Ladywell were defeated in their final friendly bowls match of the season at local rivals Francis Drake Bowling Club on Wednesday 11th September. On a day that seemed to combine all seasons in one afternoon, the three triples matches were played in brilliant sunshine one minute and torrential downpours the next, with a strong wind throughout.
On the first rink, the Ladywell team of Merlin Ramdawar, Terrie Sibley and Skip, Marion Edwards got off to a slow start and were 10-1 down after seven ends, and despite gaining a shot on the eighth end, they went into the tea break 12-2 down. This trend continued after the break, as their Francis Drake opponents continued to gain shots steadily. Despite gaining a thoroughly merited two shots on the 13th end, the Ladywell team had left themselves too much of a gap to make up and their hosts eventually won by 20-6.
The match on the second rink was a much closer affair to begin with, with the two teams exchanging shots on consecutive ends, so after five ends the score was 3-2 to Francis Drake. But then the Ladywell triple of Alvin Nelson, Steve Marlow and Skip, Phil Welch got into their stride, gaining eight shots over the next four ends, to take a 10-3 lead into the break. Ladywell continued to gain shots after tea, including a welcome score of six on the 12th end, which gave them a 17-4 lead. And despite a short rally by the Francis Drake team, Ladywell ran out comfortable winners by 20-8.
With two shots in it, the overall match result would be decided on the final rink, where the Ladywell triple of Christian Denearaz, Ian Bradford and Skip, Bernie Jermin, got off to a slow start and were 3-0 down after three ends. But then they found their game, picking up five shots over the following four ends, to take a 5-3 lead. In this tit-for-tat match, their opponents hit straight back, taking a slender 6-5 lead into the break after nine ends. Immediately after the break, the Ladywell team went into the lead once again, with two shots on the 10th end. But then the home team upped their game, winning a string of four successive ends and gaining nine shots in the process, to move into a 14-7 lead. And despite Ladywell reducing the deficit to 9-14 on the 15th end, Francis Drake pulled away again to record a 22-9 victory.
So, after a mixed afternoon - both weather-wise and on the green - Ladywell were defeated in the overall match by 50-35.
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