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Club Singles Final
Rob Lewsley 21 Richard Cunnington 10. Richard reached the final after thrashing Robin Philbrick 21-6 earlier in the week. However, it wasn't the start that Richard would have wanted in the final as Rob hit the ground running and raced into the lead amassing 11 shots without reply after only 5-ends. The rest of the match was very even with both players having successes but Rob managed to maintain the points gap to comfortably win the match & championship.  In doing so Rob became only the 4th player in the club's history to win both the singles & handicap singles in the same year and the 1st since 2003 (modesty prevents me naming that player).
 
President's Day
Thank goodness the rain decided to relent yesterday and allow Colin Lihou to celebrate his President's Day without the wearing of wet gear.  After welcoming all present, the afternoon/evening procedures started with a "Spider" which was won by Alan New. He received a bottle of whisky generously donated by our Treasurer Derek Boulter. The main event, the customary bowls match between two teams selected by the President and your Captain, Steve Sprake, followed. The match consisted of 3-triples which resulted in a clear 45-28 victory for the President's men who won on all rinks with Colin, Rob Lewsley & Alan New the victorious skips. Following the match, the teams were treated to a very tasty chicken curry prepared by head chef Rob with drinks provided by the host.  In his speech Colin thanked everybody for coming & making the occasion special.  He also gave many thanks to Rob & Michelle for providing the food & keeping us from going thirsty throughout the proceedings. Finally, he thanked everybody who donated prizes for the obligatory raffle which ended a successful day. All proceeds from the spider & raffle, £138.00, were donated to the club's funds. (That will put a smile on Derek's face).
 
P&D Triples
The semi-final ended in disappointment for our triple of Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Steve Sprake who were defeated by Roly Bloy, Steve Smith & Clive Carter (Priory) 8-20. The result was not consequent of our boys bowling badly but by the relentless & better bowling of the opposition.
 
Closing of the Green
The green will close on Sunday 22nd September so not many more chance to play bowls (outside) this year.
 
Sat 7 Sep 24
 
 
 
President's Day
Colin Lihou has finalised the arrangements for his President's Day which is to be held on Friday 6th September.  Prior to the president's festivities, the club singles championship final between Rob Lewsley and either Robin Philbrick or Richard Cunnington will take place; starting at 3.30 pm. Following completion of this match hopefully around 17.00 the afternoon / evening 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 x 3 triples/team.  The line-up of the two teams will be announced shortly. Dress code is club shirt with white trousers. Hopefully, nobody of the 18 members who have said they can make it do not drop out at the last minute.  On completion of this match there will be a "fine dining experience" of curry (a la chef Rob Lewsley) & drinks provided with the President buying the 1st round. This will be followed by the customary raffle, all prize donations will be gratefully received. Proceeds from the "Spider" and raffle will be going into the club's funds.  Just a reminder that there still will be a penalty of £1.00 (at least) for any wrong biases that occur during the match and to add a bit of spice to the day it is suggested that the losing team buy their opposition a drink.   The main aim of the day is just too have fun & enjoy yourselves. 
 
Tues 27 Aug 24
 
 
 
Combination 2 Result
Star & Crescent 61 (12) Priory Silver 47 (0) What a climax to the season! Depending on this result & what the other teams manage to achieve governed our whole season. All I can say is that the cream rose to the top with our magnificent all rinks victory whilst our competitors failed to reach these heights. Consequently, Star were the runners-up in the league & promotion to combination division 1 for next season. After a shaky start over the first 5 ends the match was all square but  afterwards we took control for the remainder of the match with the result in no doubt.   Bob Weaver's rink started slowly and found themselves 6-shots down after 2-ends before they got started.  However, they only lost 6 more shots the rest of the game to win comfortably 19-12. Russ Durham & his men were all level at the halfway stage but overcame their opposition to have the better of the closing ends to get over the line 22-17. Although the win was in the bag it was very important that all points should be won.  This was left to Paul Willoughby's four to secure the all important extra 2-points. Fortunately they staved off a late rally from Priory to just just win 20-18; thank goodness for the 7-count they got on the 11th end which made all the difference to the match.  Congratulations & a big vote of thanks to all the players who turned out in the team this year making this season a very successive one. Well done to all.
Handicap Singles Final
Congratulations to Rob Lewsley on winning the handicap single championship 21-18 against Roger Newman. Although Rob was probably the hot favourite Roger didn't make it easy for him.  It wasn't until the 13th end that Rob overcame the handicap to get his nose ahead and then it wasn't straight forward.  With the match poised at 19-18 to Rob it was anyone's game but 2-singles from the more experienced campaigner was enough for Rob to win the championship 21-18.  Commiserations to Roger for the loss but very well done in getting to the final in his 1st year of bowling. The future looks good.
 
Waverley Memorial Triples.
Well done to Richard Cunnington in the Waverley triples who got to the final of the competition before just losing out to a John Bigg's led triple on the last wood (and a Waverley glide) 7-6.  It was a nightmare start in the group stage when with Waverley's brothers Banjo & Alan Clements they were hammered 21-0 by Paul Cook etc.  However. they recovered to qualify for the finals beating notable triples on the way Olly Mews, Geoff Dyer (!), Gary Starks & Dave Brown. Quite a CV.
 
Election of Officers
Before you all go your seperate ways after the end of the bowls season please give a thought to next season & look on the notice board in the clubhouse.  There you will see that  I have posted a notice for the election of officers for 2024/25.  If you wish to sit on the committee for that period please add your name to the list with a proposer & seconder. 
 
Thurs 22 Aug 24
 
 
 
Final Team Selection
Combination Division 2 match against Priory Silver (home) on Wednesday 21st August starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

G Davies

Two

R Newman

 

Two

T Nutland

 

Two

K Hudson

Three

R Lewsley

 

Three

A New

 

Three

G Dyer

Skip

B Weaver  

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

P Willoughby

Reserves:  W Ames & S Greenwood
League Play-Off 2nd Leg Report

Star & Crescent 53 Gosport 62. It was so disappointing to fall at the final hurdle, having played so well away from home (+4), to then get beaten on our own green. So, it was off to a winning start with Geoff Dyers rink 14-12. But the shot difference could have been so many more, as they took control of the game for the first 12 ends to go 13-5 up. Sadly they only won one more end, but at least we were up +2. Next home was Robbie Lewsley's  four, who only managed to win 5 ends in total. Falling behind from the 2nd, they were always chasing the match. Their result of 8-16 now meant that the boards showed -6 which now put us behind after taking into account the 1st leg. Similarly, Steve Sprake's rink never managed to hit the highs of earlier in the season. Now faced with a Gosport rink that contained 3 of last week’s skips, they had a battle on their hands. In spite  of winning 8 ends, they dropped a 4 & 5 at crucial times to lose 16-22. The running total of -12 (-8 overall) was leaving the last rink just too much to do. So, out on their usual number 6 it was left to Alan New's boys to try and reduce the deficit. Standing at all square with 3 ends to play, they done their best and won 15-12. The outcome showed that although we won at Gosport by 4, the loss at home by 9 meant that we missed promotion by 5 shots. With the various rumours going around about possible teams withdrawing next season, let’s hope that a restructure would see us back in division 2 anyway.

 
Sun 18 Aug 24
 
 
 
Combination 2 Result
Milton Park Red 67 (12) Star & Crescent 32 (0) This anticipated top of the league clash turned into a very disappointing night for Star.  The defeat ended our fine sequence of wins and eradicated any slim chance we had for the championship. Milton completely out bowled Star & thoroughly deserved their victory although they were helped along the way by our poor bowling which wasn't up to muster. No level of criticism could be levelled at Bob Weaver's rink who produced the best bowls on the evening for our side and took their opponents to the last end before losing out 14-20. Russell Durham's four peaked on the 1st end scoring 3-shots but then unfortunately it was  then downhill all the way  scoring on only 3 more ends to finish 6-25 on the wrong side of the score line.  Colin Lihou's rink faired a little better, they won 6-ends. Their opponents had notched up 8-shots before we troubled the scorers. They could not make any headway in the match and lost 12-22.  With just one more match to play let's forget about this blip & return back to our winning ways to finish as high as possible in the league.
P&D Triples
Congratulations to Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Steve Sprake who qualified for the semi-finals when beating locals Andy Chadwick, Simon Filippi & Gary Starks.  Our boys started like an express train scoring 8-shots before the Waverley trio got into 1st gear. A run of losing 6-ends on the trot saw Waverley overhaul this deficit & take the lead before our lads got their second wind to level the scores on the penultimate end. The betting money was on Waverley to take the match especially with Gary having the last wood.  However, it was the Star's men who were the ultimate winners, bowling a perfect last end to lay 5-shots up which they held to win the match 24-19. Another Star old boy, Adrian Snook, now awaits them in the semis which is on Saturday 31st August at Rowner.
 
