The Championship Cup, which we were unable to complete on Sunday due to a waterlogged green, was played to a finish on Wednesday evening. This is a men’s singles competition played off scratch and it was a strong quarter-final line-up returning to play for the cup. The last eight games saw Fergal Wright, Alan Hatton, Andy Draper and Chris Porter overcome John Townsend, Peter Smith, Jim Halsall and Kez Adams respectively.
The semi-finals were won by Fergal and Andy and it was Andy who got off to a flying start in the final, winning the first seven ends to lead 9-0. Fergal did fightback, however and from 16-4 down won nine out of eleven ends to close the gap to 17-20 but Andy was able to score the single chalk required to win the final 21-17.
ANDY DRAPER WINNER 2023
RUNNER UP 2023 FERGAL WRIGHT
hank you to all eight players for arranging to finish this competition so quickly and to Noreen Lewis from the Competitions Committee for organising the games on the night. Thank you also to all those who stayed until the end of the final and to everyone who helped with marking and measuring. Finally, thank you to George who was on hand to take the photos of the presentation and to our President, Peter Smith who presented the prizes.
18 pairs from Southport League teams entered the Ladies Hesketh Arms competition on a glorious sunny day.
The Buzzards team all worked hard providing homemade cakes, raffle prizes, tidying the green and thanks to Anne the toilet was sparklingly clean, Olive for upselling raffle tickets & Karen for keeping the tea flowing. It was very much appreciated.
There was some closely contested matches on a very challenging green.
Semi final was between
Wynn Allen/ Gill Edwards v Gwen Clarke/ Pat White.
Janice Hobsen/ Irene Kermode v Kath Watkinson/ Sylvia Bentam. The final was won by Wynn & Jill 21-11 against Kath & Sylvia
We had very positive feedback on a well organised & enjoyable event and look forward to making it a yearly competition.
The next club competition will take place this coming Sunday, 25th June, when we will be staging the Championship Cup. This is a men’s singles played off scratch, with no plate. To enter, please register at the green by 11.45 am for a 12.00 noon start.
CORONATION CUP
Players still in the Coronation Cup are reminded that the quarter-final matches should be played on or before 30th June. Please notify Mike Milne (07752352065) of the result of your game when it has been played.
Quarter-Finals (to be played by 30th June)
Chris Porter (Scratch) v. Peter Smith (+4)
John Townsend 21, Chris Lancaster 17
Kez Adams (+2) v. Jason Chapman (+4)
Darren Edgerley 21, George Hitchmough 11
LV INDIVIDUALS
Entries are now being taken for the LV League Individuals competition. Qualifying rounds will be played on Tuesday 11th July (6.30 pm start), at various greens. The finals will be held on Sunday 16th July, at a venue yet to be determined.
There will be an entry fee of £3 and anyone wishing to play should notify their team captain or Mike Milne as soon as possible.
SOUTHPORT FEDERATION
The Southport Federation team’s June fixture resulted in an excellent 21-11 win against Bradford ‘B’. The home leg was played at Scarisbrick NSC and the ten winners included wins for Kez Adams (21-9), Andy Draper (21-20), Darren Edgerley (21-17), Chris Porter (21-9) and Fergal Wright (21-9).
In July, Southport will be taking on Menai and details of the venue and team selection will be announced in due course.
CLUB COMPETITION DATES
Sunday 16th July – President’s Cup – singles handicap with plate (11.00 am start)
Sunday 30th July – Chairman’s Shield – non-random doubles – no plate (12.00 start)
TBC – Floodlit Trophy – non-random doubles
TBC – Last Chance Cup – random doubles with plate
GREEN BOOKINGS
Please note that the green will be unavailable for use by members on the following dates due to private events or competitions. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Saturday saw the Club hold it’s annual Ladies’ Championship and a good mix of long-standing and newer members took part. The early stages of this competition are played using a group format to ensure everyone gets more than one game.
After some good matches in the groups, the four semi-finalists were Ann Hall, Pat Lough, Noreen Lewis and former winner, Sue Davies. Ann Hall and Noreen Lewis were the two semi-final winners and it was Ann, a recent recruit this season to the Buzzards team, who started well to lead 7-1. Noreen came back well, however, to eventually take the title with a 15-8 win. Congratulations to Noreen on her first competition win at the Hesketh Arms and also to Ann on reaching the final.
Many thanks to Debbie and Noreen from the Competitions Committee for co-ordinating the arrangements for this event and to all those who helped on the day with marking and measuring.
