Hove Edge Bowling Club rolled out their 2018/2019 Winter League this week after intensive remedial work on their greens following the extremes of weather experienced this summer.
Defending champions Nomads, this year led by Phil Holroyd with James Senior, John Armitage and new signing Mark McGorlick making up the team, met Lindley Libs (Daniel Bousfield, Richard Saunders, R L Senior and Pete Hopkinson). Nomads laid down a marker for the rest as they achieved all winners for a maximum 20 points, Hopkinson being the best for the Libs with nineteen as his team scored ten points.
Greetland (George Simpson, Pete Lea, Barry Sugden and Ken Fleming) looking for a better start to the season this year after being at the wrong end of the table last time took on Cleckheaton Sports (Paul Fincher, Richard Bentley, John Ineson and Ian Pountney) who finished in a similar position. If todays bowling was anything to go by Greetland are going to push Nomads all the way this time as they also recorded all winners as Fincher, Ineson and Pountney all scored seventeen for a team score of eleven.
Crosshills (Kevin Burnett, Rod Bastow, Barry Turnbull and Dave Rankin) had two winners in their match with Clayton (Alan Peel, Hedley Kettlewell, Tony Riley and Paul Gill) but lost the game 14-18 as Riley carded 19 and Gill 20 in defeat.
Mirfield Old Bank (Dave Sharp, Brian Scarth, Kevin Morton and John Green) concluded the first round as they went down 12-18 in their game with Mixtures (Viv Smith, Andy Balmforth, Roger Stopford and Derek Hewitt) as Mixtures provided three of the winners.
In the Plate Asa Briggs (Steve McGrevy, Trevor Kendall, Graham Pearson and Malcolm Isles) came out all guns blazing and provided all four winners in their game with Lindley B C (Mick Thornton, A Booth, Tony Lockwood and Simon Anderson). McGrevy, Kendall and Isles all winning to eleven, only Lockwood breaking the pattern as he scored fourteen against Pearson.
Silsden (Paul Outhwaite, Alan Hughes, Andy Welch and David Beardsworth) just got the better of Spen Victoria (Brian Thompson, Les Mitchell, Barry Firth and Kevin Wood) 15-14 in a closely fought battle. Again, it was a case of two winners each but the two Silsden losers scoring better than the Spen losers.
Rastrick (Graham Hall, Donald Booth, Keith Richards and Alan Standing) just came through 16-14 in their match with Cleckheaton Sports (Anne Watkinson, Jayne Bradley, Joyce Ellis and Elaine Binns) although they provided three of the four winners. Ellis beating Standing in Sports only success.
Last times two relegated teams were drawn together in the first game as they both looked to regain their place in the Shield, Sowerby West End (Lorraine Hirst, Shirley Dillingham, Baz Morgan and Pat Skene) took the honours 18-12 as they had three winners to one as they beat their rivals Bronte’s (Fred Rothwell, Derek Pollard, Dave Hemsley and Martyn Benson).