News and results from the 2008 season
18th September: Border League Cup
Lindfield missed out on the chance to add the Border League cup to the Border League first division title after they were defeated
by Redhill in the final. In the double rink encounter, held at Popes Mead, the four of Ivan Orchin, Chris Reynolds, Graeme Geddie
and Ian Watson had a tight encounter with their opposition with the chance of picking up more than one shot per end hard to come by.
With Redhill gaining shot on the final end their game ended level at 12-12.
In the other game Ken Anderson, Derek Heather, Tom Palmer and Terry Hughes found the going far tougher and fell behind early on.
Trailing 18-6 at one stage they needed to finish strongly for Lindfield to have a chance of winning but with their opposing lead
in excellent form the heads were always against them and they finally succumbed with an end to play.
Lindfield bid farewell to the 2008 season this weekend with the ever popular ladies versus gents captains day.
Sunday 14th September: John Ellmer Cup
Sunday 14th September 10am, saw this year's game to decide the above with our old rivals Buxted Park, in which their 2008 season champions
challenge our 2008 season champions. Lindfield were the current holders and were determined not to release their grip on the silverware.
As usual it was a closely fought game with Lindfield just pipping Buxted 3 games to 2, the singles, triples and fours winning, the pairs and double fours losing.
The Lindfield team was :
| Singles: | Adam Harding |
| Pair: | Paul Benson and Peter Colbourne |
| Triple: | Ivan Orchin, Graeme Geddie, Dave Richardson |
| Four: | Ken Anderson, Wilf Atkins, Tom Palmer, Terry Hughes |
| Double Four: |
Terry Johnson, Richard Harding, Peter Keogh, Chris Reynolds Peter Gacsall, Tony Corless, Mick O'Donnell, Derek Heather |
4th September: Lindfield taste double success on Mid Sussex finals day
Lindfield bowls club tasted double success on Mid Sussex finals day, held last Saturday at West Hoathly. Adam Harding added to his county champion of champion's success when he collected the Mid Sussex champion of champions title following a 21-13 win over the Downsman's Patricia Johnson. Trailing 8-3 early on Harding’s more consistent drawing proved the difference as he opened up a 16-13 lead. He then held a good four on the next end but Johnson kept the game alive by drawing second wood with her last bowl. However, Harding was not to be denied and picked up two shots on each of the next two ends to secure the victory.
Also in action were the mixed four of Shirley Nelson, Carol Watson, Derek Heather and Dave Richardson and they defeated a team from
Haywards Heath in the morning semi final to earn a crack at the title. With Derek having to miss the final due to other commitments
Harding came in as substitute and the team took on four from St Anne's Well Gardens. Despite outbowling their opposition for the first
half of the game Lindfield only found themselves 10-5 ahead thanks to some good results with weighted bowls by their opposing three and skip.
St Anne’s Wells then drew level at 10-10 before Lindfield moved ahead again 17-13. A rare loose end saw them drop four shots to see their
advantage disappear and they fell behind for the first time in the game when they dropped 3 on end 18. Despite the deficit Lindfield's more
consistent form saw them edge back in to a one shot lead going in to the final end and they managed to pick up the valuable last shot to see
them across the line 24-22. As well as the winners trophy the team were awarded £200 in prize money.
Shirley Nelson and Ian Watson continue their challenge in the national mixed pairs this Sunday when they compete at Mid Surrey.
25th August: Club Finals Day turns into a family affair
Club finals day at Lindfield was turned in to a family affair as Ian and Carol Watson claimed the men's and ladies championship titles. In two closely fought contests Ian firstly saw off the challenge of Dave Richardson 21-17 in a match where giving the jack away was a regular occurrence. Not to be outdone by her husband, Carol claimed her first championship defeating Shirley Nelson by the same scoreline. Despite their individual success they could not repeat the winning feat in the mixed pairs final as Betty McMillan and Dave Richardson pipped them to the winning post 16-15 in a match where the lead changed hands constantly.
