Club News


Star & Crescent AGM
The AGM will be a little later this year and is scheduled for Thursday 28th November starting at 7.15pm. Paperwork will follow later.

May Day 2020
Next year's May Day Bank Holiday will be on Friday 8th May as part of the extended 75th VE Day celebrations. The P&D League Secretary is looking at generating next year's league fixtures and would need to know which clubs would be happy playing a league fixture on the Bank Holiday Friday. If the majority say No, then the matches will be played on the Thursday. I believe that Peter Aldridge of Southsea Waverley is endeavouring to arrange a function at the club to celebrate VE Day on this Friday and has requested that no matches are arranged at the Waverley for this date. It may be that some Star members would like to attend the Waverley celebrations. Therefore, can I ask each of you to let me know whether you are willing to play on the Bank Holiday Friday (away) or on Thursday 7th May. Please could you let me know what you prefer by 27th October.

League Bowls 2020 Season
At the moment the League Secretary is looking at the 2020 season starting week beginning Monday 20th April.

P&D Presentation Dinner
The Presentation Dinner is to be held at Alexandra Bowls Club on Friday 8^th November 2019 at 7pm for 7.30 pm. The cost will be £15.00 per person. If any member is interested in attending please contact me.

Bowls Hampshire 2020 Competitions
The county competition entry forms for 2020 season are now available. Unfortunately they will be costing you a little more next year as the entry fee has been raised to £4.00 per player per event. Also, due to a change in the date of the 2020 pairs quarter finals it has been necessary to make the pairs competition a play on date instead of a play by date in order to get the rounds and area final in by the new date. Closing date for all county competitions is January 1st 2020

Posted Saturday 5/10/19



Club Singles Handicap Final
The above competition final between Richard Wallbridge and Derek Boulter has now been re-arranged for Monday 16th September starting at 10.30. Once again please try to attend and support the players.

P&D Champion of Champions Competition
It wasn't the competition Robbie hoped it would be. After successfully coming through his 1st round match by beating Davie Young of Vospers 21-16 he had to succumb to his old back problem in the next round and was unable to finish the match against Jamie Ward (Leigh Park) who was leading at the time.

Posted Tuesday 10/9/18



P&D Champion of Champions Competition
Just a reminder that the P&D Champion of Champions competition is being held at Milton Park this weekend where Robbie Dennison will be representing the club.

Posted Friday 6/9/19



Club Singles Handicap Final
I spoke too soon. The final scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, has been postponed due to Richard Wallbridge being unwell. No date has been fixed yet for the final to be played.

Posted Tuesday 3/9/19



P&D Competitions

Hopes were high in the P&D competition finals this weekend as Star players were involved in three of them but unfortunately we came home empty handed.

In the semi-finals of the fours, Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi were looking to retain their championship. The match against Andrew Hibberd, Mike Elliott, Clive Carter & Adrian Snook was fairly even for the first 8-ends until our lads dropped a 4-count which we never recovered from. This gave the impetus to the Priory rink who won comfortably 26-11

Geoff, Russell & Simon were also endeavouring to keep hold of their triples championship but alas the outcome was the same result. The Vospers triple of Tony Betteridge, Barry Robinson & Ray Porter got off to the better start and took the lead before Star got into gear and overhauled them. The turning point of the match was with Simon holding 7-shots on the 15th end somehow Ray Porter, who had an excellent game throughout, managed to get second wood. Certainly a match saving shot. Two ends later the advantage swung to Vospers when they scored 4-shots giving them a lead to take into the final end: a lead which they preserved to win 20-16

It was third time lucky for Simon in his Over 60's singles semi-final where he faced Charlie Read of Crofton. A difficult & windy rink was not conducive to good bowls as could be observed by the standard of the heads throughout the game. The match was scrappy with both players struggling to master the rink and was pretty even at 11 apiece. Then the match had a strange and spectacular ending with Simon scoring three consecutive fours to suddenly win the match 23-11.

The finals were switched to Milton Park when the Denmead green was deemed unsuitable for play - a relieve all round. In his final Simon had to play the formidable Steve Feilder from Alexandra not an easy task as it proved. At least the standard of bowling had gone up a few notches from the previous match though. Neither man could establish a lead until the score reached the fateful 11-11 (again). This time Simon was on the receiving end when holding 3-shots Steve trailed the jack to score 4-shots - a turnover of 7-shots. This gave give the Alex man the momentum for the rest of the match and consequently took the champions mantle with a 21-12 victory.

Although it was disappointing not to have any successes Geoff, Bob, Russell & Simon should be congratulated on getting to the finals - not an easy feat. Well done to all.

Club Singles Handicap Final
At last the handicap singles are reaching a conclusion. After a couple of withdrawals the finalists have been declared as Richard Wallbridge and Derek Boulter. With the handicap difference of only 1-shot this looks to be an intriguing and close match. The final will be held on this Wednesday 4th September starting at 5.00 pm. If you are around please come to the match & support the players; I'm sure they will appreciate it.

Posted Monday 2/9/19



P&D Competitions Semi-Finals Day
The P&D Competitions semi-finals and finals are being held this weekend. As you know the club is well represented in these matches so good luck to Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi and hope they retain their championships from last season. Please try and get to the games at Milton Park tomorrow; I'm sure the players would appreciate any support from our members.
The timetable for the matches tomorrow (subject to change of course) are: 09.00 - Fours - Adrian Snook (Priory) v Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi 12.00 - Triples - Ray Porter (Vospers) v Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi 14.30 - Over 60s Singles - Simon Filippi v Charlie Read (Crofton)

Division 2 Update
On Monday night Naismith acquired the necessary points to avoid relegation from division 2 when they comprehensively defeated College Park. Their win means that Denmead has been relegated along with College Park & Bridgemary.

Combination Division 3 Update
Although Gosport "B" beat the league combination division 3 champions Leigh Park Red 9-3 last night it was not enough to gain them promotion. That accolade goes to Cosham Park "B". Gosport's win means that Star finished 4th in the table this season.

Posted Friday 30/8/19



President's Day
On a glorious sunny Sunday afternoon, Stephen Greenwood celebrated his President's Day with a match against an "Elite President Select" team that included the president's of Waverley BC, Peter Aldridge, Bowls Hampshire Senior Vice-President Mandy Orchard & Immediate Past President Julie Greenwood augmented with players from the Waverley BC. The match consisted of 3-rinks and ended with a narrow 50-48 win for the "Elites" who won on 2-rinks thanks to Peter Aldridge & Mandy Orchard whilst Simon Filippi was victorious for the Star President. Before the match got underway a "spider" was organised with Brian Tucker the lucky winner and recipient of a bottle of whisky generously donated by our treasurer Derek Boulter. Following the match, the teams with their guests enjoyed a wonderful buffet meal prepared by Rob and Michelle. Incidentally, the delicious President’s Day cake was made by Mandy. In his speech Stephen thanked everybody for coming & making the occasion special. He thanked the bowler’s wives for their support and allowing their husbands out to play bowls. He then presented the lady guests with a gift of a potted indoor rose plant. Stephen gave many thanks to the rest of the committee who had worked tirelessly throughout the year so that the club could run smoothly as possible. For his hard work the President generously presented Secretary Robbie Dennison with a bottle of his favourite tipple. For the highest winning rink, Brian Tucker, Mick Dunnington, Gareth Davies & Simon Filippi were presented with bottles of wine for their achievement. Finally, he gave many thanks to Rob & Michelle for preparing the buffet and also keeping us from going thirsty throughout the afternoon. Stephen presented them with gifts to show his appreciation. To end a successful day a raffle was held with Stephen again generously donating the prizes. All proceeds from the spider & raffle, £135.00, were donated to the “Victory Juniors" a coaching scheme which is run by Stephen, Julie & Mandy. This will allow them to buy equipment for the youngsters.

Club Championship Singles Final
Prior to President's Day the club championship singles final was played between Simon Filippi & Robbie Dennison who met previously in the 2007 & 2014 finals. It was Robbie that got off to the better start and raced into a 15-5 lead with some very good bowling but then Simon thought back as a good champion would and was in the ascendency. He reduced the arrears to 16-12 before Robbie managed to edge his way to victory by winning 21-14. This was Robbie's 5th championship (over a period of 40 years) and only 4 behind Simon (!) who was prevented getting into double figures in championship wins. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before that happens. Many thanks goes to Julie Greenwood for marking the final in her usual efficient manner.

Posted Monday 26/8/19



Club Championship Singles
The final of the singles will between Simon Filippi & Robbie Dennison who successfully came through their semi-final matches this morning. Simon beat Russell Durham very easily 23-3 though the score didn't do justice to Russell. He was unlucky 2 or 3 times with weighted woods but was outdrawn by Simon. Robbie did all his good work in the early stages of his match with Stephen Greenwood and maintained his lead to the finish to win 21-7. Similarly Stephen bowled better than the score line suggests. The final will take place tomorrow morning (Sunday) at 10.30. Simon & Robbie have met twice before in the final with both players winning one match apiece.

Parking Problems
It has been noticeable in the last couple of days that it has been even more difficult than usual to park near the club. Whether or not it is due to "Victorious" or local resident parking who can tell. Therefore, it is suggested that those of you who are attending President's Day tomorrow should leave earlier than usual and be prepared for a little bit more walking.

President's Day
Arrangements for President's Day have been finalised. The afternoon will start with a "Spider" with the winner receiving a bottle of whisky kindly donated by our Treasurer Derek Boulter. Cost per entry will be £1.00. Next will be the main event a match between the President's and (Captain's) Select Teams which will consist of 3-rinks. The line-up of the two teams will be announced on the day so stand by for a few surprises. Following the match a sit down buffet will be provided followed by the customary raffle. All proceeds from the Spider and raffle will be going to the President's preferred patronage. Just a reminder that there still will be a penalty of £1.00 for any wrong biases that occur during the match. The main aim of the day is just too have fun & enjoy yourselves. Time for proceedings is 2.00 for a 2.30 pm start. Enjoy.

