Desborough had a good weekend on the friendly front as they won both comprehensively. First up was the Berkshire County Women Indoor Bowling Association who could argue that they won as they were victorious on 4 of the 6 rinks but Desborough’s Men had two superlative performances  with Michael White’s rink returning a winning scorecard but they couldn’t touch Keith Harvey, Kel Crump and Bob Forster who picked up top rink honours with a 38 – 1 win.

Rink scores

B Forster         M Hobson    B Jones          17 – 19

S Isaac             D Turner       M White       29 – 6

K Harvey         K Crump        B Forster       38 – 1

M Cranston    J Munnelly   A Essex          13 – 14

C Moran         E Ireland       D Perriman   11 – 28

R Palmer         A Davis        P Winstanley 15 – 21

Desborough then welcomed Victory IBC from Portsmouth  and that produced a 35 shot win, 132 – 97. Although rinks skipped by Roger Wyatt, Jacinta Monteiro and Steven Hall all won, there was an outstanding performance from Paul Winstanley, Dave Perriman, June Palmer and David Webster who won by 32 shots, 38 – 6. Victory have a chance of revenge when we travel to Portsmouth in February 2024.

Rink scores 

J Gibbs              D Isaacs        T Slack           R Wyatt        24 – 20

C Phoenix        R Bridgen     M Hobson    J Monteiro    17 – 16

P Winstanley  D Perriman   J Palmer        D Webster    38 – 6

R Palmer       S Stewart       M Gibbs        T Buckley       13 – 22

B Faulkner    M Buckles      H Payne        S Hall              23 –  16

S Page            V Wyatt         J Simpson     A Davis           17 – 17

In the London & Southern Counties Fours, one of Desborough’s entries played against Egham and were in control all the way as they eased to an 18 – 11 win. They now play a team from Loddon Vale or a game against another Desborough team skipped by Bob Forster.

Rink score

A Essex          M Peachey      M Essex      K Scrace        18 – 11

In the National Champion of Champions, John McGuinness beat an opponent from Loddon Vale and is now in the Area Final against opposition who is yet to be decided.

Desborough welcomed Caversham to Green Lane for a 6 rink triples match and won by 22 shots, 124 – 102. To be fair to the visitors, they are an outdoor club with a few indoor bowlers so put up a good performance in the circumstances. The Maidenhead side won on 4 of the 6 rinks with those skipped by Jim May , Dave Webster and Mervin Gibbs returning winning scorecards but top rink honours went to Sandra Ruiseart, Jason Carr and Steve Isaac who won by 19 shots, 31 – 12.

Rink scores

J Gibbs           D Isaacs        J May                18 – 13

P Arnott        P Colton        D Webster       24 – 16

G Barker       P Smith          B Jones             15 -27

P Winstan     S Page           D Perriman      9 – 21

S Ruiseart     J Carr             S Isaac              31 – 12

J Wing           V Wyatt        M Gibbs           27 – 13

Desborough made the journey to Herts IBC in Watford but unfortunately had an afternoon to forget as they went down by 82 shots, 30 – 112. The loss could be put down to the fact that most Desborough bowlers hadn’t bowled at Herts before and their rinks take a lot of getting used to. Top rink honours went to the best losing rink which consisted of Alan Jones, Richard Bridgen, Gill Konrad and Tony Buckley.

Every indoor season, Desborough’s  Men play Berkshire County’s Men in the hope of gaining a Bannerette for winning, which last happened 10 years ago, but by putting out a strong side the Maidenhead team managed to win this year by 34 shots, 124 – 95. The rinks skipped by Roger Wyatt, Bob Forster and Michael White returned winning scorecards but top rink honours went to James Lynch, Eric Ireland, Alan Speller and Mark Essex who put in an outstanding performance to win by 22 shots, 35 – 13.

Rink scores

D Teverson               N Jeacock                 K Harvey                   R Wyatt         20 -16

A Davis                      T Buckley                  K Crump                    J Davis           16 – 17

W Renouf                 C Watson                  R Fabry                     B Forster       25 – 14

J Lynch                      E Ireland                   A Speller                   M Essex         35 – 13

B Faulkner                C Northover             D Perriman              M White        21 – 12

P Winstanley           D Isaac                      M Hobson                B Jones          13 – 23

Desborough welcomed Egham to Green Lane for a 5 rink friendly but they unfortunately lost by 11 shots, 67 – 78. John Munnelly skipped a winning rink but top rink honours went to Jeff Simpson, Sue Stewart, John Skinner and Brian Faulkner who won by 10 shots, 22 – 12.

Rink scores

J Ward                       J Konrad                   A Davis                      J Munnelly    15 – 10

J Simpson                 S Stewart                  J Skinner                   B Faulkner    22 – 12

D Davis                      R Palmer                   D Perriman              J Davis           12 – 18

P Winstanley           C Howard                 M Hobson                B Jones          11 – 18

C Dawson                 R Bridgen                  J Palmer                    J McDonnell 17 – 20

Desborough’s Ladies played in the 3^rd round of the Yetton Trophy against North Wilts which was always be a tough ask but they certainly took the fight to them and it was only at the very last that it went awry and they agonisingly went down by 3 shots, 64 – 67, to bow out of the competition.

Desborough welcomed the London Welsh Bowling Association to Green Lane for a 6 rink friendly and although the Maidenhead side made a slow start, they come good at the business end of the game to win by 34 shots, 131 – 97. Desborough won on 4 of the six rinks with those skipped by Kel Crump, John Davis and John Munnelly returning winning scorecards but Alan Jones, Jenny Bosley, Jeff Simpson and Stephen Hall pipped them all to top rink honours by winning by 18 shots, 30 – 12.

Rink scores

P Winstanley           M Buckles     T Slark           K Crump           15 – 14

D Davis                      R Palmer       J Monteiro    T Buckley         18 – 20

S Page                       J Bolam         A Davis          J Davis              21 – 16

A Jones                      J Bosley         J Simpson     S Hall                30 – 12

J Palmer                    K Bolam        R Turner        J Munnelly       27 -14

C Bartlett                  J Skinner       Y Hurley        D Webster       20 – 21

Desborough’s Ladies took centre stage in the National Competitions and first up was the Yetton Trophy

where they played county rivals Whiteknights and after a shaky start, a powerful finish saw them win by

17 shots, 82 – 65. They now play  North Wilts on 18^th November. (DBC Away Team pictured)

Rink scores

Home

J Williams     J Morgan      G Jones          H Jones          26 – 12

H Payne        G Braddock  T Philpott      L Woodley    13 – 19

Away

J Monteiro    S Lane            N Jones          N Holder       15 – 22

J Mayne        M Bignell      J Beal             J Skelly           21 – 19

Next up was the Mason Trophy with a format of 1 rink at home and 1 away the home rink put in a great performance  winning by 20 shots and the team winning by 19 overall, 44 – 25. They now play Handy Cross  on 24^th November.

Rink scores

Home

J Mayne        J Beal             N Holder       H Jones          28 – 8

Away

J Monteiro    G Braddock  G O’Neill        L Woodley    16 – 17

On the friendly front, Desborough welcomed Glebelands from North London to Green Lane and after a very tense game , the Maidenhead side managed to edge it by 3 shots, 100 – 97. The game was so close that Desborough only had 2 winning rinks with the rink skipped by Michael White winning by 14 shots but they had to give top rink honours to Clive Dawson, Tonie Philpott and Dave Perriman who won 27 – 5.

Rink scores

C Dawson     T Philpott      D Perriman  27 – 5

D Davis          B Harris         K Crump        5 – 31

J Monteiro    A Davis          M White        27 – 13

M Buckles     C Northover B Faulkner  16 – 19

T Skinner      B Wright       D Webster    11 – 14

J Humphries Y Hurley        B Jones          14 – 15

Desborough then travelled to Newbury to play West Berks  but unfortunately had an afternoon to forget as they went down by 72 shots, 67 – 139. The only ray of sunshine was provided by June Palmer, Josef Konrad and Brian Jones who won 25 – 8.

Rink scores

J Palmer        J Konrad       B Jones          25 – 8

S Stewart      R Bridgen      J McDonnell 4 – 36

A Jones          G Konrad      J Munnelly    7 – 31

P Winstan     C Howard     B Faulkner    10 – 21

J Ward           C Northover D Perriman  8 – 22

S Page           R Palmer       M White        12 – 21

​

Desborough played county rivals Whiteknights in the 1^st round of the Egham Trophy and managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as they went down by 9 shots, 68 – 77. The format of this competition is two rinks at home and two away and the Maidenhead side were in control for most of this game and despite a winning rink skipped by Mark Peachey, Whiteknights came up on the rails to snatch victory on the line to put Desborough out of the competition.

Rink scores (Desborough skips only)

Home

M Peachey               25 – 16

J McGuinness          9 – 24

Away

M Essex                     18 – 18

M Woodley              18 – 19

In the Yetton Trophy 1^st round Desborough’s Ladies played Handy Cross with two rinks at home and two away and they eased to a 17 shot win, 81 – 64. Desborough won on 3 of the 4 rinks and even a fire alarm at Handy Cross could not put off Sally Lane, Jacinta Monteiro, Julie Skelly and Nora Holder being the best rink of the day as they won 27 – 12 and the Maidenhead side eased into the next round.