It was a busy day for Burgess Hill player Tom Palmer in his first season at the club, as he contested four finals. In the men's pairs he teamed up with Bryan Mills, who was substituting for an injured Colin Bailey, but they eventually succumbed to Paul Benson and Peter Colbourne 23-14. However, Tom earned his first title with a comfortable 21-6 win over Wilf Atkins in the men's backbone and immediately followed this by defeating Terry Hughes 104-86 in the Dave Butfoy mixed singles, a competition played on a 100 up basis. Tom's final match was the men's handicap against newly crowned champion Ian Watson and Ian picked up his second win of the day 21-16.
Comeback of the day has to go to Sue Willmott who recovered from a 13-0 deficit against Marion Glossop in the ladies backbone to emerge
victorious 21-18. Carol Watson collected her second win with a 19-6 victory against Maggie Langridge in the 2 Wood but Maggie didn't go away
empty handed as she ensured her own success in the ladies 100 up with a 100-80 win against Stephanie Tuddenham. Terry Hughes collected his
first Veteran singles title thanks to victory against previous winner Derek Heather 21-18 and Peter Colbourne was another double winner on the
day following a 21-16 win in the men's 2 Wood final.
A delighted Janet Hawkins teamed up with Stephanie Tuddenham to claim the ladies pairs with a 24-17 victory over Betty McMillan and
Jean Spooner. Special thanks must go to Peter Colbourne and Chris Sugarhood for all their hard work running the competitions throughout the
season.
14th August: Border League, County success, and Jubilee Triples
Lindfield secured the Border League division one title with victory over Redhill and then increased their points tally with a win away
at Popes Mead. After pick-pocketing the league from Popes Mead in the final game of the season last year Lindfield have dominated the
campaign this time around. Lindfield have also gained promotion in their debut season in the John Spriggs league and will be
confident of earning a quick passage to the top flight over the next couple of years.
Adam Harding (right) clinched the Sussex county champion of champions title after coming from behind to defeat East Preston & Kingston's
Peter Bunce. Trailing 7-13 and 12-18 Harding fought back to lead 20-19 and was holding shot bowl for the match, only for Bunce to
spring the jack and pick up 1 to level the score at 20 all. Bunce gave away the jack on the final end but with Harding drawing four
bowls within two feet Bunce was unable to alter the head with his final wood.
Lindfield hosted the popular Jubilee triples tournament last week with Norman and Chris Sugarhood taking over the running of the competition
for the first time. Regular sponsors Lindfield Honda, Apex Windows and Masters & Son boosted the prize money to £450 and despite the wet
weather some quality bowling was produced by all the teams. After the initial three league games played over 7 ends the winners of each
group were St Francis and Isle of Thorns who then went on to contest a 7 end final. Qualifying for the third and fourth play-off were
West Hoathly and Mackie who decided to share the 3rd and 4th prize money rather than play off in the wet weather.
The final was dominated by the St Francis triple of Pat Costello, Rod Cobby and Colin Morphew who went away with the £180 first prize
following an 8-4 win.
31st July: Tom Francis nail-biter & Hove Open triumph
Lindfield lost out in the Tom Francis double fours final at Haywards Heath last Sunday when they lost on an extra end to Popes Mead.
Although Peter Colbourne, Dorothy Keogh, Derek Heather and Dave Richardson won their game by four shots Shirley and Geoff Nelson,
Tom Palmer and Terry Hughes suffered a four shot reverse to take the tie to a deciding end but Lindfield were edged out by one shot.
There was success for the Lindfield ladies quartet of Jean Spooner, Stella Wellum, Beryl Baker and Joan Corless as they won the
John Newman shield following an all day tournament held at Horsham Bowling club.
Lindfield host Redhill tonight (Thursday) in the
Border League knowing that maximum points should earn them the trophy and confirm a successful defence of their division one title,
and having defeated the same club on all six rinks in the friendly fixture on Sunday they will be going into the game full of confidence.
Dave Richardson earned himself a generous pay day when he defeated Richard Moses 21-18 to win the prestigious Hove open tournament.
