we need more new playing members and the club will make continued efforts to achieve that aim. That said, we are also very grateful and appreciative of every player who has made the effort to represent the club this season. Have a good winter.
Not too much to say about the match, other than to record the rink scores which were as follows:
Mark Krawiecki, Colin Howson, Peter Mynett and Bernie Simpson lost 30-7
Barrie Thomas, Bryn Owen, Russell Howell and Owen Morris lost 21-11
Brian Ilbery, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Beacham lost 25-10
Ian Broxton, P.Black (Taffs Well), John Eagle and Dave Ashmore lost 26-21.
We all look forward to renewing competition next year. Finally, just to repeat what was written at the end of the previous report, that it has been a good season for us, with some of the most encouraging results in recent years, particularly taking account of our number and profile of the playing squad. (See tables above) More wins and some matches that were only marginally lost. There is no doubt that we need more new playing members and the club will make continued efforts to achieve that aim. That said, we are also very grateful and appreciative of every player who has made the effort to represent the club this season. Have a good winter.
Wednesday 5th September Llantrisant 74-44 Pentyrch
****** No final flourish ******
And so as the evenings draw in, signalling the approach of autumn, The Tyrchs travelled to Llantrisant for the last PG1 game of the season against another team pretty much certain of promotion. The dazzling, setting sun was eventually obscured by the bulk of the Llantrisant Leisure Centre and had made it difficult bowling towards the western end of the green. The green bore scars of the summer roasting and the middle rinks were deemed unplayable. The optimism after defeating St Joseph's a few days before soon evaporated. The home team largely showed their dominance winning on 3 rinks. Iain Russell skipped the winning rink. The losing rinks were skipped by Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell and Ian Broxton.
Pentyrch will not play Llantrisant next year because of their imminent promotion and the respective captains wished each other and their teams well for the future. Thanks to everyone at Llantrisant for their hospitality and friendship. Huge thanks to all the Pentyrch players who have represented the club and made themselves available to play this season - a season that has had mixed fortunes but with more positive than negative ones - we couldn't do it without you.
Pentyrch will not play Llantrisant next year because of their imminent promotion and the respective captains wished each other and their teams well for the future. Thanks to everyone at Llantrisant for their hospitality and friendship. Huge thanks to all the Pentyrch players who have represented the club and made themselves available to play this season - a season that has had mixed fortunes but with more positive than negative ones - we couldn't do it without you.
Saturday 1st September Pentyrch 85-71 St Joseph's
****** St Joe's feel the backlash ******
"...While chasing the clouds away
Our hearts were ringing
In the key that our souls were singing
As we danced in the night
Remember how the stars stole the night away..." So sang Earth, Wind & Fire in the '70s in the well-known song entitled "September", a fitting introduction to the month and whilst the Tyrchs didn't dance, at least not in public, certainly the recent clouds of PG1 losses were blown away and Pentyrch souls and hearts rejoiced in this great win over title chasers St Joseph's. This was the last home PG1 of the season and a great way to sign off after conceding over 200 shots in the last two PG1 matches and sweet revenge for the loss in the corresponding away fixture on the 4th of August. The backlash had to come some time and St Joseph's felt it.
Nick Russell, with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Bernie Simpson fought their opponents hard throughout the match and recovered well after dropping 5 at the 9th end, replying with a 3,2 and 1. Unfortunately, with the match balanced at 17-17 at the 19th end the home rink dropped a 2 and 1 to lose 17-20. Iain Russell, Bryn Owen, Peter Mynett and John Beacham were behind in long periods of their match but a purple patch in the middle saw them leading 13-12 at the 12th end but then St Joe's established themselves scoring 12 shots to 4 to win 24-17. Barrie Thomas, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris started 3-0 at the first end and never looked back, being ahead throughout, relaxing towards the end but winning convincingly 20-14. Mark Krawiecki, Colin Howson, Brian Pearce and Peter Neville were the best performing home rink winning with a pleasantly neat symmetrical score of 31-13. They raced to a 9-0 lead after 4 ends when the opposition began to erode the lead and a disastrous 6 conceded by the Tyrchs at the 7th end gave the Joes parity at 9-9. Lesser teams may have buckled after such a hammer blow but this was the signal for the Tyrchs to show true mental resilience and allow superior bowling skills to shine through and flourish - playing for fun at times - only conceding 4 more shots and scoring 22.
Captain for the day, Iain Russell politely understated his joy at Pentyrch's victory and wished St Joseph's well for next season when they will have been promoted despite today's loss. Congratulations to them. The last remaining match of the season is another tough PG1 fixture next Wednesday, away to another promotion chasing team, Llantrisant and after today Pentyrch should approach the match with renewed confidence.
Our hearts were ringing
In the key that our souls were singing
As we danced in the night
Remember how the stars stole the night away..." So sang Earth, Wind & Fire in the '70s in the well-known song entitled "September", a fitting introduction to the month and whilst the Tyrchs didn't dance, at least not in public, certainly the recent clouds of PG1 losses were blown away and Pentyrch souls and hearts rejoiced in this great win over title chasers St Joseph's. This was the last home PG1 of the season and a great way to sign off after conceding over 200 shots in the last two PG1 matches and sweet revenge for the loss in the corresponding away fixture on the 4th of August. The backlash had to come some time and St Joseph's felt it.
Nick Russell, with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Bernie Simpson fought their opponents hard throughout the match and recovered well after dropping 5 at the 9th end, replying with a 3,2 and 1. Unfortunately, with the match balanced at 17-17 at the 19th end the home rink dropped a 2 and 1 to lose 17-20. Iain Russell, Bryn Owen, Peter Mynett and John Beacham were behind in long periods of their match but a purple patch in the middle saw them leading 13-12 at the 12th end but then St Joe's established themselves scoring 12 shots to 4 to win 24-17. Barrie Thomas, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris started 3-0 at the first end and never looked back, being ahead throughout, relaxing towards the end but winning convincingly 20-14. Mark Krawiecki, Colin Howson, Brian Pearce and Peter Neville were the best performing home rink winning with a pleasantly neat symmetrical score of 31-13. They raced to a 9-0 lead after 4 ends when the opposition began to erode the lead and a disastrous 6 conceded by the Tyrchs at the 7th end gave the Joes parity at 9-9. Lesser teams may have buckled after such a hammer blow but this was the signal for the Tyrchs to show true mental resilience and allow superior bowling skills to shine through and flourish - playing for fun at times - only conceding 4 more shots and scoring 22.
Captain for the day, Iain Russell politely understated his joy at Pentyrch's victory and wished St Joseph's well for next season when they will have been promoted despite today's loss. Congratulations to them. The last remaining match of the season is another tough PG1 fixture next Wednesday, away to another promotion chasing team, Llantrisant and after today Pentyrch should approach the match with renewed confidence.
Saturday 25th August Cardiff Athletic 104-64 Pentyrch
****** Little magic from the Tyrchs ******
Sadly, another tale of woe in the PG1 competition and for the second week, over a hundred shots conceded. Pentyrch were hoping to try and redress the balance after last weekend's heavy defeat but once more only one rink really produced any magic. This was ironic as only a few metres away, at the Cardiff Blues Stadium, a Quidditch tournament was taking place but that was where most of the magic remained as far as the Tyrchs were concerned. The Cardiff Pride event was also going on in nearby Bute Park but in contrast to previous year's fixtures, no sounds of music from the concert came our way and no disruption in our journey to get to the bowling green. The Athletic green looked to have emerged very well for the hot conditions of earlier in the summer and was heavy until later in the match.
Nick Russell skipped Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Colin Howson to a dominant 25-18 win. They raced away to an 8-2 lead by the 6th end, then let the Athletic back in to go down 10-11 at the 12th but showed great determination and skill to take back the lead and go on extending it, finishing with an emphatic exclamation mark of a 4 at the final end. Iain Russell with John Davies, Peter Mynett and John Beacham were behind for most of the match and with a 4 at the 16th end got to 15-19, but no closer, losing 17-22 at the end. The last two Pentyrch rinks ended up being in a dubious race to the bottom. Barrie Thomas with Mark Krawiecki, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson stared brightly with 3 at the first end but this proved a false dawn, going on to only score in 5 more ends. The final score was 30-10 to Cardiff whose skip produced a fine display of bowling, backed up by solid performances from his players and a little luck. Ian Broxton, Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Brian Pearce suffered a similar fate, only scoring at 6 ends, losing 34-12.
After the match,the Cardiff captain talked hopefully about still having ambitions of promotion and Pentyrch had given them some encouragement today. Ian Broxton then told a joke that made more people laugh than usual. Reasons to be cheerful!
Nick Russell skipped Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Colin Howson to a dominant 25-18 win. They raced away to an 8-2 lead by the 6th end, then let the Athletic back in to go down 10-11 at the 12th but showed great determination and skill to take back the lead and go on extending it, finishing with an emphatic exclamation mark of a 4 at the final end. Iain Russell with John Davies, Peter Mynett and John Beacham were behind for most of the match and with a 4 at the 16th end got to 15-19, but no closer, losing 17-22 at the end. The last two Pentyrch rinks ended up being in a dubious race to the bottom. Barrie Thomas with Mark Krawiecki, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson stared brightly with 3 at the first end but this proved a false dawn, going on to only score in 5 more ends. The final score was 30-10 to Cardiff whose skip produced a fine display of bowling, backed up by solid performances from his players and a little luck. Ian Broxton, Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Brian Pearce suffered a similar fate, only scoring at 6 ends, losing 34-12.
After the match,the Cardiff captain talked hopefully about still having ambitions of promotion and Pentyrch had given them some encouragement today. Ian Broxton then told a joke that made more people laugh than usual. Reasons to be cheerful!
Wednesday 22nd August Whitchurch 59-45 Pentyrch
****** Tasty pies! ******
This was the last fixture in the Cardiff Midweek League and a short trip to Whitchurch that had been delayed by a week at the hosts' request. The Whitchurch green, although showing signs of recovery from the hot conditions of earlier in the season, still showed many scars from the scorching. The recent persistent rain and damp created heavy and tricky conditions for play. Pentyrch made some recovery from Saturday's defeat with a reasonably respectable result. The Tyrchs have won six fixtures and drawn one in the CMWL this season.
Mark Krawiecki, with John Davies, Denzil Thomas and Peter Neville lost 21-10, a score that did not quite reflect how close some of the ends had been but scoring in only in one third of the ends was not good enough. Nick Russell, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Eagle had a close tussle, holding off the home side for most of the match and were 10-10 at the final end but sadly conceded a 4 at the last end to lose 14-10, this after having restricted the opponents to singles and only one two previously. Barrie Thomas, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris also had a close battle and were 9-6 up at the 10th end but then faded conceding 7 shots to 1, losing 13-10. The only winning rink was Ian Broxton, Iain Russell, Keith Capron and Colin Howson who looked, at the 11th end at 5-11 down to be heading for defeat but then rose, almost Lazarus-like to score 2,4,1 and 3 to run out deserved 15-11 winners.
The hot pies after the match went down well with liberal coatings of red and brown sauce as the captains wished everyone well for the winter and for any remaining fixtures and competitions. Come to think of it, recent after match food at Whitchurch and Whitchurch Hospital (See report for August 11th) has been particularly tasty if not healthy!