The next club competition will be the Ladies’ Championship, which will take place on Saturday 17th June, starting at 12 noon.
The early stages of this event will be played using a group format, giving all participants more than one game. This will be followed by semi-finals and the final. Please register by 11.45 am to allow for a prompt start.
LV LEAGUE PAIRS
Congratulations to Kez and Ali Adams on winning the LV Pairs competition, which was completed at Scarisbrick Bowling Club on Sunday 21st May.
There was plenty of Hesketh Arms’ interest at the finals day of this competition, as Chris Harding and Jon Roberts faced Debbie Barnes and Sue Davies (Victoria Park / Crossens) at the quarter-final stage. Debbie and Sue won this game before going out to Danny Harding and Chris Willan from the host club in the semi-finals.
In the other half of the draw, Falcons’ captain Jeff Brown was partnering Steve Ridgway (Victoria Park) and they reached the semi-final where they eventually lost out to Kez and Ali.
Kez and Ali were up against homesters Danny Harding and Chris Willan in a close final, which could have gone either way until Kez and Ali counted three at the last end to secure victory.
LV PAIRS WINNERS 2023 KEZ & ALI ADAMS
CORONATION CUP
The Coronation Cup has been progressing and the line-up for the quarter-finals can be seen below. Please notify Mike Milne (07752352065) of the result of your game when it has been played.
Quarter-Finals (to be played by 30th June)
Chris Porter (Scratch) v. Peter Smith (+4)
Chris Lancaster (+4) v. John Townsend (+6)
Kez Adams (+2) v. Jason Chapman (+4)
George Hitchmough (+4) v. Darren Edgerley (Scratch)
LADIES’ PAIRS COMPETITION
We are hosting a ladies’ pairs competition on Thursday 22nd June, which is open to registered players from the Southport Ladies’ League. Play starts at 10.00 am and help with serving refreshments, marking and measuring would be appreciated. Also, there will be a raffle and donations of prizes for this would be very welcome.
The Southport Federation team’s next fixture will take place this coming Sunday, 11th June, when they take on Bradford ‘B’ in Division 6 of the National League.
The home leg will be held at Scarisbrick NSC and the Hesketh Arms will be represented by Kez Adams, Andy Draper, Darren Edgerley, Mike Milne, Chris Porter and Fergal Wright. Mark Wilde has been selected for the away team, which will be travelling to play at Cleckheaton Sports.
Both legs will start at 2.00pm and spectators will be very welcome. Help with marking at the home venue would also be appreciated.
CLUB COMPETITION DATES
Sunday 25th June – Championship Cup – men’s scratch singles, no plate (12.00 pm start)
Sunday 16th July – President’s Cup – singles handicap with plate (11.00 am start)
Sunday 30th July – Chairman’s Shield – non-random doubles – no plate (12.00 start)
The latest club competition was held on Saturday and it was good to see a mixture of experienced players, along with some of our newer members, taking part in the Vice-Presidents Pairs Trophy.
The main final saw Andy Draper and Fergal Wright playing against Chris Harding and Steve McManus. Andy and Fergal got off to a flying start, scoring fours at the first two ends but Chris and Steve fought back to win six of the next seven ends to take the lead at 13-12. Another four for Andy and Fergal proved a turning point, however, and they were able to win the next four ends to claim a 21-13 victory. Congratulations to Andy on winning his first Hesketh Arms’ club competition and to Fergal who has won this competition on three previous occasions.
WINNERS ANDY DRAPER & FERGAL WRIGHT
RUNNERS UP STEVE MCMANUS & CHRIS HARDING
SEMI FINALISTS
A plate competition was held and this was won by George Hitchmough and Peter Smith with a 21-8 win against Ann Hall and Sue Wignall in the final.
CONSOLATION WINNERS PETE SMITH & GEORGE HITCHMOUGH
THANKS TO ROY WEBSTER FOR THE FOLLOWING PHOTOGRAPHS
The Blowick Cup Champion of Champions was held on Sunday 30th April and was won by Mike Milne with a 21-8 win against Kevin Leddy in the final.
WINNER MIKE MILNE
VICE-PRESIDENTS PAIRS TROPHY
The next club competition will take place on Saturday 27th May, when we be playing for the Vice-Presidents Pairs Trophy. This is a non-random pairs in which members can choose their own partner. Please register by 11.45 am for a prompt start at 12 noon.
