This year, Gill Johnston is our chosen President and she made sure the annual President’s Day competition was a memorable one. Arriving laden with cakes and drinks for all, her generosity and intention to make it a special day was immediately obvious. And with wall-to-wall sunshine and temperatures set to reach 27 degrees, the day couldn’t have started more perfectly.
Thirty-two players entered the competition – the most we’ve had in a competition this year – so games got off to an early start, with 5 blocks on the green at once. The format would be a straight knockout, with a plate (consolation) knockout competition for those losing their first game.
In this first round, some great bowling was on display, and quite a few hot favourites were inevitably amongst the losers in the first round. Particularly of note was Gill Johnston, beaten by the ever-improving Adele Thompson, knocking our President into the plate competition straight away!
Other games were very close and could’ve gone either way, notably Anne Brogden vs David Bamber (15-14 to Anne), Keith Roughley vs Graham Moon (15-14 to Graham) and Dave Suthers vs Andrew Hill (15-13 to Dave).
The last person to mention in the first round is social bowler and first-time competitor, Curtis Wicks, who had a great win against Charlie Brogden, to take himself forward in the main competition.
Everyone was in good spirits and games progressed well. Here are some photos of people supporting those on the green and enjoying the sunshine.
The second round of the main competition and the first round of the plate competition progressed smoothly, producing the field for the quarter final stage.
The quarter finals in the main competition were between:
- Linda Roughley & Janice Lowe
- Adele Thompson & Anne Brogden
- Paul Cafferkey & Andrew Brogden
- Dave Williams & Chris Coxhead
The quarter finals in the plate competition were between:
- Alfie Brogden & Andrew Hill
- Gill Johnston & David Bamber
- John Suthers & Dave Thompson
- Kevin Hourigan & Brian Moorcroft
Victorious in the quarter finals, the following pairs battled on in the heat with the increasingly fast green conditions to play the semi-finals.
In the main competition:
- Linda Roughley & Anne Brogden
- Paul Cafferkey & Chris Coxhead
In the plate competition:
- Andrew Hill & Gill Johnston
- John Suthers & Kevin Hourigan (however, John went through via a mutually agreed coin toss, due to timing issues for both players)
From the above, Anne Brogden and Chris Coxhead won their games and would go through to the final, and Andrew Hill and John Suthers would meet in the final for the plate competition.
Here are a few photos from games up to the semi-final stage.
A welcome break for a buffet and a drink at the Village Hall before the final games saw Peter Carr invite Gill Johnston and her family up to start the buffet, followed by players, partners and other guests. After the meal, Gill Johnston took the floor, with a heartfelt speech, noting how special Hoole Bowling Club is to so many people. She recounted the story of how she landed in her first bowling team with almost zero experience after having played in a bowler/non-bowler pairs fundraiser, and told of how much she has come to value our bowling club members as friends, not just as team mates.
At the end of Gill’s speech, she again showed her care for others by presenting Averil and Vyv Dalton with a bunch of flowers and a gift voucher, to celebrate 70 years of marriage on 14th July, which she’d encouraged bowlers to contribute to over the past few weeks.
Gail Cafferkey had a surprise for Gill – an engraved glass vase to commemorate her Presidency, and Carole Ingham presented Gill with a rose bowl of flowers too.
And so it was back to the green to draw the raffle prizes and to complete the final 2 games of the day, which would be played to 21 instead of 15, but with +3 on the card for each player (effectively making it a game requiring a player to score 18 points to win).
The plate competition final was played between Andrew Hill and John Suthers. John started strong, with Andrew looking worried for a few ends, but Andrew soon got the speed of his bowls more under control and fought back well. After some back and forth, Andrew eventually won the game 21-13.
The main final was between Anne Brogden and Chris Coxhead, and promised to be a close game as both had been on form during previous games. Both Anne and Chris played their respective favourite marks when they had the jack, but points went in both directions and took the tense game to a very close 21-17 win for Chris in the end. This is Chris’ second consecutive President’s Day competition win. He will be the one to beat next year!!
Presentations were made by Chairman, Peter Carr, and President, Gill Johnston. Gill had provided a generous voucher for the main competition winner and also arranged for special pictures of the club to be framed for the winners of both halves of the competition.
Photos of the presentation are below.
The day had been a fantastic success, with lots of happy faces leaving the club around 7.30pm. Well done to all the competitors as well as those who came to support, those who helped organise, mark games, sell raffle tickets, organise the buffet and set up the tables at the Village Hall, and of course for the green team for keeping our beloved green in such beautiful running condition. And last but not least, a massive thanks to Gill for her lovely words, her generosity and her kindness to all.
We’d love everyone to join us for the last club competition of the year – the Village Hall Cup – which takes place on Sunday 9th August.
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