Posted Saturday 24/8/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Gas Social "B" 62 (10) Star & Crescent "B" 55 (2). The dream is over! It was always a long shot and at the end we weren't quite good enough for promotion. The new front runners are now Cosham Park "B" who leapt above us when beating Cowplain Green 10-2. They can be caught, however, by Gosport "B" who need to win their remaining away match at least 11-1 against the champions Leigh Park Red. Back to the match! After a slow start it looked good for Star by the 15th end in pursuing their promotion hopes. With just a slight lead and with the necessary 2 winning rinks it all went wrong as so many of our matches have ended this season. Russell Durham's rink were our only point scorers on the night when they won 24-15. It appeared that Geoff Dyer's four had a chance to secure rink points when they went into their last end with a 1-shot advantage. Unfortunately, it was the opposition who won the last end to defeat our boys 15-17. John Bell's rink were doing the business when only 16-18 behind on the 14th end but a poor finish losing the last 7-ends resulted in a 16-30 defeat.

Club Competitions
The semi-finals of the club championship singles are scheduled to be played on Saturday morning. The first semi is a repeat of last year's final between Russell Durham & Simon Filippi whilst the other semi is a repeat of last year's handicap final between Stephen Greenwood & Robbie Dennison. All being good it is proposed that the final will be played before the President's Day activities on Sunday morning.

P&D Competitions
Singles: Stephen Greenwood just failed to reach the semi-finals of the singles when he lost to Dorian Bishop 21-10. It all looked for Stephen when he led 10-9 but the Fareham man stepped up a gear to win fairly easy without losing another end.
Over 60s Singles: Simon Filippi reached his 3rd semi-final after beating Simon Bachelor (Gosport) 21-14. It was to and fro at the beginning before Simon took control of the match to win comfortably. He will now play either Pete Robinson (Leigh Park) or Charlie Read (Crofton).

Election Of Officers
I have posted on the notice board in the clubhouse a notification for the election of officers for 2019-20. If you wish to sit on the committee for that period and think you can do better than the existing incumbents please add your name to the list. Please give it some thought.

Posted Thursday 22/8/19



Gas Social "B" Match
We now have a full complement for this Wednesday's match thanks to Colin Lihou who has responded to the appeal for the 12th man. The final line-up may be tweaked to give us a better chance of a 12-0 victory.

Posted Saturday 17/8/19



Combination Division 3
The league season reaches a climax in combination division 3 next week with promotion up for grabs. Leigh Park Red got promoted this week after beating Forton. There are four teams in the running to secure the other position: Star & Crescent "B", Cosham Park "B", Gosport "B" & Cowplain Green. We are in poll position as it stands and a 12-0 win over Gas Social "B" this Wednesday would ensure we gain promotion. However, due to the unavailability of players, at this juncture we are unfortunately struggling to name a full team for this game (only 11 players available at present). Consequently, the final team selection has been delayed slightly whilst negotiations are being undertaken to secure the 12th man for this important match. Any takers? The team that has been selected (?) so far is as follows:

Combination Division 3 Match v Gas Social "B" (away) on Wednesday 21st August starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	C Lihou	B Weaver	R Durham
Rink 2	P Willoughby	T Portch	G Davies	G Dyer
Rink 3	B Banfield	R Diamond	A New	J Bell
No Reserve

P&D Competition Results
It was success for Star in the quarter-finals of the triples & fours this week in pursuit of retaining their championships in both competitions. On Tuesday Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi were at Milton Park playing against Tony Hurst, Dave Biggs & Dave Brown in the triples. After 10-ends it was all level at 10 apiece before the good guys took control of the match. Losing only 2 more ends in the remainder of the match, Simon led his men to a 20-13 victory and a place in the semi-final where they will meet Ray Porter from Vospers. On Thursday in the fours, Geoff Dyer was unavailable so Gareth Davies came in as substitute to complete the rink with Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi. On paper it seemed an easy match playing at home against Tony Hall (Cosham Park) but it was far from it. The home team found themselves in a tight match and were lagging after 14-ends. Once again a good finish to the match got our boys over the line winning 17-13. They will now play Star old boy Adrian Snook (Priory) in the semi-finals which are being held at Milton Park on Saturday 31st August.

President's Day
A reminder from Stephen Greenwood that his president's day is on Sunday 25th August at 2.00 for 2.30 pm start. Dress code is club shirt with white trousers.

Posted Friday 16/8/19



Combination Division 3
The last fixture of this league season against Gas Social "B" tonight has had to be postponed due to the incessant rain. The match has now been rescheduled for next Wednesday 21st August starting at 6.00 pm.

Posted Wednesday 14/8/19



Division 2 Result
Denmead 102 (14) Star & Crescent 56 (2). The rumour that the Denmead green had improved this year was unfounded; it was still just as heavy (if not heavier) as seasons past. Playing on a strange green and brown mottled playing surface, it was a thoroughly disappointing end of the season for Star as they produced easily their worse performance and biggest defeat this year . Although fielding perhaps the weakest team this season Star should have certainly done a lot better. Two rinks had a nightmare of a match failing to adjust to the heavy green. Robbie Dennison's rink had an ok start and a fair end to their match but there was not much happening for them in between; so many short woods by all four players was their undoing culminating in a 9-35 defeat. Gareth Davies's four also suffered much in the same vain (short woods) and were behind from the outset to lose 6-33. Although Alan New's rink also had difficulties with the pace of the green in the early stages of their match they battled away and made a game of it before losing to a credible score of 12-19. The team has not been whitewashed 0-16 in points this year and it was Simon Filippi's reliable rink who maintained this record by securing a 29-15 victory after only being 14-13 to the good at 13-ends. A night to forget which bought an end to a season of two halves. Our second half results were so poor (only 2 wins since 24th May) would have undoubtedly meant relegation if it wasn't for our extraordinary start to the season.

Posted Tuesday 13/8/19



Combination Division 3 Results

Star & Crescent "B" 60 (10) Gas Social "B" 52 (2). Our 1st match of the week was the resumption of the game against Gas which was previously abandoned after 11-ends. With three changes to the line-up because of holiday commitments, the team turned the match round to our advantage after being behind after at the rainy first half. Gareth Davies's rink increased their lead from 12-9 to win all but 2 of the remaining ends played for a credible score of 25-11. Ron Diamond's foursome also won in a similar fashion going from 12-5 at the turn to finish 24-13 to the good. It wasn't so good for John Bell's four who could not reduce their shortfall of 5-16 and finished losing 11-28; not enough to effect the result of the match

Forton 49 (0) Star & Crescent "B" 77 (12). The following night we played our postponed match against bottom club Forton and duly completed the double over them. It wasn't all plain sailing at the beginning with nothing to choose between the two teams but a spurt from all our rinks gave Star the lead. Top of the shop was Russell Durham's rink ably assisted by Robin Philbrick, Colin Lihou & Gareth Davies who rattled in 23-shots in the last 8-ends (after being 10-12 down) to win by a huge score of 22-13. John Bell's rink took control of their match from the halfway stage and built up a decent lead. Although slipping up in the final ends they still had enough in the tank to win 21-18. A 6-count on the 15th end turned the match for Bob Weaver's four & gave them the lead which they didn't relinquish and accordingly won 23-18

How ironic that just 2 weeks ago Star was in the midst of a relegation battle but 4 wins in a row has elevated the team to second place and a chance of promotion. Who would have thought that?

Team Selections for Next Week
Both sides have matches next week that could have a bearing on relegation for our opposition & indeed promotion for our "B" team. Unfortunately, once again we are down to the minimum number of players for each team with no reserves available.

Division 2 Match v Denmead (away) on Monday 12th August starting at 6.10 pm
Rink 1	B Weaver	R Diamond	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	P Willoughby	T Nutland	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 3	B Banfield	C Lihou	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	T Portch	J Bell	A New
No Reserve

Combination Division 3 Match v Gas Social "B" (away) on Wednesday 14th August starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	S Greenwood	T Portch	A New	J Bell
Rink 2	B Banfield	T Nutland	G Davies	G Dyer
Rink 3	P Willoughby	R Diamond	R Dennison	B Weaver
No Reserve

Competition Results:
P&D Singles: Stephen Greenwood reached the quarter finals of the singles after beating Charlie Read (Crofton) 21-9 at the Waverley. All the damage was done in the first ends when Stephen scored 10-shots before Charlie, who had difficulties with the pace of the green, scored.
P&D Over 60's Singles. Simon Filippi reached his 3rd P&D quarter final this season after defeating Martin Ellis (Lee-on-the-Solent) 21-7 at home. The match was of a very high standard and the score line does not do justice to the visitor; it was a much closer game than the score suggests.
Club Handicap Singles: Brian Banfield scored a major shock (well it was to me) when he turned the form book upside down & hammered defending champion Robbie Dennison 21-5. It definitely was Brian's day & now he will face Derek Boulter in the semis for a place in the final.

Posted Friday 9/8/19



Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 69 (3) Crofton 78 (13). Our nemesis that is Crofton struck again last night beating Star and thus completely the double over us. Once again the match was evenly poised after 15 ends only for the home team to fade at the closing stages: a familiar trait of late. With 3 rinks leading the signs were good. However, at the final only one rink managed to win and gain the bonus points and that was Robbie Dennison's four. They manage to get a good lead only for the opposition to peg them back before winning 22-17. The 17th end proved disastrously for Simon Filippi's rink when they unluckily lost 7- shots which levelled the match. How Simon's last wood never saved anything we will never know. Nevertheless, they themselves were holding 7-shots on the final end only for the Crofton skip to score a double to end the match at 22 apiece. Alan New's rink had a rip roaring start to their match and were 11-1 up but then the wheels fell off. They only won 2 more ends of the 13 ends remaining and lost 14-18. Paul Whiffin's rink were up against from the start and found themselves 4-18 down. Though they had the better of the second half they were unable to make much headway and eventually lost 11-21.

Team Selections
With the "A" team having a week off next week the focus is on the combination side in their quest for division 3 survival. On Tuesday we resume the abandoned match against Gas Social "B". In accordance with the P&D rules (we don't want to fall foul of them again) we must put out the same team as played at the outset though 4 substitutes may be used if original players were unavailable. As it happens we are forced to make three of those substitutes due to holiday commitments. On Wednesday the "B" team have to travel to Forton for the rearranged postponed match The finalised teams are:

Combination Division 3 Match v Gas Social "B" (home) on Tuesday 6th August starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 4	D Boulter	P Willoughby	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 5	S Greenwood	T Portch	B Weaver	R Diamond
Rink 6	B Banfield	R Dennison	A New	J Bell
Reserve: S Filippi (if needed)

Combination Division 3 Match v Forton (away) on Wednesday 7th August starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	R Dennison	B Weaver
Rink 2	R Philbrick	C Lihou	G Davies	R Durham
Rink 3	B Banfield	S Greenwood	A New	J Bell
No Reserves

P&D Competition Result
Triples: Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham won their match without setting foot on a bowls green when Cyril Friend (Fareham) conceded the match to give our trio a walkover.
Fours: It was mixed fortunes for our two rinks in the competition. On the positive side Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi had a comfortable win at Lee-on-the Solent against Alec Deller 24-14. However, Stephen Greenwood, Richard Wallbridge, Robbie Dennison & Alan New lost at home to a Milton four skipped by Steve Fell 16-23 after being 16-14 to the good.

