Year: 2017

PRESIDENTS CUP.
The Club’s next competition will be the President’s Cup, which will take place this Sunday, 9th July, starting at 12 noon. Please register by 11.45am to ensure that a prompt start can be made.
We hope that as many members as possible will support this event, making it a fitting tribute to our late President, John Stennett.
We will have a Raffle on the day and the donation of any prizes would be welcomed.
Tea and Cakes will be available as refreshments.
All monies raised will go to our club.

VICE-PRESIDENTS PAIRS TROPHY 2017
Congratulations to Margaret James and Ray Sutton, who came through a field of 18 pairs to win the Vice-Presidents Pairs Trophy on Saturday. This was Margaret’s first tournament win at the Hesketh Arms and Ray’s first since winning the Chairman’s Shield with Margaret Langley in 2013.
Margaret and Ray faced some tough opponents in reaching the final, starting with a close 21-17 victory against Wayne Graham and Steve Lomas in their first game. The 2nd round saw them record a surprisingly comfortable 21-7 win against the fancied pair of Dave Bedford and Alex Rimmer, both former winners of pairs titles at the Hesketh. This was followed by one of the games of day against semi-final opponents Jason Chapman and Chris Harding. At 19-11 to Jason and Chris, it looked as though Margaret and Ray were on their way out of the competition but a 3 at the 18th end, followed by six singles took Margaret and Ray into a 20-19. A single for Jason and Chris made the score all but across but it was Margaret and Ray who won the final end to take them into the final.
Margaret and Ray’s opponents in the final were John Hughes and Pat MacArthur, who had overcome Jim Halsall and Barry McArthur (21-14), Terry Corfield and Joe Parker (21-10), Jeff Brown and Pat Jones (21-16) and in the semi-final, Ken Rimmer and Mavis Thompson (21-13).
In the final, Margaret and Ray were quick to seize the initiative, winning seven out of the first nine ends to establish a commanding 16-7 lead. Although John and Pat rallied to close the gap to 13-17, Margaret and Ray scored a crucial 3 at the 14th end to go within one chalk of victory which they were able to secure at the next end.
A plate competition was held and was won by Kez Adams and Steve Lomas with a 15-6 win against Bill Bloor and Alan Bond in the final.

HESKETH ARMS NEWS UPDATE – juLY 2017

FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Saturday 1st July – Vice-Presidents Pairs (to be drawn on the day, 12 noon start)
Sunday 9th July – President’s Cup (Singles Handicap, 12 noon start)
Sunday 6th August – Championship Cup (Singles Handicap, 12 noon start)
Saturday 12th August – Friendly v Emmanuel Bowling Club (see below for details)
Saturday 19th August – Chairman’s Shield (Pairs to be drawn on the day, 12 noon start)

FRIENDLY V. EMMANUEL B.C.
A friendly match against Emmanuel Bowling Club will take place on Saturday 12th August at the Hesketh Arms green, with refreshments at the Churchtown Conservative Club at the end of the game. The match will start at 1.00pm and anyone interested in taking part should contact Mike Milne (07752352065 / michaelmilne66@outlook.com) or add their name to the list which is available at the bowling club.

SOUTHPORT FEDERATION
The Southport Federation team continued their season with the June fixture being against Fylde ‘B’. The Hesketh Arms was again pleased to be asked to host the Federation team, following the game against Dudley last year. This is a reflection on all the hard work carried out on the green and surrounds over the last few years.
The Hesketh Arms was again well-represented, with Alistair and Kez Adams, Chris Harding, Mike Milne, Tony Wakefield and Mark Wilde all selected to play. Congratulations to Kez and Tony, who both enjoyed comfortable wins in the away leg.
The outcome of the match could not have been closer, with the home side’s six winners being enough to win their aggregate by 18 chalks. The away team had five winners and lost by 18 chalks, resulting in a tied aggregate overall. This was a good effort by the Southport team against strong opposition and they now go into their last game against Preston in July with all to play for.
LV INDIVIDUALS
The LV League’s Individuals competition starts on Tuesday 4th July, with the finals night taking place on Tuesday 11th July. Players from our LV teams have been drawn to play at the following venues :-
Ainsdale – Roger Van Beever
Fleetwood Hesketh – Dave Bannister ; Graham Meadow
London (Sphynx) – Dave Bedford
Mere Brow – Ray Atkinson ; Mark Rowlinson
Scarisbrick BC (Falkland Road) – Len Southworth
Scarisbrick NSC (Bullens Lane) – John Hughes
Zetland – Mark Wilde ; Fergal Wright
Games start at 6.30pm, 21 up with 3 on the card. There is no entry fee for this competition but £1 greenage will be payable on the day.
In addition to the above, the Hesketh Arms is also being used for this event. Spectators will be welcome and any help with marking and measuring would be greatly appreciated.

