The sun shone brightly at Gravesham; once again, and we faced some very capable opposition, so it was hard going with, ultimately, a little less success overall than our recent play would have suggested, but credit to our opponents and our thanks to some wonderful work by the organisers.

  Chris knew he was up against it, when Fred put his first two woods inches from the jack. While Chris instantly responded to level at 2 all, after two ends, Fred had taken a 12-3 lead by the eighth, modestly putting it down to local knowledge – it is his home green. Chris pulled one back but Fred closed the match in the next end 13-4.

  Terry was imperious and did not let Sue into the match at all, with a 19-2 win. Marian, on the other hand, found Ron a really tough proposition, and had only one shot in the third end to show for efforts in the first eight ends. Ron was just finding that one wood that was too good for her, as he led 10-1. Two shots to Marian in the ninth and another, in the tenth, gave her a glimmer of hope, but a single shot to Ron, in the next, put him through at 11-4.

  We had two more wins in the other first round matches. Alex made a flying start and, in end four, what looked like perfect wood from Hans only succeeded in promoting her, so that Alex led 6-1. But Hans started to take shot himself and in the seventh, after holding two, his third took Alex out to give him three, in the end, and a 7-6 lead. He continued to inch ahead, with four more shots in the next three ends to be 11-6 up. Alex took the next, but only by a single shot, which was not enough to stop Hans going through by 11-7.

  David and Robert were always within two shots of each other, David leading 9-8 after ten ends, but Robert pulling it back to 9-9, going into the final end. In a tight match there was just the one shot in it, and it was David’s, taking him into the next round at 10-9.

  It was unfortunate that this round brought two of our bowlers together, Terry against David. Terry quickly moved ahead at 3-1, but by end five it was David who led 5-3. Terry took the next four heads but mostly by just the one shot, so that he led 8-5. Then it was David again, two shots to trail 8-7 and then holding two more before Terry pushed the jack wide to take shot himself and increase his lead to 9-7. Back came David, once more, a shot to be just the one behind going into the final end, then taking two to take the match.

  Hans faced Marian’s nemesis, Ron, and it was nip and tuck, with the lead changing in every one of the first eight ends, to see Hans 6-7 down. In end nine, Ron had two great woods with Hans’ third wood at about two feet. Playing with a little weight, Hans tried with the last wood to take out Ron or carry the jack; but he knocked his own wood clean through the head, ran wide and gave Ron a third shot, 10-6 behind. End ten was such a tight head, Hans with two great woods, but Ron in there as well, and it was just a single shot to Hans, 10-7 down. Unfortunately, Hans was too strong, in the penultimate end, through the head, Ron’s single shot giving him the match at 11-7.

  In his semi-final, David found Fred a real handful and, at 9-4 down, despite some good woods, the last thing he needed was to promote Fred to shot, with a perfectly weighted draw. End nine, and David was still in there, fighting, three shots keeping him in the match at 10-8, but Fred closed the match out with two in the tenth and one in the eleventh, to go into the final by 13-8, and in the process ending our interest in the cup.

  So, to the plate competition. Chris’ match against Christine was hard work from the first end, where she grouped three shots around the jack. A great wood by Chris, in the next end, put him on the scoreboard, but after eight ends, she led 11-2. Even after he had added that second shot and was holding two, Christine threaded her last wood through the gap, ran the jack to her back woods for three shots of her own. Chris’ ‘I don’t believe you!’ rang out, across the green, which had both her and the marker in fits – his own brand of graciousness, in impending defeat – but then he found line and length and one shot in the ninth and two in each of the next two ends, brought him to 11-7. Unfortunately, the run was too late and Christine was through.

  Marian and Alex’s first head was top quality, Marian taking shot by a whisker, but Alex immediately hit back, with two shots in the next end. Marian was inches from the jack in the third, then carried it a couple of inches with her third, for two of her own, and a 3-2 lead. In end four, Marian had three good woods, but Alex took out two of them with her own, excellent third, restricting Marian to one shot. Another single shot, in the next end, saw Marian leading 5-2. Alex threatened to take at least two shots, in the sixth end, until Marian’s last wood trailed the jack, to extend her lead. But Marian was too short, in setting the jack in the next; Alex all but put the jack in the ditch, but it held on the brim and she got the long jack she wanted to break Marian’s rhythm - and she succeeded, producing three good woods to cut the lead to 6-5. Another long jack , but Marian adjusted well and took two to restore her lead, 8-5, following it up with two great woods and thus extending the lead to 10-5, after nine ends. Whether by accident or design, Marian set the next jack long and Alex seized her chance, even running the jack further to take two shots, on a measure, and now it was 10-7 to Marian, but with pressure back on. She responded well. Her second was a great wood to take shot and, when Alex could not get closer with her third, it was an 11-7 win for Marian.

  A word, here, for Alex who bowled very well, in her two matches, against RBBG bowlers, but who lost both. We know how she feels, as both Ron and Fred beat two of our bowlers, en route to their final!

  Marian and James then fought one of the best matches of the day. Marian was consistency itself, taking six unanswered shots, in the first five ends, before James fought back, strongly – Marian needed an excellent final wood, in end seven, to limit that end to one down – and, after eight ends, James trailed by just the one shot, at 6-5. He again placed his woods well in end nine, forcing Marian to a backhand with her final wood, as the only way in, but she found it with the sweetest shot, moving 7-5 ahead. Temporarily, Marian lost her length, all three woods too strong and James took three, to lead for the first time, at 8-7, but Marian roared back strongly, with a maximum of her own, to lead 10-8 going into the final end, so close to the finish line. But, again, she lost her length, one very short, one very long, so unlike Marian, and the third too wide to stop James taking two and all square. Sudden death. James’ first wood was very good, his second on the right line, but short, a blocker. Trying to avoid that short wood, Marian bowled too tight a line, with her second, and finished wide. Instead of trying the backhand that was so successful in end nine, Marian’s final wood came in forehand, on a perfect line and weight. She just needed to ease past the blocker to take the match, but a wick was enough to push her wide and it was James who took an excellent, thrilling match.

  Those who stayed saw two great finals. In the plate Christine led, as she had throughout the match, after twelve ends, but by a single shot. As he had with Marian, James left it late, two shots in the penultimate end giving him the lead, for the first time. When Christine’s final wood rolled agonisingly the wrong side of James’ shot, it was James who took the plate, for the Enfield club.

  Fred took an early 11-1 lead in the cup, but incredibly (after eleven ends) Ron had himself moved into the lead, at 12-11. They traded shots, so that after thirteen ends, it was all the thirteens -13 all. But it was lucky thirteen, for Fred, as Ron’s final wood came in on a perfect line, threading through the gap, but stopped a tantalising couple of inches short. Fred, again, modestly put it down to playing on his home green, but he still had to be a pretty good bowler as well!

  Trophies were presented – a shield for David as a semi-finalist – and we left very grateful for the wonderful day, given to us by Geoff and all his team, with particular mention to the markers, who spent a long, hot day in the sun for us and still kept their cheery, good humour. Many, many thanks for such a huge effort from some great people at Woodlands Park Bowling Club.