Club Competitions
In a delayed first round match in the championship singles Russell Durham defeated Gareth Davies 21-16 and will now meet Robin Philbrick in the next round. Robbie Dennison reached the semi-finals in the same competition after beating Colin Lihou 21-7 and now will face Stephen Greenwood.

Posted Saturday 3/8/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent "B" 86 (12) Forton 36 (0). Star had an excellent win on Wednesday when they comprehensively beat Forton at the Waverley by 86 shots to 36 to claim our first “ full house “of the season and take our shot difference into the black. Bob Weaver's four were the pick of the bunch with a score of 34-11. Winning 14 ends and always ahead ensured that the rink points were never in doubt. Geoff Dyer and his men recovered from a slow start when they were 7-0 adrift to win 15 of the remaining 17 ends to achieve victory by 30 shots to 10. John Bell and his “boys” had a closer game and although in the lead by 12 shots to 4 including a count of 7 on one end then managed to relax rather too much as they lost 6 ends in a row. However they bucked up towards the end of the game to run out winners by 22 shots to 15. Overall a very good team performance which goes some way to our retaining our place in the division . Finally, mention must be made of the size of support from the sidelines which not only included current players but a very pleasant visit by the recuperating Paul Huntley and an old playing member in Brian Tucker. Their presence was very much appreciated and demonstrates the loyalty of both present and past players to our club.

Posted Friday 2/8/19



Combination Division 3 Team Selection
Although we won our crucial match against Pembroke last week we are not out of the possible realms of relegation. Therefore, we are continuing this week to put out as strong a team as possible for the match against Forton (home) on Wednesday 31st July starting at 6.15 pm.
Rink 1	D Boulter	C Lihou	R Dennison	B Weaver
Rink 2	P Willoughby	T Nutland	G Davies	G Dyer
Rink 3	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	A New	J Bell
Reserves: R Diamond & B Banfield

Division 2 Team Selaction
Once again this week we are down to the bare bones with only 16 players available and with no named reserves. Therefore, the team to play Crofton (home) on Friday 2nd August starting at 6.00 pm (please note earlier start time) is:
Rink 1	B Weaver	R Diamond	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	P Willoughby	T Portch	G Dyer	P Whiffin
Rink 3	B Banfield	C Lihou	G Davies	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
No Reserve

Posted Sunday 28/7/19



Division 2 Result
Rowner 82 (12) Star & Crescent 75 (4). Star gave runaway division 2 leaders a run for their money last night and was on the brink of causing a major upset by administering Rowner's 1st defeat of the season. Unfortunately it was not to be. After being 32-shots down at the 10th end Star managed to level by the 18th end but once again vital shots were lost over the final ends and a defeat. Simon Filippi's rink only lost one more end from the 15th when the scores were level to finish with an excellent win of 26-16. Robbie Dennison's four also had a good finish to their match After finding themselves 7-shots adrift they pulled back to snatch the rink points by winning 21-19. Paul Whiffin's rink had a great tussle in their match but could not quite do enough for the win and just lost by a credible 15-18. Alan New's foursome had a nightmare start to their match and found themselves 1-19 down at the halfway stage. But a much better second half got them to within 8-shots of their opponents who themselves rallied at the end to win comfortably 29-13. Congratulations to Rowner who gained promotion to division 1 after this win. Star could (& will) claim a moral victory as they are the 1st team this season to win 2-rinks in a league match against Rowner.

P&D Competition Results
Triples: Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver & Russell Durham had a surprisingly easy win of 23-8 against Martin Ellis (Lee-on-the-Solent)
Fours: Stephen Greenwood, Richard Wallbridge, Robbie Dennison & Alan New also won easily against Alan Preston (Vospers) at Alexandra Park 20-8
Over 60's Singles: In his delayed match Geoff Dyer had no trouble beating T Chase (Portchester) 22-13

Club Competitions
In the championship singles Andy Lord had to scratch from the competition giving Stephen Greenwood a bye into the semi-final. Robin Philbrick also reached the semi-finals when he defeated Bob Weaver 21-17 in the handicap singles.

Posted Saturday 27/7/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Pembroke Gardens "B" (2) 51 Star & Crescent "B" 69 (10). The decision to top load the team in this must win game worked out as intended. On a infamous heavy green, Geoff Dyer's rink took the honours with an excellent win of 30-12 despite losing 9-ends on the trot during the middle phase of the match. But a barn storming finish by Star netted 14-shots without reply. Ted Nutland' s rink also had a good finish to their match and managed to reduce their arrears from 4-18 down to finish just 8-shots behind at 15-23. It was a welcome return for Russell Durham skipping again in the "B" team. His rink (with Simon Filippi included) cancelled out Ted's loss to win 24-16.

I must mention the reserves who turned up for every game and never once moan. We can never thank you enough. Special thanks to Brian Banfield, Ted Nutland & Tony Portch who have spent a lot of time on the bench this season; these are the type of members who the club could not survive without them.

National Champion of Champions Result
Simon Filippi's great run in the competition ended agonisingly with just one round left before the National Finals at Leamington. He was beaten by Leo May of Headley 21-15. In a match of a high standard that you would expect at this stage of the competition, Simon had the better start to the match but it was the visitor who had the better of the final ends to take the honours.

Posted Thursday 25/7/19



Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 83 (14) Milton Park 82 (2). In a nail biting finish Star came from behind to just pip Milton Park at the post. At one stage there was a 16-shot gap in favour of the away team. However, a surge by Star around the 16th end put them in chance of some much needed points. After being 5-17 down at the halfway stage Simon Filippi's then only lost 2 more ends to overtake his opposition scoring 24-shots (including a 7 count) in reply to Milton's 4 to win by 29-21. Gareth Davies's four, though winning more ends than Milton, were beaten 14-23. A bad finish from Alan New's rink nearly cost them their rink points after holding a nice lead of 8-shots. In fact they were match down when Alan played his last wood but by promoting one of Star's short woods managed to get second wood and the points with a narrow 22-21 victory. The match was all square when Robbie Dennison's rink came to play their last end. Having themselves come back from being 7-shots behind they were also level at 17-apiece. Whoever got the final shot took the match and the rink points. Luckily it was Star who got the crucial shot to win 18-17 and 14 points for the team.

Team Selections

The "B" team find themselves in a precarious position in the league and are in the relegation zone. Therefore, it has been necessary to make crucial & difficult decisions in this week's team selection which might not be popular in some quarters. So apologies, It does mean that some players who normally play in the "B" team have not been selected this week. I hope they understand that the club comes first and they will continue to support the team.

Combination Division 3 Match v Pembroke Gardens "B" (away) on Wednesday 24th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	B Weaver	S Filippi	R Durham
Rink 2	P Willoughby	R Wallbridge	A New	G Dyer
Rink 3	G Davies	R Diamond	R Dennison	T Nutland
Reserves: B Banfield & T Portch

Division 2 Match v Rowner (away) on Friday 26th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	B Weaver	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	P Willoughby	R Diamond	G Dyer	P Whiffin
Rink 3	R Philbrick	T Nutland	G Davies	R Dennison
Rink 4	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	S Greenwood	A New
No Reserve

P&D Competition's Results
Singles: Stephen Greenwood is our only representative remaining after defeating Brian Warren (Waverley) 21-8. He will now face Charlie Read (Crofton) who beat Simon Filippi 21-19
Over 60's Singles: Simon is through to the next round after overcoming Stan Holdsworth 22-13 at the tricky Waterlooville Green. He will now play Martin Ellis (Lee on the Solent) in the next round. Alas there were defeats for Ron Diamond & Bob Weaver in this round. Ron had a tight game against Phil Sanders (Lee on the Solent) but unfortunately came out on the wrong side of a 21-19 loss. Bob lost heavily against Ken Stanbury (Gosport) 3-21.
Secretary Singles: Robbie Dennison was well beaten on the Cowplain green by Dave Wildman 21-8.
Triples: There was a 1st round KO for Stephen Greenwood, John Bell & Alan New who lost at home to Dave Brown (Milton) 12-18. Revenge came on Friday.

Club Competitions
Championship Singles: Simon Filippi reached yet another semi-final when he defeated his less experienced opponent Paul Willoughby 21-5. Geoff Dyer scratched from the competitions to give Colin Lihou a walkover to the next round.
Handicap Singles. Russell Durham overcame the handicap to beat Andy Lord 21-17 whilst Derek Boulter beat Paul Whiffin 21-20 (good handicapping). Brian Banfield was given a bye to the next round when again Geoff Dyer had to pull out.

Posted Monday 22/7/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent "B" 54 (1) Cosham Park "B" 70 (11). The team suffered another home defeat when Cosham Park got the better of Star. Bob Weaver's rink were handily place and had a chance of victory but by losing 2 counts of 5-shots in the last half of the match put paid to them gaining any rink points. Despite themselves scoring 5-shots on the penultimate end they still lost 16-24. Robin Philbrick, skipping for the first time since 2014, also suffered defeat with his rink losing by the same score of 16-24. It was a disastrous start for the rink when finding themselves 1-15 down after just 6-ends bur rallied back to cut the deficit down to 5-shots before allowing Cosham to increase their lead in the closing ends. It was all going so well for John Bell's rink who looked certain to pick up 2 valuable rink points when leading by 9-shots with just 2-ends to go. Then the unthinkable happened, Cosham won those ends and scored 9-shots to give them an undeserved draw of 22-22 and 1-point apiece. Once again we are flirting dangerously with relegation and despite the team having 8/9 "first" team players results aren't improving.