Mark Krawiecki, with John Davies, Denzil Thomas and Peter Neville lost 21-10, a score that did not quite reflect how close some of the ends had been but scoring in only in one third of the ends was not good enough. Nick Russell, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Eagle had a close tussle, holding off the home side for most of the match and were 10-10 at the final end but sadly conceded a 4 at the last end to lose 14-10, this after having restricted the opponents to singles and only one two previously. Barrie Thomas, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris also had a close battle and were 9-6 up at the 10th end but then faded conceding 7 shots to 1, losing 13-10. The only winning rink was Ian Broxton, Iain Russell, Keith Capron and Colin Howson who looked, at the 11th end at 5-11 down to be heading for defeat but then rose, almost Lazarus-like to score 2,4,1 and 3 to run out deserved 15-11 winners.
The hot pies after the match went down well with liberal coatings of red and brown sauce as the captains wished everyone well for the winter and for any remaining fixtures and competitions. Come to think of it, recent after match food at Whitchurch and Whitchurch Hospital (See report for August 11th) has been particularly tasty if not healthy!
Saturday 18th August Pentyrch 54-111 Penarth
****** Hammered! ******
Unfortunately, this was the heaviest defeat of the season in this home PG1 match to Penarth. It was a gloomy and damp August day with the weather closing in ominously, as the nearby Garth disappeared from view under a shroud of mist. The green has now recovered much of it's greenness after being scorched to a pale straw colour only a couple of weeks ago: it is also much slower. The Seasiders adjusted to the conditions much better than the home team and earned their commanding win.
The only winning rink was skipped by Mark Krawiecki with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Beacham. A highlight for them was scoring 6, appropriately at the 6th end which game them a 7-4 lead but they only added 1 to that score until the 14th end by which time they were 14-8 down. They then found a rhythm that, excitingly gave them a 17-16 lead at the 20th end.At the final end, then, with both skips having one wood left each, and Pentyrch holding one shot, the Penarth skip knocked the jack back to a winning position of holding 4. The other Penarth players who had finished their matches, congratulated their fellow skip on scoring a "winning" shot. However,... MK with his last shot, composed himself and bowled, with pace, accurately through a narrow gap and knocked one of John Beacham's red woods in for shot! 18-16. "Well done, mate," muttered a sad voice from the Ladies' (opposition) changing room.
Barrie Thomas with Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris started slowly and were 7-0 down after 3 ends but came back to 7-7 at the 6th end. The opposition then scored highly and quickly to lead 19-10 at the 13th, the Tyrchs them responded again to get back to 15-19 at the 16th but the gap between scores remained and grew until the end of the match to 9 with the score at 16-25. Colin Howson, John Davies, Peter Mynett and Brian Pearce had an early 5-0 lead after 2 ends which was wiped out by 5 from Penarth at the 3rd end. after that, the Seasiders pulled away consistently. Pentyrch slowed the opposition progress temporarily with a 3 at the 11th end to make the scores 10-16 but then only scored one more shot in the match, eventually going down 11-33. Ian Broxton, Peter Neville, Keith Capron and Bernie Simpson had a bad day the office and lost heavily 9-37.
So, Pentyrch will need to reflect and try to rally themselves for Whitchurch away in the CMWL next Wednesday and away to Cardiff Athletic in the PG1 next Saturday to avoid too negative a close to the season which, in general has had some good results.
The only winning rink was skipped by Mark Krawiecki with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Beacham. A highlight for them was scoring 6, appropriately at the 6th end which game them a 7-4 lead but they only added 1 to that score until the 14th end by which time they were 14-8 down. They then found a rhythm that, excitingly gave them a 17-16 lead at the 20th end.At the final end, then, with both skips having one wood left each, and Pentyrch holding one shot, the Penarth skip knocked the jack back to a winning position of holding 4. The other Penarth players who had finished their matches, congratulated their fellow skip on scoring a "winning" shot. However,... MK with his last shot, composed himself and bowled, with pace, accurately through a narrow gap and knocked one of John Beacham's red woods in for shot! 18-16. "Well done, mate," muttered a sad voice from the Ladies' (opposition) changing room.
Barrie Thomas with Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris started slowly and were 7-0 down after 3 ends but came back to 7-7 at the 6th end. The opposition then scored highly and quickly to lead 19-10 at the 13th, the Tyrchs them responded again to get back to 15-19 at the 16th but the gap between scores remained and grew until the end of the match to 9 with the score at 16-25. Colin Howson, John Davies, Peter Mynett and Brian Pearce had an early 5-0 lead after 2 ends which was wiped out by 5 from Penarth at the 3rd end. after that, the Seasiders pulled away consistently. Pentyrch slowed the opposition progress temporarily with a 3 at the 11th end to make the scores 10-16 but then only scored one more shot in the match, eventually going down 11-33. Ian Broxton, Peter Neville, Keith Capron and Bernie Simpson had a bad day the office and lost heavily 9-37.
So, Pentyrch will need to reflect and try to rally themselves for Whitchurch away in the CMWL next Wednesday and away to Cardiff Athletic in the PG1 next Saturday to avoid too negative a close to the season which, in general has had some good results.
Saturday 11th August Whitchurch Hospital - Pentyrch
****** Great weather for Ducks! ******
It started raining late morning in Cardiff and did not stop until about 6 in the evening and during that time there were periods of heavy, sustained rain. Despite the hard and dry condition of all greens in the Cardiff area, the persistent rain had created a heavy and slow surface for the teams to cope with at Whitchurch Hospital in this PG1 fixture. It was the first time for many weeks that wet weather gear and umbrellas were the order of the day, instead of sunglasses, shorts and suncream.
Whitchurch Hospital were the winners, winning 3 rinks to Pentyrch's one, skipped by Mark Krawiecki (back from holiday) with Colin Howson, Howard Thomas and Brian Pearce. Losing rinks were skipped by Ian Broxton, Brian Ilbery and Keith Davies.
The author apologises for no outdoor pictures for fear of ruining his smartphone in the sodden conditions but was pleased to record the magnificent post match food provided by the opposition at the Earl Haig Club in Whitchurch. The chicken curry, chips and sausage were excellent and tasted all the better for having had to have worked so hard in the cold and rain! The pictures show the amount of food for one rink only! Selfishly, some Pentyrch players had hoped for a postponement of the match in the vain hope for another chance of having curry and chips again. Thanks to everyone at Whitchurch Hospital for the match, hospitality and most of all, your company. It's why we play this great game.
Whitchurch Hospital were the winners, winning 3 rinks to Pentyrch's one, skipped by Mark Krawiecki (back from holiday) with Colin Howson, Howard Thomas and Brian Pearce. Losing rinks were skipped by Ian Broxton, Brian Ilbery and Keith Davies.
The author apologises for no outdoor pictures for fear of ruining his smartphone in the sodden conditions but was pleased to record the magnificent post match food provided by the opposition at the Earl Haig Club in Whitchurch. The chicken curry, chips and sausage were excellent and tasted all the better for having had to have worked so hard in the cold and rain! The pictures show the amount of food for one rink only! Selfishly, some Pentyrch players had hoped for a postponement of the match in the vain hope for another chance of having curry and chips again. Thanks to everyone at Whitchurch Hospital for the match, hospitality and most of all, your company. It's why we play this great game.
Wednesday 8th August Pentyrch 57-61 Rhiwbina
****** Rhiwbina sneak it. ******
There have been a few narrow defeats this season, and here was another example in this CMWL fixture against Rhiwbina. Father and son skips, Iain and Nick were with winning rinks whilst two rinks lost.
Rink Scores:
I. Russell (with J. Beacham, J. Eagle & J. Davies) won 18-11
N. Russell (with J. Tarr, H. Thomas & D. Wibley) won 18-16
B. Thomas (with O. Morris, B. Simpson & B. Ilbery) lost 11-15
I. Broxton (with D. Thomas, A. Lowndes & C. Howson) lost 10-19
Rink Scores:
I. Russell (with J. Beacham, J. Eagle & J. Davies) won 18-11
N. Russell (with J. Tarr, H. Thomas & D. Wibley) won 18-16
B. Thomas (with O. Morris, B. Simpson & B. Ilbery) lost 11-15
I. Broxton (with D. Thomas, A. Lowndes & C. Howson) lost 10-19
Saturday 4th August St Joseph's 91-65 Pentyrch
****** A moral victory over St Joes ******
With three winning rinks over PG1 League Leaders, St Joseph's the Tyrchs felt they had won a moral victory. Unfortunately, the deficit of the losing rink meant that the statistical victory went to the opposition.
Rink Scores:
Iain Russell (with J. Davies, R. Howell & C. Howson) won 20-18
Barrie Thomas (with D. Wibley, H. Thomas & B. Simpson) won 20-19
Ian Broxton (with K. Davies, K. Capron & D. Thomas) won 20-15
Peter Neville (with B. Pearce & J. Beacham) lost 5-39* (triple, no reserves available)
Rink Scores:
Iain Russell (with J. Davies, R. Howell & C. Howson) won 20-18
Barrie Thomas (with D. Wibley, H. Thomas & B. Simpson) won 20-19
Ian Broxton (with K. Davies, K. Capron & D. Thomas) won 20-15
Peter Neville (with B. Pearce & J. Beacham) lost 5-39* (triple, no reserves available)
Wednesday 1st August Cardiff Athletic 67-51 Pentyrch
****** Defeat at the Athletic ******
Cardiff Midweek League
Rink Scores:
I. Russell (with J. Davies, A. Lowndes & J. Tarr) won 22-9
I. Broxton (with B. Ilbery, R. Howell & O. Morris) won 17-13
P. Neville (with B. Pearce, P. Mynett & J. Beacham) lost 24-8
C. Howson (with D. Thomas, H. Thomas & J. Eagle) lost 21-4
Rink Scores:
I. Russell (with J. Davies, A. Lowndes & J. Tarr) won 22-9
I. Broxton (with B. Ilbery, R. Howell & O. Morris) won 17-13
P. Neville (with B. Pearce, P. Mynett & J. Beacham) lost 24-8
C. Howson (with D. Thomas, H. Thomas & J. Eagle) lost 21-4
Saturday 28th July Mackintosh 63-82 Pentyrch
****** The Return of the King! ******
With apologies to JR Tolkien, but at least this was the conclusion of our trilogy with the Mackintosh and a happy ending for the Tyrchs who won this away PG1 fixture.
Rink Scores:
B. Thomas (with B. Ilbery, B. Simpson & O. Morris) won 28 - 14
I. Broxton (with D. Wibley, H. Thomas & B. Pearce) won 21 - 13
I. Russell (with J. Davies, R. Howell & C. Howson) drew 19 - 19
P. Neville (with D. Thomas, P. Mynett & J. Beacham) lost 14 - 17
Rink Scores:
B. Thomas (with B. Ilbery, B. Simpson & O. Morris) won 28 - 14
I. Broxton (with D. Wibley, H. Thomas & B. Pearce) won 21 - 13
I. Russell (with J. Davies, R. Howell & C. Howson) drew 19 - 19
P. Neville (with D. Thomas, P. Mynett & J. Beacham) lost 14 - 17
Wednesday 25th July Mackintosh 76-64 Pentyrch
****** One all ******
In the second of our three meetings in the space of less than a week, The Mackintosh took the spoils in this CMWL fixture.
Rink Scores:
I Russell lost 9-22, P Neville lost 13-24, N Russell lost 14-19 and Ian Broxton won 28-11
Rink Scores:
I Russell lost 9-22, P Neville lost 13-24, N Russell lost 14-19 and Ian Broxton won 28-11
Tuesday 24th July Pentyrch 75-48 Mackintosh
****** Round 1 to Pentyrch ******
This was the first of three encounters with the Mackintosh over the next 5 days in a quirk of the fixtures. This was a rearranged PG1 fixture with an away CMWL fixture to follow tomorrow and an away PG1 fixture on Saturday - The Tyrchs got the better of the first instalment of the Mack Trilogy. The green was fast but had slowed down somewhat since the weekend due to a couple of hours of welcome rain in the morning. This was a solid performance from the home side and a good follow-up to last Saturday's narrow win, with all four rinks winning.