Rink scores (skips only)

N Holder       27 – 12

G O’Neill        19 – 21

L Woodley    16 – 16

H Jones          19 – 15

In the Denny Cup, Desborough’s  Men played Chawton Park in the first round and couldn’t get a foothold in the game and with only winning away skipped by Mark Peachey, they unfortunately bowed out of the competition.

Rink scores (Skips only)

K Scrace        21 – 22

J McGuinness 19 – 20

M Peachey   22 – 16

C Jones          11 – 30

Desborough welcomed the London Scottish Bowling Association to Green Lane for a 6 rink match and endured a hard day as they went down by 52 shots, 74 – 126. The only ray of sunshine of the match for the hosts was a drawn rink with Teresa Slark, Marsha Buckles, Dave Perriman and John Davis drawing 16 – 16.

Rink scores (Skips only)

M Hobson         4 – 24

D Webster         17 – 24

T Buckley          14 – 20

J Davis               16 – 16

B Faulkner        13 – 20

S Hall                10 – 22

The National Competitions have now started and first up was Desborough’s Men in the Denny Cup against Loddon Vale. Due to a major competition taking place at home, Desborough played all four rinks at Basingstoke but didn’t lose any advantage as all rinks won but special mention has to go to the rink skipped by Mark Peachey who were trailing but 23 unanswered points meant they coasted to a 30 -10 victory. Desborough now play Chawton Park in the next round.

Rink scores

S Williams     N Smelt         A Merry        C Jones          16 – 15

L Essex           G Knapper    K Roper         K Scrace        26 – 9

D Teverson   T Jones          A Price           M Woodley  26 – 19

A Essex          G Burbridge B Forster       M Peachey   30 – 13

Desborough travelled to Whiteknights to play in the Top Club which is a mixed event and although Andrew Essex and Jenny Morgan won their respective 2 Wood Singles and Julie Skelly teamed up with Mark Essex  to win the Pairs, the game ended up 8 points each with the Maidenhead side losing out on the overall score by 3 shots, 82 – 85.

Desborough’s  2023 Club Champions are Mark Essex who won for the third year in a row by beating his twin brother, Andrew, 21 -10 and Jacinta Monteiro, after many tries finally became Ladies Champion by overwhelming Angie Isaac. Mark again appeared on the honours board by winning the Handicap Singles against Colin Jones and the Benevolent Triples with Keith Roper and his twin. Jacinta also had other wins in the Ladies Handicap Singles, Mixed Nominated Pairs with Keith Roper and Drawn Handicap Pairs with Linda Harvey.

It is good to see new names on the honours board. For the Men, it was Chris Bowler who won the Men’s Novice Singles with a win over Paul McVicar and the Drawn Handicap Pairs with Keith Harvey. The ladies have seemed to have unearthed a new star as Dawn Davis won her Novice Singles by default, followed by the Nominated Pairs with Val Wyatt and the Drawn Triples with Sally Lane and Nicola Jones.

Other multiple winners include Russell Dale and Mark Peachey who won the Men’s Nominated Pairs and Aussie Rules Pairs. Nicola Jones  won the 2 Wood Singles, Mixed Aussie Rules Pairs with Keith Roper  and Aussie Rules Pairs with Sally Lane who were both involved in the aforementioned Drawn Triples.

Special mention has to be given to the game of the weekend which was the Ladies Over 70’s Singles between Gina Braddock and Gill O’Neill. This game was played in searing heat but both ladies put on a fantastic performance and with Gina on the verge of victory at 20 – 14, Gill managed somehow to get the 7 shots to pip her on the line.

FINALS RESULTS

Men

Championship Singles                   Mark Essex   21       Andrew Essex 10

Novice Singles                                 Chris Bowler   21     Paul McVicar 18

Handicap Singles                            Mark Essex  21        Colin Jones   14

2 Wood Singles                          Graeme Mason  15     Bob Forster  12

Over 70’s Singles                       Michael White 21      Dave Seymour  11

Nominated Pairs                       Russell Dale       24      Dave Hasler      4

                                                       Mark Peachey             Brian Wright

Aussie Rules Pairs                    Russell Dale       26       Wayne Renouf  9

                                                     Mark Peachey               Bob Forster

Drawn H’Cap Pairs                 Chris Bowler      21        Dave Hasler 11

                                                     Keith Harvey                  Michael Hobson

Benevolent Triples                  Andrew Essex    23        Phil Smith     8

                                                     Keith Roper                     Dave Smith

                                                     Mark Essex                      Paul Melhuish

Mixed

Aussie Rules Pairs                  Nicola Jones      19         Marina Bignell  16

                                                    Keith Roper                      Mark Essex

Nominated Pairs                    Jacinta Monteiro 16      Nicola Jones     12

                                                    Keith Roper                      Brian Jones

Ladies

Championship Singles          Jacinta Monteiro  21      Angie Isaac 5

Novice Singles                        Dawn Davis W/O            Mandy Boyce

H’Cap Singles                         Jacinta Monteiro  21      Angie Isaac  10

2 Wood Singles                      Nicola Jones          16       Jacinta Monteiro    5

Over 70’s Singles                Gill O’Neill             21          Gina Braddock   20

Nominated Pairs                Dawn Davis          16          Sally Lane            14

                                                Val Wyatt                             Nicola Jones

Aussie Rules Pairs              Sally Lane             17           Pam H-Smith      12

                                                Nicola Jones                         Jacinta Monteiro 

Drawn H’Cap Pairs            Jacinta Monteiro  20         Angie Isaac        12

                                                Linda Harvey                       Alex Gilkes

Drawn Triples                      Dawn Davis        21            Val Wyatt        12

                                                Sally Lane                             Jan Walker  

                                                Nicola Jones                         Gill O’Neill

Desborough only had one representative in the National Championships at Leamington which was Andrew Essex

in the Over 55 singles and after all the efforts of qualifying  he fell at the first hurdle going down 16 -21 to Mike Owen

from East Leake BC in Nottinghamshire. He was disappointed but it is a fine achievement to get that far.

With the Outdoor Season nearly at an end all the leagues have now ended with varying results.

In the Kennet League, the A team ended up 4^th in Division 1 while the B team occupied the same spot in Division 2.

In the KLV, the A team finished 2^nd in Division 1 while the B team finished 6^th in the same division thereby avoiding relegation which was their target at the start of the season.  The C team finished 3^rd in Division 2 while the D team finished 5^th in their league.

In the TVL, the Bluebells finished 6^th in Division 1 while the Buttercups finished 5^th in Division 3.

Overall, no Desborough team got relegated so it’s onwards and upwards for next season.

Desborough travelled to Windsor Great Park for a 5 rink triples match and achieved something that is unheard of, a 98 shot victory, 138 – 40. All triples won and any of them could have been top rink but in the end the honour went to Shug Boyce, Graeme Mason and Mark Essex who won 34 – 5.

Rink scores

R Dale            R Wyatt         M Peachey               28 – 6

S Boyce         G Mason       M Essex                     34 – 5

W Renouf     S Isaac           T Buckley                  24 – 10

J Monteiro    M Hobson    K Roper                     27 – 11

B Harris         B Adams       N Jones                      25 – 8

It was another 5 rink triples match for Desborough as they travelled to Suttons but the result was different this time as they went down by 25 shots, 65 – 90. The triple skipped by Andre Davis had an afternoon to forget and with the rinks skipped by Gill O’Neill, Tonie Philpott and John Davis going down narrowly, it was left to the only winning rink to get top rink and that was Jacinta Monteiro, Brian Harris and Bob Forster who won 18 – 15.

Rink scores

A Isaac          L Stallwood     G O’Neill                14 – 15

J Monteiro    B Harris            B Forster                18 – 15

S Isaac           C Dawson        T Philpott               12 – 14

D Davis          M Hobson       A Davis                   9 – 29

R Stallwood W Renouf        J Davis                    12 – 17

Desborough welcomed our old friends from Southampton Old Green to Green Lane and although we struggle to beat them outdoors we managed it this time winning by 8 shots, 94 – 86. The game was a mixture of triples and rinks with the home team winning on 3 of the 6 rinks with those skipped by Brian Jones, Keith Harvey and John Davis returning winning scorecards but they couldn’t get anywhere near Rose Stallwood, Dawn Davis, Len Stallwood and Michael Hobson who won 21 – 8 to claim top rink honours.

Rink scores

T Philpott      D Isaacs        H Payne        B Jones          17 – 11

R Stallwood D Davis          L Stallwood  M Hobson    21 – 8

C Buckley      S Isaac           K Harvey                               14 – 13

J Walker        A Jones          A Davis          J Davis           18 – 11

V Wyatt        J Seymour    R Wyatt                                 15 – 15

J Skinner       J Monteiro    T Buckley                              9 – 28

Desborough travelled to Tilehurst for a 5 rink triples match with some trepidation but it turned out in their favour as they won by 31 shots, 85 – 54. The rinks skipped by Bob Forster and Tony Buckley both went down by 2 shots but those skipped by Brian Jones and Linda Harvey returned winning scorecards but couldn’t come close to Debbie Barklamb, Keith Harvey and Mark Peachey who won 27 – 4 to claim top rink honours.

