Hi, it’s Dave Bannister’s (Banny’s) granddaughter here Natalie, passing on the details for his funeral.
It will take place on Monday 6th November.
My grandad did not wish for everyone to be in black,
he requested for those attending to wear something blue.
Details as follows:
10am- Main service at Holy Family Church- 1 Brompton Road PR86AS.
11am- followed with a smaller family and close friends service at Southport crematorium. -159 Southport Road PR85JQ.
The wake will then take place at the Fleetwood Hesketh, Fylde Rd, Southport PR9 9XH. Access to the venue will be available from 10:45. Food will be available once service at the crematorium is complete, approximately around 12:00/12:30.
Congratulations to Darren Edgerley on retaining the Coronation Cup, overcoming Chris Porter in the final. This singles handicap has been played throughout the season and the final turned out to be between two of the best players in the club and was a fitting finale to the club’s programme of internal competitions.
Chris started off well in the final, winning the first three ends but Darren won the next five ends to lead 8-3. Although Chris had several runs with the jack and closed the gap to 17-18 at one stage, Darren held on to the lead for the rest of the game to take the title with a 21-17 win.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this competition and helped to complete it by organising their games. Many thanks also to Club President, Peter Smith, who was on hand to mark the final and present the Coronation Cup to Darren.
WINNER 2023 DAREN EDGERLEY
GREEN CLOSURE & AUTUMN MAINTENANCE
Following the final league games of the season, the green has now been closed to allow for the essential annual maintenance work to take place. Many thanks to our greenkeeper, Andy Bate, who has done a great job in ensuring that the green has been in excellent playing condition throughout the season. It was particularly pleasing to receive positive feedback from bowlers coming from outside the local area to play in our open doubles and singles competitions. We look forward to the green being in top condition again next Spring, ready for the 2024 season.
ROUND ROBINS
Many thanks again to Peter and Lynne Smith, along with all those who helped throughout the season, for running the regular Round Robins. These sessions, which are held every Tuesday and Friday mornings, are a very important part of the Club’s programme of events and provide members with an opportunity to enjoy social bowling and meet up with other members of the Club.
CLUB COMPETITIONS
Eleven club competitions were staged in 2023 and five new names were added to the Club’s Roll of Honour. These were Steve McManus (Rose Bowl), Andy Draper (Vice-Presidents Trophy & Championship Cup), Noreen Lewis (Ladies’ Championship), Alan Hatton (Chairman’s Shield) and Graham Meadow (Chairman’s Shield).
We look forward to running a full programme of events again in 2024.
CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS 2024
The fourth staging of the Hesketh Arms’ Champion of Champions will take place at the beginning of the 2024 season. For this event, all the club competition and merit winners from the previous season are invited to take part and the trophy presented to the winner is the “Blowick Cup”, which was previously played for at the old Blowick Hotel Bowling Club.
Congratulations to Dave Bedford and Brian Sutton on winning the Club’s final one-day competition of the season, the Last Chance Cup. Their opponents in the final were Pat McArthur and Steve McManus and after ten ends it was Pat and Steve who held an 11-9 advantage, helped by a three at the 9th end. Dave and Brian hit form at this stage however and some excellent lead bowls by Brian saw them count at the next five ends to establish an 18-11 lead and although Pat and Steve scored a single to make it 12-18, Dave and Brian ran out 21-12 winners.
This was Dave’s first club competition win since winning the Chairman’s Shield in 2014 and Brian’s third pairs success, having won the Chairman’s Shield and the Floodlit Trophy in 2020.
WINNERS 2023 DAVE BEDFORD & BRIAN SUTTON
Runners Up Pat McArthur & Steve McManus
Semi finalists Jackie Jackson & Peter Croston
A plate competition was held and this was won by Chris McManus and Mike Milne, with a 15-11 win in the final against Sue Andersen and Alex Rimmer.
The latest club competition took place on Saturday evening when we played for the Floodlit Trophy. For this event, pairs are divided into groups, with the highest placed pairs progressing to the knockout phase. The four qualifying pairs were Kez Adams and Darren Edgerley ; Jason Chapman and Mike Milne ; Derek and Sue Wignall ; Debbie Barnes and Jeff Brown. In the semi-finals, Kez and Darren comfortably overcame Debbie and Jeff, whilst Jason and Mike narrowly got through against Derek and Sue.
The final was won convincingly by Kez and Darren with a 15-3 winning scoreline.
WINNERS DARREN & KEZ
Runners Up MIKE & JASON
THE LAST CHANCE CUP
The final one-day club competition will be held this coming Sunday, 17th September, when we will be staging the Last Chance Cup. This is a random pairs, with pairings being drawn out on the day. To enter, please report at the green by 11.45 am in time for a 12 noon start.
CORONATION CUP
The Coronation Cup, which has been taking place throughout the season, has now reached the final, where the holder, Darren Edgerley, will take on Chris Porter. Both players are playing off scratch, which should make for a great final. We hope to hold the final on a weekend date before the end of the season. We will notify members when a date has been arranged so that spectators can come along to enjoy what should be an excellent finale to the Club’s programme of internal competitions.
There are still two more internal doubles competitions to be played before the end of the season.
The first of these will be the Floodlit Trophy, which will be played on Saturday, 9th September. This is a non-random pairs and will start at 5.00pm.
The final club event of the season will be held on Sunday, 17th September. This will be the Last Chance Cup, which is a random doubles, with pairings drawn on the day. There will be a plate competition for pairs losing their first game. To enter, please report at the green by 11.45 am, for a 12 noon start.