Mark Krawiecki, back as skip with Don Wibley, Peter Mynett and Dave Ashmore, had to come from 2-7 behind at the 7th end, scoring for 8 consecutive ends to take a 13-7 lead as they found consistency. Four shots conceded as they relaxed at the end gave them a 13-11 win. Peter Neville,successful at skip again, ably supported by Brian Pearce, Denzil Thomas and John Beacham were 9-9 at the ninth end before winning 22-14, at a canter. Captain Ian Broxton with John Davies, Howard Thomas and Colin Howson led comfortably all the way through winning 20-15 with the highlight of a 5 at the 7th end. The easiest and most comprehensive win was by Barrie Thomas, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris leading all the way through with a solid team effort. So, a good start for the Tyrchs: it remains to be seen how the Tyrchs will perform on a reportedly fast Mackintosh green and how the Macks will respond to losing round one...
Mark Krawiecki, back as skip with Don Wibley, Peter Mynett and Dave Ashmore, had to come from 2-7 behind at the 7th end, scoring for 8 consecutive ends to take a 13-7 lead as they found consistency. Four shots conceded as they relaxed at the end gave them a 13-11 win. Peter Neville,successful at skip again, ably supported by Brian Pearce, Denzil Thomas and John Beacham were 9-9 at the ninth end before winning 22-14, at a canter. Captain Ian Broxton with John Davies, Howard Thomas and Colin Howson led comfortably all the way through winning 20-15 with the highlight of a 5 at the 7th end. The easiest and most comprehensive win was by Barrie Thomas, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris leading all the way through with a solid team effort. So, a good start for the Tyrchs: it remains to be seen how the Tyrchs will perform on a reportedly fast Mackintosh green and how the Macks will respond to losing round one...
Saturday 21st July Pentyrch 79-78 Sully Sports
****** Pentyrch do the double by a whisker ******
For the first time this season, Pentyrch did the double over another team. Having beaten Sully Sports on all 4 rinks way back in April, they won by a single shot today, although only on one rink. Again the dry conditions proved extremely challenging for the players of both teams with pace so quick and line becoming ever further from the centre.
Barrie Thomas with Brian Ilbery, Bernie Simpson and Owen Morris winning convincingly 27-11. Their total included a 6 at the 6th end and never conceding more that one shot at any end. Iain Russell, Denzil Thomas, Keith Capron and Mark Krawiecki, as lead again came very close, losing 20-22. A 5 for them at the 5th end going ahead 7-5 was the last time they scored until the 14th end by which time they were 18-8 down then staged a comeback to get to 20-21 at the 20th end. The opposition managed to squeeze one more shot at the 21st to win 22-20. Ian Broxton, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Brian Pearce fought a close match and the lead between the two sides changed a few times until the 19th end when Sully broke away to lead 24-18 at the 20th. At the 21st end Pentyrch took two shots and most spectacularly, Ian Broxton scored the overall match winning shot with the last bowl. Nick Russell, Colin Howson, John Davies and John Beacham had a difficult battle with resilient opponents and NR's rink were 10-5 up at the halfway stage. Sully then rallied and steadily pulled away to win 21-12.
Good to get a PG1 win again. There now follow 3 matches against the Mackintosh in the next week, two of which are PG1 matches. A good chance for another double, even treble? One match at a time...
Barrie Thomas with Brian Ilbery, Bernie Simpson and Owen Morris winning convincingly 27-11. Their total included a 6 at the 6th end and never conceding more that one shot at any end. Iain Russell, Denzil Thomas, Keith Capron and Mark Krawiecki, as lead again came very close, losing 20-22. A 5 for them at the 5th end going ahead 7-5 was the last time they scored until the 14th end by which time they were 18-8 down then staged a comeback to get to 20-21 at the 20th end. The opposition managed to squeeze one more shot at the 21st to win 22-20. Ian Broxton, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Brian Pearce fought a close match and the lead between the two sides changed a few times until the 19th end when Sully broke away to lead 24-18 at the 20th. At the 21st end Pentyrch took two shots and most spectacularly, Ian Broxton scored the overall match winning shot with the last bowl. Nick Russell, Colin Howson, John Davies and John Beacham had a difficult battle with resilient opponents and NR's rink were 10-5 up at the halfway stage. Sully then rallied and steadily pulled away to win 21-12.
Good to get a PG1 win again. There now follow 3 matches against the Mackintosh in the next week, two of which are PG1 matches. A good chance for another double, even treble? One match at a time...
Wednesday 18th July Pentyrch 80-53 Taffs Well
****** Wellmen Well beaten! ******
An impressive home victory against local rivals Taffs Well in the CMWL for Pentyrch. Back in May Pentyrch had lost by only two shots in the corresponding away fixture and tonight earned a second midweek victory in a row with three winning rinks against a Taffs Well team who could not come to terms with the fast pace of the now parched "green".
Pick of the Pentyrch winning rinks was Nick Russell with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Jeff Tarr who ruthlessly exploited the weaknesses of the Taffs Well rink, skipped by the usually unerring Ian Best. NR and his rink took full advantage scoring consistently and highly with two 4s at the 16th and 17th ends to emphasise their superiority. Ian Broxton, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris were also solid throughout their match and were 10-0 up by the the 6th end. Their opponents came back to 15-9 at the 16th end but the Tyrchs signed off with a 2 and 4 to comfortably win 21-9. Peter Neville, Brian Pearce, Alan Lowndes and John Beacham had a good old-fashioned tussle, scoring an amazing 7 at end 4 to go 8-2 up. Taffs Well then came back strongly to go 15-12 up at the 15th, Pentyrch then somehow managed to reply with 6 unanswered shots to win 18-15. Unfortunately, the rink of Iain Russell, Denzil Thomas, John Davies and Mark Krawiecki could not emulate their colleagues' victories and committed bowling suicide from an apparently, unassailable 14-4 lead at the 12th end, then conceded 18 unanswered shots to lose 14-22. A dramatic loss of form, that coincided with the opponents playing very well, left the Tyrchs scratching their heads wondering what had happened. Thankfully, overall, it was a good team victory against opponents who were uncharacteristically subdued in the post-match festivities.
Pick of the Pentyrch winning rinks was Nick Russell with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Jeff Tarr who ruthlessly exploited the weaknesses of the Taffs Well rink, skipped by the usually unerring Ian Best. NR and his rink took full advantage scoring consistently and highly with two 4s at the 16th and 17th ends to emphasise their superiority. Ian Broxton, Brian Ilbery, Russell Howell and Owen Morris were also solid throughout their match and were 10-0 up by the the 6th end. Their opponents came back to 15-9 at the 16th end but the Tyrchs signed off with a 2 and 4 to comfortably win 21-9. Peter Neville, Brian Pearce, Alan Lowndes and John Beacham had a good old-fashioned tussle, scoring an amazing 7 at end 4 to go 8-2 up. Taffs Well then came back strongly to go 15-12 up at the 15th, Pentyrch then somehow managed to reply with 6 unanswered shots to win 18-15. Unfortunately, the rink of Iain Russell, Denzil Thomas, John Davies and Mark Krawiecki could not emulate their colleagues' victories and committed bowling suicide from an apparently, unassailable 14-4 lead at the 12th end, then conceded 18 unanswered shots to lose 14-22. A dramatic loss of form, that coincided with the opponents playing very well, left the Tyrchs scratching their heads wondering what had happened. Thankfully, overall, it was a good team victory against opponents who were uncharacteristically subdued in the post-match festivities.
Saturday 14th July Pentyrch 58-95 Whitchurch Hospital
****** Major relapse against the Hospital ******
This was the second meeting of the clubs in four days with Whitchurch Hospital, this time making the short journey for the PG1 Fixture. A stronger Whitchurch team came looking to rise from their metaphorical sickbed of Wednesday evening, appearing to have taken a powerful prescription, that was just what the doctor ordered, to beat Pentyrch who suffered a major relapse! Once again, more days of hot sun and no rain meant that the surface was very fast and generally the visitors adapted more effectively than the Tyrchs.
Barry Thomas with Don Wibley, Russell Howell and Owen Morris were the only rink not to lose having fought closely with the opposition throughout and at 14-18 down at the 19th end did well to get an 18-18 draw. Nick Russell, John Davies, Howard Thomas and Bernie Simpson tried hard but could not find consistency to worry the opposition. The teams exchanged a 4 at the 6th and 7th ends but with the Hospital 10-6 ahead they slowly but surely built an unassailable lead. At 10-21 down at the 18th end they scored 5 in the last 3 to lose 15-21. Brian Ilbery with Keith Daves, Keith Capron and John Beacham were looking good at 10-3 up at the 9th end but then only scored 5 more shots in the match. Their opposite numbers scored consistently to win 24-15 rubbing salt into the wounds with a 5 at the last end. Mark Krawiecki, Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Brian Pearce were beaten by opponents who all mastered the tricky conditions much better than them, especially the Harper brothers at 3rd and skip. They were never threatened,winning 32-10. This was the second PG1 match that MK, as skip had conceded over 30 shots and in the last three matches has now conceded a difference of -58 shots!
So, a bad day at the surgery!
MK for the second weekend had stood inas captain and again wished he hadn't. Not the best of circumstances to make a the post-match address and made more interesting by the presence in the rugby club of a traditional male voice choir who were going through a rousing repertoire of well known pop songs and traditional Welsh songs. They politely agreed to MK's request for a few moments of quiet while the captains made their speeches. MK had asked requested they sing something appropriately funereal for Pentyrch, but their musical director said they didn't have anything like that! Anyway, thanks to the Mynydd Mawr Male voice choir for taking some of the sting out of the day. Selection will be interesting for the next couple of matches.
Barry Thomas with Don Wibley, Russell Howell and Owen Morris were the only rink not to lose having fought closely with the opposition throughout and at 14-18 down at the 19th end did well to get an 18-18 draw. Nick Russell, John Davies, Howard Thomas and Bernie Simpson tried hard but could not find consistency to worry the opposition. The teams exchanged a 4 at the 6th and 7th ends but with the Hospital 10-6 ahead they slowly but surely built an unassailable lead. At 10-21 down at the 18th end they scored 5 in the last 3 to lose 15-21. Brian Ilbery with Keith Daves, Keith Capron and John Beacham were looking good at 10-3 up at the 9th end but then only scored 5 more shots in the match. Their opposite numbers scored consistently to win 24-15 rubbing salt into the wounds with a 5 at the last end. Mark Krawiecki, Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Brian Pearce were beaten by opponents who all mastered the tricky conditions much better than them, especially the Harper brothers at 3rd and skip. They were never threatened,winning 32-10. This was the second PG1 match that MK, as skip had conceded over 30 shots and in the last three matches has now conceded a difference of -58 shots!
So, a bad day at the surgery!
MK for the second weekend had stood inas captain and again wished he hadn't. Not the best of circumstances to make a the post-match address and made more interesting by the presence in the rugby club of a traditional male voice choir who were going through a rousing repertoire of well known pop songs and traditional Welsh songs. They politely agreed to MK's request for a few moments of quiet while the captains made their speeches. MK had asked requested they sing something appropriately funereal for Pentyrch, but their musical director said they didn't have anything like that! Anyway, thanks to the Mynydd Mawr Male voice choir for taking some of the sting out of the day. Selection will be interesting for the next couple of matches.