Thurs 15 Aug 24
 
 
 
League Play-Off 1st Leg Report

Gosport 62 Star & Crescent 66. Historically our away record at Gosport isn't good, so the game plan was to try and keep it as tight as possible and look to continue our impressive home form back at the Waverley. The speed merchants on Geoff Dyers 'new' look rink got us off to an excellent start. They led from the 2nd end, winning 11 in all and finishing by only losing one of the last six, giving us a +6 lead at 21-15. However that lead was short-lived when Steve Sprake's rink brought us back to all square by losing 11-17. Although they shared the game 9 ends each, they only managed to score more than one on a single occasion. From 12 ends at all square the green got a little heavier and the shots started to slip away. Next home and arriving a little earlier than normal was Alan New's boys. Although they only managed to win 7 ends in total, they were hitting some big scores, which meant that their loss was reduced to only 1 shot at 17-18. Finally it was left to the loudest rink, with the game finely balanced and Robbie Lewsleys four to bring home a 1st leg advantage. Winning 11 ends, which included two 4's , they fought back from being 4-11 down at the halfway point, to win 17-12 and give us +4 to take back to Waverley.   So, we start with a slight advantage at home on Friday. If we can build on this brilliant result and the Captain can tighten things up on his rink, then its Division 2 here we come. Well done everyone and be proud of your performance.

Sun 11 Aug 24
Team Selection
Crunch match for our combination side this week with the league's top two teams going head to head.  If we are considered genuine promotion contenders then this is a must win game; no pressure then.  All we can ask is that you do your best as you have done all season.
 
Combination Division 2 match against Milton Park Red (away) on Wednesday 14th August starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

K Hudson  

Two

R Newman

 

Two

R Wallbridge

Three

A New

 

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

S Sprake

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

B Weaver  

Skip

C Lihou

Reserves:  P Willoughby & T Nutland
It was decided that the team who played in the 1st leg and secured that great win over Gosport should be given the chance to get the team over the line for the 2nd leg of the play-off.  Therefore the team is unchanged.
 
Play-off 2nd leg match against Gosport (home) on Friday 16th August starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

R Wallbridge

 

Lead

M Ward

Two

P Willis

 

Two

W Ames

 

Two

P Willoughby

 

Two

K Hudson

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

B Weaver

 

Three

R Durham

Skip

A New

 

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 Reserves:  T Portch & R Newman
Sun 11 Aug 24
Team Selection
Please find, belatedly, the team selected for the 1st match of the play-offs with Gosport. The Team Selection Committee are extremely apologetic for the late notification of the team due to the uncertainty of all the players availability. Gosport are providing food after the match so it would be courteous for our players to stay and enjoy
Play-off match against Gosport (away) on Friday 9th August starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

R Wallbridge

 

Lead

M Ward

Two

P Willis

 

Two

W Ames

 

Two

P Willoughby

 

Two

K Hudson

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

B Weaver

 

Three

R Durham

Skip

A New

 

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

R Lewsley

    Reserves:  T Portch & T Nutland
Tues 6 Aug 24
Division 3 Result

Star & Crescent 80 (15) Cosham Park 56 (1) With just this final match left to define our season, we now faced another big challenge to overcome Cosham Park, who really had nothing to lose. Star on the other hand desperately needed a win at the very least, beyond that our final league position was beyond our control. The current top two were fighting it out on the all-weather green at Waterlooville and we could only worry about our result to keep us in the mix. Ahead of our game there appeared to be a nervous confidence, although with only a handful of ends completed, the scoreboards were showing us down on three with only one winning rink. So, as usual it was Geoff Dyers rink who were 1st to finish. At 9 ends each it was a fair reflection of the game, but with 5 to play they found themselves 10-14 down, so to then win 4 of the last 5 and getting back to 16-16, showed the true character of Mr Grumpy and his Merry Men. Second home was Steve Sprake's rink and the captain’s boys produced the much-needed result to take the pressure off of those still playing. Winning 10 ends which included 2x3, 2x4 and a 5 count, crushed the opposition with a 26-11 win and +15 on the boards. Next up was Robbie Lewsley's four, contesting a pretty even match, but chasing towards the latter stages, they then accelerated to take 4 of the final 6 ends and win 20-15. With the setting sun out on rink 6 Alan New's lads were the usual last to finish, coming home some 20 minutes after our first rink.  It is a long walk back from the outside rink for players of a certain age, but you can always count on them to get a result.  From the halfway point at 5-11 down, they only lost 2 more ends to run out eventual winners 18-14 and another 2 points for the team. What a superb result and once again everyone played their part in getting the much needed 15 points, which meant we jumped Purbrook and got ourselves into the playoffs. As Captain I couldn't of asked for any more during this final run in and our achievements so far have exceeded my expectations. We now have this 2-legged playoff final to go, which I believe in our current form we can win. There is no other outcome to consider, otherwise I could be known as Star & Crescent's answer to Gareth Southgate!! 

 
Play-Off Matches
Consequent of our marvellous win, Star now qualify to contend the play-off matches which are against Gosport.  Matches are played on a home and away basis with the aggregate score of both games determining the winner and hence promotion to division 2. The first match in this tiebreaker is away on Friday 9th August with the return match at home the following week on Friday 16th August. The team will be selected when all the available players are known to the captain so bear with.
 
P&D Triples
Our only remaining entrants in the P&D competitions Robbie Dennison (sub for Steve Sprake), Geoff Dyer & Russell Durham fought their way into the quarter-finals of the triples with a hard worked victory of 16-13 against Simon Patterson, Brian Lamaquer & Dave Brookes at the improved Pembroke Garden green. In the quarters they will be "away" to Andy Chadwick, Simon Filippi & Gary Starks of the Waverley.  Match to be played on Tuesday 13th August (no doubt it will be on rink 6).
Club Competitions
Following the results of matches played this week we now know the names of the semi-finalists in the top half of the championship singles - Rob Lewsley & Steven Greenwood. Rob secured his place after beating Colin Lihou 22-13 after 21-ends aided by Colin's customary slow start which found himself 10-1 down after 5-ends. The other match between Steven & Bob Weaver was a much closer affair. Steven held a comfortable lead of 19-11 before Bob took control and managed to level the scores at 20 apiece at 24-ends.  However, it was Steven who got the all important match winning shot to edge home 23-20.
 
Sun 4 Aug 24
 
 
 
Combination 2 Result
Star & Crescent 59 (12) Bedhampton 40 (0) This encounter saw the top 2 of the division in opposition and it was the home team that stood on the winner’s podium with another all-rink victory. Russell Durham’s rink got off to a bad start being 3-13 down at half-way stage. Nevertheless, once the handicap was off they engaged top gear and accelerated past their opponents scoring 17 shots without reply to end 22-17 to the good.  The rink maintained their impressive run of results with just 1 loss in their last 7- matches.  Bob Weaver’s four started their match like a bullet train scoring 9-shots before Bedhampton troubled the scorers.   They managed to keep on track throughout the rest of the match to comfortably win 19-11.  Colin Lihou’s rink was 11-3 up midway in their game. Though their adversaries only won 6-ends they did manage to reduce our lead to just 3-shots.  However, our boys had the better of the final ends to get over the line by 18-12. This win puts Star in a promising position increasing our lead at the top of the table and now poses a question to the chasing teams “catch us if you can.”
 
Thurs 1 Aug 24
 
 
 
P&D Leagues
I have updated the latest P&D league details on our website which you might find differs from the P&D version published.  I have asked the P&D league secretary for clarity before this week's important matches. As it stands in the division 3, I estimate that we have to score 2 more points than Purbrook Heath to take our place in the play-offs.  Purbrook are playing away at Waterlooville who themselves also need to win to be champions.  In combination 2 our team find themselves in the lofty position of being top dogs. However, it might only be for a short time as other teams have a number of games in hand but in the meantime let's savour & enjoy the achievement.
P&D Competitions
The P&D triples got underway this week with mixed results for our players. Stephen Greenwood, Bob Weaver & Alan New had the "pleasure" of an away match at Bedhampton.  Unfortunately the result was very similar to most of our matches played there when losing 9-18. The match between Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham & Steve Sprake against a Dave Young (Vospers) led triple was a cracker.  The level of skill from both sides resulted in a brilliant match with the result uncertain until the last end. It was our triples that earnt the right to play in the next round when winning by the closest of margins 17-16.  Our sole representatives in the fours competition, Stephen Greenwood, Robbie Dennison, Steve Sprake & Alan New had unfortunately to withdraw due to medical issues giving Phil Drewball (Waverley) a free pass to the next round.
 