Rink scores

C Dawson     A Isaac          B Forster       16 – 18

J Monteiro    M Hobson    T Buckley      12 – 14

D Barklamb K Harvey       M Peachey   27 – 4

S Isaac           B Harris         L Harvey       13 – 10

C Buckley      W Renouf     B Jones          17 – 8

In the Kennet League the A Team went down 14 – 0 to Wokingham A while the B team went down 10 – 4 to Reading B.

In the KLV  the only team to lose was the B team who lost to Maidenhead Town B while the A, C and D teams all won 8 -2 against Wraysbury, Windsor & Eton C and Suttons C respectively.

Sally Darby, Paul Mellhuish, Marina Bignell and Mark Essex represented Desborough in the National Mixed Fours and won the Area Final 15 – 12 to get through to the last 32 in the country where they faced Headington but it proved to be one step too far. A great effort nonetheless.

There was no Kennet League matches due to the weather.

In the KLV, the only losers were the B team as they were beaten by Maidenhead Thicket A leaving the A, C and D teams to win against Windsor & Eton B, Maidenhead Thicket B and Great Hollands B respectively.

Desborough welcomed Ad Finem to Green Lane for a 6 rink friendly match and after an entertaining afternoon emerged victorious by 10 shots, 97 – 87. The hosts won on 3 rinks with 1 drawn and those skipped by Bob Forster and Nicola Jones returned winning scorecards but the top rink was Jacinta Monteiro, Michael Hobson, Brian Harris and Roger Wyatt who won 23 – 15.

Rink scores

P Smith          D Davis          R Dale            B Forster       17 – 11

J Monteiro    M Hobson    B Harris         R Wyatt         23 – 15

D Hasler        C Dawson     S Isaac           N Jones          18 – 11

G Braddock  M Conaghan K Harvey     J Davis           12 – 18

P Braddock  V Wyatt        A Davis          W Renouf     13 -18

J May             B Cooke         A Isaac          G O’Neill        14 – 14

In the Kennet League, the A team won 10 – 4 while the B team suffered a heavy defeat against Maidenhead Town A.

In the KLV, the A team won 7 – 3 against Maidenhead Thicket A, the B team won 6 – 4 against Windsor & Eton B, the C team suffered an 8 – 2 loss to Windsor Great Park  and the D team won 8 – 2 against Wargrave.

Desborough’s Ladies went to Suttons with some trepidation as they contested the Area Final of the National Top Club but they needn’t have worried as the four disciplines were shared which took it down to the overall score which was in Desborough’s favour winning by 20 shots, 72 – 52. The cornerstone of the victory came from powerful performances in the singles and the fours with the pairs and triples keeping their losses low and that now leaves them 2 games from the National Championships at Leamington. Keep going ladies!!

Rink scores

Singles           Jacinta Monteiro    21 – 12

Pairs               Kim Barao & Angie Isaac 15 – 16

Triples            Sally Darby, Gina Braddock, Gill O’Neill           11 – 15

Fours             Pam Harrison- Smith, Jean Seymour, Tonie Philpott, Linda Harvey 25 -10

In the Kennet League, the A team won 10 – 4 against Bracknell with the B team suffering a 10 – 4 reverse against Maidenhead Thicket.

In the KLV, the A team beat the B team 8 – 2 with the C and D teams winning 8 – 2 against Town C and D respectively.

In the Ladies Top Club, Desborough faced a strong Royal Household team and have bowed out of the competition after losing 3 of the 4 disciplines although on the bright side there was a fantastic performance from the triple consisting of Trish Skinner, Tonie Philpott and Helen Payne as they  won 21 – 15.

In the Kennet League, Desborough’s B team defied the weather to play Maidenhead Town A but wish they hadn’t as they fell to a 12 – 2 defeat.

In the KLV, Desborough’s A, C and D teams lost to Maidenhead Thicket A, Windsor Great Park and Wargrave respectively leaving the limelight to fall on the B team as they beat Windsor & Eton B 10 – 0.

Due to a late cancellation of the friendly against Cippenham , Desborough had an internal spoon drive and after an exciting afternoon , Andre Davis emerged the winner with a score of +17.

To mark the beginning of the Outdoor Season, Desborough’s bowlers played a Spoon Drive, the format being 4 games of 4 ends with the winner being the person with the best shot difference.  Everyone found it challenging in the beginning to make the adjustment from indoor bowls but some had no problem with Keith Harvey getting a score of +17, Desborough’s Captain for 2023, Steve Isaac, getting +18 and the winner, Marina Bignell, with a score of +20. The season will be in full swing this week as leagues and County competitions start, so bring it on!!

The indoor season has come to an end for another year and we hope all of our members had a successful and rewarding season. The year culminated in finals week last week where all of the club competitions that were run throughout the season ended with a number of finals being played. There were honours across the board including some familiar names and some new names also which is excellent.

To view a summary of the Mens, Ladies and Open/Mixed finalists and results along with some brief commentary from our Club Secretary please click on the link below.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW FINALS RESULTS

Womens Over 60 Pairs National Champions

Desborough has got National Champions as Lorraine Woodley and Mary Price triumphed in the Womens Over 60 Pairs. They began with a victory against Cumbria in the preliminary round and followed it up with wins against Gallow, North Cave and Bournemouth to set up a final against Northampton where they totally overwhelmed the opposition and  won  21 – 12 to claim a National title. Well done ladies!!

County Inter Club Winners

Desborough travelled to Whiteknights IBC to play West Berks in the final of the County Inter- Club fearing that they would be in for a tough game but turned out to be anything but as they won by 44 shots, 118 – 74, winning on all 6 rinks which included a sterling performance from the rink skipped by Graham Crisp who won by 18 shots, 29 – 11.

Rink scores (Skips only)

G Crisp           29       M Noble        11

N Smelt         19       N Elphick       12

M Peachey  15        B Williams    14

C Behmber   20       N Cabeldu    11

M Essex         20       G Ballantyne 12

C Jones          15       D Parsonson 14

Desborough welcomed Southampton Old Green  to Green Lane for a 6 rink triples match and eased to an  85 shot victory, 155 – 70. The visitors’ team are an outdoor club with a spattering  of indoor bowlers and Desborough took advantage of this by winning on 5 of the 6 rinks with top rink honours going to Eric Ireland, Rose Turner and Dave Webster who won by 30 shots, 35 – 5. It will be a different story when we play them outdoors on June 3^rd.

Rink scores

P Colton        K Harvey       A Isaac          34 – 10

S Stewart      S Isaac           D Perriman  26 – 12

T Philpott      B Wright       L Harvey       31 – 10

E Ireland       R Turner        D Webster    35 – 5

R Bridgen      P Winsanley J Monteiro   20 – 16

For the final friendly of the indoor season Desborough welcomed the Royal Household and the home side had the end of season blues as they went down by 49 shots, 91 – 140. Although the rink skipped by Gill Konrad returned a winning scorecard they were pipped to top rink honours by Mike Hutley, Sue Stewart, June  Palmer and Tony Buckley who won by 6 shots, 17 – 11.

Rink scores

C Moran       P Smith          M Gibbs        T Philpott      20 – 22

J Konrad       R Palmer       N Cormican  S Stack          13 – 29

R Bridgen      A Jones          J Sandal        G Konrad      21 – 17

V Sandal       S Page           P Winstanley                   7 – 33

J Gibbs           D Burdon      D Cormican                     13 – 28

M Hutley       S Stewart      J Palmer  T Buckley        17 – 11

Desborough travelled down to Portsmouth to play Victory IBC and after an entertaining afternoon unfortunately went down by 57 shots, 89 -146. Although some rinks had a game to forget it didn’t matter as everyone had a great day but the rink skipped by John Davis won 13 -12 which left all the glory to the Palmers, Roy and June, along with Val and Roger Wyatt to take all the glory with a 7 shot victory, 26 – 19.

Rink scores

J Jarman       C Tupling      J Munnelly    D Webster                9 – 34

J Marshall     D Isaacs        B Wright       S Stack                      20 – 25

R Palmer       J Palmer        V Wyatt        R Wyatt                     26 – 19

N Cormican  J Bucknell      C Northover M Hobson               7 – 32

J Monteiro    D Cormican  P Stanley      J Davis                       13 – 12

M Buckles     C Dawson     A Isaac          T Buckley                  14 – 24

In the London & Southern Counties Fours quarter final, Andrew and Mark Essex along with Rob Measom and Mark Peachey drove Camberley into an early submission as they won 25 – 12. They now face King George Field in the semi-final.

In the National Men’s Over 60’s Double Rink, Desborough played Malvern Hills and with the rink skipped by Kevin Scrace winning 26 – 10 at home and the one skipped away by Dave Simpson narrowly going down 18 – 20 with an aggregate victory of 44 – 30 meant Desborough are through to a quarter final against Plymouth A on March 7.

Desborough welcomed Herts IBC to Green Lane for a 6 rink triples match hoping to avenge the defeat at Watford earlier in the season   but it never materialised as they went down by 42 shots, 88 – 130. The Maidenhead side struggled on 5 of the 6 rinks which left Craig Moran, Jacinta Monteiro and Paul Winstanley to be the only ray of sunshine as they won by 7 shots, 19 – 12.