Wednesday 11th July Whitchurch Hospital 63-72 Pentyrch
****** Signs of recovery at the Hospital ******
It was back to winning ways for Pentyrch for the first time since the middle of June, thanks in no small part to Nick Russell and his rink. The Tyrchs went to Whitchurch Hospital on an overcast but still muggy evening and were greeted by the sight of a parched rink and the forlorn looking background of the slowly decaying, once magnificent buildings of the now closed Whitchurch Hospital. Some might say, some radical changes to the selection, worked in achieving the welcome victory. That will need to be considered over a longer period of time, but for this evening it worked.
Highlight of the Pentyrch win was the performance of Nick Russell, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Jeff Tarr with a magnificent 27-6 win which more than made up for the two losing Pentyrch rinks. Well done to Nick and his team, in what was an example of all four players on a rink performing well together. Barrie Thomas, with Brian Ilbery playing in the, for him, uncustomary position of third, with Russell Howell and Owen Morris (currently in great form as lead) also had a good evening with a solid performance, winning 18-11, only once being behind by one after the first end. This is where the match was won and where there was some recovery from recent matches. Not so with the two losing rinks: Iain Russell, Colion Howson, John Eagle and Brian Pearce lost 14-23 scoring a 6,3,2,2 and 1 but not scoring at enough ends to be a threat. Worst performance was a 13-23 defeat for Mark Krawiecki, John Davies, Keith Capron and Peter Neville. They spent most of the evening fighting a rearguard action, scoring a flash-in-the-pan 6 which proved to be little consolation. Fortunately for them, the two winning rinks had accumulated enough shots to gain the overall win. The selectors and MK himself, will now have to consider more changes, in particular at the position of skip having accumulated a deficit of 36 shots in 2 matches is hardly inspirational stuff. Amputation? A bitter pill to swallow? Kill or cure?
Pentyrch entertain Whitchurch Hospital this coming Saturday in a PG1 fixture and will look for signs of recovery to continue.
Highlight of the Pentyrch win was the performance of Nick Russell, Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Jeff Tarr with a magnificent 27-6 win which more than made up for the two losing Pentyrch rinks. Well done to Nick and his team, in what was an example of all four players on a rink performing well together. Barrie Thomas, with Brian Ilbery playing in the, for him, uncustomary position of third, with Russell Howell and Owen Morris (currently in great form as lead) also had a good evening with a solid performance, winning 18-11, only once being behind by one after the first end. This is where the match was won and where there was some recovery from recent matches. Not so with the two losing rinks: Iain Russell, Colion Howson, John Eagle and Brian Pearce lost 14-23 scoring a 6,3,2,2 and 1 but not scoring at enough ends to be a threat. Worst performance was a 13-23 defeat for Mark Krawiecki, John Davies, Keith Capron and Peter Neville. They spent most of the evening fighting a rearguard action, scoring a flash-in-the-pan 6 which proved to be little consolation. Fortunately for them, the two winning rinks had accumulated enough shots to gain the overall win. The selectors and MK himself, will now have to consider more changes, in particular at the position of skip having accumulated a deficit of 36 shots in 2 matches is hardly inspirational stuff. Amputation? A bitter pill to swallow? Kill or cure?
Pentyrch entertain Whitchurch Hospital this coming Saturday in a PG1 fixture and will look for signs of recovery to continue.
Sunday 8th July John Calnan Cup
****** A scorcher for the John Calnan Cup ******
One of the hottest days of the year so far, and an ever speeding and dehydrating green was the stage for this John Calnan Cup Day, well organised by Margaret Krawiecka, this year's Competition Secretary. Eighteen brave bowlers were drawn into six groups who would each play each other in a round robin format. The top two teams would then go on to contest the final. Margaret K gathered the competitors in the cool of the pavilion to brief the players on the history, rules and format of the tournament. The names for the teams were then drawn in a hushed atmosphere.
The first three rounds were followed by a much-needed break from the sweltering conditions, with many players saying how difficult the pace of the green was. Suitably, but only slightly refreshed, given the heat,the players took to the green for the final two rounds. The two winning teams were announced to contest the final. Nick Russell (one of last year's winners), Howard Thomas and Ann Angle would play Mark Krawiecki, Dave Ashmore and Owen Morris. With two ends of the final played, it was discovered that due to an incorrectly marked scorecard, Barrie Thomas (another of last year's winners), Russell Howell and Mel Newton should be contesting the final. The final began again with Nick, Howard and Ann winning the trophy. Nick will be hoping to make it an unprecedented hat-trick next year. Congratulations to the winners and commiserations to the runners-up. A good trivia question in future will be "When was the John Calnan Cup Final contested by 3 teams?"
Despite the, for some, overwhelming heat, it was a very enjoyable afternoon and the format was praised for enabling all the contestants to play against each other during the course of the afternoon. After the recent, and possibly still to come dramatic penalty shoot-outs in the World Cup, some had been looking forward to a penalty-shoot out in the event of tied results to decide the finalists - another time, maybe? Some good competitive bowls was also played during the day encouraged by the competition. Thanks to everyone who helped with preparation of rinks, food, tidying up afterwards and in particular to Margaret K for organising the event.
The first three rounds were followed by a much-needed break from the sweltering conditions, with many players saying how difficult the pace of the green was. Suitably, but only slightly refreshed, given the heat,the players took to the green for the final two rounds. The two winning teams were announced to contest the final. Nick Russell (one of last year's winners), Howard Thomas and Ann Angle would play Mark Krawiecki, Dave Ashmore and Owen Morris. With two ends of the final played, it was discovered that due to an incorrectly marked scorecard, Barrie Thomas (another of last year's winners), Russell Howell and Mel Newton should be contesting the final. The final began again with Nick, Howard and Ann winning the trophy. Nick will be hoping to make it an unprecedented hat-trick next year. Congratulations to the winners and commiserations to the runners-up. A good trivia question in future will be "When was the John Calnan Cup Final contested by 3 teams?"
Despite the, for some, overwhelming heat, it was a very enjoyable afternoon and the format was praised for enabling all the contestants to play against each other during the course of the afternoon. After the recent, and possibly still to come dramatic penalty shoot-outs in the World Cup, some had been looking forward to a penalty-shoot out in the event of tied results to decide the finalists - another time, maybe? Some good competitive bowls was also played during the day encouraged by the competition. Thanks to everyone who helped with preparation of rinks, food, tidying up afterwards and in particular to Margaret K for organising the event.
Saturday 7th July Pentyrch 42-96 Llantrisant
****** Llantrisant turn up the heat on Tyrchs ******
The summer heat carried on relentlessly on the afternoon of this PG1 match at home to Llantrisant who are fighting St Joseph's for the top spot in the league. Far away in southern Russia two teams were playing in the quarter final of a football match. As well as a hot sun and fast green, the home team had to contend with a Llantrisant side on fire from a playing point of view. A day for hats, sun screen, shorts for some and plenty of drink. Pentyrch had lost two players on the morning of the match, and for the first time this season played one player short. Mark Krawiecki, stood in as captain on a day when he wished he hadn't and the home team were simply overwhelmed by the better and stronger team. Ironically, the rink with one player short, acquitted themselves best in getting a draw.
Mark Krawiecki with Peter Neville, Keith Capron and Brian Pearce were never in it and were ruthlessly beaten 8-34 offering scant resistance to the opposition. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Howard Thomas and John Beacham didn't fare much better, being 4-27 down at the 18th end, scoring 6 shots in the last 3 ends, which were poor and belated consolation, to lose 10-27. Barrie Thomas, Colin Howson, Russell Howell and Owen Morris were also overwhelmed 8-19. The triple of Iain Russell, Colin Howson and Bernie Simpson playing with 6 woods did well to draw 16-16.
The Tyrchs now have two fixtures against Whitchurch Hospital in seven days to begin a healing process and to look for a remedy from today's malaise. More medical puns, coming soon...
Mark Krawiecki with Peter Neville, Keith Capron and Brian Pearce were never in it and were ruthlessly beaten 8-34 offering scant resistance to the opposition. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Howard Thomas and John Beacham didn't fare much better, being 4-27 down at the 18th end, scoring 6 shots in the last 3 ends, which were poor and belated consolation, to lose 10-27. Barrie Thomas, Colin Howson, Russell Howell and Owen Morris were also overwhelmed 8-19. The triple of Iain Russell, Colin Howson and Bernie Simpson playing with 6 woods did well to draw 16-16.
The Tyrchs now have two fixtures against Whitchurch Hospital in seven days to begin a healing process and to look for a remedy from today's malaise. More medical puns, coming soon...
Wednesday 4th July Pentyrch 57-71 Cardiff (Sophia Gardens)
****** Cardiff do the Double ******
Another hot July evening for bowls at Parc-y-Dwrlyn for the CMWL home match despite earlier rain in the afternoon. A much closer result than the corresponding away fixture back at the beginning of May. Three home rinks lost, one rink drew. Brian Ilbery's rink with John Davies, Howard Thomas and John Beacham were 0-11 at the seventh end but came back well for a while in the middle of the match, eventually going down 10-22. Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell, Brain Pearce and Dave Ashmore just lost by one shot 13-14 in an closely fought match. Losing by one shot ran in the family, with Iain Russell, Keith Davies, John Eagle and Jeff Tarr going down 17-18 who made it difficult for themselves being 1-7 down at the fourth end but coming back to 17-17 at the 17th end! Barrie Thomas, Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Owen Morris gave a solid performance getting a worthy 17-17 draw getting their noses in front with a 4 at the 17th end to go 17-16 ahead.
Cardiff captain, Gary Duffy, didn't disappoint with a typically entertaining post-match speech, peppered with barbed remarks and cheery banter.
Cardiff captain, Gary Duffy, didn't disappoint with a typically entertaining post-match speech, peppered with barbed remarks and cheery banter.
Wednesday 27th June Penylan 97-34 Pentyrch
****** Penylan show no mercy ******
A heavy defeat away to Penylan in this CMWL fixture with all four rinks going down heavily. Penylan, smarting from a 4 rink PG1 defeat away to Ystradfechan at the weekend were in no mood to show any mercy. The visitors found great difficulty playing on the fastest surface of the season so far. Iain Russell's rink went down 4-30. Iain Broxton's 7-26 (at one time 0-19 down). Brian Ilbery's rink lost 12-21 and Nick Russell's 11-20. Enough said. No fixture this Saturday, so the Tyrchs will have to wait until next Wednesday to get this out of their system.
Tuesday 26th June Pentyrch Ladies 28 - 28 Whitchurch Ladies
****** Great draw with Whitchurch ******
After a scorching day, the evening temperature for this visit of the strong Whitchurch team was still very warm with a constant need for drinks and taking on water. The Ladies earned a very creditable drawn match. A player who had not played as skip so far this season, led her rink successfully, winning 16-7. The other Pentyrch rink lost 12-21 but scored enough shots to earn a good draw for the team. The combined score marked a big improvement on the result of the corresponding away fixture back at the beginning of May. Well done everyone!
Sunday 24th June Pentyrch 94-112 Yate Bowling Club
****** Great Afternoon's Bowling with Yate ******
The sun shone brightly and strongly for the visit of a mixed team from Yate, near Bristol for a friendly match. We had visited Yate on our way back from last year's tour. Quite a close match in overall score but the visitors won 4 of the 5 rinks. Well done to the only winning Pentyrch rink skipped by Brian Ilbery with Margaret Ellmes, Howard Thomas and Myra Andrews. A very pleasant afternoon's bowls with our friends from over the Severn Bridge. A magnificent buffet was organized by captain of the day,Eileen and the ladies. The pre-match Spider was won by a Yate bowler. Thanks to everyone who turned up to play, support, help set up and tidy away. Well done to Owen who is becoming very domesticated and would give Freddie Mercury a run for his money!
