shcombe Park Bowling Club held the inaugural match of the Avery Shield, an event using the Australians pairs format.

Ashcombe Park Bowling Club held the inaugural match of the Avery Shield, sponsored by Avery Estate Agents.

The event is held using the Australian pairs format, an unusual format but one that is fast moving and requires each bowler in the pair to play as lead and skip. Played over two games of eight ends, one played on the top green and one on the bottom green, the scores combined to determine the overall winner.

A total of 24 pairs competed, with the pair of Jan Matthews and Alan Cracknell emerging winners and Lucy Owens and John Whitlow runners-up.

Avery director, Daren Podbury presented the shield to the winners who also received engraved glasses as a permanent memento of their success.

In another trophy match, Ashcombe members competed in the Don Stanton Memorial Cup.

Played as singles using a fixed jack format, bowlers played three games of 16 ends each, with points awarded for bowl position relative to the jack.

With rankings swinging up and down throughout the match, the final result was close run, with Dennis Carr eventually taking first place with 276 points. John Hornett was second with 266 and Graham Wilkinson third with 265.

Despite the wet conditions, everyone enjoyed the day, which is an annual event at Ashcombe.

Ashcombe held its captain’s closing day, bringing their outdoor season to a close. The afternoon started with a mixed triples match, run on the regular umbrella format, followed by a meal and presentations in the clubhouse.

The event was attended by guest, Somerset Bowls Association’s ladies’ president Marilyn Gozna, club life members and representatives from Freewheelers EVS (Blood Bikes), Ashcombe captain’s charity of for the year.

Freewheelers is a charity run by volunteers to deliver emergency supplies to hospitals in the South West. This year the Club raised £1,055 for the chosen charity and ladies’ captain, Averill Goacher, presented the cheque to the bikers.

Freewheelers Alan Evans and Richard Reeves with Ashcombe club president, Norma Counsell and ladies’ captain, Averill Goacher (on the bike).

Avery Shield winners Jan Matthews and Alan Cracknell with Daren Podbury.

Cup winner Dennis Carr receiving the trophy from Ashcombe chairman Dave Bleasdale.

Following their outstanding double success in the county Fear Cup and Southey Trophy, St Andrews Ladies took on the club men in the first game of the indoor season.

Last year, the ladies were victorious in this annual fixture and the men have selected a strong team to try to get revenge, including Somerset county indoor singles champion Barrie Forse. Four members of the double-winning outdoor team are in the ladies’ line-up.

Forse excelled himself recently in the first open singles circuit tournament of the indoor season at Bromsgrove, winning four matches to reach the semi-final in which he lost to the eventual winner, England player Les Gillett.

The game at St Andrews is a curtain-raiser to a busy indoor season on the three rinks, with a full schedule of club league matches every day, plus national and county competitions.

The club held two open days for prospective new indoor members and they had a good response to a leaflet drop in the area with a steady stream of interested people on the Sunday.

The outdoor season at Thirlmere Road ended with a mixed tourists match against Lampeter, from West Wales, which the visitors won comfortably.

St Andrews 93, Lampeter 141: G Sims, Chris Bygrave, A Cooper, D Bailey 24-20; P Smart, Margaret Barnes, K Rodgers, B Green 17-20; Jackie Yeates, D Reynolds, J Ling, B Reeves 14-25; A Frost, R Smith, Irene Tofte, Monica Pattenden 14-19; Jenny Webb, R Gordon, Maureen Frost, T Ware 13-29; R Potter, Ann Greenwood, R Brereton, B May 11-28.

On a sad note, St Andrews club stalwart Pat Uglow passed away last week after a brave battle against cancer.