 Rink scores

R Palmer       A Isaac          R Wyatt            17 – 25

M Buckles     T Philpott      S Stack              4 – 33

V Wyatt        J Munnelly    K Crump           15 – 16

S Isaac           H Payne        D Webster       13 – 22

C Moran       J Monteiro    P Winstanley  19 – 12

Y Hurley        J Palmer        D Perriman     20 – 22

Desborough welcomed the London Irish Bowling Association (LIBA) to Maidenhead for their annual fixture and won by 13 shots, 111 – 98. It was a game of 3 triples and 3 rinks which turned into a ding dong battle but the winning rinks skipped by Mark Essex and Russell Dale along with the top rink of Vijay Sandal, Norma Cormican and Jeff Simpson got Desborough over the line. It is hoped that the rumours of the demise of LIBA are just that and they return in 2024.

Rink scores 

M Bignell      D Burdon      J Monteiro    M Essex         19 -8

S Gwilliam    C Howard     D Cormican  T Buckley      8 – 27

B Bushell       G Konrad      D Webster                            13 – 19

P Stanley      J Sandal        J McDonnell R Dale           24 – 11

 J Konrad      M Buckles     D Seymour                           17 – 23

V Sandal       N Cormican  J Simpson                             30 -10

In National Competitions the highlight was in the Womens Over 60 Pairs where Lorraine Woodley and Mary Price gave a mind blowing performance to defeat a pair from Whiteknights skipped by Sandra Kemp who conceded after 5 of the 18 ends as they were 21 – 1 down. Lorraine and Mary are now in the Area Final.

After qualifying and winning the Potters Champion of Champions week before Christmas out of 32 teams, Desborough’s team Russel Dale, Mark Peachey, Keith Roper and Mark Essex returned last weekend to the same venue and playing rink as the World Championship Finals 2023 to play the Champion of Champions final against County Durham.

The game was very close with some great bowls played by all on what can only be described as a unique and very individual playing surface built specifically for the World Finals. At the end of an hour and a half the scores were evens at 9-9 and therefore an extra end was required.

Both teams played it well and it was left to the very last bowl to decide the outcome and with County Durham holding shot within an inch of the jack, Desborough’s Mark Essex just drew his last bowl past the jack to sit a few inches behind. Well done County Durham on winning and unlucky to Desborough but the game was played in great spirits.

Picture shown includes Greg Harlow (World number 5) presenting the Desborough team with the Runners Up trophy.

Hard luck Desborough and we are hoping to be back there next year to take the spoils!

The Open Singles Circuit rolled into Desborough once again with 64 players hoping to win the top prize of £1000. 12 of the entrants came from Desborough Bowling Club and were a great advertisement for the club especially Andrew Essex who narrowly lost in the semi-final. After two days of fantastic bowls it came down to a final between Scott Edwards form Westlecot and Lee Harris from Bromley in a game that was just as good as the world singles final itself, with Scott just getting over the line in the tie break. We look forward to the OSC returning next year.

In National Competitions, in the Womens Over 50 Triples there was a match between two Desborough teams which resulted in Nicola Jones, Sarah Wooley and Jacinta Monteiro winning 16 – 10 against Helen Jones, Lorraine Woodley and Mary Price.

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In the Mason Trophy, Desborough Ladies faced Handy Cross and eased through to the next round with a 12 shot victory, 41 – 29. With the home rink skipped by Helen Jones and away skipped by Mary Price always in control the result was never in doubt. They now face North Wilts A on 17^th February.

Rink scores

J Williams     J Mayne        J Beal             H Jones          22 – 15

J Monteiro    G Braddock  N Holder       M Price          19 – 14

Desborough welcomed Victory IBC from Portsmouth to Green Lane for a 6 rink friendly and after an entertaining game, the home side managed to win by 24 shots, 127 – 103.Desborough won on 4 rinks with one drawn with the rink skipped by Roger Wyatt winning by 15 shots which normally would have given them top rink honours  but they had to be second best to John Jarman, Marsha Buckles, Clive Northover and John Munnelly who won by 23 shots, 31 – 8. It is bound to be a different story in the return on February 11^th.

Rink scores

J Jarman       M Buckles     C Northover             J Munnelly                31 – 8

T Portch        J Palmer        H Payne                    R Wyatt                     30 – 15

S Isaac           R Bridgen      V Wyatt                    T Buckley                  10 – 30

B Harris         S Stewart      M Hobson                S Stack                      17 – 13

A Jones          T Philpott      C Dawson                 J Monteiro                18 – 16

J Marshall     J Bucknell      P Winstanley           D Webster                21 – 21

The next visitors to Green Lane were Caversham for a 6 rink triples match and the visitors won by 1 shot, 107 – 108, although with Desborough winning 4 of the 6 rinks it would be fair to call the match a draw.The rinks skipped by Jacinta Monteiro, Trevor White and Sam Stack returned winning scorecards but top rink went to Craig Moran, Christine Howard and the enigmatic Paul Winstanley who won by 11 shots, 28 – 17.

Rink scores

C Moran       C Howard     P Winstanley           28 – 17

B Bushell       D Burdon      `J Monteiro              20 – 15

J Gibbs           S Page           T White                     17 – 12

R Bridgen      A Yanna        S Stack                      18 – 12

M Gibbs        D Isaacs        P Smith                      16 – 31

S Stewart      A Jones          P Tuttle                      8 – 21

Desborough entertained Iver Heath at Green Lane for a 5 rink triples match and came out the other side with a 10 shot win, 88 -78. The home side won on 3 of the 5 rinks with those skipped by Sam Stack and David Webster returning winning scorecards but top rink honours went to Marsha Buckles, Roy Palmer and the very experienced Brian Faulkner who won by 12 shots, 21 – 9.

Rink scores

C Moran       J Palmer        S Stack          19 – 16

M Hutley       J Monteiro    D Webster    21 – 13

M Buckles     R Palmer       B Faulkner    21 – 9

T Skinner      P Stanley      T Buckley      14 – 27

J Skinner       D Isaacs        C Northover 11 – 13

In the Men’s Over 60’s Double Rink Desborough A faced Foxhills and had a facile win by 28 shots, 49 – 21. With the away rink skipped by Dave Simpson winning by 18 shots and the home rink skipped by Kevin Scrace winning by 10 they eased into the next round where they will face Malvern Hills.

Rink scores

S Williams     G Knapper    C Jones          D Simpson    29 – 11

J Beal             C Behmber   M Woodley  K Scrace        20 – 10

In National Competitions, in the Women’s Fours, Julie Skelly, Lorraine Woodley, Helen Jones and Mary Price won 23 – 4 against a four skipped by Sandra Kemp from Whiteknights. They are now one step away from the National Finals at Nottingham. The Women’s Over 50 Triples saw Jacinta Monteiro, Sarah Wooley and Nicola Jones gain victory against a triple from Rivermead skipped by Pat Fowkes by 14 shots, 25 -11. They now face a local grudge match against Helen Jones & Co.

Desborough played Whiteknights in a friendly and although they lost by 24 shots, 92 – 116, the opposing captain said as there had been a problem with the scoring, the game was declared a draw. The Maidenhead side found it a struggle all afternoon and although the rink skipped by David Webster managed to draw, the only highlight for Desborough was the top rink of Vijay Sandal, Marsha Buckles, Keith Harvey and John Munnelly who won by 9 shots, 22 – 13.

Rink scores

T Skinner      J Tregurtha  D Perriman  B Faulkner                18 – 19

J Sandal        D Isaacs        P Winstanley                                   13 – 22

V Sandal       M Buckles     K Harvey       J Munnelly                22 – 13

J Skinner       A Jones          L Harvey       T Buckley                  13 – 19

H Boyce         R Bridgen      S Isaac           D Webster                17 – 17

S Page           S Stewart      A Isaac          C Northover             9 – 17

For the Desborough Ladies, the Yetton Trophy campaign is over despite being in control for most of the game with a 10 shot defeat against Dolphin IBC from Poole, 70 – 80. The men managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against Whiteknights in the London & Southern Counties Shield with a 1 shot loss, 77 – 78.

In National Competitions, there was a terrific performance from Helen Jones and Lorraine Woodley in the Women’s Pairs as they came back from the dead to defeat Pat Holland and Morgan Merryweather from Whiteknights 19 – 15.

Keith Roper, Mark Peachey, Mark Essex and Russell Dale (pictured below) represented Desborough Bowling Club on a visit to Potters Resort for the 2022 Champion of Champions and competed alongside 32 other teams who had won through to the finals week. After some tough fought games, Desborough ended up winners of finals week alongside County Durham who they now meet in the final showdown in mid-January on the World Bowls Championship portable rink prior to the World Championship 2023 Singles Final taking place.

In the London & Southern Counties Fours, Desborough played Egham and won by 10 shots, 23 – 13. It wasn’t looking good after three ends as Desborough were 7 – 0 down but once they gained control on the 4^th end there was no looking back and they sailed into the next round. Onwards and upwards!!

Rink score

A Essex          M Peachey   M Essex         K Scrace        23 – 13

For the last friendly of 2022, Desborough travelled to Wey Valley IBC in Guildford and didn’t find much Christmas cheer as they fell to a heavy defeat. Most people struggled so it was left to June Palmer, John Bucknell, Paul Winstanley and the mercurial John Davis to finish the year on a positive note as they won by 2 shots, 19 – 17.