Club Competitions' Update
 The championship competition has been downsized in numbers after a plethora of withdrawals. There have been some matches played however. In the top half of the competition, Rob Lewsley reached the quarter-final stage after beating Kevin Hudson 21-10.  He will now play Colin Lihou who defeated the reigning Campion Geoff Dyer 22-20 in a very tight match that apparently could have gone either way. The other quarter final in this half of the draw is between Bob Weaver & Steven Greenwood who both benefited by the withdrawals. The bottom half is more advanced with the semi-final opponents Richard Cunnington & Robin Philbrick known. Richard made his way there by beating Paul Wlloughby 22-14. Robin had to beat Wayne Ames 22-14 in the 2nd round before getting the better of Tony Portch 21-11 in his quarter-final.   
 
The handicap singles is more advanced and we now know the name of our finalist who are Rob Lewsley & Roger Newman.  Rob reached the final after beating Kevin Hudson 21-15 before a victory over Tony Portch 21-12 in the semis. In the other semi-final Roger Newman took full advantage of his +6 shot handicap to beat Colin Lihou 21-13 who had reached this stage of the competition by beating Martin Ward 22-15. Though disappointed Colin remarked it's good to see new bowlers doing well which is what the handicap singles is all about.
 
Mon 29 July 24
 
 
 
Division 3 Result

Naismith 56 (4) Star & Crescent 77 (12). On paper this is a match that we should win comfortably, but we know that away on Naismith's green is never an easy task. As usual first in was Geoff Dyer's rink, but not with the normal positive result. Winning lesser ends than their opponents but still finding themselves 14-12 up with 3 to play, they never won another end, dropping 8 shots in the process and losing 14-20. Fortunately this loss was well covered by the big win of the night on Alan New's rink. Ably assisted by Bob (the silent assassin) Weaver, they swept aside the Naismith four, losing only 3 ends all night. The 26-5 win took the pressure off the last 2 rinks, allowing both to focus on their own games. After a late fitness check and pressure from the Captain, Robbie Dennison deemed himself fit to play in the penultimate game. Still feeling the odd twinge and bending over like an octogenarian (not quite 78 actually), it was left to young Russ and the boys to nurse him through. As for the match, they all played their part, taking 10 ends and picking up another valuable 2 points by winning 20-13. Unusually the last rink to finish was Steve Sprake's, mainly due to Colin's insistence of measuring everything. It was a roller coaster of a match and to be honest, never were we in total control, as the green bowled just like it looked and Naismith mastered it much better. In the end we lost 17-18, which was disappointing at being so close to picking up points.
     
Once again, well done everyone for your continued commitment. So, we now await the result of Purbrook's game, to see if the 12 points we picked up are enough  to move us into 2nd place. Whatever that result, it will still all be decided on the last match, to see who goes into the play-offs.   

 
Team Selections
Combination Division 2 match against Bedhampton (home) on Wednesday 31st July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

R Newman  

Two

T Nutland

 

Two

R Wallbridge

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

A New

 

Three

R Lewsley

Skip

B Weaver

 

Skip

R Durham  

Skip

C Lihou

    Reserves: K Hudson & W Ames
 
Division 3 match against Cosham Park (home) on Friday 2nd August starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

R Wallbridge

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

G Davies

 

Lead

M Ward

Two

B Weaver

 

Two

W Ames

 

Two

K Hudson

 

Two

P Willis

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

R Durham

Skip

A New

 

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

R Lewsley

    Reserves:  T Portch & T Nutland
Combination Division 2 Result

Leigh Park Red 53 (1) Star & Crescent 59 (11) Yet another great win for the team, our third in consecutive matches and even more importantly our fourth on the road. Although the final result on paper seemed to suggest an easy win for the team in essence it was the opposite. The result could have been entirely the reverse with the possibility of Star losing on all rinks. Indeed the match’s outcome was in inconsiderable doubt down to the wire with all our rinks facing defeat going into their last ends. It was all plain sailing for the team up to the 10th end when a substantial lead was wiped out after a mid-game crisis. In the next 5-ends the 3-rinks only scored 5 shots between them whilst conceding 25.  First to finish was Steven Greenwood’s rink who were guilty of dropping 12-shots in this period and found themselves 6-shots in arrears with 2-ends to play.  It looked on the cards that they were heading for defeat but to their credit they dug in, winning the final ends to earn a well deserved 18-18 draw.  Bob Weaver’s four were next to finish.  There were no more than 2-shots between the two teams the whole match but again they were on the wrong side of the score line  come the 16th end. With the tie all level coming to the last, our boys played a faultless end to score a very important 4-shots which not only gained them a 18-14 victory it also turned the match to Star’s advantage.  It was all down to Russell Durham’s rink to defend this overall lead of 4-shots.  It’s fair to say it hadn’t been going great for the rink, finding their 11-shot advantage in a high scoring match reduced to a last end shoot out with the scores level.  However, once again our players held their nerve to score 2-shots to win 23-21 & securing the rink bonus points & the match for Star.  Certainly over the last 2 years this result wouldn’t have happened but this year a change of mentality & application is evident. This win certainly gives the team an outside chance of promotion.  Although the other teams have games in hand it’s always nice to have actual points on the board

 
Thurs 25 July 24
 
 
 
Rowland Cup

Star & Crescent 68 Milton Park 69. The big guns from the top of division 2 turned up with that cocky air of confidence, in what was going to be a pure formality. Well, I am very proud to say that they got more than they bargained for against the form team in division 3, and came within a whisper of being dumped out of the Rowland Cup.  Once again we got off to a positive start with Geoff Dyer's rink coming back at the death, and the 2 on the last gave them victory by 1 shot and the game 15-14. Then came Steve Sprake's boys, winning 10 of the ends, dropping a 6 on the 13th to go 12-16 down, but bounced back to win 4 of the last 5 ends to win 19-17. The overall match was still very tight, but a least we were +3 on the boards, giving us a slight lead to hang on to. From a game which we thought was going to be out of reach there was now the possibility of a major upset. Having bowled their last wood was Robbie Lewsley's four. They were holding their own, but then dropped a 6 on the 14th to be followed by a 3, which left them 6 down with 3 to play. Fortunately the fighting spirit came to the fore, winning the remaining ends and clawing it back to a 20-20 draw. So, now it really was all to play for and poor old Alan New's lads had the full focus of everyone's attention, standing on the side and offering various forms of encouragement.  Things had been a little erratic, dropping 6 shots on the 10th,  but after 15 ends they were 14-13 up as the other results started to unfold. However as we got into the latter stages the pressure began to tell and they never won another end. At 3 down with just one end to play, the match was evenly poised and it was all down to the last end to decide the winner. Milton Park unfortunately picked up the required single to go through to the next round of the Rowland Cup. It was a tremendous effort once again by everyone and looking back I am very proud of you all. if only we hadn't  of dropped those three 6's (and I was one of those skips) then the outcome may have been different. Now, lets not linger on that, as we have a huge match on Friday against Naismith (A) to try and wrestle that second place away from Purbrook. 

Wed 24 Jul 24
 
 
 
Team Selections
It's back to 3 matches again this week which includes the Rowland Cup: Teams selected are:
 
Rowland Cup match against Milton Park (home) on Monday 22nd July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

A Lord

Two

R Newman

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

R Philbrick

 

Two

R Cunnington

Three

B Weaver

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

R Durham

 

Three

P Willoughby

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

G Dyer

    Reserves: K Hudson & R Wallbridge 
 
Combination Division 2 match against Leigh Park Red (away) on Wednesday 24th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

B Boulter

Two

T Nutland  

Two

A Lord

 

Two

W Ames

Three

A New

 

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

S Sprake

Skip

R Durham  

Skip

B Weaver

 

Skip

S Greenwood

    Reserves: R Dennison & G Davies
Division 3 match against Naismith (away) on Friday 26th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

R Wallbridge

 

Lead

A Lord

Two

R Philbrick

 

Two

W Ames

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

K Hudson

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

B Weaver

 

Three

R Durham

 

Three

P Willoughby

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

R Dennison

 

Skip

G Dyer

    Reserves:  R Newman & T Portch
Combination Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 73 (12) Milton Park Black 33 (0) After a shaky start to the match Star took control to complete a comfortable victory; their 4th in the last 5 games. Leading the way was Russell Durham's rink who led from start to finish and was never in trouble. They allowed their opposition to score just on 6-ends in their in their 28-9 success.  Paul Willoughby achieved his maiden win as a skip this season when his rink came from behind to take the spoils 20-14 helped enormously by winning 6 of the last 7 ends to turn round 9-13 deficit into a 20-14 victory.  It was a similar scenario with Bob Weaver's four; all level at the halfway stage before a 16-shot salvo bought back maximum points for the team when winning 25-10.
 
