Fylde 3 Bowdon Griffins 4

Fylde: Lee Hartley -1.5, Betty Bates 8, Philip Bass 20, Catherine Bass 22.
Bowdon G:Mike Shelmerdine 5, Mike flannery 11, Ros Pimlott16, Alison Acton 20.

There was a damp start in the  Ac match between Fylde and Bowdon . Lawns were very slow and both teams struggled to get the pace. Half roles were attempted by many of the players but  few were executed, falling short . Even the seasoned Lee Hartley struggled on the mid range roquets.

The doubles match of Philip and Catherine against Ros and Alison was a defensive affair. Coming up to time Bowdon were in front by four hoops, but Philip hit in and made another 3 which was exciting. Bowdon held their lead and finally won 14-13.

Lee played Mike F giving him 12.5 bisques. Lee waited for Mike to use up his bisques, but he chose to hold onto them with his hoop and scoop approach using three balls, Lee got to penult with one of his balls but he had left it too late as Mike used his last bisque to peg out. Bowdon won 26-10 Betty struggled on the lawns and complained that her back and shoulders were troublesome with the heavy ground. She got annoyed at herself as 3 times got stuck in a hoop with the opponents ball opposite. It was a very defensive game with hoops and splits. With Betty's last shot she caught up and jammed the ball in the hoop on the one back hoop which would have won her the game, at time it was a draw, however she left Mikes ball well spaced out so he had to hit in and score a hoop but missed, leaving Betty to score the hoop on the golden hoop. Winning 17-16.

In the afternoon the clouds dissipated, the Spitfire from hangar 42 flew over,  and clothes and layers were removed as the sun came out . The summer sun dried out the lawns which made them easier to manage and they started running quicker. Both Betty's and Lee's  match finished with an hour to go. Betty did some nice hit ins and four ball breaks winning 26-12, Lee learned his lesson from the morning and did a more offensive game and beat Mike S 26-15 , Ros beat Philip 16-9 . Catherine did some tremendously long hit ins but didn't manage to take advantage of the break. Alison beat Catherine 23-14 .

Alison and Betty reduced their handicap to 18 and 7 respectively.

The play was amicable, and at the end the Bowdon players helped to bring in equipment, without being asked, which was very much appreciated. Bowdon thanked Fylde for their hospitality and commented they were impressed with the new club house facility.

Posted by, Betty, 6th June

Bury Ceasars 5 Fylde 2

A beautifully sunny day with not a cloud in the sky, so it was a shock to find the lawns wet, practice shots on the lawn gave a display better than the Bellagio fountains. The lawns were incredibly slow and it took a while for the dew to clear, with the shady areas taking longer to dry out.

The morning proceedings started with the doubles pairing of Lee and Barry with Ann and Phil. Both teams made progress but in the end the nip and tuck game finished with Bury using their final bisque to make a winning break winning 22-18.
The game between Mark and Andrew finished within an hour as Mark showed his prowess winning 26-0 and although Andrew did not take advantage of receiving bisques he remained positive in the beautiful sunshine.
The match between Chris and Betty was a hard fought affair with both players struggling to read the lawn and the speed towards hoops. Chris eventually won 26-21.

The afternoon heat dried out the lawns a little and made it slightly easier for the players to negotiate.

The match between Mark and Lee initially was thought to be over as Mark went round to peg in 30 minutes with his first ball and his second ball seemed to be really tight on his four ball break, Lee went in the pavilion to change, expecting the inevitable. When he came out in his casuals Mark had broken down at 1 back.

Photograph: Chris Alvey

Lee came on nonchalantly and his speedy four ball break took him to peg much to the surprise of the crowd. In his finishing turn he cross wired his opponent at hoop one, with his balls close to each other at corner 3. Mark took his only shot and left Lee to set up his break and finish the game. Fylde won 26-18.

Barry against Paul, Barry managed to get to rover with his first ball, and both players were on and off the lawn doing some nice turns. However Paul pulled ahead and won 26-18. Chris against Andrew was over relatively quickly as Chris unusually had 2 bisques and controlled the game. He won 26-2.
Betty versus Ann was a war of attrition, with both players hitting long shots and struggling with approaches to hoops. Betty managed to nudge ahead and finally won 21-14.

Both teams enjoyed the wonderful sunshine and although Fylde lost, their spirit was still positive. On a rainy day that might have been different, but to finish games early and listen to the tweeting of the birds was really cathartic. Fylde thanked Bury for their hospitality. All players enjoyed the day and had great banter.

Posted by, Betty, 24th May

Fylde 5 Middlesborough 2

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Secretary's Shield

Middlesbrough: Dennis Scarr 0.5, Julian Gibson 7, Brian Gardner 8, Nigel Drury 10.
Fylde: Liz Wilson 3, Andrew Webb 6, Betty Bates, Barry Broughton 14

The day started with beautiful blue skies. The lawns were set out by the wonderful hosts Pendle and made a lovely welcome to this gathering.