Rink scores

J Palmer        J Bucknell      P Winstanley           J Davis           19 – 17

P Tuttle          V Wyatt        D Perriman              S Stack          6 – 32

S Stewart      R Palmer       J Monteiro                R Wyatt         10 – 24

L Davis           R Bridgen      P Hatch                     B Adams       7 – 37

The ladies of Desborough continue their Yetton Trophy campaign after a convincing win over Mid Glos, winning by 46 shots, 95 – 49. All 4 rinks won with a strong performance from the away rinks, skipped by Mary Price and Gill O’Neill, but nothing could match the rink of Josie Williams, Gill Jones, Norah Holder and Helen Jones who won by 24 shots, 33 – 9. Desborough now face Dolphin in the fifth round early in the New Year.

Rink scores 

Home

J Williams     G Jones          N Holder       H Jones          33 – 9

M  Bignell     G Braddock  J Morgan      L Woodley    14 – 11

Away

J Mayne        Y Hurley        J Beal             G O’Neill        23 – 16

S Darby         J Monteiro    J Skelly           M Price          25 – 13

Desborough’s  Men also played Mid Glos ,this time in the  Denny Plate, but unfortunately couldn’t match the ladies as they suffered a 10 shot loss, 65 – 75. The rink skipped by Dave Simpson managed to draw but the narrow losses on the other 3 rinks meant it was all over for this season.

Desborough welcomed Ad Finem to Green Lane and as an early Christmas present, they let the visitors win by 25 shots, 97 – 122. It was a struggle for most as the rink skipped by Tony Buckley managed a draw which left Trish Skinner, new bowler Paul McVicar, Vijay Sandal and the reserved John Davis to be the heroes of the afternoon with a 17 shot victory, 24 – 7.

Rink scores

T Skinner      P McVicar     V Sandal       J Davis             24 – 7

J Adams        R Bridgen      K Harvey       S Stack            15 – 28

P Tuttle          D Isaacs        S Isaac           P Stanley        13 – 17

S Stewart      S Lane            L Harvey       T Buckley        19 – 19

L Davis           A Isaac          R Dale            J Munnelly      14 – 21

J Sandal        J Simpson     H Payne        C  Northover  12 – 20

In National Competitions, there was an outstanding performance from Keith Roper and Mark Peachey in the Men’s Pairs as they won 25 – 12 against Fred Brown and Barry Williams from West Berks. Good news is always accompanied by bad news as they now have to face the top pairing of Robert Newman and Michael Knight. Everyone is beatable!!

Desborough’s Men played the Berkshire County Ladies in a 6 rink triples match and after a close game went down by 6 shots, 92 – 98. In a close game, it was surprising that Desborough could only win on one rink and drew on another rink which was skipped by Kel Crump. That left Captain of the Day, Brian Faulkner, along with Jeff Simpson and Clive Northover, to take take top rink honours with a 16 shot win, 27 – 11.

Rink scores

P Mingolla    M Hobson      S Stack            11 – 17

J Jarman       I Bond   D Perriman      8 – 16

M Hutley       B Harris           K Crump          16 – 16

J Konrad       P Winstanley T Buckley        14 – 19

C Moran       D Isaacs          R Wyatt          16 – 19

J Simpson     C Northover   B Faulkner     27 – 11

In the London & Southern Counties Shield, Desborough’s Men played Cambridge Park and came through with a 15 shot victory, 76 – 61, helped, as expected, by the winning home rinks skipped by Kevin Scrace and Steve McAlister. Desborough’s quest to win the Shield again continues.

Rink scores 

Home

S Williams     A Mayne       N Smelt         K Scrace          19 – 16

L Essex           G Mason       S Cotterill      S McAlister     26 – 11

Away

B Forster       R Dale            K Roper         M Essex           16 -16

R Measom    B Adams       A Essex          M Peachey      15 – 18

Desborough’s Ladies played Whiteknights in the Vivienne Trophy and although the 4 rinks were shared, Desborough went down by 8 shots and bowed out of the competition.

In National Competitions, the highlight of the week was in the Men’s Pairs when Kevin Scrace and Malcolm Woodley forced Malcolm Giles and Alan Symondson from Whiteknights into early submission due to a mixture of excellent bowls and Mr Giles feeling unwell.

Mark Essex played Robert Newman in the National Singles away at Whiteknights and after a close fought battle, Newman eventually won 21-16.

Desborough welcomed Caversham to Green Lane for a 6 rink friendly  and won by 24 shots, 111 – 87. When you play a predominately outdoor club it should be an advantage but Caversham did manage to win two rinks with the hosts returning winning scorecards due to the rinks skipped by Bruce Adams, Paul Winstanley and Dave Perriman. However they could get nowhere close to Jacinta Monteiro, Mandy Boyce, Steve Isaac and John Davis who got top rink honours with a thumping 24 shot win, 31 – 7.

Rink scores

C Tupling      P Smith          A Isaac          B Adams         22 – 10

J Monteiro    M Boyce        S Isaac           J Davis             31 – 7

P McVicar     L Davis           D Cormican  B Harris           12 – 23

P Hatch         R Bridgen      H Boyce         P Winstanley  14 – 10

A Gilkes         S Stewart      B Bushell       L Harvey         13 – 25

H Payne        C Dawson     K Harvey       D Perriman    19 -12

Desborough travelled to Herts IBC for a 5 rink triples match and after a tough afternoon went down by 36 shots, 78 – 114. As the score indicates, most rinks had an afternoon to forget which was highlighted by John Davis who skipped a winning rink the previous day but struggled in this game, which left all the glory to go to Paul Winstanley, Pauline Tuttle and Roger Wyatt who won by 12 shots, 27 – 15. Desborough will have the chance of revenge early in the New Year.

Rink scores

V Wyatt          M Buckles   J Davis          6 – 27

K Wells            L Davis         S Stack          17 – 27

J Monteiro    D Webster   M Peachey   18 – 20         

T Scherer      D Isaac         T Buckley      10 – 25

P Winstanley P Tuttle        R Wyatt         27 – 15

In the Mason Trophy, Desborough’s  ladies played Whiteknights B and won comfortably, 40 -19. They now play Westlecot on 9 December.

in the London and Southern Counties Mixed Pairs, Marina Bignell and Mark Essex travelled to Cambridge Park, Twickenham to win comfortably 22-6 to progress to the next round against Egham away.

In National Competitions, the performance of the week came in the Mixed Fours as Marina Bignell, Lorraine Woodley, Mark Essex and Malcolm Woodley beat a four from Whiteknights, 18 – 15.

In the Denny Plate, Desborough played Chipping Norton and in a game that didn’t go the full distance, they ended up winning by 39 shots, 91 -52. The Maidenhead side won on 3 of the 4 rinks with the rink skipped by Kevin Scrace winning by 12 shots but what made the victory sweeter was an outstanding performance from Jeff Beal, Bob Forster, Mark Essex and Colin Jones who won by 31 shots, 38 – 7. Desborough now play Mid Glos on 10 December.

Desborough’s Ladies continued their Yetton Trophy campaign with a tough game against county rivals Whiteknights but came out the other side with a 16 shot victory, 90 – 74. The rink skipped by Lorraine Woodley won by 6 shots at home but the strength of the victory came from the away rinks with one skipped by Gill O’Neill winning by 17 shots, the other skipped by Mary Price winning by 5 shots. The Ladies will also play Mid Glos on 10 December.

Desborough welcomed the London Scottish Bowling Association to Green Lane but they unfortunately the Maidenhead side went down by 23 shots, 77 – 100. Desborough only won on 2 of the 6 rinks with the rink skipped by Brian Faulkner beating his fellow Desborough member David Perriman by 8 shots to leave the kudos of top rink honours to go to Norma Cormican, Don Isaacs, Helen Payne and Clive Northover who won 17 – 7.

Rink scores

J Adams        D Cormican    N Jones       B Adams         16 – 17

J Palmer        S Stewart        L Harvey     T Buckley        14 – 19

T Skinner      M Buckles       R Dale          J Munnelly       9 – 28

N Cormican  D Isaacs          H Payne      C Northover   17 – 7

J Konrad       V Sandal       D Webster    S Stack          5 – 21

K Harvey       J Sandal        J Monteiro    B Faulkner    16 – 8

When the Berkshire County Indoor Bowling roll into town there is a prize of a Bannerette if a club beats them and although Desborough had this prize in sight for most of the game they came up short, losing by 9 shots, 87 – 96. The rink skipped by Mark Essex managed to win by 1 shot to leave all the glory to go to Steve Isaac, Daniel Teverson, Andrew Essex and Colin Jones who won by 13 shots, 28 – 15.

Rink scores

J Simpson     K Crump        J Munnelly    M Essex         17 – 16

S Isaac           D Teverson   A Essex          C Jones          28 – 15

V Sandal       M Gibbs        B Forster       M Harris       14 – 22

D Perriman  S Stack          B Faulkner    P Winstanley 18 – 18

K Harvey       M Hobson    T Buckley      R Wyatt         10 – 25

National Competitions are still progressing with Desborough members progressing but the performance of the week came from Andrew Essex in the Men’s Singles as he came back from the dead to defeat the talented Josh Jones 21 – 20. He now plays Michael Knight.