Division 3 Result

Star & Crescent 91 (16) Purbrook Heath 36 (0) We thought this was going to be a tough game, with big points at stake if we were going to make a late run for promotion. As captain I always think of the match rather like a relay race, as the 4 skips always seem to finish their matches in the same order. So, out on the first leg and important to get off to a good start was Geoff Dyer's rink. Leading for most of game, winning 10 ends and coming out winners 20-15, set us up at +5. Then it was the first of the big hitters with Robbie Lewsley's boys coming out all guns blazing, winning 13 ends (9 by 2 shots or more) and smashing the 3 man Purbrook rink 30-6. Now we were looking a little more comfortable with 4 points in the bag and the shot difference at +29. Spirits were obviously high and Steve Sprake's rink chipped in with yet another big win. Rink 3 was playing lovely and Star were drawing scoring woods all night, resulting in probably our best performance of the season. They only lost 3 ends (3 shots in total) and cruised to 27-3. So, 3 winning rinks and +53 on the boards, meant that the match was well won. But as every point was vital, it was left to Robbie Dennison's four to complete the clean sweep. For some reason they always seem to be the last ones to finish and they do get more than their fair share of games out on rink 6. Once again Purbrook were a man down' but unlike the other games this one was far more tactical. If we didn't win then we could only lose by a small margin, if the 25% deduction was going to work in our favour. After 14 ends it looked like it might all be over for the extra 2 points, but when you have the experience of a 'canny old bowler' like Dennison at the helm, you always have a chance. They then won 3 of the last 4 ends to swing the result in our favour and achieve maximum points. What a outcome, 16-0, and having expected a much tighter game it exceeded all expectations, so well done boys and all 16 of you played your part. Finally a big thank you to Kevin Hudson, who turned up at very short notice as a last-minute reserve. These sorts of things are very much appreciated by your Captain.   

 

As you are all aware, we have won 3 of the last 4 matches, and beaten the top 2 sides in Waterlooville & Purbrook. Before last night’s game we were sitting in 3rd place a few points adrift, but after last nights brilliant 16-0 win, we now find ourselves still 3rd, but now just one point behind Purbrook. With just 2 games left and both of those against sides in the bottom 3, it’s all to play for. We have probably left ourselves a bit too much to do to win the league, however, runners up and going into the play offs is there for the taking. Can I finally say thank you to everyone in the squad, as you are all playing your part (for both sides) and team spirit is now at its peak,  which has produced some very creditable performances in recent weeks. It's nearing the end so let's just keep it going to the finish. Your Captain.

 
Sat 20 July 24
 
 
 
Rowland Cup
Our opponents in the Rowland Cup is Milton Park at home. Tie to be played on Monday 22nd July.
 
Wed 17 July 24
 
 
 
Division 3 Result

Pembroke Gardens 52 (1) Star & Crescent 68 (15) Our first away win of the season in Division 3. Who would have thought that it would come at Pembroke Gardens, traditionally a poor bowling surface, that is now playing better than for many a season. Leading the way on our big night out was Geoff Dyer, who won fewer ends than the opposition but never dropped anything more than a 2 in what was a very enjoyable game. The widest margin at any stage was 3 shots and when taking the last end it was 2 points and the game 14-13. Next in was Steve Sprake who was also back to winning ways against the canny old Scotsman Fred.  They took 12 of the ends, winning by 7 shots, 20-13. A trio of winning rinks was completed by Alan New 22-14. This  was an action-packed game with Star taking 12 of the ends, which included scoring 13 in 4 ends but then dropping 9 in 2 ends. Although the outcome was never really in doubt it was not a game for those of a nervous disposition. Finally out on rink 6 was Robbie Dennison’s boys, who had the luxury of knowing that the match was won, with the boards showing +16. However, with the last end to play and being one down, they managed to keep it tight, get the shot and draw the game 12-12. The stats show that winning 9 ends each and nothing more than a 2 scored, a draw seemed a fair result. It's always a good feeling to win away from home, particularly at Pembroke Gardens. There are now only 3 games left (2 at home) and in the right frame of mind they are all winnable, so let's have a final push right to the end of the season.   

 
Sun 14 Jul 24
 
 
 
Team Selections
Back to normality next week with the customary matches on Wednesday & Friday. The teams selected are shown below though there is still a doubt on the availability of a couple of players which may mean that Plan B might have to come into action.
 
Combination Division 2 match against Milton Park Black (home) on Wednesday 17th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

B Boulter

 

Lead

P Wright

Two

T Nutland  

Two

K Hudson

 

Two

R Cunnington

Three

A New

 

Three

R Lewsley

 

Three

C Lihou

Skip

R Durham  

Skip

P Willoughby  

Skip

B Weaver

    Reserves: G Dyer & A Lord
 
Division 3 match against Purbrook Heath (home) on Friday 19th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

A Lord

 

Lead

G Davies

Two

R Philbrick

 

Two

R Newman

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

W Ames

Three

R Durham

 

Three

B Weaver

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

P Willoughby

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

G Dyer

    Reserves: T Portch & T Nutland 
 
Club Competitions
The only match of the week in the handicap singles provided a major shock when reigning champion Richard Cunnington was defeated  by Tony Portch 21-11.
 
Sat 13 July 24
 
 
 
Combination Division 2 Result
Waverley Red 47 (3) Star & Crescent 51 (9) What a great result last night; no I don't mean England's 2-1 victory but our combination team winning their 4th match on the road albeit at the Waverley. It was a very tight match with nothing between the two sides for most of the night highlighted by Paul Willoughby's rink where there were no more than 2-shots between the two sides throughout.  It appeared that Paul & his men were going to come away with the spoils but had to settle for a 13-13 draw after the Waverley skip drew the shot with the last wood of the game to prevent the win. The other 2-rinks were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. On the lower end Robbie Dennison's four got off to a bad start and found it increasingly difficult to get a foot in the match & finished a very disappointing 8-27. However, at the upper end of the scale, Russell Durham's rink were having a field day losing only 4-ends in their very impressive 30-7 victory which was just enough to compensate for Robbie's rink & to gain Star the important match points.
 
Thurs 11 July 24
 
 
 
Division 3 Result

Cosham Park 77 (14) Star & Crescent 52 (2) Once again the away day curse struck, but this time in conditions that were bordering unplayable. The opposition seemed to handle it a lot better, but then they are more used to a heavy longer green with bumps that created clear daylight between the wood and the playing surface. First to finish and run for cover was Steve Sprake's rink, heavily losers now for  2 games and getting punished for having draw bowlers who struggle in these wet conditions. Although they did win 8 of the ends which resulted in 11 shots, they were up against a skip who benefitted from numerous wicks and lost 11-22. Then came our only winning rink in Robbie Lewsley. The difference was not enough to carry the other 3 rinks, but +7 (inc a 5 count) and 20-13 on the board was an admirable display. This will be one night that Geoff Dyer will hope to forget. They were never in the match, winning only 4 ends and losing 5-24. Lastly and with the expectation of another 2 points was Alan New's rink. At 11 ends they were 14-5 up, then they managed to drop a 7, only won 2 of the last 6 ends and lost the match 16-18. There is not much more I can add to such a disappointing display overall but we have a chance to redeem ourselves away to Pembroke on Friday. 

 
Tues 9 July 24
 
 
 
Team Selections
Once again we have three matches next week & once again we have a plethora of players available to choose from giving the selectors a (nice) problem for selection.  The teams are thus:
Division 3 match against Cosham Park (away) on Monday 8th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

B Boulter

Two

A Lord

 

Two

R Philbrick

 

Two

R Newman

 

Two

B Weaver

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

R Durham

 

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

R Dennison

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

A New

    Reserve: P Willis & T Nutland 
Combination Division 2 match against Waverley Red (away) on Wednesday 10th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

R Wallbridge

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

P Wright

Two

K Hudson

 

Two

T Nutland  

Two

W Ames

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

A New

 

Three

P Willis

Skip

P Willoughby  

Skip

R Durham  

Skip

R Dennison

    Reserves: S Sprake & S Greenwood
Division 3 match against Pembroke Gardens (away) on Friday 12th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

A Lord

 

Lead

R Wallbridge

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

B Boulter

Two

W Ames

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

R Philbrick

 

Two

B Weaver

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

R Durham

 

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

R Dennison

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

A New

    Reserve: R Newman & K Hudson
Division 3 Result

Star & Crescent 66 (12) Waterlooville 55 (4) As we continue with our roller coaster ride of winning at home and losing away, another 12 points were most welcome. On a gloomy summers evening that was interrupted by rain showers the match commenced (in spite of several objections from some of our bowlers) and aren't we glad it did. Once again the results were unpredictable, but Geoff Dyers rink got us off to a good start. Winning 11 ends, which included a 6 plus 2 x 4's and taking the game 25-12 and putting +13 on the board. Next up was Robbie Lewsley's boys , a solid 4 you can always count on. Well tonight was a rare exception, as everything was looking so good, being 12-7 up with only 3 ends to play. Then they lost the remaining ends dropping7 shots in the process and having victory snatched away and losing 12-14. Not disastrous as Star were still up by 11 shots. Then came Captain Steve Sprake's rink who were chasing the game from the very first end. Winning only 1 of the first 8 ends and only 6 ends in total, they struggled to get to grips with the green rather than their opponents, losing 11-22 and bringing to match to all square. Luckily there was still Alan New's boys to finish. They got the job done in a professional manner, winning 11 ends (inc a 5 count) and conceding no more than 1 shot on the 7 ends they lost.  An 18-7 win and another 2 points. It was good to get revenge for our previous defeat but still worrying about our away form. Out of interest and prior to last night’s game, we were sitting in the lower half of the table with matches in hand on every team. That win last night and the 2 games next week against Cosham (A) and Pembroke (A) will be a big step towards deciding our fate for this season.  