His success in the singles meant he had to sit out the pairs semi final but in his absence Graeme Geddie and Ian Watson defeated Ollie Ovett
and Dave Hubbard before losing out in the final to a pair from Lancing.
County finals day is being held this Sunday at Worthing Pavilion and the club are represented in the champion of champions final by Adam Harding
who came through a tough semi final against Mick George two weeks ago 21-18. He plays East Preston and Kingston’s Peter Bunce in the final.
In the Mid Sussex mixed fours Shirley Nelson, Carol Watson, Derek Heather and Dave Richardson are through to the semi final following an 11 shot
win away at West Hoathly.
17th July: Lindfield through to Tom Francis final
Lindfield qualified for the final of the Mid Sussex Tom Francis double fours after victory over Newick. The home rink of Peter Colbourne,
Sue Willmott, Derek Heather and Dave Richardson laid the grounds for success with a convincing 30-10 win and with the away team of Geoff Nelson,
Dorothy Keogh, Tom Palmer and Terry Hughes winning their game by 3 it ensured Lindfield's progress. They now face either Uckfield or Popes Mead
in the final on July 27.
In the area final of the national mixed pairs Shirley Nelson and Ian Watson survived an early 16-4 deficit to fight back and win by 30-17
away at Littlehampton, this result coming a week after defeating their club team mates of Sue Willmott and Dave Richardson in the previous round.
The last two weeks have also seen both the men's and ladies captains day at the club, both of which were resounding success stories. The men's captain, Chris Reynolds, invited teams to participate in raising money for the chosen charity of St Catherine's Hospice and at the end of the day the excellent total of £955 was raised, with Buxted winning the days bowling event. Ladies captain Dorothy Keogh held an all day invitation day last weekend with her chosen children's charity of the Chestnut Tree House receiving a cheque for an amazing £1000, thanks to the generosity of all the teams involved. This represents a fantastic effort to all those members who helped to organize the events and to the teams taking part.
The club had a good week with their league fixtures which started with an 8-2 win against Burgess Hill in the Mid Sussex league. Not to be outdone the John Spriggs squad continued their march toward possible promotion with another victory away at the Isle of Thorns. To complete a league hat trick of league wins the Border League side collected 6 of the ten points against Churchfields. As current Mid Sussex league champions Lindfield host a friendly fixture against representatives from the Mid Sussex league tomorrow evening (Friday) and to complete a busy week of fixtures the annual Mick Abbott charity event against the Lindfield Club takes place this Sunday morning.
5th July: County pairs quarter-final success
Dave Richardson and Ian Watson defeated Hove & Kingsway's Ollie Ovett & Paul Gandy in a gripping county pairs quarter final at Preston. In Watson and Ovett the game had 2 previous winners of the title, Watson winning twice with Alan Clarke, and Ovett claiming the title 3 years ago with Adrian Finnie, but with Ovett playing at his old club and he and Gandy in outstanding form all season, they started as favourites to progress. However it was the Lindfield pair who got off to the better start to build an early 7-2 lead, with the usually dependable Gandy struggling to find his best form. On a tricky rink though it was never going to be easy sustaining any sort of advantage and the lead had been pegged back by the half way stage. The teams exchanged ends as the score moved to 13-12 in Lindfield's favour and as the game reached its climax Richardson's more consistent drawing helped them build a 17-13 lead going into the last end. With Ovett having to chase the game and missing with his weighted woods Lindfield picked up 1 shot to claim an 18-13 victory. They now face Popes Mead's Ralph Lonsdale and Mick Law in the semi-final.
Also in action were Adam Harding and Keith Holman who had a hard fought encounter with East Preston & Kingston's John Dicker and Clive Lemondine. The teams were evenly matched throughout but the turning point came on the 19th end when the Lindfield pair picked up a valuable count of 4 to gain a 5 shot lead. This proved to be the difference and by closing out the game with a 3 on the last end they won 22-15. Richardson and Watson teamed up with Keith Holman and Graeme Geddie to contest the 4’s quarter final at Lindfield and a strong team performance ensured they were victorious against their opponents from Southwick. After picking up a single on the first end they were never behind in the match and ran away as easy winners by a score of 21-11. They now face Derek Dyer's four from Eastbourne in the semi-final tomorrow (Friday).