Posted Wednesday 17/7/19



Council In Appeals Hearing
Geoff Dyer and myself attended the above meeting tonight with regard to our misdemeanour of the "Infraction of Bowls Laws" which occurred during the Star v Cowplain Green match. We had a very fair hearing and the decision was that the score would be fixed at when Gareth went off which at the time was 13-13. This meant we still won the match 61-47 and the points were 9-3 in our favour. So we basically lost 1 point from the original score. Not a bad result as we could do with the 9-points at the moment

Posted Tuesday 16/7/19



Division 2 Result
Naismith 91 (14) Star & Crescent 76 (2). The clubs vulnerability in matches against lower teams raised it's ugly head once again when losing to Naismith. Our only saving grace was on Simon's rink who won convincingly 26-13 and were never in trouble. It could have been different on Robbie Dennison's rink if the Naismith's skip hadn't save two 6-counts but instead they lost 17-21. Alan New's foursome were in with a shout of securing their rink points but losing 7-shots on the 17th/18th ends put paid to that and eventually lost 21-26. I won't dwell on Gareth Davies's rink only to say they they were well beaten 12-31. The score line explains all. It's a good job the team got off to an excellent start to the season as our last 8 team performances have not been good, to say the least, but we should have enough points now (though not mathematically safe) to thwart any thoughts of relegation. But onwards and upwards let's finish the season with a flourish and end the season as we started.

Team Selections for Next Week
Combination Division 3 Match v Cosham Park "B" (home) on Monday 15th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	A New	J Bell
Rink 2	A Lord	T Portch	S Greenwood	R Philbrick
Rink 3	D Boulter	T Nutland	P Whiffin	B Weaver
Reserves: C Lihou & R Dennison

Division 2 Match v Milton Park (home) on Friday 19th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	P Whiffin	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	B Banfield	C Lihou	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 3	P Willoughby	B Weaver	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Diamond	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Nutland & A Lord

National Champion of Champions Result
On paper, Simon Filippi's match against the Waverley champion, Billy McCubbin, should have been a tight & interesting match but the result was anything but. As it turned out the match was very much one-sided in Simon's favour as he trounced his opponent 21-5 to proceed to the next round.

Club Competitions Update
There were a plethora of matches played this week in the club competitions.
Championship Singles: Robin Philbrick beat Paul Whiffin in a surprisingly one sided match 21-3. Just as easily Andy Lord got the better of Richard Wallbridge and won 22-8. Robbie Dennison had a much harder tussle against John Bell in a classic match before getting over the line 21-13.
Handicap Singles: Robin Philbrick had to come from behind to beat Stephen Greenwood 21-17 in a game that could have gone either way. He will now face Bob Weaver in the next round. Bob found himself on the wrong side of the score line against John Bell when 11-16 down but a rampaging finish allowed him to win 21-16. Robbie Dennison must have thought his title was disappearing when finding himself 1-11 down to Ron Diamond but pulled himself together to eventually win 21-18. There were two other close matches played this week. Firstly Derek Boulter had a great win over Gareth Davies by 22-18 and will now play Paul Whiffin in the next round. Richard Wallbridge then overcome the handicap to beat Tony Portch 21-19.

President's Day
Stephen Greenwood has set his President's Day for Sunday 25th August starting at 2.00 pm. Could you please add your name to the list which will be on the notice board shortly if you are able to attend. More details for the day will follow. It is also hoped to arrange the club competitions prior to the President's Day activities

Posted Saturday 13/7/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Gosport "B" 54 (10) Star & Crescent "B" 49 (2). In a low scoring match Star struggled against the opposition hence a victory was never likely on the cards. However, full marks to John Bell's rink who did come away with the rink points after coming from behind to edge home 19-15. A rare appearance for Steve Sprake in the "B" team ended with his rink losing 13-17 after lagging behind all the match. Geoff Dyer's rink were not up to their usual standard and could not keep pace with their opponents. The only marvel is how they only lost 17-22.

Posted Thursday 11/7/19



Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 68 (2) Rowner 85 (14). Expectations were not high facing the unbeaten runaway Division 2 leaders Rowner but Star gave a good account of themselves before losing the match. Russell Durham's rink had a storming finish to their match after being 15-21 down to take the rink points following Paul Whiffin ditching of the jack on the final end. Russell then drew second wood for another shot and a 23-22 victory. Robbie Dennison's rink came within one wood of getting a draw in their match when holding the 3-shots needed on the last end only for the Rowner skip to draw 3rd round which meant the home rink had to settle for losing 20-21. Alan New's foursome trailed throughout their match and but got within 6-shots of their opponents only to lose the final ends for a loss of 12-23. Similarly Gareth Davies's rink were up against it and could not just pull back the deficit and finished 13-19 down.

Division 2 Team Selection
Division 2 Match v Naismith (away) on Friday 12th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	P Whiffin	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	R Philbrick	C Lihou	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 3	P Willoughby	R Diamond	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 4	S Greenwood	A Lord	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Nutland & B Banfield

Council In Appeals
A date has been set by the "Council in Appeals" committee to discuss the "Infraction of Bowls Laws" that Star allegedly committed in the combination division 3 match against Cowplain Green earlier in the season. That date is Tuesday 16th July at the Alexandra BC.

Posted Tuesday 9/7/19



County Triples Last Eights
Our triples team of Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver (substituting for Simon Filippi) & Russell Durham won their quarter final match against Oakley in the Sunday morning session. Always in the lead they scored 8-shots in consecutive ends in the final throws of the match to ensure victory by 20-9. It was all going well for them in the afternoon semi-final against Follands and led 10-4 but but by dropping a 6 count on the 10th end altered the shape of the game. The opposition then had the momentum and took control of the match before winning by a flattering 26-12; a cruel score line that our lads didn't deserve. Geoff, Bob, Russell and Simon deserve huge congratulations for reaching the finals, an achievement that doesn't come round too often for players. Well done and well played.

Posted Monday 8/7/19



Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 85 (14) College Park 77 (2). After a winless June it was important to be back on the winning trail once again against lowly College Park. Star had a great start to the match and led throughout although the lead was whittled down by the 15th end to just 3-shots. A better finish to the game, unlike previous matches , gave Star victory by 8-shots. Russell Durham's rink drew the short straw and had to face Alan Taw who was unbeaten for the season. Although only winning 4-ends the home team only lost by 11-23 a credible and excellent result in the circumstances. Robbie Dennison's rink got back to winning ways with a 24-18 win though it wasn't all plain sailing. Alan New's foursome made it 3 wins in a row with a 24-17 score. The rink had a bit of a fright when their comfortable lead was reduced to just a single shot but a timely 7-count on the 15th end regained the momentum to the final ends. Gareth Davies maintained his 100% record as "A" team skip. His rink were never in trouble and led from the start and finished with a fine 26-19 win.

Next Weeks "B" Team Selection
Combination Division 3 Match v Gosport "B" (away) on Wednesday 10th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	A New	J Bell
Rink 2	P Willoughby	T Nutland	B Weaver	G Dyer
Rink 3	A Lord	T Portch	S Greenwood	S Sprake
Reserves: D Boulter & R Dennison

Division 2 v Naismith
The team selection for the division 2 match against Naismith on Friday 12th July has been deferred until after the Rowner match on Monday.

County Triples Quarter-Finals
Unfortunately Simon Filippi is unavailable for the County Triples quarter-final match on Sunday. However, Bob Weaver will be a very capable substitute to support Geoff Dyer and Russell Durham who will now skip the rink. They will be playing a triple from Oakley representing the north of the county. The match is at Atherley starting at 10.00. If any one can make it there I'm sure the team will welcome your support.

Club Competitions
In the preliminary round of the club championship singles both Gareth Davies & Russell Durham were given walkovers and will now face each other in the next round. There were wins for Richard Wallbridge & Paul Whiffin in the handicap singles Richard defeated Tony Portch 21-19 in match that could have gone either way, In the battle of the Paul's it was the more experienced Paul Whiffin who came out on top beating Paul Willoughby 21-18

Posted Saturday 6/7/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent "B 57 (9) Milton Park "C" 52 (3). Star avenged their heavy defeat earlier in the season when they beat Milton Park C in a close fought encounter at the Waverley last evening. Geoff Dyer and his rink had a good 20-13 win. Always in the lead and never seriously in danger of dropping the points. The Ron Diamond skipped rink started very well and were 9-0 up after 3 ends. However from the ninth end they conceded 16 shots in 6 ends. A great fight back saw them claw back the deficit to earn a tie on the final end to finish 21-21 and get the team one point. John Bell and his men battled all through their game and despite being behind for most of the evening managed to collect 9 shots in the last 6 ends to finish by losing by only 2 shots in a 16-18 score line. A creditable performance by all the team produced a very decent result against good opponents.Report by your roving correspondent & captain Peter Willis.

Team Selection for Monday
Division 2 Match v Rowner (home) on Monday 8th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	P Whiffin	R Durham
Rink 2	P Willoughby	B Weaver	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 3	R Pridham	C Lihou	R Philbrick	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
Reserve: A Lord & B Banfield

Posted Thursday 4/7/19



Team Selections for Next Week
Combination Division 3 Match v Milton Park "C" (home) on Wednesday 3rd July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	P Willoughby	T Nutland	B Weaver	G Dyer
Rink 2	B Banfield	A Lord	A New	J Bell
Rink 3	D Boulter	T Portch	R Dennison	R Diamond
Reserves: R Wallbridge

Division 2 Match v College Park (home) on Friday 5th July starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	P Whiffin	R Durham
Rink 2	P Willoughby	B Weaver	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 3	R Pridham	A Lord	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Nutland & B Banfield

Posted Sunday 30/6/19



County Triples Area Final
It was a shame there were no supporters to watch our two triples face each other in the county triples area final for they missed a very tight and intriguing match. Congratulations to Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi who won the game in a very close finish 14-12 against Stephen Greenwood, Robbie Dennison (substituting for Richard Wallbridge) & Alan New. The result of the match was in doubt right up to the last wood played. It seemed that Alan's triple would go into the last end 2-up but a slight touch on the jack from Simon's last wood just moved the jack to his advantage and take a 1-shot lead to the final end. With Alan's men holding the advantage to take the game into an extra end Simon once again produced a critical bowl to take the end for victory. They will now play a team from the northern area of the county on Sunday 7th July at Atherley. Further congratulations to Russell who was awarded his county badge.