 
P&D Competitions
In the Over 60s singles, Tony Portch was beaten by Dave Meyer (Milton Park) 21-10.
Club Competitions
In the only match contested this week Colin Lihou defeated Martin Ward 22-15 in the handicap singles.
 
Sat 6 July 24
 
 
 
Combination Division 2 Reports
Naismith 49 (2) Star & Crescent 53 (10) The first of two matches against Naismith this week was a rearranged match. Star got off to a great start & raced into a 13-shot lead after just 5-ends but ended the match protecting a narrow lead. Up to the 13th end, Russell Durham's rink had only lost a couple of ends & conceded a mere 3 shots but a bad finish saw them lose a further 9 shots. However, they still had enough in the tank to win by a final score of 17-12.  It was a roller coaster of a match for Bob Weaver's four who led 11-1 after 5-ends but then lost the next 5 to trail 11-13.   However, the rink dug in & finished strongly winning 20-17 & ultimately gaining the match points for Star. For two thirds of their match Colin Lihou's men were in the lead against their opposition but then they started leaking shots & ends to lose 16-20. Positively, this win means that the team not only have won 2 away matches on the bounce but also a third success on the road.
 
Star & Crescent 49 (2) Naismith 53 (10) With our away victory against Naismith still fresh in our minds, confidence was high that we would secure a double over them at "fortress" Waverley.  How wrong could we be. It was a reverse carbon copy of our 1st match (including the exact score) but unfortunately it was the opposition who took the spoils. Once again Star started well & led up to the halfway stage before the momentum swung to hand the advantage to Naismith.  Our only winning rink was by Robbie Dennison's four but this was not without problems.  A comfortable lead of 12-4 was eradicated when losing 11 shots in 4 consecutive ends.  With the lead gone & defeat in sight the rink rallied round to finish strongly & reverse the situation to just win 17-15.  By all accounts, Paul Willoughby's rink were very unlucky to lose their match 17-18 when luck and a fair number of "Waverley Glides" went against them preventing them allegedly winning by a comfortable margin. At the halfway stage Russell Durham's quartet were all level but the opposition ended the match much the stronger to gain the advantage & win 20-15.
 
Thurs 4 July 24
 
 
 
Team Selection
Next week we have as you know 3 matches.  In the two combination matches we have 20 players available vying for 12 places which makes selection a little tricky.  However, the selectors have tried to be fair to all which means some players will be disappointed whilst others will be a bit more tired before the end of the week. Anyway here are the teams for the forthcoming matches (at the moment):
Combination Division 2 match against Naismith (away) on Monday 1st July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

P Wright

Two

T Nutland

 

Two

T Portch  

Two

A Lord

Three

A New

 

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

S Sprake

Skip

R Durham  

Skip

B Weaver   

Skip

C Lihou

    Reserves: S Greenwood & R Wallbridge
Combination Division 2 match against Naismith (home) on Wednesday 3rd July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

R Wallbridge

 

Lead

G Davies

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

R Cunnington

 

Two

P Willis  

Two

R Newman

Three

R Lewsley

 

Three

S Sprake

 

Three

G Dyer

Skip

P Willoughby  

Skip

R Dennison  

Skip

R Durham

    Reserves: T Nutland &  New 
Division 3 match against Waterlooville (home) on Friday 5th July starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

G Davies

Two

A Lord

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

B Weaver

 

Two

R Newman

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

R Durham

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

P Willoughby

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

G Dyer
    Reserve: T Portch & P Wright  
Combination 2 Result
Rowner 50 (4) Star & Crescent 51 (8) For the 3rd consecutive combination match the game was won with only 1 rink being successful.  Fortunately Star were the beneficiaries in this match.  Leading comfortably with only 3 ends to go our old failing of conceding shots in the final stages was nearly our downfall. Consequently it was a deja vu scenario for Paul Willoughby's rink who had to defend a 2-shot lead going into their last end.  It didn't look good for Star however with Paul 3-shots down in the head. But all credit to Paul he kept his composure and under pressure drew the second wood that was needed for the victory. Final score on his rink was 16-20.  Bob Weaver's four had a topsy-turvy match with both teams holding the advantage at different stages in the match. Finding themselves behind at the 12th end they rallied in the final stages to reduce the deficit but not quite enough to take the rink points before losing 15-16.  Our only success on the night was by Russell Durham's rink who finished a credible 20-14 to the good. A  very handy count of 6-shots on the 15th end looked to have comfortably secured the match for the team but the opposition fought back to narrow the margin on the remaining ends. This win completed the double over Rowner and more importantly another away victory.
 
Division 3 Result

Gas Social 71 (14) Star & Crescent 54 (2). The 3 week break certainly didn't do us any favours as we continue our losing streak away from home. On a tricky and longer green we once again struggled only picking up 2 points on the night. The first to finish was Steve Sprake's rink, who dropped a 3 on the 1st end but bounced straight back with a 5. It was pretty tight throughout but they eventually came through 19-13.  Next up was Russ Durham, who picked up a 5 on the first, was 8 up  after 3 ends, but then managed to drop a 5, and lost the match 15-18. Then came Geoff Dyers rink, who struggled from the off,  only winning one of the first seven ends and chasing the game. Their opponents won 10 ends but noticeably 6 of them was by 2 shots or more and we lost 10-18. It sounds a little depressing, but with one rink left, the match was standing at 5 down. The problem was that Alan New's rink were never really in the match. When you only win 6 ends and drop 8 shots in the last 4  the writing is on the wall. We have a reputation of struggling in the final few ends. Well, we lost the match by 17 shots and in the last 4 ends we dropped 20 shots!! At the half way point in the season and 6 games left it is still in our own hands to end up in a respectable position in the league.   

 
County Competitions
Commiserations to Richard Cunnington who came within 1-shot of qualifying for the area final of the 2-wood singles when losing to Andrew Hibberd (Priory) 14-13. Nevertheless, a great achievement by Richard in only his 2nd year of bowling.
 
P&D Competitions
Not a good week for our entrants; Tony Portch lost 21-8 to neighbour Alan Clements in the 4-wood singles whilst Paul Willoughby & Geoff Dyer were also on the wrong side of the score line after losing 13-19 to a Gas Social pair.
 
Club Competitions
A major shock was on the cards when reigning club champion Geoff Dyer was trailing newcomer Roger Newman 15-9. However, the experience of Geoff came to his rescue to turn the tables before eventually winning 21-15.  Also in the club championship Rob Lewsley was too good for Paul Wright and comfortably won 24-11.  In the handicap singles the tie between Richard Cunnington & Robin Philbrick was evenly matched before Richard raced away to win 21-11.
Sat 29 June 24
Team Selection
Division 3 match against Gas Social (away) on Friday 28th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

P Wright

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

R Philbrick

Two

A Lord

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

R Wallbridge

 

Two

R Newman

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

B Weaver

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

P Willoughby

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

G Dyer
    Reserve: T Nutland   
Tues 25 Jun 24
Team Selection
Apologies for no updates on the website as I have been on a rare break from bowls in June, selfish I know, however here is apparently the team selected by Alan for this weeks combination match:
Combination Division 2 match against Rowner (away) on Wednesday 26th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

R Dennison

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

A Lord

Two

T Nutland

 

Two

R Cunnington  

Two

R Newman

Three

A New

 

Three

S Sprake

 

Three

G Dyer

Skip

R Durham  

Skip

B Weaver   

Skip

P Willoughby

    Reserves: R Wallbridge & D Boulter 
 
Sorry for the delay in publicising the team selection for this weeks Friday division 3 match against Gas Social; this will be done when known. Bear with
 
Combination Team Match Report
Priory Silver 54 (8) Star & Crescent 52 (4) It was a case of so near and yet so far as the Combination side failed by only 2 shots to achieve a deserved (in your reporter’s opinion) victory on the Priory green last Wednesday. Despite a late withdrawal and a mid game medical issue the team deserve credit for going so close to winning the match. The Bob Weaver rink had to overcome both a reshuffle of the rink before the game and another due to Tony Portch's injury halfway through and had to be replaced by Ted Nutland. However, the rink still managed an excellent 19-17 victory. This shows the reason why our reserves are so important and that they stay for the entirity of the match. Colin Lihou and his men failed to trouble the scorers until the 4th end but had crept in front by end 11 and managed to maintain the lead to finish with a final score of 20 shots to 16. Paul Willoughby and his four started positively and were 6 shots ahead after 3 ends but by the eighth end were behind and that remained the case for the remainder of the game losing 13-21. However Star held an overall lead in the match until the very last bowl of the evening when the opposition skip managed to draw the jack for the shot when Star were holding the 3 shots which would have secured victory. Disappointing but, as they say, that’s bowls!
 
