Hesketh Arms Bowling Club

New Page added to site for all the information on the Bernard O’Malley Junior Competition for 2015

PRESIDENT’S DAY 2015
On Sunday, Ray Sutton, the Club’s President for 2015, welcomed 34 club members, along with numerous friends and supporters, to the green to compete for the President’s Cup. We were very fortunate that the weather was much better than had been forecast and a fine afternoon of bowling was enjoyed by all those who took part.
In the top half of the draw, Jim Halsall progressed to the last eight with wins against Les Miller (21-18) and Tony Livesey (21-13). In the quarter-final, Jim faced formidable oppostion in Margaret Langley, who had previously won this title 20 years ago in 1995. After a tough battle, however, it was Jim who prevailed, winning a close game 21-18. Jim’s semi-final was another close affair against Brian Sutton, who at one stage led 16-13. Three 2s for Jim put him back in control and although Brian scored a couple of 1s to close the gap to 18-19, Jim was able to score the two singles he required to secure his third 21-18 win of the afternoon.
The bottom half of the draw saw 2011 winner, Sue Andersen, progress to the quarter-finals with wins against Ray Sutton (21-14) and Stephen Askew (21-16). The quarter-final proved to be a closely fought contest against Sue Davies, with Sue Andersen just crossing the line with a 21-20 success. This win set up a semi-final against another previous winner of this competition, Mark Rowlinson. Mark had to concede a handicap of four to Sue and this proved difficult to overcome. Although Mark was able to level the match at 7-7 and 14-14, it was Sue who found her form at the right time, scoring three 2s in the last five ends to reach the final with a winning score of 21-16.
In the final, the first five ends were nip and tuck but Sue was then able to win four consecutive ends to open up a 12-5 advantage which was to prove the crucial phase of the match. Jim fought hard but struggled to count in more than singles and was never able to close the gap to less than three as Sue eventually eased to a 21-14 win. Congratulations to Sue on winning the President’s Cup for the second time and also to Jim on reaching another final.

A Plate competition was held for 1st round losers and this attracted 16 entries. The eventual winner was Tony Wakefield, with a narrow 15-14 win over Richard Rawcliffe in the final.

A special thank you to Ray and Frances Sutton and their helpers for providing refreshments and organising the raffle, with help also from Margaret Langley and Irene Nowell. In total, £138.00 was raised towards club funds on the day. Finally, many thanks to all those who brought raffle prizes and purchased tickets and congratulations to Ray on another successful day for the club.

JULY ROUND ROBIN
Many thanks to Richard and Eileen Rawcliffe for their help in running the July Round Robin. 12 members took part in this latest event in the Club’s busy calendar. The eventual winner was Mike Davidson with an aggregate of +26, closely followed by Richard on +22.

The Club will hold weekend round robins in August and September and the dates for these will be announced next week.

LV LEAGUE SINGLES
Congratulations to Fergal Wright on reaching the last eight of the LV League singles competition. The final 8 play off at Fleetwood Hesketh next Tuesday, 21st July, starting at 7.00pm. Support for our club’s last remaining representative would be appreciated on what should be an excellent night of bowling.

GREEN BOOKING
Please note that the green will be unavailable for use by members on the afternoon of Friday 7th August as we have a private booking. The morning round robin will take place as usual.

VICE-PRESIDENTS TROPHY 2015
The improved weather brought a good turnout of 30 members to the green on Saturday for the Vice-Presidents Trophy. This is the second of the club’s random pairs competitions and in the top half of the draw Margaret Langley was looking to complete a clean sweep of doubles titles, having previously won both the Chairman’s Shield and Spring Pairs twice. Margaret was drawn to partner Alan Bond and they were to progress to the final with good wins against Jim Halsall and Irene Nowell (21-15), Richard Rawcliffe and Norman Simpson (21-10) and Mike Burrill and Chris Harding (21-15).
In the bottom half of the draw, this year’s Rose Bowl winner, Fergal Wright was drawn to partner Jason Chapman. Having received a 1st Round bye, Fergal and Jason had a tough encounter in their first game against Jon Roberts and Mavis Thompson, eventually winning by a narrow 21-19 margin. Their semi-final opponents were the strong pairing of Bill Nowell and John Stennett who had reached the semi-final satge with wins against Jim Finnimore and Vera Johnson (21-20) and Mark Rowlinson and Connie Southern (21-10). The extra game may have proved to be a disadvantage for Bill and John as Fergal and Jason were able to continue there good form to reach the final, the winning score being 21-14.
The final was a fitting decider to the competition and could have gone either way, with Alan and Margaret looking likely winners when leading 14-10. However, at this stage, Fergal and Jason produced a strong finish, winning 8 out of 10 ends to complete a 21-16 victory to deservedly take the 2015 Vice-Presidents Trophy. Congratulations to Jason on winning his first Hesketh Arms title and to Fergal on his second Hesketh Arms success this season.

