Newark's nemesis

Post date: Oct 30, 2018 3:08:37 PM

THINGS don’t change much on the Weekend Friendly front. Our first match against Desborough wasn’t played because they claimed it wasn’t on their fixture list and in the second against they called to say they could only muster 16 players.

Our captain Maggie Holden, received a phone call at 8pm on the Friday night before, asking if we could find them two players to make up the 18. Ten minutes later they called to advise they only need one! Smile please! This is a club that hosts the EBF national championships.

Once they arrive, however, they turn out to be very nice people, though it needs at least three recounts to make the figures balance after taking in the match fees from.

After the first end we are leading on four out of the six rinks, total score 4-2 to us but, whoops, after the second end we are 5-6 down and leading on only two.

On the third end Howard Neath, signals four up and nearly falls over using the semaphore while on Cherry B’s rink she nicks in with her last wood and husband Colin goes down on his knees for a measure. At 13-9 overall it gets better when Captain Maggie’s rink gets a five and we are 22-16 overall before Howard’s rink goes 5-0 up.

On rink three a Newark player throws the mat backwards over his left shoulder in disgust, narrowly missing the lead who’s sitting on a stool on the next rink. Nigel Trigg’s rink goes to 7-1 after the seventh end and we march on to 38-26. Keep the crowds back please!

Ken Rawlins peppers the jack and his rink are 11-1 up after eight. Into the second half and Ron Blake’s rink gets a five and is 21-7 up. Howard Neath's rink leads by one 7-6. Jill Goode drops a six to go 5-18 down. Cherry Burgess is 8-16 down. Nigel Trigg is 11-3 up and Adrian Childs leads 13-7.

Overall we are still leading but only by six shots 64-58. Is that dreaded slippery slope we are all familiar with from last year looming on the horizon once again? But know, yippee, we had avoided the slippery slope and won 111-98.

Rink Scores: Ken Rawlins, Ann Preston Bambridge, Nigel Trigg won 19-11; Neil Handley, Maggie Holden, Ron Blake won 30-11 (our best rink) ; Colin Burgess, Val White, Cherry Burgess lost 17-24, Reg Goode, Terri Handley, Jill Goode lost 10-26; Rosemary Roberts, Judith Childs, Adrian Childs won 18-15; Ian Hall, Margaret Grainger, Howard Neath won 17-11.

We still need a few players for our friendly match away at Huntingdon on Saturday the November 11. If you can play please put your name on the team sheet on the Friendly Matches notice board opposite the bar.

D.S.