With the indoor season done and dusted, members of Madeira Bowling Club emerged blinking into the daylight, (if not the sunlight), as the greens were opened for outdoor play. The greens were immaculate but Mother Nature seemed not to have been alerted to the requirement for balmy Spring days.
First up was a fixture against Fairford BC who arrived from Gloucestershire fully loaded with high calibre players - a Middleton Cup player and a former Under-18 National Champion rumoured to be lurking within their ranks.
The warmth with which Madeira welcomed them was exceeded only by the heat of the competition as Fairford romped to convincing victories on 5 of the 6 rinks. Only a gallant rearguard action by the triple of Chris Reed, Kevin McLean and Graham Clarkson (Skip) saved Madeira’s blushes and prevented a complete whitewash as they won on their rink by a margin of 16 -14, surviving a late surge by the visitors.
The opening Drive which followed on April 26th was well attended by club stalwarts and new bowlers alike, who shivered through 18 ends. Maintaining his rich vein of early season form, Graham Clarkson skipped his team of Carole Worth, Peter Hyett and Ian Harvey to a resounding victory overall, by what was rumoured to be a record margin on an opening Drive.
Sadly, the scheduled home fixture the following day against Ottery St Mary was cancelled in the face of persistent rain.
Competitive play resumed on Saturday 29th with the ever-popular Eric Lewis Drive. The afternoon was keenly contested and when the dust had settled, the quartet of Mike Sydenham, Myra Furminger, Chris Reed and Joan Brinkworth emerged victorious to claim the spoils.
The Exeter District League and Over Sixties Leagues are now getting started and reports of Madeira’s progress will feature in the future from time to time, along with the progress of members in National and County competitions.
Meantime, in a drive to attract new members of all ages, Madeira will hold an Open Day on Saturday, May 13 from 11am until 3pm, so put the date in your diary and give bowling a try. You may be a future star in the making!
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