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CHAIRMAN’S SHIELD 2017

The Chairman’s Shield took place on Sunday and attracted sixteen pairs. The top half of the draw saw Brian Jones and Pat McArthur reach the final with wins against Deanne Moss and Ray Sutton (21-17), Jim Halsall and Mavis Thompson (21-15) and Janice Hobson and Ken Rimmer (21-14).

Their opponents in the final were Bill Bloor and Jason Chapman, who had enjoyed wins against Barry McArthur and Richard Rawcliffe (21-7), Chris Harding and Eileen Rawcliffe (21-20) and in the semi-final, Mike Milne and Noel Morgans (21-14).

The final was a closely fought battle, with Bill and Jason the pair to gain the advantage with a 15-11 lead after ten ends. Brian and Pat are both former winners of pairs titles at the Hesketh Arms, however, and re-gained the lead with a single and a four to lead 16-15. A three for Bill and Jason though proved decisive as they took an 18-16 lead and scored a further three chalks in the next two ends to win the final 21-16. Congratulations to Bill Bloor on winning his first Hesketh club event and to Jason on a second success, having won the Vice-Presidents Pairs with Fergal Wright in 2015.

The Plate competition was won by Mike Dunlop and John McCabe, with a win against Brian Sutton and Laurie Townson in the final.

Mike

HESKETH ARMS NEWS UPDATE – AUGUST 2017

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Sunday 6^th August – Championship Cup (Singles Handicap, 12 noon start)

Saturday 12^th August – Friendly v Emmanuel Bowling Club (see below for details)

Saturday 19^th 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 12^th 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 completed their 2017 National League fixtures with the July match being against neighbouring Preston.

The home leg took place at Ainsdale Bowling Club and resulted in a 7-5 win. Among the winners for the home side were Mark Wilde and Fergal Wright, who won 21-10 and 21-19 respectively.

The away leg was held on the tricky Lostock Hall Conservative Club green and the Southport team were beaten 9-3. Alistair and Kez Adams, Chris Harding, Mike Milne and Jon Roberts from the Hesketh Arms were all selected to represent Southport at Lostock Hall.

The Southport team has enjoyed a much-improved season, winning all four home games and two overall aggregates. They now await the results of the last round of fixtures in August which will determine the final league placings.

LV INDIVIDUALS

Congratulations to Fergal Wright on winning the LV League’s Individual event, held at Fleetwood Hesketh on the 11^th July. On a great night for Hesketh Eagles players, Fergal narrowly defeated Ray Atkinson in the final. Ray had previously overcome John Hughes at the semi-final stage. Nearly 100 players took part in this prestigious event and to have three of our members in the semi-finals was an impressive achievement.

LV PAIRS

The Hesketh Arms was again strongly represented at the finals night of the LV Pairs competition. Mark Wilde, partnering John Greenwood from Mere Brow, overcame Chris Harding and Mike Milne 21-14 in the final to claim the title. Well done to all the Hesketh Arms players who qualified for the last sixteen of this event.

BURSCOUGH LEAGUE

Congratulations to our new Burscough League team, the Hesketh Vultures, on winning the 3^rdDivision championship. Captained by Chris Harding, they have enjoyed an outstanding season, winning all 14 of their league games. This team has attracted several new members to the club and it has been good to see them taking part in the Club’s weekend competitions.

GREEN BOOKING

Please note that the green will unavailable for members on the following date due to a private booking :-

Sunday 13^th August – 11.00am – 5.00pm (approx.)

HESKETH ARMS BOWLING CLUB
President’s Day 2017
Sunday saw the Club hold it’s 5th annual President’s Day when 29 members competed for the President’s Cup. Sadly, John Stennett, our 2017 President recently passed away but this year’s President’s Day was held as a tribute to John, who had done so much for the Club, much of it behind the scenes. It was pleasing that Sheila Stennett was able to attend to draw the raffle and mark cards. We feel sure that John would be pleased to see the Club continue to be go from strength to strength as he had been instrumental in helping the Club to progress over the last ten years.
The competition itself saw some excellent bowling with Alex Rimmer continuing the form that saw him win the Spring Pairs earlier in the season. He overcame John Catherall (21-6), Peter Smith (21-17) and Richard Rawcliffe (21-16) to reach the semi-final, where his opponent was one of the tournament favourites, Mark Wilde. Mark had beaten fellow Eagle, Mark Rowlinson in the last eight but wasn’t able to overcome Alex, who progressed to the final with a 21-12 win.
In the final, Alex faced two time Coronation Cup winner, Brian Jones. Brian had won three close games to reach the final, his opponents being Jason Chapman (21-17), Chris Harding (21-16) and Dave Bedford (21-16). It was Alex who started off strongly in the final, however, counting four 2s in the first seven ends to establish a 12-5 lead. This lead proved decisive as Brian was unable to significantly close the gap as Alex ran out a 21-11 winner. Congratulations to Alex Rimmer on winning his first Hesketh Arms singles title, having previously been runner-up in this event in 2013.

The plate competition for first round losers was won by Bill Bloor, who defeated Sue Davies 15-9 in the final.

Many thanks to George Hitchmough and his helpers for organising the refreshments and a raffle and to all those who donated cakes and raffle prizes. The sale of refreshments and the raffle resulted in net proceeds of £212.68, which included a donation left to us by John Stennett. Finally, a big thank you to Sheila Stennett for supporting the day in memory of John, who was such a loyal supporter of crown green bowls in Churchtown and is sadly missed by all his bowling friends.

 

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.