LANCASHIRE JUNIOR MERIT
Congratulations to Fergal Wright, who continued an excellent season by winning the Lancashire County Junior Merit, held at Bellingham Bowling Club on Sunday 18th June.

BURSCOUGH LEAGUE PRESIDENT’S DAY
The Burscough League President’s Day will be held on Saturday 29th July at Tarleton Bowling Club. If any of our Burscough League players are interested in taking part, please inform your captain as soon as possible. Each team is entitled to send two representatives.

GREEN BOOKINGS
Please note that the green will unavailable for members on the following dates due to private bookings :-

Sunday 2nd July – all day (private booking)
Sunday 13th August – 11.00am – 5.00pm (approx.)
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

CORONATION CUP 2017

The fine weather guaranteed another excellent turnout for the Club’s latest competition on Sunday when 34 members took part in the Coronation Cup.

In the top half of the draw Tony Wakefield had to negotiate a couple of tough opponents in Jeff Brown and Danny Harding to reach the last eight. The game against Danny was a particularly close encounter with Tony just prevailing with a 21-19 win. Following this success, Tony reached the final with more comfortable wins against Roger Van Beever (21-6) and Terry Corfield (21-8).

Tony’s opponent in the final was 2016 Rose Bowl winner John Unsworth, who enjoyed wins against Brian Sutton (21-13), Pat Jones (21-10), Rita Stanley (21-10) and Bill Bloor (21-12).

In the final, John took an early lead, winning the second and third ends but then Tony seized control of the match, winning 9 out of the next 12 ends to lead 15-7. Although John then won five out of six ends to close the gap to 13-16, Tony was able to win the next five ends to run out a 21-13 winner and take his first Hesketh Arms title.

The Plate event for first round losers was won by Richard Rawcliffe and the Plate runner-up was Derek Wignall.

The next club competition will be the Vice-Presidents Pairs Trophy, which will take place on Saturday 1st July, starting at 12 noon. Pairings will be drawn randomly on the day and members are asked to register by 11.45am to allow for a prompt start.

SPRING PAIRS 2017
30 members attended the club on Saturday to compete for the Spring Pairs Trophy. As usual, partners for the afternoon were drawn randomly and this produced some strong pairings.
In the top half of the draw Wayne Graham and Phil Richards progressed to the final with wins against Jeff Brown and Laurie Townson (21-16), Les Miller and Peter Smith (21-13) and in the semi-final, Kevin McCormack and Pat Miller (21-13). Their opponents in the final were to be Alex Rimmer and Fergal Wright, who had defeated Barry McArthur and Ken Rimmer (21-7), Bill Bloor and Noel Morgans (21-18) and Pat McArthur and Richard Rawcliffe (21-14).
Although Alex and Fergal won the first two ends of the final, Wayne and Phil produced a winning run of six ends to establish commanding 15-7 lead and looked favourites to claim the title. Although Alex and Fergal won the next three ends to close the gap to 13-15, Wayne and Phil were able to maintain the advantage, closing in on victory at 20-16. However, in one of the most exciting finals seen at the Hesketh, Alex and Fergal ran out to take the Spring Pairs Trophy by the narrowest of margins. Congratulations to all four finalists for producing an entertaining finale to competition. In particular, well done to Alex on his first tournament win, having lost in four previous finals.

The Plate competition for those knocked out in their first game was won by Jim Halsall and Pat Jones, who defeated Chris Harding and John McCabe 15-8 in the final.

The next competition will be the Coronation Cup, a singles handicap and will be held on Sunday 18th June, starting at 12 noon.

HESKETH ARMS NEWS UPDATE – MAY 2017

SPRING PAIRS
Members are reminded that the next club event will be the Spring Pairs, which will take place this Saturday, 13^th May starting at 12 noon. Please report to the green by 11.45am for registration to allow for a prompt start. Pairings will be drawn at random on the day.