Mon 24 June 24
 
 
 
Team Selection
Combination Division 2 match against Priory Silver (away) on Wednesday 19th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

A Lord

Two

K Hudson

 

Two

P Willis  

Two

R Newman

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

A New

 

Three

G Dyer

Skip

B Weaver   

Skip

C Lihou  

Skip

P Willoughby

    Reserves: R Wallbridge & P Wright  
Combination Team Match Report
Star & Crescent 58 (8) Milton Park Red 46 (4)  After 2 losses, the combination side produced a better performance on Wednesday in defeating the previously unbeaten Milton Park Red team. Although we only won on one rink it was all due to the effort by Bob Weaver and his team who laid the foundation for ultimate victory. Leading at one time 25-1, they ensured that their final score of 28-8 was enough to compensate the other losing rinks to clinch the overall match victory. The Russell Durham rink were never in the lead (bar the 1st end) against strong Milton rink opponents and shared the same number of ends before finally losing by 15 shots to 22. The old cliché of a game of 2 halves couldn't be more truer for Robbie Dennison's rink in their match.  Comfortably leading at the half way stage 13-5 they then had a well below par 2nd half to lose the match 15-16; however it will have to go down as 2 points lost.
Dates for Your Diaries
This weeks postponed division 3 match against Cosham Park (away) has been rescheduled for Monday 8th July
Our 1st round match in the Rowland Cup, opponents unknown at this time, is on Monday 22nd July.  If we was to win than the next round will be played the following Monday the 29th July
Just a reminder that the postponed combination division 2 match against Naismith (away) is ON Monday1st July.
 
Club Competitions
The club championship singles got underway this week when Kevin Hudson had a very good result when beating Martin Ward 21-14. There were also walkovers for Colin Lihou & Tony Portch after their opponents withdrew from the competition.
 
Fri 14 June 24
 
 
 
Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent 91 (16) Naismith 55 (0). Well, what a difference a week makes and back to our comfortable surroundings at the Waverley. We may have been playing the bottom of the league at our home venue, but these are the sort of matches where we can come unstuck. Not today however, where everyone seemed a lot more focused and put in a performance to be proud of. Again, leading the way was Robbie Lewsley's boys who got into the groove early on and then steamrollered the opposition by taking 13 ends and winning 29-10. This set us up quite nicely, but casting a worrying eye over at rink 4 meant that we couldn't take anything for granted. So next up was Geoff (I don't like rink 6) Dyer, who was all level at 10 ends, then won 6 of the last 7 to come through 18-11. Steve Sprake's four got through with a steady team effort,  the game being tightly balanced, but again winning 6 of the last 7 ends and ending at 20-14. It seemed that the good work of these 3 rinks would be of no avail as Alan New’s rink were having a terrible time (understatement) in their match. They picked up their first shot on the 8th end and after 10 they were 1-18 down. The worry at that stage was that if they carried on like this it would cost Star the match.  Then the rink had a light bulb moment and started playing like men possessed by winning 6 of the last 8 ends and scoring 23 shots (including a count of 7) to finish 24-20. It was unbelievable and not too good for the captain’s blood pressure! It just shows with all 4 rinks coming on strong at the end, this  disproves our record of always falling away at the death.
 
Mon 10 June 24
 
 
 
Match Postponed
Our number of matches for June has just been decreased after our Division 2 fixture scheduled for Friday 14th June against Cosham Park (away) was postponed.  Again, this means there is only one match next week again.
 
Team Selection
Combination Division 2 match against Milton Park Red (home) on Wednesday 12th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

A Lord

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

R Newman

 

Two

T Nutland

 

Two

K Hudson

Three

G Dyer

 

Three

A New

 

Three

C Lihou

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

R Dennison

 

Skip

B Weaver 

    Reserves: P Willis & Tony Portch  
 
Sat 8 Jun 24
 
 
 
Club Singles Competitions
The draws for the Club Championship & Handicap Singles have been made and are shown on the relevant pages of this web site.
Bowls Hampshire Competitions
Richard Cunnington goes marching on in the 2-wood singles after he defeated Bob Scottow 14-8 at Fareham. Only Andrew Hibberd (Priory) stands in his way for him to qualify for the Area Finals.
 
Sun 2 June 24
 
 
 
Team Selection
June is a very lean month for matches with only 6 games scheduled to be played throughout.  As a consequence, next week there is only 1 match on our fixture list which is for next Friday.  Obviously some players will unfortunately miss out and be disappointed. 
Division 3 match against Naismith (home) on Friday 7th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

P Wright

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

M Ward

Two

W Ames

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

R Wallbridge

 

Two

B Weaver

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

R Durham

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

R Lewsley

    Reserves: K Hudson & A Lord   
 
Division 3 Result

Purbrook Heath 61 (12) Star & Crescent 59 (4) Disappointing is the obvious word that springs to mind, with our opponents being one place above us in the league and just 2 points ahead. It was always going to be tough on a tricky green, but the manner of the loss and how we managed to let the win slip from our grasp, had echoes of last season and our inability to get a win away from home. So, with 2 winning rinks we at least had something to build on and the story unfolded as we hit 8.05pm. The first to finish was Steve Sprake's rink, who won 13 ends finishing at 22-8 and leading the team out with +14 to defend. Next was Geoff Dyer, who at the half way point was winning and after 13 ends were holding their own at 12-12, then managed to lose the last 5 ends including a count of 6, walking off the green at 12-23. The shot difference was now disappearing fast with only +3 in hand. This was followed by Alan New who only won 6 ends, scoring nothing more than a single and the scoreboard reading 6-17. We were now trailing by 8 shots with only Bob Weaver to finish. Going into the last end he was 7 shots ahead and at one stage holding another shot, but their skip managed to convert and we ended up winning 19-13. Losing a game which we should have won by just 2 shots, just shows that every end is vitally important even if you are losing, dig in and play to the finish. Finally, away from the result, I would personally like to thank Ted Nutland. He is the perfect example of a good club man, turning up as reserve for both away games this week, never a moan just being there if we need him.

Sat 1 June 24
Combination Division 2 Result
Bedhampton 68 (12) Star & Crescent 29 (0) Star once again failed to come to terms with playing on artificial surfaces.  Our record over the last 20 years is pretty poor with not a single win recorded at Bedhampton. Robbie Dennison's rink only won 5-ends in their matchewhen losing 9-18 although the score line probably was a little harsh after restricting the opposition to scoring just a single shot on 10-ends.  Bob Weaver's men also only won 5-ends but unfortunately were never in the hunt and lost rather heavily 7-29.  Although losing 13-21 Geoff Dyer's four would have the satisfaction of winning the second half of their game after a poor start left them with too much to do. The only positive is that there are no more carpets to be played on this season!
Thurs 30 May 24
Team Selection
Combination Division 2 match against Bedhampton (away) on Wednesday 29th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

J Bell

 

Two

K Hudson

 

Two

P Willoughby

Three

A New

 

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

S Sprake

Skip

R Dennison

 

Skip

B Weaver

 

Skip

 G Dyer

    Reserves: R Wallbridge & T Nutland 
Division 3 match against Purbrook Heath (away) on Friday 31st May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

P Wright

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

P Willis

 

Two

R Wallbridge

 

Two

R Newman

 

Two

K Hudson

Three

R Durham

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

C Lihou

Skip

B Weaver

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

S Sprake

    Reserve: T Nutland   
Division 3 Result

Star & Crescent 79 (14) Pembroke Gardens 59 (2) Another strong showing at home against a side sitting 2nd in the league. Once again, Alan New's rink had another convincing victory, winning 8 of the first 10 ends and cruising at 18-2. In spite of losing the next 4, they held on to win 22-11. Bob Weavers rink split the game at 9 ends each, but after scoring a 7 on the 5th end, never really looked back to win 20-15. Rob Lewsley's boys played their part in a tight match, easing away in the last few ends to win 18-13 and another 2 points for the team. Regrettably Steve Sprake's rink couldn't complete the clean sweep. Out on rink 6 they matched the opposition but against a skip who consistently played heavy woods into the head, meant that holding positions were lost. However 2 counts of 6 kept them in the match and picking up a 2 on the last end reduced the arrears to 19-20. Well done everyone and rest up because next Friday at Purbrook is on a much heavier green.