The consolation plate competition was won by Jim Halsall and Irene Nowell with a 15-8 win in the final against Mike Dunlop and Laurie Townson.

CHURCHTOWN CONSERVATIVE CLUB – THE B.J.P.O’MALLEY PRESIDENT’S TROPHY

On Saturday 13th June, we again hosted the Churchtown Conservative Club’s annual bowling competition, when members compete for the B.J.P.O’Malley President’s Trophy. On a fine day, the main competition was won by Mike Milne and James Martins, who defeated Chris Harding and Alan Lloyd 21-13 in the final. A consolation competition was held for 1st round losers and this was won by John Unsworth and Noel Morgans with a 15-5 success against Heather Menzies and Dave Pritchard.

CORONATION CUP

The Club’s second singles competition of the season took place on Sunday 14th June when 23 members took part in the Coronation Cup.

One of the winners of the Club’s previous competition, Mike Dunlop (winner of the Spring Pairs, partnered by Connie Southern), was again in fine form, reaching the final with wins against John Tomlin (21-6), Connie Southern (21-20), Alan Bond (21-10) and Dave Bedford (21-16). Mike’s opponent in the final was John Unsworth, who had enjoyed impressive victories against Brian Jones (21-19), Leo Tobin (21-15) and Margaret Langley (21-16).

As a member of the Eagles, the Club’s Premier Division LV team, John had to concede a handicap of 2 against Mike and although John won the first end, it was the experienced Mike Dunlop who dominated the final, scoring five 2s in the first 9 ends to establish a commanding 15-1 lead. Although John rallied to close the gap to 9-16 by winning six out of the next seven ends, Mike was able to maintain his consistent form to win the final by a comfortable 21-9 margin. Congratulations to Mike on winning a competition which he previously won in 2011.

Participants in the main event who lost in their first game competed for the Diamond Jubliee Plate and this was won by Jim Finnimore with a 15-5 win in the final against John Tomlin.

GREEN BOOKING

Please note that the green will be unavailable for use by members on Sunday 26th July as it has been hired out for a private event. The Committee apologies for any inconvenience caused.

GREEN BOOKINGS

Please note that the green will be unavailable for use by members on the following dates as it has booked by ouside organisations :-

Saturday 13th June – all day

Monday 29th June – from 6.00pm

The Committee apologises for any inconvenience that this may cause,

Chairman’s Message May 2015

The season is now in full flow and everything is starting to fit into place. We have had lots of positive feedback about the club and the condition of the green. The committee has also had a number of requests which we have already acted on.

Some of our members have asked for a second weekly Round Robin. Jim Finnimore has agreed to run an addition event on Friday mornings, starting at 10.00am. We thank Jim for his involvement. If anyone would be willing to deputise for Jim for when he can’t make it please contact him.

There has been a lot of feedback about the toilet situation and we been asked to provide a convenience at the side of the green. The committee is in the process of looking into the logistics of such a project. Please watch this space.

The Planning Permission application is underway for the floodlights and we should have more news for you before the end of the season.

The most recent competition was the Spring Pairs which attracted a good turnout of 28 members. Congratulations to Mike Dunlop and Connie Southern on their success in claiming this title.

A big thank you to our President Ray Sutton who volunteered to paint the green benches. Ray has done a fantastic job and I am sure you would all agree that they look so much better.

Talking of benches I would like to pass on my gratitude to the Langley family for donating a bench in the memory of George Langley. It has been placed at the side of the shelter and it is a splendid addition. If anyone else would like to donate a bench please contact the club, see below.

All the annual subscriptions have been collected and we have in excess of 150 members. A polite reminder that if you bring a guest down to the green then please can you collect £2 per session and pass it on to a captain or a committee member.

Chris Harding – 07761733024 and chrisharding10@hotmail.co.uk
George Hitchmough – 07977 500131 and secretary@hesketharmsbowlingclub.co.uk
Mike Milne – 07752352065 and hesketharms21@yahoo.co.uk
Website – https://www.hesketharmsbowlingclub.co.uk/
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HESKETH ARMS BOWLING CLUB

SPRING PAIRS 2015

Sunday saw 28 members taking part in the first of the Club’s three doubles competitions, for which partners are drawn randomly.

As usual, some interesting pairings were formed, including the winners of the 2013 Chairman’s Shield, Margaret Langley and Ray Sutton. Drawn to play in the bottom half the draw, Margaret and Ray had the advantage of a bye in the first round and progressed to the final with comfortable wins against Eileen Rawcliffe and John Stennett (21-14) and Barry Lowe and Fiona Woods (21-9).

The top half of the draw saw the highly fancied pair of Mike Dunlop and Connie Southern progress to the semi-finals with wins against Janice Hobson and Colin Mackenzie (21-8) and Joe Parker and Alex Rimmer (21-12). The semi-final proved to be a tougher challenge against Margaret James and Brian Jones but it was Mike and Connie who reached the final with a narrow 21-18 victory.