There will be no plate competition at this event.
CORONATION CUP
The Coronation Cup has been progressing and the line-up for the last 16 can be seen below. Please notify Mike Milne (07752352065) of the result of your game when it has been played.
2nd Round (to be played by 31st May)
Chris Porter (Scratch) v. Chris Harding (+4)
Alan Hatton (+6) v. Peter Smith (+4)
Chris Lancaster (+4) v. Jeff Brown (+4)
Bill Bloor (+4) v. John Townsend (+6)
Kez Adams (+2) v. John McCabe (+6)
Jason Chapman 21, Len Southworth 18
Sue Davies (+4) v. George Hitchmough (+4)
Darren Edgerley 21, Debbie Barnes 20
CLUB COMPETITION DATES
Saturday 27th May – Vice-Presidents Trophy – non-random pairs – no plate (12.00 pm start)
Sunday 25th June – Championship Cup – men’s scratch singles, no plate (12.00 pm start)
Sunday 16th July – President’s Cup – singles handicap with plate (11.00 am start)
Sunday 30th July – Chairman’s Shield – non-random doubles – no plate (12.00 start)
TBC – Floodlit Trophy – non-random doubles
TBC – Last Chance Cup – random doubles with plate
GREEN BOOKINGS
Please note that the green will be unavailable for use by members on the following dates due to private events or competitions. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Thursday 22nd June – all day until 6.00pm
Sunday 9th July – all day until 6.00pm
Sunday 6th August – all day until 6.00pm
CARL DEVROOME
I regret to inform you of the death of Carl Devroome
Carl was a member of The Hesketh Hawks and Merlins teams.
Carl has not been well enough to play this season and passed away after being recently admitted to hospital
Our thoughts are with his wife and family.
I will let you know funeral arrangements when I receive them.
OPEN DOUBLES – BERNARD O’MALLEY VICE-PRESIDENT’S TROPHY(sponsored by the Birkdale Insurance Group)
Saturday saw the fifth staging of the Club’s Open Doubles competition, when a full turnout of 32 pairs competed for the Bernard O’Malley Vice-President’s Trophy. This is held to recognise the generous support given to the Club over many years by Mr. O’Malley and Nationwide Produce. The competition attracted a high-quality field, with pairs coming from Liverpool, Preston, Wigan, Blackburn and Sheffield to take part, as well as players from local clubs. In the top half of the draw, Paul Culley and Michael Heap from Garswood Hall reached the final where their opponents were Southport Federation team-mates Danny Harding and Alan Catterall, who play for Scarisbrick Bowling Club and Scarisbrick NSC respectively. The pair of Culley and Heap started off strongly in the final, winning nine out of the first twelve to take a seemingly unassailable 17-9 lead. Alan and Danny fought back strongly, winning five of the next six ends to level the final at 18 across. A three at the next end, however, was enough to see Paul Culley and Michael Heap claim the title, along with the £200 first prize.
WINNERS Paul Culley and Michael Heap
RUNNERS UP Danny Harding and Alan Catterall
Many thanks to all those who supported the competition and helped out with marking and measuring. In particular, we would like to thank Lynne Smith, Lynn Burrow and Sue Wignall for their hard work throughout the day providing refreshments. Also, thank you to our referee, Graham Pickavance, who helped the day run smoothly. Finally, the Club thanks the Birkdale Insurance Group for sponsoring the competition.
The Club’s first one-day singles competition took place on Sunday and ended with an “all McManus” final. In the top half of the draw, Steve had reached the semi-final with wins against Jeff Brown (21-17), Barry McArthur (21-10) and Alex Rimmer (21-18). His semi-final opponent was Vultures team-mate Andy Draper and Steve just edged it 21-19. In the bottom half of the draw Chris McManus reached the final with wins against Pauline Lea (21-8), Derek Wignall (21-19) and Peter Smith (21-15).
Chris started off well in the final, scoring three 2s in the first 8 ends to establish a 13-7 lead but Steve won eight out of the next twelve ends, including four 2s, to take the lead at 19-17. Although Chris counted one to close the gap to 18-19, Steve was able to win the the next two ends to win a close final 21-18. Congratulations to Steve on winning a Hesketh Arms’ club competition for the first time and to Chris on reaching the final.
ROSE BOWL WINNER STEVE MCMANUS
Runner Up Chris Mcmanus
A plate competition was held and this was won by Laurie Townson who had a 15-10 win in the final against Jeff Brown.