Division 2 Result
Bedhampton 73 (12) Star & Crescent 72 (4). Last night was a great opportunity to beat Bedhampton on their own patch and halt the losing run of form that the team are going through. Unfortunately, once again, and I know it sounds like a broken record, we dropped too many shots in the final ends that cost us the match. With Bedhampton playing a man short the win was in our own hands. Gareth Davies, skipping in the "A" team for the first time, took full advantage of playing against this rink and won with a very good score of 24-12. The other winner on the night was the rink led by Alan New who got over his disappointment of losing in the county triples to have a very good match and win 20-11. Now the downside; as the score suggests Robbie Dennison's rink struggled on the Bedhampton carpet to get line or length and were never in the match and were well beaten 11-25. Simon Filippi's rink were behind for most of the match but needed 3-shots on the last end to snatch a draw for the team. Alas, it wasn't to be although managing to get 2-shots which wasn't quite enough and had to settle for losing 17-25.

Club Competition Results
The club singles got underway this week. Firstly reigning champion Simon Filippi whitewashed the unfortunate Brian Banfield - not a nice thing to do. Paul Willoughby had an excellent if not surprising win over the more experienced Bob Weaver 21-6 and will now face Simon in the next round. In the prelim round of the handicap singles Stephen Greenwood made up the 6-shots difference to beat Colin Lihou 21-17 in a game that could have gone either way

P&D Competition Result
In the pairs Bob Scottow / Charlie Bailey (Fareham) beat Russell Durham/Simon Filippi 22-8 to quote Simon "utterly mauled on a tricky Fareham rink"

Posted Saturday 29/6/19



Combination Division 3 Match
Leigh Park Red (10) Star & Crescent "B" 49 (2). If ever one end could be so destructive in deciding the outcome of a match it must have been the 18th end on Ron Diamond's rink when they lost 7 shots. With the match tied at 11 apiece the fatal end occurred which let in the Parkers to secure the points and win 14-19. Up to then the signs look good for a Star victory. Geoff Dyer's rink were in control of their match from the start and were the only Star victors in a 21-15 victory. Bob Weaver skipping for the first time this season had a bad start and found themselves 5-16 down before having the best of the closing ends to reduce the deficit before losing 14-18.

Posted Thursday 27/6/19



Re-scheduled Match
The combination division 3 home match against Gas Social "B" that was abandoned on Wednesday 12th June has been rescheduled to finish on Tuesday 6th August.

National Singles Champion of Champions
It was a tense & tight encounter for Simon Filippi against Andy Chadwick (Priory) at Milton Park in the C of C when the result could have gone either way. Simon came from 12-17 down to lead 20-17 but the Priory man fought back to level the scores at 20 apiece. However, it was the Star man (not David Bowie) who scored 2-shots on the 23rd end to take the spoils.

Posted Tuesday 25/6/19



Club Competitions
The draw for the club championship & handicap singles competitions can now be found on the relevant page of this website.

Lost Property
My white bowls jumper has gone missing from the changing room & could not be found after last Friday's match against Bridgemary. Could everybody check to see if they have not accidently picked it up. I would be grateful for its return as I will get very cold without it!

Posted Monday 24/6/19



Recap of Recent Matches
A few games have been played during my absence most of which resulted in losses for the club. So just to recap (mainly for my benefit): The "A" team had defeats against Crofton (62-75) & Gosport (69-83). In the Crofton match the only victors were Simon Filippi's quartet with a score of 21-18 whilst for the Gosport match we went one better and won on 2-rinks with Simon's foursome again coming out on top with a 23-17 result, Steve Sprake skipping for the first time this season, led his rink to a very good win of 26-16. The weather was the winner in the Star v Gas Social "B" combination match which forced the match to be abandoned at the halfway stage with the match evenly placed at 29-30 to the Gas.

Combination Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent "B" 79 (10) Cowplain Green 53 (2). A good win for the team, so we thought, but the match result is under scrutiny because of "Infraction of Bowls Laws." The reason being when skip Gareth Davies had to be substituted after 10-ends due to a bad back his substitute, Geoff Dyer, replaced him at skip which allegedly is not allowed iaw law 33.4 (page 30 of the laws of bowls!!). Unfortunately, we are also culpable that the score cards do not reflect the use of a substitute. All this was done with the full backing of the opposition captain. Until both teams give an account on this situation the result of the match will not be recorded by P&DBA. Back to the game; the "naughty" rink led by Geoff won with a credible score of 31-19 but best of the night was the rink of Paul Willoughby, Richard Wallbridge, Stephen Greenwood & Ron Diamond who were in total control of their match and finished with an excellent 31-10 victory. Just as important to the match result was the way John Bell's rink fought back from being 1-19 down to reduce the arrears to a final score line of just 17-24.

Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 69 (3) Bridgemary 77 (13). This was supposed to be the match which would halt our losing streak, playing the bottom team who were without a win all season, but ended with a depressing if not embarrassing defeat. The victory was in our hands but once again our poor finishing at the business end of the match has let us down when leaking to many shots. Well done to Alan New's rink, our only winners, who had a storming second half to their match to take the rink points when winning 18-14. Simon Filippi's quartet shot out the starting blocks to take a 11-2 lead but then lost the next 9-ends to fall behind 11-16. They so nearly won their rink but with the opposition scoring 2-shots on the final end had to settle for a 20-20 draw. Robbie Dennison's rink also started off very brightly but a bad finish to their match ended with a 15-22 defeat. It seemed that Geoff Dyer's foursome were in the picture to win their rink but losing a 6-count on the 19th end put paid to that and eventually lost 16-21. Somehow we have to get back to winning ways and restore confidence to the team and what could be better than to win at Bedhampton.

Team Selections for Next Week
Combination Division 3 Match v Leigh Park (away) on Wednesday 26th June starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	A New	R Diamond
Rink 2	D Boulter	T Portch	R Dennison	B Weaver
Rink 3	P Willoughby	T Nutland	S Greenwood	G Dyer
Reserve: J Bell

Division 2 Match v Bedhampton (away) on Friday 28th June starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	R Diamond	R Wallbridge	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	B Banfield	P Whiffin	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 3	P Willoughby	B Weaver	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 4	S Greenwood	T Nutland	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Portch

County Triples
At last some very good news to report, we have two triples who have reached the area final - the bad news however is that they have to play each other. At least this will guarantee a triple representing Star in the County Quarter Finals at Atherley, a feat that hasn't been achieved in recent years. Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi had a brilliant start to their match at Cowplain and were 12 shots up before the opposition, skipped by Brian Franklin, got on the score card. Although the home side had the better of the second half it was Star who took the game by 13-20. Our other triple Stephen Greenwood, Richard Wallbridge & Alan New faced Brent Riste at the tricky Portsmouth Water green and what a curious match it turned out to be. On paper it was a difficult task for our lads but at 12-ends the Water Boys threw in the towel when lagging behind to Alan's trio 4-19. The area final will be held at Fareham BC on Thursday 27th June. I'm sure both teams will value your suppoirt.

Other County Competition Results
County 4-Wood Singles: Our last entrant Simon Filippi, impeded by back trouble, bowed out of the competition after losing to Marty Wake of Waverley 21-18 thus preventing another area final appearance for Simon.
County Fours: It was bad luck for our quartet who also failed at the last stage to reach the area finals. Derek Boulter, Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi were beaten 14-23 by Graeme Coles of Rowner 14-23

P&D Competition Results
Singles: There were wins for Stephen Greenwood & Simon Filippi when their opponents R Thompson (Vospers) and Dave Palmer (Cowplain) conceded the match. Not so good for Andy Lord who was defeated by Ken Stanbury at Gosport.
Over 60's Singles: Unfortunately, Stephen Greenwood and Simon Filippi had to face each other in the 1st round and it was Simon who came out on top by winning 21-9. There were wins for Bob Weaver and Geoff Dyer as well. Bob defeated Ken Raymond of Bridgemary on the Gosport peninsula 21-18 whilst Brian Kingdom of Gosport had a wasted visit to the Waverley green when Geoff Dyer beat him 21-11.

Club Competitions
After 3 attempts, Simon has made the draws for the champion & handicap singles which will appear on this website very shortly. Bear with.

Posted Saturday 22/6/19



Rearranged Match
Last weeks postponed division 2 match at home against Rowner has been rescheduled for Monday 8th July. Please note in your diaries

National Singles Champion of Champions
How Danny Smith, Waverley's Champion, must hate playing Simon Filippi as once again this season it was the Star champion who came out on top. With both men having the lead at various stages in the match it was Simon who came out victorious by winning the last 4-ends to go from 15-17 down to edge home 21-17.

Posted Tuesday 11/6/19



National Double Rinks
Star crashed out of the competition when they lost heavily 22-42 to Vospers this morning. The damage was done on Robbie Dennison's rink who were no match for the opposition led by Ray Porter and were much the better side winning convincingly 25-6. It was a pity as Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi did the business on their rink but just lost 16-17 to Dave Young's foursome in a very tight match.

Teams Selected For Forthcoming Matches
Combination Division 3 Match v Gas Social "B" (home) on Wednesday 12th June starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	B Weaver	R Diamond
Rink 2	D Boulter	P Willoughby	T Nutland	G Davies
Rink 3	A Lord	T Portch	A New	J Bell
Reserve: S Greenwood

Division 2 Match v Crofton (away) on Friday 14th June starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	A Lord	B Weaver	G Dyer	P Whiffin
Rink 3	B Banfield	P Willoughby	G Davies	S Sprake
Rink 4	S Greenwood	T Nutland	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Portch

Division 2 Match v Gosport (home) on Monday 17th June starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	P Willoughby	B Weaver	G Dyer	P Whiffin
Rink 3	B Banfield	C Lihou	G Davies	S Sprake
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Nutland & T Portch

Posted Sunday 9/6/19



Competition Results
There may be no league action to report on this week but there were some interesting competition matches that took place. In the County 4-wood singles there were two excellent & difficult matches for our players Stephen Greenwood & Simon Filippi against formidable opponents. First off the blocks was Stephen who had to play Paul Cooke of Southsea Waverley. In a very tight struggle it was unfortunately the Waverley man who came out on top winning 21-20 after 27-ends plus dead ends that you might have expected from Paul. Simon had better luck and was victorious against a very strong opponent Steve Feilder at the Alexandra green. With nothing to separate the two players as you would expect, they were tied at 18 apiece but it was Simon who got the crucial winning shots to earn a 21-18 victory and a place in the next round. It was a case of win some, lose some for Simon as in the County 2-wood singles he lost against Jamie Ward 10-16 at Leigh Park. The first of the P&D competition matches got underway this week when Andy Lord & Robbie Dennison visited the heavy, heavy Portsmouth Water "green" to play Mick Edney. Unfortunately the Star men never got to grips with the pace of the green and were well beaten 15-26.