The outcome of the final was difficult to predict but Mike and Connie started strongly, scoring four 2s in the first 6 ends to open up a 12-6 lead. Margaret and Ray were able to stage a comeback, however, winning four ends out of five to narrow the gap to 11-14 but Mike and Connie hit back with another three doubles and a single to run out 21-11 winners and claim the 2015 Spring Pairs title.

A consolation competition was also run and this was won by Alan Bond and Pat Jones who won 15-11 in the final against Janice Hobson and Colin MacKenzie.

The Club’s first internal competition took place on Sunday,
attracting a good turnout of 31 members.

In the top half of the draw, the 2011 President’s Cup winner, Sue
Andersen, was in fine form and picked up some impressive
scalps. Sue’s first victim was former club President
Bill Nowell (21-15), followed by another excellent win
against 2013 Rose Bowl winner Jim Halsall, also by a 21-15
scoreline. The quarter-final was expected to be a difficult
test for Sue against Dave Bedford, who had enjoyed a 21-10
success against Kyle Dawes in the 2nd Round. It was Sue,
however, who progressed to the semi-final with a 21-9 win,
where she faced Wayne Graham. Wayne had reached this stage
with wins against Pat Miller (21-7), Sue Davies (21-20) and
Tony Livesey (21-11). Sue and Wayne were locked in a close
battle until the 16th end, when Sue scored the first of 3
successive twos to take an 18-13 lead and despite Wayne
pulling a chalk back, it was Sue who reached the final, the
scoreline being 21-14.

The bottom half of the draw saw Eagles’ player Fergal Wright
progress comfortably to the semi-finals with wins against
Don Parish (21-9), Ted Moule (21-13) and Margaret Langley
(21-15). Fergal’s semi-final opponent was the club’s
2015 President, Ray Sutton and this was to prove a close
battle between one of the club’s youngest players and
the vastly experienced Ray. Although Fergal had to concede a
handicap of four chalks against Ray, he seemed on course for
a comfortable win, leading 15-11 after 17 ends. Ray is
always a tough opponent however and won five out of the next
seven ends to take an 18-17 lead and go within a couple of
ends of victory. At this stage though, Fergal was able to
maintain his concentration and scored the four singles
required to take him into the final, the winning margin
being 21-18.

The outcome of the final was difficult to predict but Sue, starting on
+4, looked to be in the driving seat as she won four ends
out of the first six to lead 10-3. From this point though,
Fergal got in and playing a straight mark extremely well,
won eight consecutive ends to ease into a 14-10 lead. Sue
was able to pull a couple of chalks back but Fergal was able
to continue his consistent form to eventually run out a
21-13 winner and take the 2015 Rose Bowl. Congratulations to
both finalists on an excellent standard of play throghout
the competiton but especially to Fergal Wright on claiming
his first Hesketh Arms singles title.

The next weekend event will be a Round Robin this coming Saturday,
2nd May, starting at 2.00pm. All members welcome to
attend.

Chairman’s Message April 2015
The 2015 season is well and truly underway and most of you will have been down to the green already. I am sure you will agree that it is in excellent condition and the surrounds, including the new boards, flagging and lights are a big improvement. I would like to thank all the members that have been involved in the numerous projects.
All the club’s teams have started their campaigns. I am very pleased to report that most of the Captains have good sized squads. However, if anyone is interested in playing for a team we can accommodate you. We are especially looking for players on a Wednesday afternoon so please contact one of the committee – contact details can be found at the bottom of the message.
The club has made the decision that we will be entering additional teams in both the Burscough League and the Southport Parks League for the 2016 season.
The first of the club competitions is on Sunday 26^th April – please note the earlier start time of 12.00pm for all competitions this season. There is a full list of this season’s competitions on the website and in the clubhouse. The Tuesday Round Robins are also underway and you are welcome to join Jim and his helpers any time you wish.
Is there anyone in the club who would like to lead a new project? The flower bed on the graveyard side requires a bit of love and attention. We would like a member or members to volunteer to lead a tidy up and makeover. Once we have someone willing to take up the challenge you will receive all the support you need from the club.
Likewise, does anyone fancy the task of stripping down and painting the green benches? You will be reimbursed for the materials.
Please note that all subscriptions are now due. If you have not paid, then please can you pass them on to your captain or a committee member as soon as possible.
If you are interested in volunteering for any of the above, or you would to be kept informed about the new teams, or if you wish to feedback any ideas please contact any of the following :-
Chris Harding –  07761733024 and  chrisharding10@hotmail.co.uk
George Hitchmough – 07977 500131 and  secretary@hesketharmsbowlingclub.co.uk
Mike Milne – 07752352065 and hesketharms21@yahoo.co.uk
Website – https://www.hesketharmsbowlingclub.co.uk/
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Regards,

Chris Harding