Saturday 23rd June Pentyrch 74-75 Cardiff Athletic
****** Sucker punch! ******
A fine warm summer's day greeted today's visitors, Cardiff Athletic, with the promise of increasing heat and sun in the coming days. Today's result was definitely one of those that got away. Later, in the evening with Sweden coming, oh so close, to knocking Germany out of the World Cup in the group stages we saw what happens when a team cannot kill a game off. What Toni Kroos did to save the holders in Sochi was reminiscent of what the great American heavyweight, Jack Dempsey once said,"Real champions get up, even when they can't." A similar analogy here, in so far as not finishing off your opponents, but the comparison with Cardiff Athletic's win to that of the current World Champions' recovery in Russia, can't be stretched that far.(with due respect to Cardiff Athletic Bowls team). After the 16th end, the Tyrchs were 65-50 up overall, 5 ends later losing the match by the one shot.
Mark Krawiecki's rink with Nick Russell, Don Wibley and Peter Neville, the only Pentyrch winning rink did play like champions, never once being behind, mastering the fast and tricky conditions, using subtlety and skill to draw some awesome shots and very occasionally, measured force, to win 26-11. Ian Broxton, Denzil Thomas, Keith Capron and Owen Morris were looking good at 9-6 up at the 10th end but then a haymaker of a 6 by the Athletic, left them reeling for the rest of the match to lose 14-23. Barrie Thomas, John Davies, Howard Thomas and John Beacham stood toe to toe with their opponents at 14-14 at the 14th end, 5 shots at the next 3 ends saw Cardiff take a lead of 19-15 and after an exchange of single shots at the final 3 ends, lost 17-20. Iain Russell, Keith Davies, Alan Lowndes and Bernie Simpson began slowly and were 2-7 down at the 7th end, then looked unstoppable in the middle third of the match scoring 11 unanswered shots, to be leading 13-7 at the 13th and despite taking a blow of 3 at the 14th, then replied with their own 3 at the 15th to go ahead 17-10 at the 16th after another single - so trading blow for blow but then the Athletic got up from the canvas with a vicious combination of their own 11 unanswered shots to win 21-17. The moral of the story is that the Tyrchs need to more ruthless in their approach and strive for consistency throughout a whole match. There are pleasing signs in general, however, and as previously noted in these reports considering the resources of our club, there are "Reasons to be cheerful." And Germany haven't qualified yet...
Mark Krawiecki's rink with Nick Russell, Don Wibley and Peter Neville, the only Pentyrch winning rink did play like champions, never once being behind, mastering the fast and tricky conditions, using subtlety and skill to draw some awesome shots and very occasionally, measured force, to win 26-11. Ian Broxton, Denzil Thomas, Keith Capron and Owen Morris were looking good at 9-6 up at the 10th end but then a haymaker of a 6 by the Athletic, left them reeling for the rest of the match to lose 14-23. Barrie Thomas, John Davies, Howard Thomas and John Beacham stood toe to toe with their opponents at 14-14 at the 14th end, 5 shots at the next 3 ends saw Cardiff take a lead of 19-15 and after an exchange of single shots at the final 3 ends, lost 17-20. Iain Russell, Keith Davies, Alan Lowndes and Bernie Simpson began slowly and were 2-7 down at the 7th end, then looked unstoppable in the middle third of the match scoring 11 unanswered shots, to be leading 13-7 at the 13th and despite taking a blow of 3 at the 14th, then replied with their own 3 at the 15th to go ahead 17-10 at the 16th after another single - so trading blow for blow but then the Athletic got up from the canvas with a vicious combination of their own 11 unanswered shots to win 21-17. The moral of the story is that the Tyrchs need to more ruthless in their approach and strive for consistency throughout a whole match. There are pleasing signs in general, however, and as previously noted in these reports considering the resources of our club, there are "Reasons to be cheerful." And Germany haven't qualified yet...
Wednesday 20th June Pentyrch Ladies 13-18 St Fagans Ladies
****** St Fagans do the Double ******
By coincidence, Pentyrch Ladies played a county rink match at home on the same evening as the Men's CMWL match (see report below). St Fagans took a substantial lead and were some 14 -2 shots ahead at one time, but the Pentyrch Ladies did not give up and made good inroads into the opponents' lead. The rink of Margaret Farmer, Eileen Boddington, Dawn Parker and Margaret Krawiecka eventually losing by the more creditable deficit of 13-18. It was great to see 5 rinks being used in competition at the same time - hasn't happened for some time.
Wednesday 20th June Pentyrch 59-62 St Fagans
****** St Fagans sneak it! ******
Pentyrch were involved in another very close CMWL fixture at home to local rivals St Fagans. A match that was in the balance until the very last end of the very last game, the Tyrchs are entitled to feel disappointed, although some might say that now that results are so close to victory, they now need to step up again and go for the kill.
Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Russell Howell and John Beacham won 22-14 showing the required ruthlessness against a St Fagans rink that had former Pentyrch regular, Mike Morgan playing as third, for the first time for many a year. Nick Russell with Colin Howson, Peter Mynett and Dave Ashmore fell short at the final end, having started slowly, 1-6 down at the 4th end they clawed their way back to take the lead for the first time in the match with a 3 at the 17th end to go 15-13 ahead. The opponents struck back with a 3 at the 18th to win by one shot 16-15. Captain, for the evening, Iain Russell with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and John Eagle also lost narrowly 13-16. This game was notable for the two teams exchanging 5's at the 9th and 11th ends. Barrie Thomas, Don Wibley, Sam Cole and Owen Morris had a hard battle against a St Fagans rink skipped by the vociferous Darren Turner who confirmed the Saints' victory with a 2 at the final end.
NB - the first time the new path was in use for a match day - an amazing improvement.
Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Russell Howell and John Beacham won 22-14 showing the required ruthlessness against a St Fagans rink that had former Pentyrch regular, Mike Morgan playing as third, for the first time for many a year. Nick Russell with Colin Howson, Peter Mynett and Dave Ashmore fell short at the final end, having started slowly, 1-6 down at the 4th end they clawed their way back to take the lead for the first time in the match with a 3 at the 17th end to go 15-13 ahead. The opponents struck back with a 3 at the 18th to win by one shot 16-15. Captain, for the evening, Iain Russell with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and John Eagle also lost narrowly 13-16. This game was notable for the two teams exchanging 5's at the 9th and 11th ends. Barrie Thomas, Don Wibley, Sam Cole and Owen Morris had a hard battle against a St Fagans rink skipped by the vociferous Darren Turner who confirmed the Saints' victory with a 2 at the final end.
NB - the first time the new path was in use for a match day - an amazing improvement.
Saturday 16th June Penarth 99-63 Pentyrch
****** Penarth in Control ******
Pentyrch travelled to the seaside again this weekend, this time for a Men's PG1 fixture at Penarth. Unusual to be only playing the second PG match of the season in the middle of June, after a month of Carruther's Shield Saturday fixtures. The Tyrchs were greeted by drizzle and very blustery conditions. The drizzle evaporated to warm sunshine but the gusty wind continued, occasionally being strong enough to disrupt some shots. Penarth proved to be too strong overall winning all 4 rinks. This was, in fact, the first time since 5th May that Pentyrch had lost on all four rinks: not bad for a squad of limited resources.
Barrie Thomas, playing at skip, with Ian Broxton, Peter Mynett and Colin Howson were the best Pentyrch rink, losing 25-23. They were 19-10 down at the 13th end then scored 11 unanswered shots to go ahead 23-21 at the 20th end, then snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by dropping 4 at the 21st. Iain Russell, Don Wibley, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson had a bad day at the office, with Iain also playing while unwell, losing 32-7. Mark Krawiecki with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Dave Ashmore were reasonably competitive, until the 12th end, when a dropped 4 gave the opponents a lead they built on until the 20th end when they were 20-11 up. A spectacular 5 at the 21st end by the Tyrchs made the final score 20-16 to Penarth. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Keith Capron and Owen Morris started well and at the halfway stage were only 9-10 down. The home team then dominated taking a 22-12 lead at the 19th end. A 1 and 4 for Pentyrch made the final score 22-17 to Penarth.
After the match, Captain Ian Broxton decided to tell a story instead of a joke which turned out to be a good move - it was quite clever and amusing. A wonderful tea was provided by the Penarth Ladies - thank you. We look forward to welcoming Penarth later in the season and playing on their short mat during the winter.
Barrie Thomas, playing at skip, with Ian Broxton, Peter Mynett and Colin Howson were the best Pentyrch rink, losing 25-23. They were 19-10 down at the 13th end then scored 11 unanswered shots to go ahead 23-21 at the 20th end, then snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by dropping 4 at the 21st. Iain Russell, Don Wibley, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson had a bad day at the office, with Iain also playing while unwell, losing 32-7. Mark Krawiecki with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Dave Ashmore were reasonably competitive, until the 12th end, when a dropped 4 gave the opponents a lead they built on until the 20th end when they were 20-11 up. A spectacular 5 at the 21st end by the Tyrchs made the final score 20-16 to Penarth. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Keith Capron and Owen Morris started well and at the halfway stage were only 9-10 down. The home team then dominated taking a 22-12 lead at the 19th end. A 1 and 4 for Pentyrch made the final score 22-17 to Penarth.
After the match, Captain Ian Broxton decided to tell a story instead of a joke which turned out to be a good move - it was quite clever and amusing. A wonderful tea was provided by the Penarth Ladies - thank you. We look forward to welcoming Penarth later in the season and playing on their short mat during the winter.
Wednesday 13th June Pentyrch 78-63 Whitchurch
****** Another Midweek Victory or "I wanna go home." ******
Iain Russell stood in as Captain at short notice for the second time and again he was a winning captain. On a cool but dry evening, Whitchurch were the visitors to Parc y Dwrlyn. The green is now showing signs dehydration and is in need of rain which threatened as the players left the green at the end of the match. This was a good solid win for Pentyrch with some interesting stories for each rink.
Colin Howson with John Davies, Denzil Thomas and Owen Morris made one of the great escapes, on the canvas at 1-14 at the 8th end, then making a Lazarus-like rise from the bed to win 18-17 which included a 3, 5 and 4. Furthermore, just to keep the crowd entertained at 17-16 up at the 16th end, they conceded 1 to go 17-17 at the 17th end. At the 18th, with Whitchurch holding 1, Colin Howson trailed the jack into the ditch for the amazing win. The stuff of Rocky Movies from Colin "Balboa" Howson. A convincing 27-19 for Iain Russell, supported by Peter Neville, Alan Lowndes and Jeff Tarr. Behind 5-10 at the 6th end after dropping a 5 and 2, they rallied winning 7 of the next 8 ends to take a 25-11 lead. They then relaxed a little losing 8 in the last three ends but with the damage done, they won by 8 shots. After losing 1 at the first end, Mark Krawiecki with Nick Russell, Peter Mynett and Dave Ashmore were never behind again, also winning by eight shots 19-11 - so a good evening's work by the Russell family. This was a good win for MK and NR who as a back pair sometimes let their opponents get ahead before responding - not tonight: and there was good back up from Dave Ashmore in the second half and a great performance from Peter Mynett throughout. Brian Ilbery, Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas and Bernie Simpson only lost narrowly, 14-16. They looked good for a win at 14-7 up at the 13th end but then, frustratingly could score no more.