The club have also made a successful start to the county double 4’s. Having won on both the home and away rinks against West Hoathly in round one they repeated the feat last week against Buxted to earn a third round date against Uckfield. A good start in the Mid Sussex League continues as the club improved its position at the top of the table by picking up maximum points away at Henfield, and the Border League side is also mounting a strong challenge after collecting all the points in their home tie with Redhill.
3rd July: Lindfield through to County fours semi-final
Adam Harding, Graeme Geddie, Ian Watson and Keith Holman qualified for the semi finals of the county fours after a 12 shot victory against Mick George's four from Adastra. Despite playing on their own rink it was Adastra who got off to the better start to open up an early 6-2 lead but their decision to give the mat away worked against them as Lindfield moved 11-6 ahead playing a full length jack. Some tight heads followed but Lindfield held their lead before picking up a crucial four to open a decisive 19-12 gap. George was unlucky on the next end when he narrowly failed to convert but when Holman's rink won the 18th to lead 24-12 it was enough to bring an end to the match. Lindfield now face Petworth, winners of the county double fours last season, in the semi final tomorrow (Friday).
In the county Champion of Champions Adam Harding reached the quarter final stages following a 21-11 victory at the Isle of Thorns over Dave Lyndsey. To round off a good week for the men the county double fours team also made the last eight with wins on both the home and away rinks against Woodingdean. The home team of Dave Richardson, Peter Colbourne, Roger Green and Ian Watson were all square after 14 ends and in a game that could have gone either way they did well to finish four shots up. The away rink also found themselves at 18-18 after 19 ends but crucially won the remaining two ends to ensure overall victory. The team now have a weeks break before the quarter final on July 9th.
In the Tom Francis double fours Lindfield had a comfortable victory over West Hoathly with the home team of Peter Colbourne, Sue Willmott, Derek Heather & Dave Richardson winning by 16 shots and the away rink of Shirley Nelson, Dorothy Keogh, Wilf Atkins and Chris Reynolds winning by 7. In the ladies county unbadged singles Carol Watson remains the final hope for Lindfield following a 21-18 win over J Higham from Burgess Hill.
26th June: Mixed fortunes for county competitors
Mixed fortunes at Lindfield Bowls Club this week with the county pairs challenge of Graeme Geddie and Dave Richardson ending in the fifth round after defeat to Preston’s Darren Anderson and Andy Smalldridge. After exchanging the first few ends they fell behind after dropping a 7 and were forced to chase the game, eventually conceding three ends early. In the county fours Adam Harding, Graeme Geddie, Ian Watson and Keith Holman have qualified for the quarter final with a 23-8 win over Woodingdean and will play tomorrow (Friday) at Lindfield for a place in the last four.
West Hoathly ‘A’ team gained revenge for the earlier defeat of their ‘B’ squad when they knocked Lindfield out of the National Double Fours on a night when the home team failed to produce their best form. Despite a gap of only 2 shots between the clubs going in to the closing stages West Hoathly’s more consistent drawing proved the difference on the night and they were victorious on both rinks. In the county double fours an overall 19 shot win against Buxted set up a third round tie with Woodingdean, while a good start to the Border League campaign was maintained after collecting all 10 points against Crawley Town.
In the club’s debut season in the John Spriggs League they remain unbeaten after earning another 10 points against Crowborough and already look good for possible promotion next season. The Mid Sussex League has got off to a more uncertain start with defeat at Henfield and the team will be hoping for better things as the season progresses. The ladies hectic playing schedule is now coming to end as they slipped out of the Gladys Roland 24-20, with West Hoathly again spoiling the party.
19th June: A busy week for Lindfield
A busy week at Lindfield Bowls Club firstly saw Peter Gacsall, Tom Palmer and Terry Hughes give an almighty scare to last years county triples champions Lee Cooper, Aaron Sexton and Adrian Finnie at Preston after they opened up a 12-2 lead. However the defending champions fought back and the decisive end arrived at the half way stage when either side could have collected five shots, but with Hughes narrowly missing a trail on the jack it was Preston who scored and they eventually edged across the winning line.