 
Bowls Hampshire Competitions
Not a good week for Stephen Greenwood who bowed out of both singles competitions.  In the 2-wood singles he was well beaten by Carter Blandford (Leigh Park) 2-18 whilst in the 4-wood he fared better but still lost out to Tony Hall (Milton Park) 17-21.  Our only remaining bowler left in any of the County competitions is Richard Cunnington who defeated Dave Meyer (Milton Park) 17-9 in the 2-wood singles.
 
Score Card Responsibilities
Just a reminder, as per the Bowls England Laws the skips are responsible for their rink score cards. ONLY if BOTH skips agree can the maintaining of BOTH scorecards be transferred to another player in their rink. i.e. both cards MUST be at the same end of the rink at all times and checked throughout the match. At the end of their match, each skip MUST ensure that both cards show the same result and then sign both cards, thereby showing they have performed this check. They MUST also record the time the game finished on their card. Adhering to these rule will cut out the anomalies that have been occurring lately and putting us at risk with penalty points being deducted.  Also. would you please annotate any tied ends with the letter "T" to avoid any confusion with the cards.
 
Sun 26 May 24
 
 
 
Combination Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 50 (2) Leigh Park Red (10) Star lost their second consecutive home match last night rather disappointingly.  With the victory in sight and a 3-shot lead going into the final end the result was turned on it's head when Alan New's rink had a nightmare of a last end when losing 6-shots to finish 13-21 in arrears and with it the match. It was a shame for this rink as they had fought back from a 9-shot deficit to reduce the arrears to just 2-shots only to fall away at the last hurdle.  Although Rob Lewsley and his men won by a good score of 26-15 they can count themselves unlucky that it was not by more with the "Parkers" skip saving a number of shots which avoided a much heavier defeat.  Russell Durham's rink was in with a chance to achieve a win in their match but a stronger finish by the away team ended in a loss for our lads 13-21.
 
Thur 23 May 24
 
 
 

Division 3 Result

Waterlooville 99 (14) Star & Crescent 61 (2) Whilst it was disappointing to lose our first away game of the season, Waterlooville's all-weather surface is likely to be one of the more trickier greens we play on this year.  There were some battling performances but let’s start with our only winning rink on the night. Alan New’s boys deserve a pat on the back, coming from 13-17 down with only 2 ends remaining to then pick up 10 shots, and win 23-17. Geoff Dyers rink (with a strong Welsh influence) had a topsy turvey game and in spite of winning the final 3 ends, closed the gap but still lost 16-18. Steve Sprake's rink was looking reasonably comfortable at the half way stage, leading 8-7 and bowling well. However the opposition got the jack and brought the mat up and from then on it was a struggle. Although it was 9 ends each they managed to lose 13-24. Russ Durham's four were up against Waterlooville's strongest rink and were always going to come off 2nd best. Unable to get into the game until the 8th end, they just left themselves with a mountain to climb trailing 0-26. Although they won 7 of the last 11 ends, the scoreboard still made horrific reading, losing 9-40. So we will brush ourselves down, learn from the experience and get back on track, home to Pembroke next week.

 
Sun 19 May 24
 
 
 
Team Selection
Combination Division 2 match against Leigh Park Red (home) on Wednesday 22nd May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

D Boulter

Two

W Ames

 

Two

K Hudson

 

Two

T Nutland

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

 G Dyer

 

Three

S Sprake

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

A New

    Reserves: S Greenwood & R Dennison  
Division 3 match against Pembroke Gardens (home) on Friday 24th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

R Philbrick

 

Lead

G Davies

 

Lead

P Wright

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

J Bell

 

Two

R Wallbridge

 

Two

K Hudson

 

Two

W Ames

Three

P Willis

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

R Durham

 

Three

C Lihou

Skip

B Weaver

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

S Sprake

    Reserves: T Portch & T Nutland   
Combination Division 2 Result
Milton Park Black 43 (2) Star & Crescent 72 (10)  Star dominated this away match from the start and were relentless throughout and well deserved their victory. Captain Alan New's rink led the way and only lost 5-ends when winning 30-10.  The rink included Kevin Hudson who made an encouraging debut for Star.  Russell Durham's quartet were never in trouble and were the other winners on the night with a 26-15 success.  Despite winning more ends than the opposition, Robbie Dennison's four paid the price for dropping a 6-count (avoidable) on their way to losing 16-18.  With our bad record of not performing very well when travelling, it was great to get off the mark with a victory in our 1st away match.  Long may it continue!
 
Rearranged Match
Please note for your diaries.  The postponed Combination Division 2 match against Naismith (away) that should have been played on 1st May has now been rearranged for Monday 1st July.  Unfortunately, this means that we are also playing Naismith again on the Wednesday of that week.
Bowls Hampshire Competitions
What a terrible week for our players in the county competitions with no successes to report although Richard Cunnington came very close in the 4-wood singles but lost out on the smallest margin of 20-21 to Brian Cherry (Milton Park).  Also in this competition Tony Portch lost at Denmead to Mike Wright 5-21. It was not a good week for Tony who also lost in the2-wood singles to Dave Brown (Milton Park) 2-20. Both our triples were on the wrong end of success; Stephen Greenwood, Russell Durham & Alan New travelled to Gosport where they lost 14-21 to Neil Butler whilst Geoff Dyer, Robbie Dennison & Steve Sprake found the going tough at Northern Parade when losing to Steve Feilder (Alexandra) 7-17.  To cap off a bad week, Stephen Greenwood, Robbie Dennison, Alan New & Steve Sprake were thrashed at Priory by ex-Star man Adrian Snook
 
Sat 18 May 24
 
 
 
Team Selection
Combination Division 2 match against Milton Park Black (away) on Wednesday 15th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

 M Ward

Two

T Nutland

 

Two

W Ames

 

Two

K Hudson

Three

A New

 

Three

R Cunnington

 

Three

C Lihou

Skip

R Dennison

 

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

B Weaver 

    Reserves: P Willoughby & P Willis   
Division 3 match against Waterlooville (away) on Friday 17th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

D Boulter

 

Lead

R Philbrick

Two

P Wright

 

Two

R Newman

 

Two

R Wallbridge

 

Two

R Cunnington

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

R Dennison

 

Three

P Willis

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

A New

 

Skip

R Durham

    Reserves: T Nutland & K Hudson   
Combination Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 35 (1) Waverley Red 50 1/2 (11) Not the result we wanted.  Despite playing against a team a man down, Star failed to rise to the challenge against the strong Waverley side and were well beaten.  The only crumb of comfort was the point gained by Robbie Dennison's rink who managed to draw 14-14 though truth be known in all honesty it should have been a win and 2-points after a very good start was lost. Rob Lewsley's men just missed out on a rink victory when playing against the depleted rink.  After the opposition had the mandatory 25% shots subtracted, the home team needed to win the last end to secure the rink points.  Unfortunately, it was the men in maroon who won the end and the 2-points by 131/2 - 11 .  Russ Durham's foursome were outshone by the bowling of the Waverley skip, Barry Starks, and suffered a loss of 10-23.  The good news was the promising debut of Wayne Ames who had a fine game.
 
Division 3 Result
Star & Crescent 89 (14) Gas Social 56 (2) So, it was a good start to our 1st season in division 3, with a comfortable win over Gas Social 89-56, winning on 3 rinks which meant a points tally of 14-2. Lets  start with Geoff Dyers rink who kept it tight throughout and in spite of winning 10 of the 18 ends and picking up a 3 on the last, just lost 17-19. Alan New's rink had a tough first half and then accelerated away to win 20-11, only losing 5 ends in total. As always Rob Lewsley came out all guns blazing, picking up 7 shots on the 6th end and although holding a 4 on the 17th, their skip moved the jack and we went 5 down. They did however hold on for a 26-18 win. Finally, out on rink 6, Steve Sprake's boys enjoyed the evening sunshine in what was an all round good team performance. Everyone played their part in the 26-8 win and having kept the pressure on right from the start, it was the 10th end with the score at 20-0 before the opposition managed to get on the scoreboard. A point worth mentioning, however and without being too negative, our old failings of leaking shots at the business end of matches arose again as illustrated on the 17th end when 3-rinks managed to drop 12-shots, which in a tighter game could have cost us the win.
 
P&D Competitions
The draws for the 2024 P&D competitions have been made.  The relevant web page has been updated to show those matches involving our players.
 