The pairing of Betty/Liz with Julian/Brian was a tussle in the morning with both teams jarring balls in hoops and overhitting on the fast lawns . Brian kept control scooping to hoops and running them but Julian more traditionally used four ball breaks. Betty and Liz hit in a number of times setting up breaks but the came off the lawn with their croquets on the fast lawns. 3 times Betty broke down at the same hoop with relatively short shots, and insisted the hoop be checked, which proved to be ok and just a mental bogie hoop for her. Fylde were kept on their toes but Middlesbrough eventually won 26-17.

Barry versus Denis was an unusual match , Barry had never played anyone so low in handicap before and appeared to be playing cautiously, worried about his opponent could do. Barry took his first ball to penult and with his second he peeled penult, attempted the peel on rover with forward ball going through and skewing the second for end of turn. He allowed Denis a few turns which he could not make use of. Eventually Barry went through Rover and pegged one of his off, leaving himself to windscreen wipe across the peg. A few hoops were made by Dennis but broke down at hoop 4 leaving Barry to finish winning 26-3.

Nigel and Andrew was a tightly fought contest with both players making some splendid shots. In the end Fylde were victorious winning by a thin margin 21-19.

In the afternoon Betty had her determined head on against Brian, promising to do better than the morning efforts. With her first ball she got to two back. Brian played some lovely scoops to the hoop but Betty ensured whenever she left the lawn his balls were split up and her own was set for a rush. Betty played well getting to rover with both balls with almost an hour and half to go, but messed up a croquet where Brian was stuck in his hoop 5 and in her attempt to knock him out made it difficult for herself to continue. A few nip and tuck moments but in the end Betty victorious winning 26-10 with 45 minutes to go.

Liz played Denis and unusually she received 3.5 bisques. She used 3 to run hoop one then pulled herself together later, putting together some fabulous breaks and only lost by 5, Denis winning 26-21.

Nigel versus Barry was a war of attrition with both players on and off the lawn, with some good hit ins and set ups, but in the end Barry won 21-13 Andrew wore down Julian in the final match, showing his value of MVP, beating him 26-10 and it resulted a handicap change for him to 5.

The captains thanked Pendle for their hospitality and the use of their lawns in order to offer a neutral venue to the travelling players. The sun still shone at the end and everyone was  in high spirits and very happy (including the losing team). What a lovely day.

Posted by, Betty, 8th May

Fylde 4 Bury Peelers 3

Fylde: Lee Hartley -1.5, Betty Bates 8, Barry Broughton 14, Robert Bentwood 20.
Bury Peelers: Richard Leach 10, Phil Nuttall 10, Margaret Eccles 11, Vi Richards 20

For the first game of the season Fylde were home to Bury Peelers. The weather all week had been glorious so the bitter cold weather and the heavy lawns were a surprise to all. There were a number of club house and car visits needed to add extra layers and summer hats were swapped for warmer ones. Both teams struggled to get the run of the lawns. The first outing for newbie AC player Robert was an easing in, doubling with Fylde's number one Lee. The play against the Bury pairing of Phil and Vi was very cat and mouse, but eventually Fylde won 24-13.

For the first two hours of the match between Margaret and Betty, the Bury player was the favourite, but Betty managed to put together a few breaks later on and eventually won +3. Barry made a great start against Richard getting to one back and broke down unfortunately leaving Richard a great set up for a 4 ball break which he took advantage of going to 2 back having only used 1 bisque. Both players were on and off the lawn but Richard eventually winning with the only 26 pt finish of the morning.

Result at lunch Fylde 2-1.

In the afternoon the weather warmed up considerably and players from both sides removed many layers of clothing. Lee played Richard in the afternoon. Richard got to hoop 2 with his second turn with Lee still to put on his. When Lee had his turn he made light work of going to penult in a wonderful display of finesse in less than 25 minutes. Richard did some lovely roquets and some very angled hoops and broke down late on his turn. A few missed roquets by both players made an exciting ending, Lee eventually the victor, pegging out and winning plus 3. Phil and Betty's game was a scrappy affair with both playing very defensively. With 20 minutes to go Betty was behind by one hoop, but managed to picked up a few later continually separating her opponent. She eventually won plus 3.

Robert versus Vi was a nip and tuck game with Vi eventually winning plus 4. Barry against Margaret was a war or attrition with Margaret finally the victor plus 3 on time. The lawns remained heavy and the scores reflected the hard work by all the players, as only 2 players pegged out in the whole day.

Despite losing Bury remained jolly, and the two teams posed happily for a group photo as one would with good friends. Captain Betty would like to thank all the helpers for setting the lawns, for clearing away and all the helpers who made tea and tidied the club house afterwards, it was very much appreciated.

Posted by, Betty, 28th April