The after match speeches and "performances" were interesting. Captain Iain reminisced about his early bowling days in Cardiff as a Whitchurch bowler for three years, before seeing sense and joining Pentyrch. The Whitchurch captain seemed to enjoy humiliating more than half of his players by threatening to nominate them for a very dubious award and then, having failed to make one of his players sing as a punishment, humiliated himself by trying to lead everyone in singing "The Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys. With that, everyone said their farewells and headed off into the breezy night.
Colin Howson with John Davies, Denzil Thomas and Owen Morris made one of the great escapes, on the canvas at 1-14 at the 8th end, then making a Lazarus-like rise from the bed to win 18-17 which included a 3, 5 and 4. Furthermore, just to keep the crowd entertained at 17-16 up at the 16th end, they conceded 1 to go 17-17 at the 17th end. At the 18th, with Whitchurch holding 1, Colin Howson trailed the jack into the ditch for the amazing win. The stuff of Rocky Movies from Colin "Balboa" Howson. A convincing 27-19 for Iain Russell, supported by Peter Neville, Alan Lowndes and Jeff Tarr. Behind 5-10 at the 6th end after dropping a 5 and 2, they rallied winning 7 of the next 8 ends to take a 25-11 lead. They then relaxed a little losing 8 in the last three ends but with the damage done, they won by 8 shots. After losing 1 at the first end, Mark Krawiecki with Nick Russell, Peter Mynett and Dave Ashmore were never behind again, also winning by eight shots 19-11 - so a good evening's work by the Russell family. This was a good win for MK and NR who as a back pair sometimes let their opponents get ahead before responding - not tonight: and there was good back up from Dave Ashmore in the second half and a great performance from Peter Mynett throughout. Brian Ilbery, Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas and Bernie Simpson only lost narrowly, 14-16. They looked good for a win at 14-7 up at the 13th end but then, frustratingly could score no more.
The after match speeches and "performances" were interesting. Captain Iain reminisced about his early bowling days in Cardiff as a Whitchurch bowler for three years, before seeing sense and joining Pentyrch. The Whitchurch captain seemed to enjoy humiliating more than half of his players by threatening to nominate them for a very dubious award and then, having failed to make one of his players sing as a punishment, humiliated himself by trying to lead everyone in singing "The Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys. With that, everyone said their farewells and headed off into the breezy night.
Wednesday 6th June Rhiwbina 73-58 Pentyrch
****** Never too old for bowls? ******
A beautiful evening for this year's CMWL fixture at Rhiwbina greeted the Tyrchs. There had been talk of playing on the Ladies' green but they proved unfounded. With only one winning rink, the visitors were quite wll-beaten especially on Mark Krawiecki's rink.
Mark Krawiecki with Nick Russell, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson were mainly undone by the Rhiwbina front two players, especially the octogenarian lead Trevor Arnold who gave a fantastic exhibition of brilliant leading, consistently accurate. Well done to him. The Tyrchs drew level with a flash in the pan 4 to level 6-6 at the 6th end, but after that spent the evening firefighting (some good incendiary metaphors there, reader) to no good effect, going down 12-22. Colin Howson, John Davies, Howard Thomas and Alan Lowndes were behind all through their match, losing 13-20. Brian Ilbery, John Berry, Don Wibley and John Eagle showed great fighting spirit after being 3-12 behind at the 8th end, slowly but surely eroding the Rhiwbina score, including a 5, to go ahead 16-15 at the 17th end but losing 2 at the last end to finish 16-17 down. More falling off cliff edges with bruised fingers (see previous report). Captain Ian Broxton , Barrie Thomas, Denzil Thomas and Keith Capron were the only winners leading all the way until the 16th end when they went 13-14 down but rallied well, scoring 2 at the last two ends to win 17-14.
A mention must be made for the good pie and chips after the match and Ian Broxton proved why he really must stop telling "jokes" as part of his post-match speeches. Some of the Tyrchs will be spending the coming weekend on tour at the evocative sounding locations of Tenby, Saundersfoot and Pendine.
Mark Krawiecki with Nick Russell, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson were mainly undone by the Rhiwbina front two players, especially the octogenarian lead Trevor Arnold who gave a fantastic exhibition of brilliant leading, consistently accurate. Well done to him. The Tyrchs drew level with a flash in the pan 4 to level 6-6 at the 6th end, but after that spent the evening firefighting (some good incendiary metaphors there, reader) to no good effect, going down 12-22. Colin Howson, John Davies, Howard Thomas and Alan Lowndes were behind all through their match, losing 13-20. Brian Ilbery, John Berry, Don Wibley and John Eagle showed great fighting spirit after being 3-12 behind at the 8th end, slowly but surely eroding the Rhiwbina score, including a 5, to go ahead 16-15 at the 17th end but losing 2 at the last end to finish 16-17 down. More falling off cliff edges with bruised fingers (see previous report). Captain Ian Broxton , Barrie Thomas, Denzil Thomas and Keith Capron were the only winners leading all the way until the 16th end when they went 13-14 down but rallied well, scoring 2 at the last two ends to win 17-14.
A mention must be made for the good pie and chips after the match and Ian Broxton proved why he really must stop telling "jokes" as part of his post-match speeches. Some of the Tyrchs will be spending the coming weekend on tour at the evocative sounding locations of Tenby, Saundersfoot and Pendine.
Saturday 2nd June Pentyrch 73-77 Senghenydd
****** Coronation Street reflecting real life? ******
And so this year's adventure in the WBA Carruther's Shield came to an exciting end with the first ever visit of Senghenydd to Parc y Dwrlyn.Pentyrch had high hopes of a second victory in what proved to be a tough group after last week's win at Rumney Gardens. A fine day greeted the visitors and the heat increased as the match came to its exciting conclusion. Unfortunately, for Pentyrch it was another case of, so near yet so far with Senghenydd going home with a narrow 4 point win.
Brian Ilbery with Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas and John Beacham were the only winning Pentyrch rink. They played solidly, never looking back from leading at the 4th end to 21-6 at the 17th, then relaxing towards the end, with a final score of 22-12. Iain Russell with John Berry, Don Wibley and Colin Howson played a match of 2/3 vs 1/3, dominating until the 15th end with a 15-8 lead then frustratingly conceding 10 shots to 1 in the last 6 ends to lose 16-18. Ian Broxton with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Owen Morris were effectively down and out 2-18 at the 9th end but a whiff of smelling salts woke them up, to score 12 in the next 4 ends to get to 13-18. Then came the Senghenydd sucker punch of 10 shots in the next 4 ends killing off the Tyrchs' brief revival like and elephant stamping on an ant. (More of stamping on things, later) In fairness, perhaps an exaggeration, that wasn't quite the end, with 5 more shots for Broxy's rink, including 1 at the last end ending in 18-29 defeat. For Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell, Alan Lowndes and Bernie Simpson it was a hard and close game all the way through. The Tyrchs only had the lead twice: once, 1-0 after the first end and at 17-15 at the 19th end. For the rest of the match going behind, clawing back with the help of a couple of flukes and going behind and clawing back up the mountain again with some truly inspiring shots, "worthy of being on Sky TV", according to Ant Jones (Senghenydd's No.2). For MK and NR it was the slow start again before settling down into a rhythm. The closeness of the match was shown in how neither team conceded more than 3 shots at any single end. At the 19th end the Tyrchs took the lead 17-15 with a well-taken 3 then dropped 2 at the 20th to make the scores 17-17 going into the final end. MK came to bowl his final two woods with the Tyrchs holding 2 and clinging to what at times had looked like an unlikely victory. He squinted into the sun as his first wood agonisingly tapped the jack back towards an opposition wood, now one down. NR uttered an obscenity. The Senghenydd skip now didn't need to try too hard, missed and MK had a very difficult shot to push a Pentyrch wood in for shot. Missed by a fraction. The game was lost 17-18. Like Pat Phelan hanging on for dear life on a rain-soaked cliff, the Tyrchs had had their fingers stamped on by Eileen and had fallen into the churning seas and jagged rocks below. Well, not really, MK had done the job for Senghenydd.
Anyway, the game and match had been played in great spirits enjoying the company of another bowls team, Senghenydd. And as we all know, that was not the end of Pat Phelan...
Brian Ilbery with Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas and John Beacham were the only winning Pentyrch rink. They played solidly, never looking back from leading at the 4th end to 21-6 at the 17th, then relaxing towards the end, with a final score of 22-12. Iain Russell with John Berry, Don Wibley and Colin Howson played a match of 2/3 vs 1/3, dominating until the 15th end with a 15-8 lead then frustratingly conceding 10 shots to 1 in the last 6 ends to lose 16-18. Ian Broxton with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Owen Morris were effectively down and out 2-18 at the 9th end but a whiff of smelling salts woke them up, to score 12 in the next 4 ends to get to 13-18. Then came the Senghenydd sucker punch of 10 shots in the next 4 ends killing off the Tyrchs' brief revival like and elephant stamping on an ant. (More of stamping on things, later) In fairness, perhaps an exaggeration, that wasn't quite the end, with 5 more shots for Broxy's rink, including 1 at the last end ending in 18-29 defeat. For Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell, Alan Lowndes and Bernie Simpson it was a hard and close game all the way through. The Tyrchs only had the lead twice: once, 1-0 after the first end and at 17-15 at the 19th end. For the rest of the match going behind, clawing back with the help of a couple of flukes and going behind and clawing back up the mountain again with some truly inspiring shots, "worthy of being on Sky TV", according to Ant Jones (Senghenydd's No.2). For MK and NR it was the slow start again before settling down into a rhythm. The closeness of the match was shown in how neither team conceded more than 3 shots at any single end. At the 19th end the Tyrchs took the lead 17-15 with a well-taken 3 then dropped 2 at the 20th to make the scores 17-17 going into the final end. MK came to bowl his final two woods with the Tyrchs holding 2 and clinging to what at times had looked like an unlikely victory. He squinted into the sun as his first wood agonisingly tapped the jack back towards an opposition wood, now one down. NR uttered an obscenity. The Senghenydd skip now didn't need to try too hard, missed and MK had a very difficult shot to push a Pentyrch wood in for shot. Missed by a fraction. The game was lost 17-18. Like Pat Phelan hanging on for dear life on a rain-soaked cliff, the Tyrchs had had their fingers stamped on by Eileen and had fallen into the churning seas and jagged rocks below. Well, not really, MK had done the job for Senghenydd.
Anyway, the game and match had been played in great spirits enjoying the company of another bowls team, Senghenydd. And as we all know, that was not the end of Pat Phelan...
Wednesday 30th May Pentyrch 55-43 Cardiff Athletic
****** Tyrchs are not a pushover! ******
Another gloomy and overcast evening at Pentyrch but only in the meteorological sense as Pentyrch gained a well-earned victory against visitors, Cardiff Athletic. This season has seen the Tyrchs beginning to play with some consistency and resilience. In the Cardiff Midweek League the sequence of results so far is D/L/L/W/L/L/W. Considering that the two most recent losses were by 2.25 and 2 shots, and the other two defeats were to Cardiff and Penylan, that is a good return from a limited playing squad that is currently proving "value for money". Added to that a 4 rink PG1 win at Sully Sports and a Carruther's Shield win at Rumney Gardens, there are "Reasons to be Cheerful". (Ian Dury). Captain for the evening Iain Russell welcomed the visitors to Pentyrch, wishing everyone a good game.