National Double Rinks
The next round of the competition will take place on Sunday 9th June at the Waverley green starting at 10.30 when our opponents will be Vospers.

Posted Saturday 8/6/19



Star & Crescent v Rowner
Breaking News. This night's division 2 match against Rowner has been postponed. Teams from the Gosport area have to be notified before 3.00 pm if the match is playable or not. After heavy morning rain and with the forecast of more bad weather this evening, the two captains decided after due consideration it was wise to air on the side of caution and reschedule the game for a later date.

Posted Friday 7/6/19



Forton v Star & Crescent
It was thought that with the potential traffic difficulties that may arise from the D-Day Anniversary events, it would be prudent to postpone the combination match against Forton tomorrow night. The match has now been rescheduled for Wednesday 7th August.

Posted Tuesday 4/6/19



Forton BC Address
A few of you who have been selected to play at Forton on Wednesday may not be familiar where the green is. Therefore, the address of the club is: Forton Recreation Ground, Forton Rd, Gosport. PO12 3EJ. Hope you all manage to make it to Forton despite the National Commemorative Event marking the 75th Anniversary of D-Day

Posted Monday 3/6/19



Division 2 Result
Milton Park 79 (12) Star & Crescent 73 (4). I suppose it was inevitable that at some stage we would lose our 100% win record. Nevertheless, it was still a big disappointment that it happened against Milton Park especially when we were in such a good position to win the game near the latter stages of the match. With just 3-ends to play Star were 10-shots to the good and looking like we would pick up 14 points. Then calamity struck; over the final ends we lost (or Milton gained) 16-shots and hence the match. It was Alan New's rink who suffered the most losing 9-shots over their finishing ends to end up losing 8-25. Paul Whiffin's foursome seemed to have rectified a bad start to their match to lead 17-13 with just 2-ends to go but again dropped shots on their final ends which ended in a 17-19 defeat. Simon Filippi's quartet had the honours for the best rink. Recovering from losing 7 shots on the second end they took control of the match to run out comfortably 27-17. Robbie Dennison's rink took a good early lead but the Miltonians pegged them back and put the outcome of the game in doubt. Fortunately Star just managed to secure the winning shots coming home 21-18 victors.

Team Selections for Next Week

Division 2 Match v Rowner (home) on Friday 7th June starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	A Lord	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Rink 3	B Banfield	G Davies	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Nutland & P Willoughby

County Competition Results
4-Wood Singles: Both of our entries proceeded to the third round of the competition when they won their respective matches. Simon Filippi was first off the mark when he had a convincing 21-7 win over James Ward of Leigh Park. Stephen Greenwood had to play on the tricky Portsmouth Water green but came home with the spoils 21-19 against Barry Shergold.
2-Wood Singles: It was not so lucky for Stephen Greenwood in this competition when he lost at home 15-20 to Jason McAllen of Rowner
Pairs: Our remaining hopes in the pairs Andy Lord & Robbie Dennison couldn't master the Cowplain carpet and exited the competition when losing to Dave Wildman 8-22
Triples: There were good wins for our 2 triples with home wins against their opposition. Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi triumphed over an Andy McKain led triple from Milton Park 16-12 whilst Stephen Greenwood, Richard Wallbridge & Alan New defeated Pete Higgins of Portsmouth Water by a closer margin of 16-15
Fours: Lightning doesn't strike twice (so they say) but within a fortnight Simon Filippi has twice defeated neighbour Mark Hammond by 1-shot. With Derek Boulter, Geoff Dyer & Russell Durham, the P&D champions won with a score of 18-17.

Posted Saturday 1/6/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent "B" 73 Pembroke Gardens "B" 48. The Combination side had a welcome return to winning ways last evening with a reasonably comfortable victory over Pembroke by 73 shots to 48 (10-2 points) at the Waverley. The Ron Diamond skipped rink had a miserable start but although not playing at their best managed a stirring performance in the second half of the game to restrict the size of the loss to only 7 shots for a final score of 17-24. The rink of Brian Banfield, Richard Wallbridge, Alan New with John Bell at the helm were in control from the start and achieved an emphatic 33 shots to 12 victory. Gareth Davies, making a promising start in his club debut at skip led his team to an impressive 23-12 win. Always in the lead and with good performances from his four it bodes well for the games to come.

Posted Thursday 30/5/19



"A" Team For Next Week
Team selected for the Division 2 Match v Milton Park (away) on Friday 31st May starting at 6.15 pm is as follows:

Rink 1	R Pridham	C Lihou	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 2	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 3	A Lord	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Rink 4	S Greenwood	J Bell	G Davies	A New
Reserves: B Banfield & P Willoughby

County Club Result
Star & Crescent 78 Leigh Park 79. It was a second disappointment in cup competitions this week when losing to Leigh Park by the narrowest of margins in a match that got away from Star. Unfortunately, for once our finish to the match let us down allowing a good lead to slip from our grasp. Although below par, Robbie Dennison was indebted to his team for a fine 25-13 win. Alan New & his men got off to a poor start again but couldn't make up ground losing 15-21. Simon Filippi's rink was going well, leading at the 12th end, until the wheels fell off when they only scored 1 more shot before eventually losing 13-24. It was a similar situation for Russell Durham's rink who were leading 20-9 only to find themselves 20-21 in arrears at the penultimate end. A valiant effort by Russell to score the 6-shots to earn a draw and an extra end was just out of reach but managed to gat a 5 count which secured a 25-21 win.

Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 86 Naismith 64. It was back to the more important league programme on Friday with the team continuing it's winning ways with a 15-1 points total; that is now 6 in a row. The match was tight between the two clubs at the halfway stage but then Simon Filippi's rink went on a scoring spree amassing 13-shots without reply putting the team in a comfortable position in the match. They finally finished winning by 25-12. It was a welcome win for the rink led by Alan New. They had their noses in front for the whole game but still needed a good finish to win 22-14. Captain Geoff Dyer made his debut skipping in the first team and managed to lead his rink to at 1-shot victory of 19-18 after the opposition pegged back their 18-9 lead. Unfortunately the full points eluded the team again when Robbie Dennison's rink trailing at 8-15 had to settle for a draw in their match at 20 apiece. Needing 3-shots for victory, the win was on with Star holding 6-shots but the Naismith skip managed to get third wood. Spoil Sport.

National Double Rinks Result Star & Crescent 43 Milton Park 34. It was back to cup competitions yesterday and the club had a very good win over Milton Park. There was only a couple of shots between the two teams after the 15th end but once again our strong finish to the match gave the advantage to Star. Stephen Greenwood, Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & S Filippi controlled their match from the 15th end to win 21-14 against Andy McKain. Robin Philbrick, Alan New, Steve Sprake & Robbie Dennison had to come from behind but their second half performance earned a 22-20 victory over Dave Brown. We how have to play either Leigh Park "B" or Vospers "B" at home. Tie to be played by 16th June.

"B" Team For Next Week
With the "B" team falling into the relegation places this week a win would be obviously very welcome. The team to play Pembroke Gardens at home on Wednesday 29th May starting at 6.15 pm is:

Rink 1	A Lord	T Portch	B Weaver	R Diamond
Rink 2	D Boulter	P Willoughby	G Dyer	G Davies
Rink 3	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	A New	J Bell
Reserve: R Dennison

County Competition Results
2-Wood Singles: Both of our entrants progressed to the second round after winning their matches. Stephen Greenwood had a very good 15-12 win over Martin Eggleton (Priory) whilst Simon Filippi's win was a little easier when Brian Brown (Milton Park) scratched and conceded the match.
Pairs: Unfortunately Geoff Dyer & Paul Whiffin lost in their match at Rowner to Bill Ross 27-15

Posted Sunday 26/5/19



County Club
The team that was selected to play in the County Club on Thursday has to be changed once again due to a player's unavailability. Revision 3 of the team is now shown below. Please note there will be no food after this game but green fees are still in place.

Rink 1	A Lord	C Lihou	R Diamond	S Filippi
Rink 2	D Boulter	T Nutland	G Davies	R Durham
Rink 3	R Philbrick	T Portch	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
Reserve: R Pridham

Rowland Cup Result
Waterlooville Green 88 Star & Crescent 73. It was a 1st round exit in the Rowland Cup this season when losing on the artificial surface at Waterlooville. Star got off to a terrible start and were 21-shots down after just 5-ends, a deficit that was difficult to pull back. Robbie Dennison's rink found themselves down 3-16 at the halfway stage but certainly had the better of the second half reducing the gap to 19-22 at the finish. Alan New's foursome were also in trouble from the start & were 3-27 down but were unable to reduce the margin and lost 11-35. But there were some positives; Simon Filippi's side led from the start and were comfortable winners 29-17 despite a hic-cup over the final end. It seemed that Paul Whiffin & his men were also going to win when leading in the latter stages but had to settle for a 14-14 draw in a low scoring match.

Posted Tuesday 21/5/19



Teams For Next Week
Because of the availability (or not) of players for next week there has been some amendments to the teams that were previously on the notice board. Therefore, the following teams that have been selected to play this Thursday & Friday are:

County Club Match v Leigh Park (home) on Thursday 23rd May starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	A Lord	C Lihou	B Weaver	S Filippi
Rink 2	D Boulter	T Nutland	G Davies	R Durham
Rink 3	R Philbrick	R Wallbridge	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Diamond	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Portch

Division 2 Match v Naismith (home) on Friday 24th May starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	A Lord	B Weaver	G Davies	G Dyer
Rink 3	R Pridham	P Willoughby	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	S Greenwood	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
Reserve: T Nutland

Posted on Sunday 19/5/19



Division 2 Result
College Park 62 Star & Crescent 84. What a start to the season, 5 wins in a row; unheard of in recent times. Atmosphere was strange with the rinks split up that it seemed like 2 separate matches were being played. Simon Filippi's rink were nearly undone by long jacks on the heavy green after filtering away a 16-3 lead they found themselves all level at the 19th end. However they recovered to win the final 2-ends to get over the line 21-18. The Paul Whiffin's rink had a tight match for most of the time but a timely 8-shots in 2 ends gave them the advantage and won 21-14. Alan New's foursome were in with a chance of winning their rink points going into the last end just 2 shots adrift but it wasn't to be. College Park scored the vital shots to win 21-16. A really good team performance on Robbie Dennison's rink with each member playing their part ended in a very good win for Star at 26-9 and a 14-2 points gained.