In National competitions, the Over 60’s Double Rink paired Desborough A against Rivermead and defeated them 37 – 20. They will now face West Berks A who beat Desborough’s  B team.

In the Over 60’s Singles, Malcolm Woodley played Barry Williams and after a tense battle got over the line, 21 – 19.

In the Men’s Pairs, Mark Peachey and Keith Roper defeated a pair from Whiteknights, 21 – 15. In the same competition, Andrew Essex and Mark Essex had a local rivals game against Russell Dale and Robert Measom and after a good game, the Essex brothers won 19-5 and move to the next round.

In the Men’s Triples, Andrew and Mark Essex along with Malcolm Woodley travelled to Handy Cross and after a slow start, they fought back but just came up short as they bowed out of the competition on the final end.

In the Ladies Champion of Champions, Helen Jones unfortunately went down to Morgan Merryweather, 21 – 16.

In the London & Southern Counties Fours, Robert Measom. Andrew Essex, Mark Essex and Mark Peachey represented Desborough and after a good tussle with a four from West Berks, came good at the business end of the game to win 21 – 17. They now play Loddon Vale.

Desborough welcomed the London Welsh Bowling Association to Green Lane and after a good afternoon of bowls they won by 18 shots, 110 – 92. The rinks skipped by John Munnelly, Dave Perriman and Sam Stack did well to return winning scorecards but the cornerstone of the victory came from the top rink of June Palmer, Yvonne Hurley, Nicola Jones and Captain of the Day, John Davis, who won 23 – 5.

Rink scores

J Sandal        D Isaacs        S Lane            B Faulkner                11 – 19

J Monteiro    V Sandal       H Payne        J Munnelly                20 – 17

J Palmer        Y Hurley        N Jones          J Davis                       23 – 5

N Cormican  L Davis           R Palmer       C Northover             17 – 19

G Barker       M Bignell      K Crump        D Perriman              19 – 14

J Adams        T Philpott      D Cormican  S Stack                      20 – 18

Desborough had a good weekend in National competitions as the ladies and the men both played Westlecot and both ended up with convincing wins. In the Denny Plate the men won by 49 shots, 81 -32, winning on all 4 rinks with everyone putting in a shift with Sid Williams, Howard Pike, Mark Essex and Kevin Scrace putting in the best performance with an 18 shot win, 24 – 6. The reward for their efforts is a match against Chipping Norton on 19 November.

Rink scores

S Williams     H Pike            M Essex         K Scrace                    24 – 6

J Beal             K Roper         M Woodley  J McGuinness          13 – 6

R Measom    S Cotterill      M Peachey   C Jones                      26 – 12

A Essex          B Forster       S McAlister   D Simpson                18 – 8

In the Yetton Trophy, the ladies won by 29 shots, 86 – 57, winning on 3 of the 4 rinks with a special mention for Josie Williams, Jean Seymour, Gill Jones and Helen Jones who also won by 18 shots, 27 – 9. They will now play county rivals Whiteknights also on 19 November.

Rink scores

J Williams     J Seymour                G Jones          H Jones          27 – 9

M Bignell      J Smelt                       J Morgan      L Woodley    20 -17

S Darby         V Linton-Phare       J Skelly           M Price          25 – 14

J Mayne        Y Hurley                    J Beal             G O’Neill        14 – 17

Desborough’s Ladies who played at home in the Yetton Trophy

(L-R) Jenny Morgan, Lorraine Woodley, Judy Smelt, Jean Seymour, Helen Jones

Gill Jones, Marina Bignell and Josie Williams

Desborough travelled to Newbury to play West Berks in a 5 rink triples game and unfortunately came up short by 12 shots, 67 – 79.  Winning rinks were in short supply for the Maidenhead side with John Davis skipping a rink to win by the bare minimum which left Jacinta Monteiro, Roy Palmer and Iain Bond to take all the glory with a 10 shot victory, 21 – 11.

Rink scores

J Monteiro    R Palmer                  I Bond 21 – 11

J Bosley         T Philpott                  B Adams       11 – 21

C Howard     V Wyatt                    J Davis           17 – 16

J Palmer        P Winstanley           T Buckley      11 – 16

L Davis           J McDonnell             R Wyatt         7 – 15

Desborough travelled to Whiteknights to play a 6 rink triple match and after a challenging afternoon went down by 40 shots, 85  – 125. Most players found the carpet difficult which resulted in only 2 of the 6 triples returning winning scorecards, although Brian Faulkner’s team did salvage a draw, with John Davis, Phil Smith and Nicola Jones winning 17 – 11 and top rink honours going to Jenny Bosley, Ian Bond and Bruce Adams who won 25 – 15.

Rink scores

P Smith          N Jones          J Davis           17 – 11

J Bosley         I Bond B Adams       25 – 15

E Sharp         D Isaac          D Perriman  12 – 36

J Palmer        E Sharp         B Faulkner    17 -17

A Jones          H Payne        S Stack          7 – 23

L Davis           R Palmer       T Buckley      7 – 23

Desborough welcomed the Bucks V P’s to Green Lane and had a more enjoyable afternoon than they had the previous afternoon with only 1 rink losing, they managed to win by 38 shots, 99 – 61. Mark Essex and John Davis skipped their rinks to win by 10 shots but they didn’t come close to Jacinta Monteiro, Val Wyatt, Jeff Simpson and Paul Winstanley who won by 21 shots, 29 – 8, which included a hotshot for good measure.

Rink scores

J Monteiro    V Wyatt        J Simpson     P Winstanley           29 – 8

M Boyce        J Skinner       H Payne        R Wyatt                     15 – 20

P Smith                                  S Lane            M Essex                     21 – 11

L Davis           T Philpott      P Tuttle          N Jones                      17 – 13

T Skinner      H Boyce         M Bignell      J Davis                       17 – 7

Desborough’s participation this season’s Egham Trophy came to an end  as they lost to a strong Whiteknights side, 51 – 84.

Desborough’s Ladies played in the 1^st round of the Yetton Trophy against familiar foes from Swindon Manor and ended up winning 85 – 64. The format for this competition is two rinks at home and two rinks away but due to flooding at the Swindon club everyone had to play at Desborough and the visitors did manage to win on 2 of the 4 rinks but the rink skipped by Mary Price provided the cornerstone of the victory by winning 32 – 12 with the rink skipped by Helen Jones turning their game around by gaining a hotshot in their 24 -17 win. The reward for their efforts is a game against Westlecot on 5 November.

Desborough’s Men played in the 1^st round of the Denny Cup against County rivals Whiteknights and managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as they went down 73 – 75. The home rinks were always playing catchup but did enough to keep Desborough in the game as the away rinks were always comfortable. However right at the death it all went pear shaped and the Maidenhead side fell to a narrow defeat. They now have the consolation of going into the Denny Plate where they will also play Westlecot on 5 November.

Desborough’s members made the trip to Potters in Norfolk and with 10 teams entered in the competition managed to get a team in the final and Jacinta Monteiro, Andrew Essex, Russell Dale and Bob Forster emerged triumphant as they beat a team from Louth in Lincolnshire on the final end. They will return to Potters to play in the Champion of Champions.

From L – R Andrew Essex, Bob Forster, Jacinta Monteiro, Russell Dale

Desborough  played their final friendly of the outdoor season  Hurst and after a very tight match, emerged victorious, 97 – 76. The match consisted of 5 rinks of triples, with Desborough winning  on 2 of those and the losing rinks skipped by Bruce Adams, Tony Buckley and Roger Wyatt all narrowly lost, Kim Barao skipped a winning rink but the cornerstone of the victory came from a fantastic performance from Rose Stallwood, John Bucknell and Brian Wright who won 34 – 11.

Rink scores  

R Stallwood     J Bucknell        B Wright          34 – 11

P Smith            D Hasler         K Barao          21 – 15

K Roper           M Hobson       R Wyatt            14 – 17

J Monteiro       L Stallwood     B Adams          13 – 18

H Boyce          R Earl              T Buckley        15 – 17

The outdoor season finished with an End of Season  Bash at Green lane which involved a spoon drive organized by Steve Isaac and Brian Harris  with the winner being the person with the highest score. After an interesting afternoon we ended up with joint winners, Brian Wright and Kim Barao. After the after match buffet, here endeth the outdoor season for 2022 and we look forward to doing it all again next year.

Desborough played their first friendly fixture against Windsor Great Park when they welcomed them to Green Lane for a 5 rink triples match and after an entertaining evening of bowls the hosts won by 17 shots, 95 -72. Desborough won on 4 of the 5 rinks with those skipped by Eric Sharp, Brian Jones, Roger Wyatt getting good wins but they were pipped for top rink honours by Pietro Mingolia, playing his first game for the Club, Linda Davis and Tony Buckley who won 21 – 12.

Rink scores

J Monteiro          B Harris                 E Sharp                 21 – 13

C Tupling              J Davis                   B Jones                 20 – 14

J Skinner              K Harvey              M Essex               13 – 21

L Harvey              D Hasler               R Wyatt                20 – 12

P Mingolia           L Davis                  T Buckley             21 – 12

Desborough travelled to  Wexham Bowls Club for another 5 rink triples match but this time things didn’t go their way as the challenging green led to a 37 shot defeat, 63 – 100. Most rinks had an afternoon to forget and top rink honours went to the best losing rink of Pietro Mingolia (that man again!!), Helen Payne and Roger Wyatt who only went down by 1 shot.