SOUTHPORT FEDERATION
The Southport Federation team got to off to a successful start to the season in April, winning their fixture against Doncaster ‘B’ by 16 games to 8.
The Hesketh Arms was well-represented, with Alistair Adams, Kez Adams, Mike Milne, Mark Wilde and Fergal Wright all playing in the home leg at Scarisbrick Bowling Club and Chris Harding and Jon Roberts playing in the away leg. Special mention must be made of Fergal Wright who won 21-8 and to Kez Adams who won the home team man of the match award for his 21-10 win playing at number 1 block on his Federation debut.
The next game for the Southport team is on Sunday 21^st May and the home leg will take place at Fleetwood Hesketh, starting at 2.00pm. The Hesketh Arms will be represented at home against Rochdale Ladies by Mike Milne, Mark Wilde and Fergal Wright. Alistair and Kez Adams have been selected to play at Milnrow in the away leg. Spectators for the game at Fleetwood Hesketh will be very welcome, to help the Southport players continue their winning start to the season

GREEN BOOKINGS
Please note that the green will unavailable for members on the following dates due to private bookings :-
Thursday 8^th June – 11.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday 2^nd July – all day
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
We would request any members who have not yet paid their subscriptions to please do so.
Especially any team members.

ROSE BOWL 2017
An excellent turnout of 38 members took part in the Club’s first internal competition of the season on Sunday, on a mainly fine day.
In the top half of the draw, Fergal Wright, winner of the Rose Bowl in 2015, made comfortable progress to the quarter-finals with wins against Alex Rimmer (21-10) and Pat McArthur (21-15). Fergal’s quarter-final opponent was three-time Hesketh Arms singles winner Mike Dunlop and this was expected to one of the games of the day. Mike started strongly, winning seven out of the first eight ends to lead 12-1 but Fergal fought back and won eight out of the next nine ends to take the lead at 14-13. From then on, it was nip and tuck with Fergal eventually progressing to the semi-final with a 21-19 win. In the semi-final, Fergal faced former Club president, Bill Nowell, who had enjoyed three close victories over Janice Hobson (21-20), Dave Warrior (21-19) and Dave Bedford (21-20). These close games probably proved to be a disadvantage to Bill in the semi-final as Fergal ran out a 21-10 winner.
The bottom half of the draw saw last year’s Coronation Cup winner, Brian Sutton, make steady progress to the semi-final with wins against Jeff Brown (21-19), Ken Rimmer (21-17) and Wendy McLoughlin (21-16). Brian’s semi-final against Richard Rawcliffe was closely fought, with Brian holding a narrow 16-14 lead after 21 ends. However, Brian was able to win the next four ends to reach another final, the final score being 21-14.
The final started off with neither player dominating and after eight ends Brian led 8-6. At this point, however, Fergal hit top form and won ten consecutive ends to establish a 20-8 lead. Although Brian was able to score a double to make it 10-20, Fergal scored the one chalk required to claim the Rose Bowl for the second time in three years.

A Plate competition was also held and this was won by Peter Smith, who defeated Janice Hobson 15-12 in a closely fought final.

Many thanks to all those who contributed to a successful start to the Club’s competition season.

The next event will be the Spring Pairs, which will be held on Saturday 13th May. Pairings will be drawn on the day. Please report by 11.45am for a 12 noon start.

HESKETH ARMS NEWS UPDATE – APRIL 2017
APRIL ROUND ROBIN
The Club’s first event of the season was held on Sunday 2^nd April when 28 members took part in a Round Robin. Eileen Rawcliffe came fourth, just behind husband Richard in 3^rd place. The runner-up was Pat McArthur but the clear winner, with an impressive aggregate of  +31, was Norman Simpson. Many thanks to all those who supported this event on a pleasant Spring afternoon.

EASTER ROUND ROBIN
Another excellent turnout of 35 members attended the Club’s second event of the season, the Easter Round Robin. The afternoon produced a close result, with the winner being Sue Davies, whose aggregate of +19 was just one ahead of runner-up Margaret James on +18. Jim Halsall was 3^rd on +16 and Margaret Langley took fourth prize with a score of +15.

Many thanks to George Hitchmough, who took over the running of this event at short notice.

ROSE BOWL SINGLES HANDICAP
Our next event will be the Club’s first internal competition of the season, which will be the Rose Bowl. This is a singles handicap and will be held on Sunday 30^th April, starting at 12 noon. Please report for registration by 11.45 am so that the draw can be made in time to allow for a prompt start.

TROPHY ENGRAVING
It would be appreciated if those members holding club trophies would return them when they next attend a weekend event or competition. This will enable us to have them engraved with winners’ names before they are played for this season.
MIKE MILNE