Iain Russell led the Tyrchs by example with his rink of Denzil Thomas, Keith Capron (playing after HIA) and John Eagle who put in a strong performance, winning 17-7. Being 10-2 up at the halfway stage, the best performing rink, they eventually won 17-7 after the visitors "got lucky" scoring 3 in the last 2 ends. Colin Howson with an effervescent John Berry, Sam Cole and Barrie "Lead" Thomas looked to be heading for a clear win at 9-2 at the 10th end then let the Athletic back in to 10-8. A 3 in the penultimate end gave them a hard fought 13-10 win. Brian Ilbery with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Owen Morris lost 8-16, never really getting going and found difficulty with the new settings on the rinks. It is unlikely those settings will be used again. Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell with season debutants Peter Mynett and Jeff Tarr won 17-10 in a match that was close until the final ends, then scoring 9 unanswered shots. This was a psychological victory as well as points for MK and NR who have a tendency to start slowly or give away a high score and then try to play catch-up. They did indeed give away a 4 at the 9th end but this time responded immediately to stay in contention. Special mention to Peter Mynett who played an excellent second half that went a good way to the rink's success.
Pasties from Howard and a good speech from Captain Iain sent the locals home happy.
Iain Russell led the Tyrchs by example with his rink of Denzil Thomas, Keith Capron (playing after HIA) and John Eagle who put in a strong performance, winning 17-7. Being 10-2 up at the halfway stage, the best performing rink, they eventually won 17-7 after the visitors "got lucky" scoring 3 in the last 2 ends. Colin Howson with an effervescent John Berry, Sam Cole and Barrie "Lead" Thomas looked to be heading for a clear win at 9-2 at the 10th end then let the Athletic back in to 10-8. A 3 in the penultimate end gave them a hard fought 13-10 win. Brian Ilbery with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and Owen Morris lost 8-16, never really getting going and found difficulty with the new settings on the rinks. It is unlikely those settings will be used again. Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell with season debutants Peter Mynett and Jeff Tarr won 17-10 in a match that was close until the final ends, then scoring 9 unanswered shots. This was a psychological victory as well as points for MK and NR who have a tendency to start slowly or give away a high score and then try to play catch-up. They did indeed give away a 4 at the 9th end but this time responded immediately to stay in contention. Special mention to Peter Mynett who played an excellent second half that went a good way to the rink's success.
Pasties from Howard and a good speech from Captain Iain sent the locals home happy.
Saturday 26th May Rumney Gardens 49-86 Pentyrch
****** Strong and Stable at Rumney Gardens ******
Our third fixture in the Carruther's Shield this year and the Tyrchs were optimistic of securing a win at Rumney Gardens where they had played several years ago in another Carruther's Shield preliminary round and won. It was back to winning ways after two very narrow defeats and the second 4 rink victory of the season. The game started under gloomy and threatening skies but the weather improved as the afternoon went on showing off the beautiful oasis-like gardens and wonderful variety of mature trees at their best. It was also a pleasure to play on a well-kept green. The Tyrchs' optimism proved to be well founded with all four rinks winning, only Iain Russell's rink making heavy weather of their game.
Iain Russell with Keith Davies, Russell Howell and Colin Howson, on a couple of occasions looked to be in control with a 4 and 5 but let their opponents back into the match both times then fought end for end scraping home 18-17. Mark Krawiecki with John Berry, Keith Capron and Brian Pearce wore the home team down winning the first seven ends 1-0 followed by a 2,3 and 3 to go ahead 15-0 at the 10th end. With two ends to go they were 21-2 up then gave away a 2 and 5 playing ambitious shots that their dominant position allowed, to win 21-9. John Berry not only showed off his bowling skills during the match. He also proved to be adept at dog handling, ejecting two French bulldogs who had run onto the green and tried to bolster the home team. Ian Broxton with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Owen Morris were in control for start to finish winning 18-11. Brian Ilbery with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Beacham were the best Pentyrch rink winning 29-13 with a 7, 5 and three 3's in their total.
An excellent tea, taken unusually for us, halfway through the match, was provided by the Rumney ladies. Thank you. We look forward to welcoming Rumney to Pentyrch in the corresponding fixture next year.
Iain Russell with Keith Davies, Russell Howell and Colin Howson, on a couple of occasions looked to be in control with a 4 and 5 but let their opponents back into the match both times then fought end for end scraping home 18-17. Mark Krawiecki with John Berry, Keith Capron and Brian Pearce wore the home team down winning the first seven ends 1-0 followed by a 2,3 and 3 to go ahead 15-0 at the 10th end. With two ends to go they were 21-2 up then gave away a 2 and 5 playing ambitious shots that their dominant position allowed, to win 21-9. John Berry not only showed off his bowling skills during the match. He also proved to be adept at dog handling, ejecting two French bulldogs who had run onto the green and tried to bolster the home team. Ian Broxton with Peter Neville, Denzil Thomas and Owen Morris were in control for start to finish winning 18-11. Brian Ilbery with Don Wibley, Howard Thomas and John Beacham were the best Pentyrch rink winning 29-13 with a 7, 5 and three 3's in their total.
An excellent tea, taken unusually for us, halfway through the match, was provided by the Rumney ladies. Thank you. We look forward to welcoming Rumney to Pentyrch in the corresponding fixture next year.
Wednesday 23rd May Pentyrch 65-67.25 Mackintosh
*******A Close Shave for the Macks! *******
The Mackintosh managed a very narrow win against the Tyrchs in this CMWL fixture that was played in warm bright sunshine and was a match that the home team should really have won. Peter Neville's rink with Barrie Thomas, John Berry and Brian Pearce suffered the heaviest defeat losing 10-19, being behind for most of the match. Brian Ilbery with Colin Howson, Howard Thomas and John Beacham looked comfortable at 16-9 at the 10th end but then only scored 2 more losing 18-19. Mark Krawiecki with Nick Russell, Russell Howell and John Eagle were down and out at 1-11 down at the 7th end but came back strongly to take the lead 15-14 with a 4 at the 13th end, then carelessly gave away a 4 at the very next end, and thereafter were chasing the game with ends running out, losing 19-21. The only winning rink was skipped by Iain Russell with Denzil Thomas, Don Wibley and Sam Cole playing against a triple, winning 18-8.25.
Wednesday 16th May Taffs Well 64-62 Pentyrch
****** A Different Story! ******
A calendar month ago, Pentyrch had visited Taffs Well and lost heavily. This evening, in a CMWL fixture, the Tyrchs came within just 2 shots of a draw and 3 for what would have been a well-earned victory. The green had improved from a few weeks before too.
Ian Broxton with Barrie Thomas, Brian Pearce and Owen Morris won convincingly 25-10. Iain Russell with Don Wibley, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson won a close match 17-15. Brian Ilbery, John Davies, Alan Lowndes and John Beacham scored a 5 at the 3rd end, were pulled back and then faded dropping 8 in the last 4 ends to go down 12-20. Nick Russell, Colin Howson, Denzil Thomas and Dave Ashmore stayed in the game until the 10th end, finishing up 8-19 down. A very encouraging effort to take forward to the next match at home to Mackintosh next Wednesday in the CMWL at home. No weekend fixture but not because of the Royal Wedding.
Ian Broxton with Barrie Thomas, Brian Pearce and Owen Morris won convincingly 25-10. Iain Russell with Don Wibley, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson won a close match 17-15. Brian Ilbery, John Davies, Alan Lowndes and John Beacham scored a 5 at the 3rd end, were pulled back and then faded dropping 8 in the last 4 ends to go down 12-20. Nick Russell, Colin Howson, Denzil Thomas and Dave Ashmore stayed in the game until the 10th end, finishing up 8-19 down. A very encouraging effort to take forward to the next match at home to Mackintosh next Wednesday in the CMWL at home. No weekend fixture but not because of the Royal Wedding.
Tuesday 15th May Pentyrch Ladies 34-39 Rhiwbina Ladies
****** Pentyrch Ladies come close to beating Rhiwbina ******
Pentyrch Ladies put in a great performance against Rhiwbina Ladies on an evening that began in full sunshine but ended in a cloud darkening sky. Margaret Farmer, with Gill Rogers Kath Morris and Myra Andrews fought hard, scoring a 6 at one stage, eventually losing 16-22. Jan Berry with Ann Angle, Dawn Parker and Margaret Krawiecka were some way behind before hitting form in the final few ends and sneaking a one shot win 18-17. A great effort by everyone. Well done.
Saturday 12th May Pentyrch 69-93 Caerphilly Town
****** A Win for Caerphilly Town ******
Round 2 of the Carruther's Shield against Caerphilly Town and a second defeat in this year's competition. Another first for us, playing against Caerphilly Town who share a home green with Caerphilly Social. The match was close, until the last quarter when the Tyrchs began to flag overall. Captain Ian Broxton and his rink with Barrie Thomas, Colin Howson and Owen Morris were the only winners for Pentyrch with a convincing 24-18 win and being ahead 9-0 after 4 ends. Iain Russell, Keith Davies,Denzil Thomas and Bernie Simpson lost heavily 14-32 conceding 16 shots between the 17th and 20th ends but having the minimal consolation of the last word with 3 shots at the 21st end. Mark Krawiecki's rink lost 22-16 and with Don Wibley, Peter Neville and Brian Pearce were 10-7 up at the halfway 11th end, then a dropped 5 at the unlucky 13th end signalled the end of any effective resistance. Finally, Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Howard Thomas and John Beacham lost 15-21. At the 18th end were only 13-14 down but then a dropped 2 and 5 at the 19th and 20th ends meant the end for them. The green ran well again - another positive mention for Greenkeeper Bill and assistant Phil Snook
The match was played in great spirit, a fact graciously alluded to by Caerphilly Town Captain and we look forward to renewing our newly made friendship next year. A mention of thanks to the Ladies for providing a great tea and to Margaret Krawiecka for doing the bar.
The match was played in great spirit, a fact graciously alluded to by Caerphilly Town Captain and we look forward to renewing our newly made friendship next year. A mention of thanks to the Ladies for providing a great tea and to Margaret Krawiecka for doing the bar.
Wednesday 9th May Pentyrch 73-55 Whitchurch Hospital
****** Back to Winning Ways ******
After two heavy defeats, it was back to winning ways for the Tyrchs at home to Whitchurch Hospital in the CMWL. Two rinks up and two down, but it should really have been a more convincing win if a more ruthless streak had been shown. Thankfully, despite threats of rain and one or two false alarms play was largely uninterrupted.
Iain Russell with Don Wibley, Russell Howell led from start to finish ending their match with an emphatic 4 to win 25-7. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Owen Morris (who had begun the evening as barman - a great arrangement of glasses) and John Eagle had a good battle, being behind 12-6 at the twelfth end then scoring a 7 giving them a lead that they did not relinquish, winning 18-15. Colin Howson, Peter Neville, Keith Capron and rejuvenated lead, Barrie Thomas were cruising 10-1 at the 9th end but then let the opponents assert themselves, losing 14-15. The worst losing rink, by only 2 shots was Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell, Howard Thomas and Brian Pearce. They started slowly, being 5-0 after 4 ends but then played some good adventurous bowls to wrestle a 13-11 lead at the 13th end but a dropped 5 at the 14th end meant they were always struggling to comeback, losing 16-18.
It was good to welcome our friends from Whitchurch Hospital. We are similar clubs in that we are struggling for membership and survival, a fact that was alluded to by Whitchurch Captain Les Hallett in his post-match speech. We need more support from the WBA if clubs like ours are to survive to provide diverse competition throughout the leagues which will benefit the larger more successful clubs as well.