Sunday 17th September – 12.00 pm start – Last Chance Cup – random doubles with plate
SOUTHPORT FEDERATION
The Southport Federation team’s August fixture resulted in a 22-10 win against Fylde which was enough to see them clinch second place in Division 6 of the National League and therefore gain promotion to the 5th Division for the first time in their history.
The home leg was played at Tarleton Bowling Club, where the team had a convincing 11-1 win. Amongst the winners were Andy Draper (21-5), Chris Porter (21-10), Ali Adams (21-16) and Kez Adams (21-19).
The away team travelled to East End Bowling Club in Lytham St. Annes and came away with a decent five winners on a tricky green. Of the Hesketh Arms’ players, there were excellent wins for Darren Edgerley (21-14) and Fergal Wright (21-19).
FINAL TABLE
Menai 85 points
Southport 72
Warrington 62
Fylde 58
Bradford ‘B’ 43
GREEN CLOSURE
Please note that the green will close for the season on Monday 2nd October, following the final Southport Veterans’ League match of the season. This is to allow for the important annual maintenance work to be started as soon as possible.
GREEN BOOKING
Due to Maghull League Knockout Cup matches taking place, the green will be unavailable for use by members on Sunday 3rd September, between approximately 10.30 am and 4.30 pm. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.
GREEN SUUROUNDS & WEED CLEARING
We would like to thank ANDY DRAPER for clearing and tidying up the green surrounds. He’s made an very good job of it’
CHURCHTOWN CONSERVATIVE CLUB – B.J.P.O’MALLEY PRESIDENT’S CUP
Congratulations to Alan Lloyd on winning the Churchtown Conservative Club’s B.J.P. O’Malley President’s Cup, playing with Conservative Club Chairman, George Wilson.
OPEN SINGLES 2023 – SPONSORED BY THE BIRKDALE INSURANCE GROUP The Club held it’s fifth Open Singles competition last weekend when we welcomed bowlers from St. Helens, Wigan, Chorley, Liverpool and Preston, as well as members from the Hesketh Arms and other local clubs. The top half of the draw saw Mark Holden, who plays for Scarisbrick NSC, reach the semi-finals with wins against Paul Culley (21-10), Andy Prescott (21-13) and Chris Harding (21-7). His opponent in the last four was Peter Tilley from Chorley, a first-time visitor to the Hesketh Arms for our open competitions. It was Mark who reached the final with a 21-12 victory. In the bottom half of the draw, Michael Heap, who won our Open Doubles in April with Paul Culley, had a close game against Brian Fairclough in the first round, eventually coming through 21-20. Michael was then able to reach the final with comfortable wins against David Charlesworth (Preston), Aaron Backhouse (Ormskirk) and one of former members, Liam Gregson (Skem Park Rebels). The final was close in the early stages, with Mark starting strongly but it was Michael who was able to maintain his form to win 21-13 and claim the £200 first prize. Many thanks to the Birkdale Insurance Group, for their support again in sponsoring this competition and everyone who came down on the day and helped with marking and measuring. A special thank you also, to our referees, Peter and Mary Fishwick, who helped to ensure the smooth running of the competition. Finally, thank you to our Club President, Peter Smith, who presented the prizes. We look forward to running our open competitions again in 2024.
Dates have been set for the final club competitions of the season. The first of these will be the Floodlit Trophy, which will take place on Saturday 9th September, starting at 5.00 pm. This is a non-random pairs and the early stages will be played using a group format. The Club’s programme of internal competitions will be completed with the Last Chance Cup on Sunday 17th September, which will be a random pairs with a plate for pairs losing their first game. For this competition, please register at the green by 11.45 am for a 12 noon start.
Sunday 17th September – 12.00 pm start – Last Chance Cup – random doubles with plate
SOUTHPORT FEDERATION
The Southport federation team play their final National League fixture of the 2023 season on Sunday 13th August, when they take on Fylde. The team selection and home venue have yet to be announced but can be found using the link below when the details are published on Monday 7th August. The match will start at 2.00 pm and spectators will be welcome to support the team in a game crucial to their chances of promotion to the 5th Division.
CHURCHTOWN CONSERVATIVE CLUB – B.J.P.O’MALLEY PRESIDENT’S CUP
The new date for the Churchtown Conservative Club’s President’s Cup is Saturday 19th August. Any of our members who are also members of the Conservative Club are invited to take part. To enter, please report to the green at 12 noon. Pairings will be drawn on the day and there will be a £1 entry fee.
GREEN BOOKING – JOHN BERRY TROPHY
Please note that the green will be unavailable for use by members on Sunday 6th August as we are hosting the second staging of the John Berry Trophy. This is a Town versus Country challenge match and is held in memory of John Berry, who was a highly respected bowler in Southport and the surrounding area. Several of our members will be taking part in the match and spectators will be more than welcome on the day. The game gets underway at 12.30 pm.
Congratulations to Alan Hatton and Graham Meadow on winning the Chairman’s Shield, overcoming Mark Rowlinson and Mark Wilde in the final. The two Marks had beaten the strong pairing of Steve McManus and Fergal Wright in the semi-final and started the final well, scoring two at the first end but Alan and Graham were too consistent on the day and ran out 21-9 winners. Well done to Tess Newton and Sue Wignall, who enjoyed a notable 21-16 win against Darren Edgerley and Chris Harding before losing out to Alan and Graham in the other semi-final. This was a first Hesketh Arms competition win for both Alan and Graham.
