Not a Bad Week at the Office
Northern Counties
The Northern Counties were held locally at Appleby Bowling Club, where Courtfield's Fab Four of Mr Chris, George Gray (standing in for John Brown), Paul "Chaos" Campbell and Steven Carswell got the weekend off to the perfect start. A commanding 18–8 victory over Lancashire booked their place in the final against Yorkshire.
The final against Yorkshire was a much tighter affair. Courtfield built an early lead before late drama saw Yorkshire holding seven after taking out Chaos' bowl. With his final bowl, Carsy brilliantly dragged the jack into the ditch to win the end and swing the momentum back in Courtfield's favour. The lads held on to secure an 18–10 victory, becoming Northern Counties Champions.
There was more success for Courtfield as Tayler Johnston and Molly Haney, alongside Harvey and Harry, claimed the Under-24 Northern Counties title.
A fantastic weekend for Courtfield, with two Northern Counties titles returning to the club
Carliol League
The A Team welcomed bottom club West End knowing that nothing less than a maximum return would do to keep their title hopes alive.
They delivered exactly that, recording a convincing 10–0 victory to give themselves a glimmer of hope of retaining the league title. That hope was boosted further as leaders Subscription dropped points on the notoriously tricky Wetheral green.
Carliol League – Over-55s
It was a successful week for the Over-55s, recording two impressive victories to continue their excellent season.
Wednesday saw the rearranged fixture against West End, with Courtfield running out 9–1 winners, taking the aggregate 79–56.
Ste B, Tony R and Mike D recovered from a slow start to pull away for a convincing 25–13 victory.
Ian B, Mr Chris and Glen R were in control throughout, producing another solid performance to win 19–9.
George G, Chris S and Dai D flew out of the blocks, leading 7–0 after three ends. Their opponents battled back to level the scores at 15–15 going into the final end, but Courtfield held their nerve to snatch a dramatic 16–15 victory.
Alan Dawes, Tony A and John McLaren completed the afternoon with a 19–19 draw, in a game that remarkably included a count of eight.
Friday brought another home fixture, this time against Wetheral, and another excellent result as Courtfield claimed an 8–2 victory, winning the shots 72–48.
Alan Dawes, Tony A and John McLaren were never seriously troubled, recording an 18–9 win.
Ian B, Mr Chris and Glen R trailed 5–2 after six ends, but took control from there to finish comfortable 21–10 winners.
George G, Chris S and Dai D produced the performance of the day, racing into a 13–0 lead after five ends before completing a dominant 22–9 victory.
The only setback came for Ste B, Tony R and Mike D. A dropped six on the 11th end proved decisive as they eventually went down 20–11.
Two wins from two, 17 league points from a possible 20, and another strong week for the
Over-55s.
Ladies Top Club
Courtfield's Ladies saw their excellent Top Club run come to an end in the semi-final, losing to a strong Workington side.
Although the result wasn't the one they were hoping for, reaching the last four is a fantastic achievement and another sign of the progress being made by the ladies' section.
Well done to everyone involved on a superb run, and congratulations from everyone at Courtfield.
Stan Bragg League
Courtfield welcomed Dalston knowing that only a win would keep their slim title hopes alive, and they duly recorded a 6–2 victory.
Mr Chris, Ian P and Ian B were always in control against Kev Mawdsley's triple, producing another solid display to win 15–8.
Ste G, Dai and George G faced a much sterner test against Tony Harris' triple. Conceding a seven on the seventh end left them with a mountain to climb, but they battled back superbly to level the scores at 13–13 after 13 ends. Unfortunately, Dalston claimed the final two ends to take the rink 17–13, in a result that probably didn't reflect how close the game had become.
George P, Ste B and President Dawes completed the afternoon with a comfortable 17–11 victory, securing the overall 6–2 win for Courtfield.
The result leaves Courtfield third with one league game remaining. Caldbeck now look favourites to retain the title, but as every bowler knows, anything can happen on the final day.
Good luck to the team in their final fixture against Silloth.
It's Finals Day this Sunday at Courtfield Bowling Club.
We hope to see plenty of support around the green throughout the day.
Good luck to all our finalists.
Comments