Rink scores 

D Isaacs                A Isaac                  R Earl                     16 – 22

P Mingolia           H Payne               R Wyatt                12 – 13

J Monteiro          P Winstanley      T Buckley             8 – 22

E Sharp                 S Isaac                   E Sharp                 11 – 23

A Jones                P Patel                  D Hasler               16 – 20

​

Desborough travelled over the river to Marlow for a 5 rink triples match and emerged victorious by 17 shots, 87 – 70. The rinks  skipped by Roger Wyatt and Eric Sharp managed draws but the winning rinks skipped by Tony Buckley and Brian Jones helped the push for victory with the latter, along with Mike Conaghan and Russell Dale, gaining top rink honours.

Rink scores

P Smith                 S Isaac                   B Adams              13 – 18

E Sharp                 G Braddock         R Wyatt                15 – 15

M Conaghan      R Dale                   B Jones                 26 – 12

H Boyce                N Jones                E Sharp                 16 – 16

J Monteiro          C Bowler              T Buckley             17 – 9

In the TVL, the Bluebells faced a strong Tilehurst side and emerged with a 6 – 4 victory with the highlight being a storming performance from Sally Darby, Jacinta Monteiro and Linda Harvey who won 24 – 8.

​

Outdoor matches against Southampton Old Green are always difficult for Desborough to win and once again it proved to be the case at Green Lane last Saturday as the visitors eased to a 23 shot victory, 86 – 63. However as the highest rink for the visitors  was supplied by Desborough it can only be fair to call this game an honourable draw.  Most of the home rinks struggled except for the one skipped by Michael White which won by 4 shots but with a slightly more consistent performance, top rink honours went to Carole Tupling, John Skinner, Michael Hobson and Tony Buckley who won 17 – 10.

Rink scores

R Stallwood        L Davis       L Stallwood        J Davis             10 – 20

C Tupling              J Skinner    M Hobson          T Buckley       17 – 10

J Monteiro          J Bucknell   S Isaac                 R Wyatt          11 – 18

T Skinner             B Harris       K Harvey            M White         16 – 12

J Gibbs                  K Archer     P Winstanley     B Adams        9 – 26

In the last games in the Kennet League, the A team had a disappointing end to the season as they got nothing out of their game at the Royal Household. However the B team are champions of Division 3 East and went through the season unbeaten as they beat Woodley 10 -4.

The last games in the KLV proved better for the A team as they got all 10 points against Windsor Great Park but the C team narrowly missed out on promotion from Division 2 East as they went down 8 – 2 to Sunningdale B. Although the B team didn’t play their last game against Windsor & Eton C because of the inability to raise a team due to the extreme heat, they are still Division 2 East champions and will now play Trentham A on July 25 as part of the process to find the overall Division 2 champions.

Any interest Desborough had in county competitions has now been extinguished as Mark Peachey lost at the semi-final stage of the Men’s 2 Wood Champion of Champions to Barry Williams from Thatcham.

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Desborough welcomed Burnham to Green Lane for a 4 rink triples match and ended up winning by 15 shots, 61 – 46. The visitors took a while to get the hang of the green and the hosts took advantage by winning on 3 of the 4 rinks with the rinks skipped by Eric Sharp and John Davis returning winning scorecards but there was no doubting the top rink as Dawn Davis, Steve Isaac and Nicola Jones won 19 -6.

Rink scores

R Stallwood        L Stallwood         E Sharp                 17 – 11

A Davis                 A Isaac                  J Davis                   14 – 12

L Davis                  P Winstanley      T Buckley             11 – 17

D Davis                 S Isaac                   N Jones                19 –  6

In the Kennet League, the A team only gained 3 of the 14 points available against Suttons A while B side scraped a 10 – 4 victory at Twyford which means they are now promoted to Division 2 East of the league as champions.

The A team travelled to Wraysbury in the KLV and suffered an 8 – 2 defeat while the B team went to Sunningdale and won 8 – 2 which ensured promotion to Division 1 East of the league as champions.  The C team left themselves with a chance of promotion as they won 6 – 4 against Windsor & Eton B and now wait to see how results go in the last round of games.

Desborough’s Ladies went to Windsor and Eton in the Royal Shield and enjoyed an 8 – 2 victory. The Bluebells also won 8 – 2 with a win over our near neighbours from Maidenhead Town.

The only interest Desborough has in the county competitions is the Men’s 2 Wood Champion of Champions where Mark Peachey triumphed 15 – 12 over an opponent from Hagbourne. He now faces Barry Williams from Thatcham at Caversham  on 12 August.

Pam Harrison Smith, Gina Braddock and Gill O’Neill went to a Gala Day at High Wycombe and after all the games had taken place they returned victorious.

Desborough welcomed Keynsham, a touring side from the Bristol / Bath area, to Green Lane and after an entertaining   afternoon of bowls managed to win by 12 shots, 116 – 104. Although Desborough won on 5 of the 6 rinks the scores on the doors showed that it was a close game for everyone. Two rinks both ended up winning by 6 shots but the rink skipped by Steve Isaac lost out on countback to Jim May, Tanis Hudson, John Skinner and Bob Forster for top rink honors. We hope to welcome Keynsham back in the future.

Rink scores

J May            T Hudson      J Skinner            B Forster              24 – 18

S Darby        J Marshall     D Hasler             S Isaac                   20 – 14

J Monteiro   J Bucknell      K Harvey           R Wyatt                22 – 18

V White        L Davis          P Winstanley   J Davis                   13 – 22

R Dale           R Stallwood  B Wright            A Isaac                  19 – 17

T Skinner     L Stallwood    F Ashmore       T Buckley             18 – 15

Mark Essex travelled to Wantage for the final stages of the County Men’s Two Wood and although he won 2 games against 2 good players from Reading, he couldn’t beat another, Neil Gauld and therefore bowed out of the competition on the last end at the semi –final stage.

In the KLV, Desborough’s A, B and C teams all won 8 – 2 against Royal Household, Sunningdale B and Windsor & Eton B respectively, while the D team won 6 – 4 against Maiden Erlegh mainly due to an outstanding performance from Phil Smith, John Bowles and Bruce Cooke who won 36 – 5.

The Maidenhead Bowls Triangular Tournament, now sponsored by Mortgage Required, made a welcome return to the fixture calendar and was held this year at Desborough Bowling Club. The hosts, along with the Town and the Thicket provided six teams of 4 players, playing 4 games each to gain points to decide the winner. After some scintillating bowls, Thicket got 123 points, Town 129 and Desborough 144 with the latter lifting the trophy. Well done to the 3 clubs for a fantastic tournament.

After the heroics in the last round against Suttons, Desborough had the daunting task of facing Tilehurst in the regional final of the National Double Fours on a neutral green played at Bracknell BC.. A closer game than in the last round it went down to the wire as the Maidenhead side, needing 4 shots on the last end, managed to get the required score to clinch a famous 29 – 28 victory. They now face Boscombe Cliff on a neutral green before August 7 to continue their march to Leamington. With the confidence of the players and the magnificent supporters there’s nothing to say they won’t get there.

Above – Desborough’s National Double Fours squad

The Kennet League saw the A team win 13 – 1 against Caversham A while the B team took care of their Caversham counterparts winning  12 – 2.

In the KLV league, the B team gained bragging rights by beating the C team 7 – 3 to ensure that they done the double over them this season. The A team had an 8 – 2 win against Maidenhead Thicket A with a little help from B squad players while the D team unfortunately went down 2 – 8 to Crowthorne.

The Bluebells had a fantastic 8 – 2 win against Reading last week but unfortunately went down by that score to Sutton Seeds this week.

Mark Peachey and Graeme Mason along with Bruce Adams and Peter Braddock both bowed out at the last 8 stage in the Men’s County Pairs to pairings from Tilehurst.

Desborough welcomed Marlow to Green Lane and after an entertaining game played in very hot conditions, the hosts managed to win by 25 shots, 112 – 87. The triples skipped by John Davis and Mark Harris managed to get draws and those skipped by Brian Wright and Steve Isaac managed to win which left top rink honours to go to Tonie Philpott and the Harveys, Linda and Keith, who won by 16 shots, 25 – 9. The return fixture is on August 11.

Rink scores

H Boyce                A Isaac                  S Isaac                   24 – 19

C Tupling              T Buckley             M Harris               18 – 18

V White                J Monteiro            J Davis                   14 – 14

T Philpott             K Harvey              L Harvey              25 – 9

M Boyce              L Davis                  B Wright               20 – 11

T Skinner             J Skinner              E Sharp                 11 – 16

It’s not often that Desborough can get one over on their neighbours Maidenhead Town but the short journey to Oaken Grove resulted with the Green Lane outfit winning on all 4 rinks by 34 shots, 74 – 40. A subdued Michael White, Steve Isaac and John Davis managed to skip winning rinks but they didn’t come close to Trish Skinner, Dave Hasler, Nicola Jones and Bruce Adams who won by 20 shots, 25 – 5, to be top rink.

