Arthur Griffiths Memorial Cup
16th September 2024
Fifteen pairs of players started the afternoon of three rounds of matches. The first round was played in groups, each match being four ends. This whittled us down to four semi-final pairs, and then the finalists.
The final match was of six ends with the lead see-sawing between the teams. Watched by a supportive crowd, the contest saw Alan Mathias and Marian Bond take the victory, with Tony and Sue Hunt coming a close second.
Thanks go, as ever, to Andy for organising the afternoon, to Angie and everyone who laid on the refreshments, and to the willing helpers behind the bar, as well as to all club members who took part in yet another enjoyable afternoon of bowling and friendly rivalry.
This was the second time that the Cup had been contested, and a fitting way to remember a friend and dedicated former member of OSBC.
Saturday 31st August 2024
Barmy Bowls Fun Day
A new event for our calendar – an afternoon of fun and games. Thirty players signed up and were allocated at random into ten teams. We then had an afternoon of 19 ends, each with a twist. So as well as ‘normal’ bowling, we had ends with the jack and mat positioned at set distances (with only the bowls in front of, or level with the jack counting, or only the bowls behind, or level with the jack counting), ends where we had to get as close to the ditch as possible, ends where we bowled the woods and then cast the jack (team tactics involved here!), ends where we changed our role within the team, and most difficult of all, ends where we had to use our ‘wrong’ hand.
From the laughter and the head scratching, it seemed like everyone had fun this afternoon – although maybe some bowlers didn’t deserve the lucky wicks to always go against them.
Congratulations go to the winning team of Viv Kirkland, Mike Murphy and Marian Bond, with John Mansell, Mick Hatch and Brenda Isaac coming a close second.
The afternoon was completed with a raffle and a barbeque (and for once the weather behaved).
Our thanks go to Tim, for coming up with idea and organising, and to Jon, Ali and Maria. Also thanks to Sue, Angie, Bernie, Nigel and Mick for sorting out the teas and raffle and manning the bar, and to Andy for providing, cooking and clearing away the barbeque. Finally, thanks to everyone who participated, provided raffle prizes and spent their money to raise over £200 to go towards club funds and the cost of the extension of the clubhouse.
Saturday 10th August 2024
Ben Pook Cup
The competition for the Ben Pook Cup was held in typical Oke weather. But a bit of Dartmoor mizzle didn’t deter the 30 competitors who enjoyed an afternoon of triples-with-a-difference.
Each player played three games of six ends, playing with and against different team members each game. To make the arrangements even more complicated, each player played in a different position and on a different rink for each game. Scoring was similar to the 100-up competition, with the four woods closest to the jack being awarded 4, 3, 2 and 1 points.
The winner this year was Mark Poole with a score of 58. Nigel Penna came second and Alan Mathias was third.
Want to know more about Ben Pook? … Click here to head to the History page.
Saturday 22nd June 2024
Len and Myrtle Wonnacott Memorial Shield
Summer arrived at last for a glorious afternoon of fun to compete for the Len and Myrtle Wonnacott Memorial Shield. Twenty-four players were randomly arranged into 8 teams of triples and played 6 ends. The twenty-four were then rearranged into 8 new teams for 6 more ends, and then rearranged again for a last 6 ends. (Thanks go to Andy Smith for sorting out this complicated format!)
Each player scored according to their teams’ total points. The player with the most points at the end of the afternoon was awarded the Shield. This year’s worthy winner was James Burdus, with Mark Poole as Runner Up, and third place went to Alan Mathias.
