Burton Street Bash Up

Post date: Dec 17, 2018 7:41:34 AM

Still celebrating (half a diet coke and a packet of crisps) our win against the Sleaford Sloggers, our Weekend Friendly fighting force battled through the “Boongate Barricades” to bash up the Burton Street Gang (Peterborough) and register two wins on the trot. What will we hear of next ! Upon arrival our intrepid captain Maggie found the normally locked and barred gates fully open and the car park empty apart from one car and a white van, parked next to the door with the engine running. Was this waiting to take some unsuspecting outpatient back to the home before darkness descended?

Inside the place was completely empty apart from the oppositions non- playing captain who was asleep in the corner next to the still shuttered-up bar, in spite of a very senior citizen trying to demolish the confectionery vending machine by kicking it with his boot and shouting at the top of his voice “I need chocolate”. Was this who the white van was waiting for? No, was the answer when the club chairman shuffled though the bar area, muttering something about a flat battery.

So, one by one and occasionally two by two our troops filtered in, including one, who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent, who offered Maggie a five pound note and held out her hand for two pounds change. Upon being told the match fee was eleven pounds which included a meal afterwards, the aforesaid person insisted that nobody had told her that. This is the sort of thing we are having to deal with week after week. She borrowed the remaining six pounds from Maggie, and will probably never be seen again.

So, everybody is present and correct, that makes a change. We are then told by their non- playing captain, who in real life is a very nice person, oh yes he is, that we have to finish playing at 4.30 because the caterers have leave by 5.30 to get to another function. Also the room has to be vacated by then so that it can be got ready for a Dolly Parton Lookalike evening. Chin in, shoulders back, chest out. Oh, and bring your own nibbles, we think that’s what it said on the poster. The early finish suited our Rosemary Roberts because she to wanted to be away in order to get ready for Strictly Come Dancing Final. She’d have to push it to get to Elstree and get changed into her costume by the start time. But if anyone can Rosemary can can (get it?)

So onto the match, the first friendly to be battled out between us and them since they changed their floor from the good old concrete to the clunk, clunk wooden replacement. Rosemary who was lead on rink four was straight out of the blocks. She had rolled her jack down the rink before the rest of the team had shook hands. She was on a roll!

Her rink skipped by Helen Holroyd, and aided and abetted (whatever that means) by Cherry Burgess were seven five down after twelve ends but pulled back six shots over the last four to clinch a win. A four on the thirteenth helped Maurice Dye’s rink to finish six shots up. Jill Goode’s regular rink of husband Reg and Serena (sounds like a music hall double act- say no more!) got back to winning ways finishing four up. Nigel Trigg picked up the winning rink prize for the second week running when he and Ann Preston-Bambridge and the ever reliable Ken Rawlins ran out winners by eight shots. Our other two rinks skipped by Doug Ellis who won by seven and while Howard (‘im from up North) Neath’s lost they scored a valuable dozen which helped us to our total winning score of 87-76. Remember, it’s a team game folks and they all count. All this without a drop of alcohol, the bar never did open.

Rinks scores: Colin Burgess, Margaret Grainger, Doug Ellis won 19-15; Janet Dye, Pam Heather, Maurice Dye won 16-10; Denis Stapleton, Maggie Holden, Howard Neath lost 12-17; Rosemary Roberts, Cherry Burgess, Helen Holroyd won 11-7; Reg Goode, Serena Brunning, Jill Goode won 19-15; Ken Rawlins, Ann Preston-Bambridge, Nigel Trigg won 20-12.

Captain Maggie Holden wishes all her players, past present and future a Merry Christmas and hopes to see them playing again in a Happy New Year.

PS. We understand Dolly Parton was outstanding.

D.S.