Palmer and Hughes teamed up again in the national over 55 pairs and this time emerged victorious against West Hoathly 17-14. Graeme Geddie and Dave Richardson continued their march in the county pairs as they qualified for the fifth round and now take on the Preston duo of Darren Anderson and Andy Smalldridge tonight (Thursday).
In the first round of the Tom Francis double fours the away rink of Geoff Nelson, Wilf Atkins, Dorothy Keogh and Terry Hughes had a good 24-14 win away at Rotherfield and with the home rink of Peter Colbourne, Carol Watson, Derek Heather and Dave Richardson winning a close encounter 21-16 Lindfield qualify for the second round. The ladies lost out to Gildredge Park for the second successive season in the county top club despite winning the triples and fours. Defeat in both the pairs and singles meant shot difference decided the tie and Lindfield were edged out by 7.
In the ladies county pairs Carol Watson and Sue Willmott continued their impressive run after they came through a nail-biter to qualify for the last 16. Recovering from a 5 shot deficit after 19 ends they scored four on end 20 but then faced a match lie with only one bowl remaining on the final end. With the best back bowl the only shot available was for Willmott to ditch the jack and stay with it and she nailed it to win the match and leave them two games away from the semi final. Sue Willmott and Dave Richardson also progressed in the national mixed pairs after victory against Buxted 27-16.
12th June: Lindfield survive a tense battle with Mackie
Lindfield successfully came through a ding-dong battle with Mackie in the national double fours third round. The rink of Peter Colbourne, Ivan Orchin, Adam Harding and Ian Watson got off to a good start to open up a lead against Basil Holding but began to get pegged back in the second half as some good conversion shots by Holding saw the gap close to 4 shots. On the other rink Chris Reynolds, Terry Hughes, Graeme Geddie and Keith Holman were being kept in check by some inspired skipping by Dave Woosnam and with each rink having one end to play the gap was just one shot between the two clubs. With Holding drawing shot to a jack that had been sprung to the edge of the rink and Holman finding himself 2 down with one bowl left to play it looked like fate had conspired against Lindfield but Holman played a wonderfully weighted bowl to get shot and seconds later Watson drew to within 6 inches to win the end for his rink and inspire an overall 3 shot win. Lindfield now face West Hoathly for the second time in the competition.
There were contrasting fortunes in the county fours as Peter Colbourne, Ken Eldred, Tom Palmer and Terry Hughes went down to an agonizing one shot defeat against West Hoathly, having fought back from a ten shot deficit while Adam Harding, Graeme Geddie, Ian Watson and Keith Holman came through their battle against Tony Grainger’s West Hoathly by a single shot thanks to Holman finding a near miracle bowl with the final wood of the match. In the Edward Roland competition Alan Nicholas, Mick O’Donnell, Derek Heather and Roger Green went down by 7 shots away at Brighton.
A successful day was had by the bowls club’s stall at village day and an open morning will be held at the club tomorrow (Friday 13th). Starting at 10:00 am for anybody now interested in joining the club or wishing to find out more about it. A second open morning is being held on Saturday 21st.
5th June: Lindfield ladies continue their good start to the season
Lindfield ladies continued their good start to the season, firstly by defeating Hampden Park in the national double fours. The home rink of Shirley Nelson, Jean Spooner, Shirley Foxwell and Dorothy Keogh found themselves behind throughout but earned a well earned draw by winning the last end. As it turned out this proved to be more than enough as the away rink of Chris Sugarhood, Carol Watson, Sue Willmott and Stella Wellum turned on the style to destroy their opposition by 37-4. Lindfield now play Peacehaven in the next round. The Gladys Roland rink of Shirley Nelson, Joan Corless, Sue Willmott and Dorothy Keogh maintained the ladies winning streak with a 20-12 victory against Isle of Thorns to earn a tie against West Hoathly.