Iain Russell with Don Wibley, Russell Howell led from start to finish ending their match with an emphatic 4 to win 25-7. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Owen Morris (who had begun the evening as barman - a great arrangement of glasses) and John Eagle had a good battle, being behind 12-6 at the twelfth end then scoring a 7 giving them a lead that they did not relinquish, winning 18-15. Colin Howson, Peter Neville, Keith Capron and rejuvenated lead, Barrie Thomas were cruising 10-1 at the 9th end but then let the opponents assert themselves, losing 14-15. The worst losing rink, by only 2 shots was Mark Krawiecki, Nick Russell, Howard Thomas and Brian Pearce. They started slowly, being 5-0 after 4 ends but then played some good adventurous bowls to wrestle a 13-11 lead at the 13th end but a dropped 5 at the 14th end meant they were always struggling to comeback, losing 16-18.
It was good to welcome our friends from Whitchurch Hospital. We are similar clubs in that we are struggling for membership and survival, a fact that was alluded to by Whitchurch Captain Les Hallett in his post-match speech. We need more support from the WBA if clubs like ours are to survive to provide diverse competition throughout the leagues which will benefit the larger more successful clubs as well.
Tuesday 8th May Whitchurch Ladies - Pentyrch Ladies
****** Victory for Whitchurch ******
Saturday 5th May Bargoed 105-57 Pentyrch
****** Morris Men Lead the Dance! ******
At last some decent weather for a bowls match and Bargoed was where we travelled to for the first match of this year's Carruther's competition. We had never met in any competition before, although Cardiff had warned us on Wednesday to expect a tough time: and so it proved. A few of the Tyrchs needed help in getting to the venue in the last mile or two and were not helped by some locals who claimed never to have heard of Bargoed Bowls Club! Surprising this, because they are a good side with an impressive clubhouse too.
Iain Russell's rink with Don Wibley, Keith Capron and Bernie Simpson were the best Pentyrch rink, only losing 17-18 which was outstanding in the overall context of the match. Brian Ilbery's rink with John Davies, John Eagle and John Beacham also put up good resistance, going down 19-24. Mark Krawiecki, with Peter Neville, Brian Pearce and Dave Ashmore were the most competitive Pentyrch rink until the 16th end when they were winning 15-12. After that they scored no more, conceding 2,6,3,3 and 1 in the last 5 ends, to lose 15-27. A metaphoric tsunami! Ian Broxton with Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas and Denzil Thomas were never in it and lost 6-36.
Good hospitality and company followed the match and we look forward to welcoming Bargoed to Pentyrch next year. Well done to Bargoed, a team of worthy winners with youth on its side.
* The headline refers to the fact that the surname of three of the Bargoed skips was "Morris". The author does not know if they are related. ** Yes, they are.
Wednesday 2nd May Cardiff (Sophia Gardens) 94-38 Pentyrch
****** Straight Back Down to Earth! ******
Following the heady heights of last Saturday, in the words of the well-known pop group, Curiosity Killed the Cat of the 1980's it was "Straight Back Down to Earth" for the Tyrchs at a sunny Cardiff. None of the Pentyrch rinks were really competitive with the exception of Iain Russell's who were leading 13-6 at one tome but lost 16-22. Mark Krawiecki's rink lost 7-23, Brian Ilbery's 8-23 and Colin Howson's 7-26. We now have a trip to Bargoed in the Carruther's Shield next Saturday to try and pick ourselves up.
Tuesday 1st May Pentyrch Ladies 7- Cardiff Ladies 60
****** Things Can Only Get Better ******
A tough start to the Ladies' campaign on a very cold, grey and damp evening. Things will get better. One match does not a season make.
Saturday 28th April Sully Sports 46-66 Pentyrch
****** We Do Like to be Beside the Seaside ******
Yes, it's a cliche, but cliches usually have a strong ring of truth about them and the Tyrchs certainly have a good day by the sea at Sully. It was chilly but not the usually strong and bitterly westerlies that blow in stridently from the south west. By the end of the match the sun and blue skies were emerging over Sully Island, as if in tribute to Pentyrch's magnificent win. This was the first PG1 match of the season at a venue that has often been a metaphoric graveyard for Pentyrch's fortunes. Today, however, the Tyrchs pulled together to win all 4 rinks: something that has not happened for a long time. No one could put a date or location to that occasion.
Captain Ian Broxton with Barrie Thomas, Colin Howson and Owen Morris won 15-10. Brian Ilbery and his rink of Don Wibley, John Davies and John Beacham were never behind, winning strongly 19-10. Iain Russell's rink of Keith Davies, Denzil Thomas and Bernie Simpson scored a 5 at the 8th end, giving them an 11-6 lead but then slipped back to 14-15 down. With scores level at the final end they won by one shot, 16-15. Mark Krawiecki with Nick Russell, Brian Pearce and Dave Ashmore were 3-9 down at the 9th end and looking down and out but rallied well, bolstered by some good leading in the final five ends by Dave Ashmore. They made the comeback of the day finishing 16-11 winners. A great result through persistence and teamwork!
Thanks to our opponents for playing the match in great spirit and for the wonderful hospitality. Captain Ian Broxton thanked the Tyrchs for their efforts in securing a famous win and told a joke that was actually quite funny.
Captain Ian Broxton with Barrie Thomas, Colin Howson and Owen Morris won 15-10. Brian Ilbery and his rink of Don Wibley, John Davies and John Beacham were never behind, winning strongly 19-10. Iain Russell's rink of Keith Davies, Denzil Thomas and Bernie Simpson scored a 5 at the 8th end, giving them an 11-6 lead but then slipped back to 14-15 down. With scores level at the final end they won by one shot, 16-15. Mark Krawiecki with Nick Russell, Brian Pearce and Dave Ashmore were 3-9 down at the 9th end and looking down and out but rallied well, bolstered by some good leading in the final five ends by Dave Ashmore. They made the comeback of the day finishing 16-11 winners. A great result through persistence and teamwork!
Thanks to our opponents for playing the match in great spirit and for the wonderful hospitality. Captain Ian Broxton thanked the Tyrchs for their efforts in securing a famous win and told a joke that was actually quite funny.
Wednesday 25th April Pentyrch 53 - 68 Penylan
****** Good performance against Penylan ******
The second Cardiff Midweek League fixture of the season saw cold, grey and blustery conditions welcome last year's convincing champions, Penylan to Pentyrch. Not the Mediterranean conditions enjoyed four days earlier at Taffs Well but it was fantastic to be bowling on a smooth and reliable surface, considering it is so early in the season. Great thanks must go to Greenkeeper Bill Malcolm for this. Despite a defeat to them, Pentyrch can take some considerable credit for pushing our visitors hard and making them work for their win and taking four points in the process.
Well done to the two winning rinks and commiserations to the two losing rinks. Iain Russell with Colin Howson, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson lead from start to finish against Mark Letman's rink scoring an emphatic 4 at the 16th end, winning 15-10. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Don Wibley and John Beacham were 6-0 down after 5 ends and looked to be heading for a heavy defeat against Mark Osling's rink but replied with 8 shots in the next three ends to go ahead 8-6. Penylan replied to go 15-11 up, thereafter from the 13th end Pentyrch 10 unanswered shots to win 21-15. Although these wins were team efforts, they were built on some good bowling from the front pairs of Bernie Simpson, Russell Howell, John Beacham and Don Wibley. Mark Krawiecki with Peter Neville, Keith Capron and John Eagle were competitive with Kevin Lewis's rink until the 10th end when a dropped 3 signalled a change in the match with the Penylan rink pulling away to win 19-8. Ian Broxton's rink with Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas and Owen Morris playing against Mike Hart's rink started losing ground after the 5th end and never caught up losing 9-24. So, Pentyrch can approach next Saturday's first PG1 fixture at Sully Sports with some confidence.
Hot pasties, a few beers and warm company after the game helped to dispel some of the cold.
Well done to the two winning rinks and commiserations to the two losing rinks. Iain Russell with Colin Howson, Russell Howell and Bernie Simpson lead from start to finish against Mark Letman's rink scoring an emphatic 4 at the 16th end, winning 15-10. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Don Wibley and John Beacham were 6-0 down after 5 ends and looked to be heading for a heavy defeat against Mark Osling's rink but replied with 8 shots in the next three ends to go ahead 8-6. Penylan replied to go 15-11 up, thereafter from the 13th end Pentyrch 10 unanswered shots to win 21-15. Although these wins were team efforts, they were built on some good bowling from the front pairs of Bernie Simpson, Russell Howell, John Beacham and Don Wibley. Mark Krawiecki with Peter Neville, Keith Capron and John Eagle were competitive with Kevin Lewis's rink until the 10th end when a dropped 3 signalled a change in the match with the Penylan rink pulling away to win 19-8. Ian Broxton's rink with Barrie Thomas, Howard Thomas and Owen Morris playing against Mike Hart's rink started losing ground after the 5th end and never caught up losing 9-24. So, Pentyrch can approach next Saturday's first PG1 fixture at Sully Sports with some confidence.
Hot pasties, a few beers and warm company after the game helped to dispel some of the cold.
Saturday 21st April Taffs Well 109 - 53 Pentyrch
****** The Taffs Well Blues ******
Blue were the shirts of our rivals, blue was the colour of the sky and blue was the feeling following a heavy defeat to the Wellmen at the foot of The Garth in sunny Taffs Well. The sun was shining on a lush green that proved to be too heavy and became a killing field for the Tyrchs who never really managed the heavy conditions. No need to dwell on the individual rink scores today. We have three more fixtures this season to try and redress the balance.
Good pies and onion gravy served as the post-match hospitality at Taffs Well Rugby Club gave some welcome consolation.
Good pies and onion gravy served as the post-match hospitality at Taffs Well Rugby Club gave some welcome consolation.
Wednesday 18th April St Fagans 55 - 55 Pentyrch
****** Solid start to the season ******
The first game of the season and a traditional away match at local rivals, St Fagans. Having played St Fagans on four occasions last season and losing each match, expectations were not too high. However, the Tyrchs pushed their opponents all the way and secured a very creditable draw. The occasion was greatly improved with the finest weather of the year so far, and it was great to be playing in a wonderful outdoor rural setting. All remnants of the huge horse chestnut trees that used to shade the green have gone allowing the sun to bathe the green in its warmth.
New captain, Ian Broxton skipped his rink of Barrie Thomas, John Eagle and Owen Morris to a comfortable 15-10 victory. Mark Krawiecki's rink with Nick Russell, Brian Pearce and Dave Ashmore led from the third end, slipping a little around the middle of the match to 10-9 up but pulled away to win 17-11. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Don Wibley and John Beacham swapped the lead with their opponents on several occasions and were winning 13-12 with 3 ends to go, then lost 3 shots in the next 2 ends, catching one back in the final end but going down by one shot 14-15. Iain Russell's rink of Colin Howson, Denzil Thomas and Bernie Simpson were flying 6-2 up at the eighth end but then wilted, eventually losing 9-19.
Still, there were encouraging signs and Captain Ian thanked his players after the match for helping him to remain unbeaten after one match!
New captain, Ian Broxton skipped his rink of Barrie Thomas, John Eagle and Owen Morris to a comfortable 15-10 victory. Mark Krawiecki's rink with Nick Russell, Brian Pearce and Dave Ashmore led from the third end, slipping a little around the middle of the match to 10-9 up but pulled away to win 17-11. Brian Ilbery with John Davies, Don Wibley and John Beacham swapped the lead with their opponents on several occasions and were winning 13-12 with 3 ends to go, then lost 3 shots in the next 2 ends, catching one back in the final end but going down by one shot 14-15. Iain Russell's rink of Colin Howson, Denzil Thomas and Bernie Simpson were flying 6-2 up at the eighth end but then wilted, eventually losing 9-19.
Still, there were encouraging signs and Captain Ian thanked his players after the match for helping him to remain unbeaten after one match!