Combination Division 3 Result
Cosham Park "B" 78 Star & Crescent "B" 52. After a fine start to the season for the "B" team the wheels have suddenly fallen off. In their second match of the week the team capitulated against Cosham thus losing 3 matched in a row. Ted Nutland's rink were heavily defeated 10-36 and it's probably best not to dwell on it too long only to say things can (and should) only get better. The other 2 rinks both ended the match with the same score of 23-19. Alas, despite an encouraging performance Ron Diamond's rink just failed at the end to win after being level throughout the match. It was left to John Bell and his men to gain the only points in the evening for Star. Though leading for most of the match it still needed John to draw the shot when faced with being 5 down on the 18th end. Losing that end would have given Cosham the impetus and a very good chance of snatching the rink points.

National Double Rinks
The team to play Milton Park (home) on Saturday 25th May starting at 10.30 is:
Rink 1	S Greenwood	B Weaver	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	R Philbrick	A New	S Sprake	R Dennison
Reserve: G Davies

County Competition Results
Singles: There was an easy 21-6 win for Simon Filippi against Shaun O'Mara of Waverley whilst Andy Lord had the daunting task of playing Steve Feilder at Alexandra who won 21-8.
Pairs: Geoff Dyer & Paul Whiffin easily beat neighbours Tom Payne & Peter Aldridge 21-7 whilst it came as a surprise that Russell Durham & Simon Filippi lost at home to Chris Hay & Graeme Coles (Rowner) 15-25.
Triples: Both of our triples progressed into the next round. Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi pulled off a fantastic win against the formidable trio of Danny Smith, Martin Wake and Mark Hammond (Waverley) by scoring 4 shots on the final end to win 18-17. Stephen Greenwood, Richard Wallbridge & Alan New had a much easier time, winning away 21-5 against Vic Phipps (Alexandra).
Fours: There was mixed results for our two rinks. Derek Boulter, Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi beat Shaun O'Mara again rather easily 28-9 whilst Stephen Greenwood, Richard Wallbridge, John Bell & Alan New lost at home to Brain Frankin (Cowplain) 13-21

Posted on Saturday 18/5/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent "B" 51 Gosport "B" 63. Any hope the team had of getting back to winning ways after their defeat last week were dashed last night when they lost to Gosport B at the Waverley. Although the margin of defeat was only 12 shots the only points gained were the 2 rink points garnered by Alan New and his cohorts. They had an excellent start to the game and although it was nip and tuck over the second half still managed to win by 8 shots in a 23-15 victory. Ted Nutland’s rink started well but their lead soon disappeared and they lost by a margin of 11 shots at the end 14-25. Ron Diamond made his debut as Skip but, unfortunately, his squad didn’t shine as brightly as his name suggests! They were never in front and lost by 14-23 as night descended on the green. The team have another match on Wednesday which will give everyone a chance to redeem themselves and put on a good performance.

Rowland Cup
With no "B" team match next week and Roland Cup & County Club commitments instead, the club's policy of ensuring all persons who are available get a game will come into effect. With this in mind the team to play Waterlooville Green (away) in the Roland Cup on Monday 20th May starting at 6.00 pm is as follows:

Rink 1	A Lord	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	R Philbrick	P Willoughby	G Davies	R Dennison
Rink 3	S Greenwood	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Rink 4	R Pridham	R Wallbridge	J Bell	A New
Reserves: B Banfield & D Boulter

Posted on Tuesday 14/5/19



P&D Competitions Draw
The draw for the P&D competitions have been made. The relevant web page has been updated to show those matches related to our players.

Posted on Monday 13/5/19



National Double Rinks Result
Star & Crescent 45 Pembroke Gardens 31. There was not much between the 2 sides for most of the match. The rink of Geoff Dyer, Bob Weaver, Russell Durham & Simon Filippi although trailing by 17 shots was offset by Robin Philbrick, Stephen Greenwood, Steve Sprake & Robbie Dennison's foursome who led by 15 shots. An excellent recovery by Simon's rink which reduced their arrears to lose only by 6 shots at 19-25 allowed to match to be won. Meanwhile the other rink continued with their good form and easily won 26-6, losing just 6-ends.

Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 98 Bedhampton 59. The "A" team continued their good start to the season and maintained their 100% win record when beating Bedhampton last night at the Waverley. The match got off to a terrific start for Star with Derek Boulter, Ron Diamond. Geoff Dyer & Simon Filippi scoring 18 shots before the opposition managed to get on the score card in the 11th end. Winning by a monumental 41-5 was instrumental in the victory for the team and eased the pressure on the other rinks. Alan New's rink were 22-8 in the lead after 16-ends but a hiccup over the final ends saw them just get over the line 23-20. The rink led by Paul Whiffin also saw their early lead disappear and found themselves behind on the penultimate end 16-19 but a superb take out shot by Paul resulted in 4-shots and a win by 20-19. Unfortunately a full house of points was denied when Robbie Dennison's rink lost by the narrowest margin of 1-shot 14-15 in a low scoring match. This victory also greatly enhanced our shot difference.

Next Weeks Team Selections
With the "A" teams good win in last night's match it is no surprise that the team will be unchanged for the next match. Therefore the team to play College Park (away) on Friday 17th May in Division 2 staring at 6.15 pm is as follows:

Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	A Lord	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Rink 3	R Philbrick	G Davies	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	R Pridham	J Bell	S Greenwood	A New
Reserves: P Willoughby & B Banfield

Because of county competitions next week as well as two combination matches, availability of players has been limited. However these are the teams:
Combination Division 3 Match v Gosport "B" (home) on Monday 13th May starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	S Greenwood	T Nutland
Rink 2	C Lihou	P Willoughby	J Bell	A New
Rink 3	R Pridham	T Portch	G Davies	R Diamond
Reserves: D Boulter & A Lord

Combination Division 3 Match v Cosham Park "B" (away) on Wednesday 15th May starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	R Dennison	T Nutland
Rink 2	C Lihou	P Willoughby	P Whiffin	J Bell
Rink 3	A Lord	T Portch	G Davies	R Diamond
Reserves: D Boulter & S Greenwood

County Competition Results
Singles: Stephen Greenwood has been busy in the singles with good effect. After beating Brian Kelsey (Gosport) at Anglesea Gardens 21-4 in the preliminary round, he then defeated Mick Jinman (Priory) 21-13 at home to progress into the second round. Pairs: Andy Lord & Robbie Dennison had a very good win on the artificial surface at Waterlooville 26-15 against Cyril Hilton & Stan Holdsworth.

Posted on Thursday 9/5/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Milton Park "C" 79 Star & Crescent "B" 44. After our recent successes it was back down to earth with almighty bump last night. The combination side's unbeaten run in the league was brutally (harsh) ended when they were soundly beaten by a rampart Milton Park team which was enhanced with players from their "B" team. The team lost on all rinks with only the Ted Nutland Four (good name for a bad of yesteryear) having any chance of picking up rink points. They managed to keep their game close until the final end but couldn't get over the line to eventually lose 21-25. The other rinks with Russell Durham & Geoff Dyer in charge were never in contention and unfortunately the game was drifting away from them early on and our second half performance was not up to our efforts in previous matches. Their final scores were 12-25 & 11-29 respectively. Probably an evening to forget but certainly no reason to panic with wholesale team changes! We move on and have an opportunity on Monday against Gosport to show our true colours. Thanks to this report which was provided by your cold roving sports correspondent and captain, Peter Willis.

Score Cards
Once again last night we had issues with our score cards. I must reiterate that in league and combination matches, UNLESS BOTH skips agree, it's the skips who will be keeping the scorecards. It is then up to the skips to ensure that the cards are at the same end of the rink when filled in. Last night we had the number 2 on one side doing the card whilst the opposition skip was undertaking the responsibility. Please don't let this happen again.

Wrong Biases
The number of wrong biases in a match is now verging on embarrassing; 2 again last night. This could only be put down to lack of concentration. So to prevent this happening in the future I think a fine of £1.00 per wrong bias should act as a deterrent.

Posted on Thursday 9/5/19



Division 2 Result
Bridgemary 76 Star & Crescent 83. On a rather "sporting green" Star's maintained their 100% winning start but not without problems. There was nothing to choose between the two teams throughout the match with rinks evenly shared but it was Star who picked up the bonus points in a 12-4 victory. Robbie Dennison's rink with Brian Banfield, debutant Gareth Davies & Steve Sprake dominated from the start & had a large win of 34-12. It was a bad start to the match for Paul Whiffin's rink which they could not recover from and eventually lost 12-22. The same could be said for the rink led by Alan New winning only 7-ends in their 9-26 loss. Simon Filippi's rink was our other success on the night winning by a comfortable 28-16.

Teams Selected For This Week

Combination Division 3 Match v Milton Park (away) on Wednesday 8th May starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	A Lord	T Portch	G Davies	G Dyer
Rink 2	B Banfield	R Wallbridge	A New	T Nutland
Rink 3	C Lihou	P Willoughby	B Weaver	R Durham
Reserves: D Boulter & J Bell

National Double Rinks v Pembroke Gardens (home) on Thursday 9th May starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	G Dyer	B Weaver	R Durham	S Filippi
Rink 2	R Philbrick	S Greenwood	S Sprake	R Dennison
Reserve: A New

Division 2 Match v Bedhampton (home) on Friday 11th May starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	A Lord	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Rink 3	R Philbrick	G Davies	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 4	R Pridham	J Bell	S Greenwood	A New
Reserves: P Willoughby & B Banfield

Posted Sunday 5/5/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent "B" 74 Leigh Park Red 58. There has been a similar pattern to all our matches played this season; coming from a losing position and then having a strong second half to win the game. This match was no exception. Trailing at 15 ends, Star scored an impressive 30 shots over the last ends whilst only conceding 6 shots in return. Again, we were indebted to Russell Durham's rink who had a 31-17 victory scoring 15 shots in their final ends. Ted Nutland's rink, although losing on the night, did their bit by reducing a 13 shot deficit to just losing by 5 in a score line of 20-25. Geoff Dyer's rink controlled their match and led throughout comfortably winning 23-16 to earn 10 points for the victory.