Rink scores  

L Davis                  H Boyce                P Winstanley      S Isaac                   19 – 10

J May                    J Skinner              A Isaac                  J Davis                   16 – 13

K Harvey              M Hobson           K Barao                 M White              14 – 12

T Skinner             D Hasler               N Jones                B Adams              25 – 5

In the Kennet League, it was disappointment for the A team as they went down 10 -4 to Bracknell.

The KLV was better for Desborough as the A team got all 10 points against Maidenhead Town B and the B team did likewise against Town’s C team. The C team won 8 – 2 against Maidenhead Thicket B.

The Buttercups blossomed in the TVL as a brilliant performance from all three rinks meant they took all 10 points available against the Sutton Gems.

In the county competitions, in the last 16 of the Men’s Pairs Mark Peachey and Graeme Mason beat a pair from Lambourn 16 – 14 while Bruce Adams and Peter Braddock needed an extra end to beat Gary Stacey and Darren Holder from Reading 15 – 14. Both pairs are in the last 8 at Thatcham on 14 July where both play opposition from Tilehurst. There is the possibility of an all Desborough semi final.  In the Men’s Singles, Mark Essex bowed out of the competition at the last 16 stage and Mark also exited the Men’s County Champion of Champions at the quarter final stage.

In the National Double Fours, Desborough played Suttons at Green Lane as massive underdogs but with the help of fantastic support they overcame their County rivals, winning 37 – 29. They now play in the regional final against either Tilehurst or Hagbourne on a neutral green before July 24. With the confidence gained from the Suttons game, they should fear no one. The team pictured are (from left to right): Bob Forster, Peter Braddock, Mark Harris, Mark Essex, Mark Peachey, Graeme Mason, Keith Roper and Andrew Essex.

Desborough played their neighbours Maidenhead Town in the Club Championship  and with the rink skipped by Mark Essex winning at home and Mark Peachey’s rink being victorious away, the Green Lane outfit gained local bragging rights with a 6 shot victory, 74 – 68.

On their annual away day, Desborough made the journey once again to Poole Park and after a fantastic game, fell to a 20 shot defeat, 108 -128. Some found their rinks challenging but those skipped by Michael Hobson and Paul Patel won while Roger Wyatt marshalled his troops to a draw. However there was no doubting who got top rink honours as Joan Kingston, Jim May, Val White and Michael White were always in control as they won by 21 shots, 25 – 4. It was a great day enjoyed by everybody (well nearly everyone!!) and all went home happy.

Rink scores

S Darby                 A Harris                D Isaacs                R Wyatt                16 – 16

J Monteiro          J Bucknell            P Patel                                                  18 – 13

C Dawson            T Skinner             M Hobson                                           14 – 9

R Dale                   J Marshall            M O’Reilly                                           14 – 17

L Harvey              P Crabbe              J Davis                                                   10 – 21

C Tupling              B Harris                 K Harvey       M Whittingham       7 – 26

J Walker               J Walker               R Earl                     T Buckley             4 – 22

J Kingston            J May                    V White                                M White              25 – 4

It was a good week in the Kennet League as both teams won with the A team winning 12 – 2 against Maidenhead Town A and the B team are still unbeaten after getting home 10 – 4 against Maidenhead Town B.

The KLV almost produced a full house as the B team won 10 – 0 against Maidenhead Thicket B and the C team beat their counterparts from Maidenhead Town 7 – 3. Unfortunately the A team could get nothing out of their game against Maidenhead Town A.

It was a busy week for the Bluebells in the TVL as they had two games, firstly getting nothing from their game against Tilehurst but making up for it against Great Holland Linnets by getting 9 of the 10 points available. The Buttercups also managed a victory as they won 8 – 2 against Maiden Erlegh Bees.

In the County Competitions, Jacinta Monteiro in the Ladies Unbadged Singles and the rink skipped by Gill O’Neill in the Ladies Fours both bowed at the Quarter Final stage. In the Men’s County Two Wood Singles, Mark Essex won the battle of Desborough as he defeated Bruce Adams, 14 – 10.

As there were no friendlies this week, the spotlight fell on the leagues and the county competitions.

In the Kennet League, the A team registered a 12 – 2 victory over the Royal Household while the B team travelled to Woodley and won 10 – 4.

In the KLV league, the A team won 8 -2 against Windsor Great Park while the B team were successful against Windsor & Eton C with a 10 – 0 win but unfortunately the C team went down 8 – 2 to Sunningdale B.

In the County Competitions, Mark Essex soldiers on in the Men’s Singles after a 21 – 8 victory over Andy Mayne from Maidenhead Town and is now in the last 16 where he will face Alan Symondson from Reading.

Mark has also won through to the later stages of the County Champion of Champions, 2 Wood Singles and the County Unbadged. Unfortunately he was defeated in the National Champion of Champions by a strong opponent from Bracknell.

In the Men’s Pairs, it was a case of beating Great Hollands as Bruce Adams and Peter Braddock beat a pair from that club 19 – 10 while Mark Peachey and Graeme Mason won 23 – 7. Both pairs are now in the last 16.

In the Ladies Unbadged Singles, Jacinta Monteiro continues to fly the flag for Desborough as she defeated an opponent from Reading 21 – 16 to reach the quarter final.

Trailing by 4 shots , Desborough welcomed  High Wycombe to Green Lane for the 2^nd leg of the Dessau Cup with high hopes of picking up the trophy and after a hard fought game, came out victorious by 36 shots, 114 – 78. Desborough won on 5 of the 6 rinks and even the losing rink skipped by Steve Isaac played a team game to make sure they only lost narrowly but special mention has to go to the top rink of Tonie Philpott, Jacinta Monteiro and Mark Essex who won by 19 shots, 30 – 11. It’s not often we win the Dessau Cup so we will make the most of holding on to the trophy until the next outdoor season.

Rink scores

T Philpott             J Monteiro          M Essex               30 – 11

P Smith                 P Winstanley      S Isaac                   9 – 13

V Wyatt                M Hobson           D Hasler               23 – 9

D Smith                R Earl                     R Wyatt                20 – 19

A Davis                 B Forster              T Buckley             17 – 12

D Davis                 R Dale                   B Jones                 15 – 14

Desborough travelled to Henley for the first time and the trip was worthwhile as they won by 1 shot, 86 – 85 although the hosts could claim a moral draw as both teams won on 2 rinks with 1 drawn.  The rink skipped by Brian Wright won by 3 shots but top rink honours went to Michael Hobson, Don Isaacs and Dave Hasler  who won by 5 shots, 17 – 12.

Rink scores

M Hobson           D Isaacs                D Hasler               17 – 12

E Sharp                 V Wyatt                R Wyatt                17 – 21

C Tupling              L Davis                  E Sharp                 17 – 20

J Monteiro          R Earl                     B Wright               19 – 16

T Philpott             J Davis                   B Forster              16 – 16

Desborough played local rivals, Maidenhead Town in the National Double Fours with some trepidation but needn’t have worried as they won  by 14 shots, 32 – 18, with a fantastic performance from Peter Braddock, Keith Roper, Graeme Mason and Mark Peachey who won by 15 shots, 22 – 7. The prize for winning was a game against one of two of the best teams in Berkshire, Reading or Suttons, in the next round. No need to panic as everyone is beatable!!

Rink scores

P Braddock         K Roper                G Mason              M Peachey         22 – 7

A Essex                 B Forster              D Seymour          M Essex               10 – 11

In the Kennet League, Desborough B maintained their place at the top of their division as they beat Twyford 13 – 1. Desborough  A went down 2 – 12 to a very strong Suttons side.

In the KLV, the A team won 7 – 3 against Wraysbury but both the B & C teams suffered 10 – 0 defeats against Sunningdale A and Windsor & Eton B respectively, which in the case of the B team was not helped by the searing heat. The D team went down narrowly to Wokingham C on overall score which resulted in an 8 – 2 loss.

For the Ladies in the TVL, the Buttercups wilted in the heat and despite a good effort from Ryda Eyre, Sally Lane and Val White they too fell to defeat. The Bluebells, despite a valiant effort from Sally Darby, Linda Harvey and Angie Isaac, fell to an 8 – 2 defeat against our neighbours from Maidenhead Town.

In the County Competitions, Mark Essex continues to fly the flag for Desborough in the Men’s Singles as he beat Tim Eales from Maidenhead Town 21 – 14 and now plays Andy Mayne, also from the Town, in the next round.

In the Men’s Unbadged Singles, Mark  Essex won comfortably against an opponent from Maidenhead Thicket to progress further.

Peter Braddock and Mark Peachey made exits from the Men’s Two Wood Singles which left Mark Essex and Bruce Adams as Desborough’s representatives and they now have to play each other.

In the Men’s Pairs, Peter Crabbe subbed for Bruce Adams and along with Peter Braddock beat a pair from Bracknell, 19 – 14. Mark Peachey and Graeme Mason went to Windsor & Eton and also won 19 – 14. Alas, the Essex twins, Andrew and Mark, had to bow out of the competition as they narrowly lost to Ralph Cooke and Richard Heathman  from Windsor & Eton.

In the Men’s Fours, the quartet entered by Andrew Essex opened their campaign with a 22 – 8 win against Great Hollands.

Angie Isaac always knew she was going to be up against it in the Ladies Singles and so it proved as her interest in the competition ended in defeat against top bowler, Morgan Merryweather.

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