In the men’s county competitions Peter Colbourne, Ken Eldred, Tom Palmer and Terry Hughes had a good win in the second round of the fours away at Saltdean and they were joined in the next round by Keith Holman’s four who escaped from a 14-3 deficit to sneak a 21-20 win against Preston. The club begin their defence of the Mid Sussex and Border Leagues next week when they take on Popes Mead and Newdigate respectively.
29th May: Ladies' Top Club campaign starts in style
A successful week for the ladies at Lindfield Bowls club began with victory in the first round of the national Top Club against Haywards Heath where wins in the pairs, triples and fours secured a 3-1 scoreline and the right to play Burgess Hill in the second round. In the opening round of the Mid Sussex Champion of Champions Shirley Jones took the prize scalp of Mike Truran from St Francis after coming back from a 14-8 deficit to claim an impressive 21-16 win. Shirley now faces the champion of either Felbridge or Southwater. Also back in action were the ladies county triples where Jean Spooner, Carol Watson and Stella Wellum beat Hampden Park before slipping to defeat against a trio from Sovereigns. A similar fate beheld the second triple of Chris Sugarhood, Shirley Nelson and Sue Willmott after they won their first game of the day against Eastbourne Saffrons but lost out in the next round to Victoria Park.
In the men’s national double fours Lindfield defeated Woodingdean thanks to convincing wins on both rinks and now face a potentially trickier tie away at Mackie on June 4th. The bowls club will once again be hosting a stall on Lindfield common during village day this Saturday which will include two target bowls competitions. Members of the club will be on hand to help coach and advise any budding new bowlers and this provides an excellent opportunity for anyone who is thinking about taking up the game or simply want to find out more about the club and its activities.
22nd May: Mens' Top Club defeat
Lindfield men slipped to defeat at the first hurdle of the Top Club after an agonizing 3-2 loss against Mackie. Despite a convincing win for Ian Watson in the 2 Wood singles and a one sided victory for the triple of Chris Reynolds, Graeme Geddie & Keith Holman it was not enough as they lost the singles, fours and pairs. Also out of luck were the ladies as they faced a tough opener in the Gladys Roland competition and narrowly lost to last seasons champions Chichester, with the game being decided on the final end.
In the ladies county competitions the quartet of Chris Sugarhood, Sue Willmott, Shirley Foxwell and Stella Wellum made the quarter final after a resounding victory against Burgess Hill before falling to a strong Gildredge Park team. The club still has a good showing in the ladies county triples after the teams of Chris Sugarhood, Shirley Nelson and Sue Willmott and Jean Spooner, Carol Watson and Stella Wellum both won their first round matches and now hope for further progress when they play their second round matches tomorrow (Friday). In a busy time for the ladies they face Haywards Heath in the National Top Club this Saturday followed by Hampden Park in the Double Fours on May 29th. A good day was had by all at Lindfield when the ladies played the gents on May 11th with the game ending in an honourable draw.
8th May: Lindfield survive early scare
Lindfield came through a topsy-turvy encounter with local rivals West Hoathly in the first round of the National Double Fours. The rink of Mick O’Donnell, Ivan Orchin, Adam Harding and Ian Watson found themselves in some early trouble after dropping counts of six and five to fall 15-3 behind but they dug deep and by picking up 3 shots on the last end they finished only 2 behind at 18-20. In contrast Chris Reynolds, Terry Hughes, Graeme Geddie and Keith Holman went 8-0 down after two ends but responded by scoring 22 unanswered shots to open a commanding lead. Despite a mini revival by West Hoathly Holman’s rink earned a 28-19 win to see the club through to the next round.
Also victorious in the first week of the season were Dave Richardson’s mixed fours team who avenged last season's loss against Steve Ireland when they won away at Peacehaven 18-16 to seal a second round match against Ted Hayward at Worthing. Due to the inclement weather the opening of Lindfield’s green was delayed until April 26th. The club has a busy season approaching as in addition to the regular competitions and participation in the Border and Mid Sussex leagues they will also be competing in the John Spriggs league and the Nellie Mercer.