Posted Friday 3/5/19



Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 75 Denmead 64. The club continued its good start to the season with a well earnt win against Denmead last night. Coming from behind at the halfway stage when 14-shots in arrears, Star had an excellent second half to the match to win comfortably by 11 shots and a 14-2 points tally. Although losing on their rink, Alan New & his rink managed to reduce the deficit of 13 shots at 10 ends to finish just 4 shots adrift at the final end in a 16-20 score line which was vital to the end result. Robbie Dennison's rink also finished strongly only losing 2 of the last 10 ends to come from behind to win 22-13. Simon Fiippi's rink had a tight tussle with the opposition but managed to come home by 4 shots at 20-16. Paul Whiffin's rink won by a technical knock out as the Denmead rink played a man short and had to lose the customary 25% of their score. Although losing on the card 17-20 this turned into a 17-15 victory for the home team.

New Player
Thanks to Simon Filippi's marketing skills, we welcome another new player to the club, Colin Lihou. Some of the older serving players may remember playing with his father Arthur who was also a member of Star & Crescent.

Posted Monday 29/4/19



New Player
It's always nice to welcome a new player to the club and this week Gareth Davies has joined Star to play league bowls. I'm sure that Gareth will be an asset to the team & hope that he enjoy his bowls at Star.

Teams Selected For This Week

Combination Division 3 Match v Leigh Park Red (home) on Wednesday 1st May starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	P Huntley	R Wallbridge	A New	T Nutland
Rink 2	B Banfield	T Portch	R Diamond	G Dyer
Rink 3	D Boulter	P Willoughby	B Weaver	R Durham
Reserves: A Lord & S Greenwood

Division 2 Match v Bridgemary (away) on Friday 3rd May starting at 6.15 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	B Banfield	G Davies	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 3	R Pridham	P Huntley	S Greenwood	A New
Rink 4	A Lord	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Reserve: P Willoughby

Posted Sunday 28/4/19



Division 2 Result
Gosport 71 Star & Crescent 73. The A team ended a perfect week for the club when they defeated Gosport at Anglesey Garden for the 3rd year running. In a very tight match, as the score suggests, Star gathered 13 points by winning on 2-rinks & drawing on another. The result was not decided until the final wood was played. With all rinks finishing close together Star went into the last ends 4-shots adrift. However, it was a perfect finish for the team as each rink won their respective final end amassing 6-shots in the process to win by 2-shots overall. Alan New's rink led all the way to win by a very good score of 24-12. Robbie Dennison's rink faltered over the closing stages but had enough points on the board to win 21-15. Paul Whiffin & his men did very well to get a draw from their match winning the last 3-ends to end up 17 apiece. The only losing rink was the one skipped by Simon Filippi who although beaten 11-27 had the honour of getting the winning shot that secured the match.

Posted Saturday 27/4/19



Combination Division 3 Result
Cowplain Green 59 Star & Crescent "B" 68. Who would have thought it – a Star & Crescent team winning on an artificial surface. What a great way, if not surprising one, to start the 2019 bowls season. Well done to all. Starting off where he finished last season Russell Durham, aided admirably by Derek Boulter, Paul Willoughby & Bob Weaver were the mainstay for this win. After being held at the halfway stage 9-9 Russell & his men roared away to a huge 34-14 victory. Our other winning rink was led by Ted Nutland who went into their last end just behind their opposition but a very good 4-shots enabled them to win 21-18 and take the rink points. With light failing (a gross understatement) it was left to Geoff Dyer’s rink to contain the opposition and get Star over the line. Although losing 13-27 it was enough for a glorious victory and 10 points. As the match finished in total darkness, I think the P&D should insist on all matches played on artificial surfaces starting an half hour earlier.

Score Cards
There were a few things wrong with completion of scorecards last night which could have caused the team to be penalised with penalty points. Hopefully I have detected and corrected all of them. With this in mind I think it is a good time to remind you all of the scorecard responsibilities: a). Both team captains MUST now ensure that after the rinks have been drawn and rink names have been entered that the names on all the cards are the same on BOTH sets of cards before the game commences. Failure to do so will result in the deduction of 4 points from BOTH sides. b). In League & Combination matches, UNLESS BOTH skips agree, it’s the skips who will keep the scorecards. c). When completing the result card each club MUST put their team & players for each rink on the LEFT-HAND SIDE of the scorecard, irrespective pf whether you are at home or away. (Tony please note). d). It is the skips job to ensure & agree that the scorecards are filled in correctly with the right score and that means checking each end played. In all matches skips MUST enter the time their game finished (?).

Posted Thursday 25/4/19



Teams Selected For This Week

Combination Division 3 Match v Cowplain Green (away) on Wednesday 24th April starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	P Huntley	R Wallbridge	A New	T Nutland
Rink 2	B Banfield	T Portch	R Diamond	G Dyer
Rink 3	D Boulter	P Willoughby	B Weaver	R Durham
Reserves: S Greenwood & R Dennison

Division 2 Match v Gosport (away) on Friday 26th April starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	R Philbrick	R Wallbridge	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 3	R Pridham	P Huntley	S Greenwood	A New
Rink 4	A Lord	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Reserves: B Banfield & P Willoughby

Division 2 Match v Denmead (home) on Monday 29th April starting at 6.00 pm
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	R Philbrick	R Wallbridge	R Pridham	R Dennison
Rink 3	P Huntley	T Nutland	S Greenwood	A New
Rink 4	A Lord	B Weaver	R Durham	P Whiffin
Reserves: B Banfield & P Willoughby

Friendly Matches

Waverley 78 Star 58. The first of our friendlies on Wednesday ended with a defeat for our team. We had only one winning rink that of Alan New whilst Simon Filippi’s rink drew. Unfortunately there were heavy defeats for Robbie Dennison & Russell Durham’s rinks. Priory 66 Star 66. We fared better on Sunday when we held 1^st Division Priory to a draw. Both teams shared the rinks - Simon Filippi & Robbie Dennison won with Paul Whiffin & Alan New coming a close second.

Posted Sunday 21/04/19



National Competitions
In the National Double Rinks Competition, Star have a preliminary round home draw against Pembroke Gardens. Tie to be played by Sunday 19th May. Simon Filippi has to play Danny Smith of Waverley in the first round of the Champion of Champions. To be played by Sunday 16th June.

Posted Tuesday 16/04/19



The 2019 Bowls Season has now arrived. I hope you all wintered well and are now raring to go.

Friendly Matches
To start the season, as you know, we have 2 friendly games against Waverley and Priory. These are the teams that have been selected to play although changes will probably be needed on the actual day of play.
Wednesday 17^th April v Southsea Waverley at 6.00 pm (It might be prudent to be there at 5.45 pm in order to start earlier)
Rink 1	D Boulter	T Nutland	R Diamond	S Filippi
Rink 2	B Banfield	P Willoughby	B Weaver	R Durham
Rink 3 (Triple)	P Huntley	S Greenwood		A New
Rink 4 (Triple)	R Philbrick	S Sprake		R Dennison
Rink 5 (Triple)	T Portch	R Wallbridge		P Whiffin

Sunday 21^st April v Priory (Away) starting at 10.30
Rink 1	D Boulter	R Diamond	G Dyer	S Filippi
Rink 2	B Banfield	P Willoughby	S Sprake	R Dennison
Rink 3 (Triple)	P Huntley	S Greenwood		A New
Rink 4 (Triple)	B Weaver	R Durham		P Whiffin

Rowland Cup
In the 1^st Round of the Rowland Cup we have been drawn away to Waterlooville Green. Tie to be played on Monday 20^th May.

Paul Whiffin
I have just learnt that Paul Whiffin is in hospital with pneumonia. We wish him well and hope for a speedy recovery.
Posted Monday 15/04/19



*19th March 2019*
Just a reminder that the Star & Crescent half-yearly meeting is on Thursday 2ist March at Waverley BC starting at 19.15. This meeting is predominantly for members to submit their registration fees for the forthcoming season. As I have received only two apologies for non-attendance, I expect a very good turn out.

*16th February 2019*
*The draw for the County competitions have been made. The relevant web page has been updated to show those matches related to our players.*

*13th February 2019*
Star & Crescent have been drawn at home against Leigh Park in the 1st round of the County Club. Tie to be played on Thursday 23rd May.

*11th February 2019*
The Star & Crescent Half Yearly meeting will be Thursday 21st March at the Waverley Club starting at 19.15.

*4th February 2019*
*Well at last some news to share with you.* *The opening of the greens will be slightly later this year on Sunday 14th April.* *There are two pre-season friendlies planned: Wednesday 17th April against Waverley starting at 6.00 pm and against Priory (away) on Sunday 21st April at 10.30.* *The P&D league fixtures for this season have been finalised and are as shown on the relevant pages of our web site.* P&D BA, in their infinite wisdom, have withdrawn the controversial resolution of changing the days in 2020 when league matches are to be played. Far too difficult! They were proposing that first team matches be played on a Thursday rather than a Friday and combination matches played on Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays. The good news is that the resolution to wear shorts in matches was approved unanimously from the 2019 Season in all P&D regulated games (i.e. ALL League Matches & Competitions) AS LONG AS they bear the Bowls England logo. There is a proviso that if the Home Club does NOT allow shorts to be worn on their green then visiting players MUST adhere to their wishes. ALL members of the Side MUST be attired the same - i.e. All Must wear same coloured shirt and trousers/shorts (i.e all wear grey or white).

*2nd December 2018*
*Believe it or not, the* *draft* *League & Combination fixtures for season 2019 have been issued.* The "A" team start their division 2 program with an away trip to Gosport on Friday 26th April. This is one of four visits that we have to travel to "the other side" next season. The first home match is on Monday 29th April against Denmead. *In Combination Division 3 there are only 9-teams in the league. This means the "B" team will* have two fewer matches than last season. Their first match is away to Cowplain Green on Wednesday 24th April - at least it gets that match over very quickly. On Wednesday 1st May the team entertain Leigh Park Red in their first home match. The full fixture list will appear on this website very soon. For those who were unable to attend the AGM here is a recap of the Star & Crescent Committee elected for 2018/19: President - Stephen Greenwood, Vice-President - No Takers, Past President and Secretary - Robbie Dennison, Treasurer - Derek Boulter, Team Selection Committee - Geoff Dyer (A Team), Peter Willis (B Team) & Robbie Dennison, Competition Secretary and Bowls Hampshire / P&D Representative - Simon Filippi.