Bowls Hampshire Competitions
The county competitions got underway this week with the pairs, now on a fixed date.  It was mixed fortunes for our pairs with the only success being Robbie Dennison & Steve Sprake who beat Vic Phipps (Alexandra) 21-16 whilst Paul Willoughby & Geoff Dyer lost out to Nathan Hanley (Purbrook Heath) 11-19.  A preliminary round of the triples saw Geoff Dyer, Robbie Dennison & Steve Sprake proceed to the next round without bowling a wood when their opponents from Lee-on-the-Solent conceded the match.
Sat 11 May 24
New Members
We are very glad to welcome two new members to the club Wayne Ames & Kevin Hudson - two very good prospects for the future.  We hope they enjoy their time & bowls with us.
Team Selection
After a belated start, the first team's league matches gets underway this week resulting in 2 games per week from now on for our bowlers.  The teams' selected for this weeks encounters are shown below but may be subject to change depending on medical & availability matters:
Combination Division 2 match against Waverley Red (home) on Wednesday 8th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

P Wright

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

S Greenwood

Two

R Wallbridge

 

Two

W Ames

 

Two

R Cunnington

Three

B Weaver 

 

Three

S Sprake

 

Three

P Willoughby

Skip

R Dennison

 

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 M Ward

 Reserves

K Hudson

Division 3 match against Gas Social (home) on Friday 10th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1

 

 

Rink 2

 

 

Rink 3

 

 

Rink 4

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

R Philbrick

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

D Boulter

Two

R Newman

 

Two

R Cunnington

 

Two

P Willis

 

Two

B Weaver 

Three

C Lihou

 

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

R Durham

 

Three

R Dennison

Skip

S Sprake

 

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

A New

T Nutland

 Reserves

R Wallbridge

Club Pairs Competition
Yesterday, for the first time since 2012, the club pairs competition was played.  With 16 bowlers participating (including our new members Wayne & Kevin), the pairs were randomly drawn and split into two leagues with each pair playing on a round robin basis of 7-ends per match with the winners of each league contesting the final. Games were evenly matched (well most) with no pairs losing all their matches but with no team winning all their three matches.  The winners of each league were finally decided by shot difference with Martin Ward / Stephen Greenwood & Wayne Ames / Andy Lord coming out top in their respective leagues. The final itself was a very tight match with no more than 1-shot scored on each end.  With the match all square on the last end and facing defeat, Stephen bowled an outstanding wood (under pressure) & drew the shot to win the match 4-3 although Andy was not far away with his last wood in snatching the championship.  The winners of the competition were presented with the Davis Cup which now sits proudly on Martin's mantelpiece.  Many congratulations to all the competitors especially the finalists, who took part in making this a successful rebirth of the competition. Many thanks to John Bell for stepping in as substitute at the last minute to complete the pairings & ensuring the pairs went ahead. In his first competition, Colin Lihou must also be congratulated in ensuring this competition was resurrected and ran smoothly  which resulted in a successful day and was enjoyed by all.  The weather helped of course. Let us hope that this pairs comp can now be a regular annual fixture on our calendar.  Photos and results will appear on this web site at a later date not too far in the future.
Sun 5 May 24
 
 
 
Team Selection
Once again there is only one game this week and that is the in the combination league.  As of last week there is an overload of players available for this game. The aim of the selectors is to ensure that everybody who missed out last week will play this week which means some players will miss out.
Therefore, the team selected for the Combination Division 2 match against Naismith (away) on Wednesday 1st May starting at 6.00 pm is:

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

T Portch

 

Lead

D Boulter

Two

C Lihou

 

Two

R Cunnington

 

Two

A Lord

Three

P Willoughby

 

Three

S Sprake

 

Three

A New

Skip

G Dyer

 

Skip

R Durham

 

Skip

R Dennison

 S Greenwood

 Reserves

T Nutland

Combination Division 2 Result
Star & Crescent 55 (12) Rowner 45 (0)  Despite having to reshuffle the team prior to kick off due to 3 withdrawals, the team got off to the best possible start with an all rinks victory over a strong Rowner side.  The team came storming out of the traps and quickly  established a 12-shot lead but by the 15th end this lead had vanished and then it was anybody's game.  However, an excellent finish by all rinks secured the win for the home team.  Rob Lewsley's rink scored a 5-shot count on his penultimate end to win 20-14.  Robbie Dennison's four also left it late and also scored 5-shots this time on the last end to win 17-15 despite losing 9-ends on the trot midway through the match. Russell Durham's match swung to and fro before getting over the line 18-16 in a tight game.
 
Club Pairs
The competition will now take place on Saturday 4th May. It was hoped that a total of 16-players would wish to play but unfortunately this number fell disappointingly short with only 12-players willing to compete.  Pairings will be drawn randomly this Tuesday, with each team consisting of a front end and back end bowler.  Format to be decided.  There will be a nominal entry charge similar to the club's singles competition of £1.50 which will cover the costs of medals for the lucky winners.
 
Thur 25 Apr 24
 
 
Team Selection
For the first combination league match of the season, the selectors were faced with an overload of players available to choose from. (If only it could be like this every week throughout the season). Obviously, with only 1 match next week & only 12 places up for grabs some players will unfortunately miss out and be disappointed. For those players that weren’t selected, you can be assured that they will be playing in the next  match.
Therefore, the team selected for the Combination Division 2 match against Rowner (Home) on Wednesday 24th April starting at 6.00 pm is:

Rink 1

     

Rink 2

     

Rink 3

 

Lead

S Greenwood

 

Lead

M Ward

 

Lead

T Portch

Two

T Nutland

 

Two

R Cunnington

 

Two

R Wallbridge

Three

A New

 

Three

G Dyer

 

Three

S Sprake

Skip

R Dennison

 

Skip

R Lewsley

 

Skip

R Durham

 

 C Lihou

 Reserves

B Weaver

Wed 17 Apr 24
 
Priory Friendly Result
It was a good first outing for the club this morning on a green that lived up to it's reputation! Although we lost the match 56-58 it was the ideal type of green that we have to conquer in the forthcoming season if we want to achieve our main aim of promotion back to the 2nd division. We won on 2-rinks with Steve Sprake (20-10) & Russell Durham / Bob Weaver (19-16).  Unfortunately, Russell had to retire with a bad back due to the heaviness of the green. Our losing rinks were Alan New (9-16) & Geoff Dyer (8-16)
 
Sun 14 Apr 24
 
 
 
Friendly v Priory
Just a reminder that tomorrow (Sunday) is the friendly against Priory (A) starting at 10.30. Unfortunately we are a couple of players short for a full team - hope this is not a taste of things to come. However, the team selected is:
Rink 1: Stephen Greenwood, Peter Willis, Paul Willoughby & Geoff Dyer, Rink 2: Paul Wright, Bob Weaver & Russell Durham, Rink 3: Tony Portch, Ted Nutland, Robbie Dennison & Alan New, Rink 4: Robin Philbrick, Colin Lihou & Steve Sprake.
 
Rowland Cup
In the 1st Round of the Rowland Cup, we are lucky enough to be given a bye.
Sat 13 Apr 24
Bowls Hampshire Competitions
The draws for the 2024 County Competitions have been made.  The relevant web page has been updated to show those matches related to our players.
Half Yearly Meeting
I will shortly be issuing paperwork relevant for the Half Yearly Meeting scheduled for Thursday 21st March 24 starting at 7.15 pm at the Waverley Club. There are some members who have outstanding 2023 payments for P&D and Club Singles Competitions.  You will find these have been added to your 2024 membership fees.
 
Wed 6 Mar 24
 
 
 
Portsmouth & District BA Latest
Following the Portsmouth & District BA AGM on Thursday, the following Rules Amendments were made:
a).  All League, combination and relevant competition games (ends not shots) to be played over 18 ends.
b).  If there are less than 21 teams declared to play in following season at the time of decision (31st October) then leagues will consist of 10 teams each.
c).  In leagues of less than 8 teams then there will be a 1 up (promotion) and 1 down (relegation) scenario plus a playoff over 2 legs between the second bottom team in the higher league and the second top team in the lower league.
d).  Players skipping in combination games to be disallowed after they’ve skipped 3 times in league team rather than the 5 as it is now.
 
Opening of the Green
The opening of the green will be on Sunday 7th April
 
Waverley Fees
At the Waverley BC AGM the 2024 membership fees was discussed and a proposal to increase them was thought necessary.  The following increase was agreed to put up the fees by £5.00 per person.  The Star & Crescent committee have agreed to pay this increase out of the club's current account for each member this year.
 
Sat 10 Feb 24
 
 
 
Keith Rodgers
Sadly, another one of our old members has passed away.  Past president  Keith Rodgers died on 7th January at QA Hospital at the age of 95.  The funeral was yesterday which I attended on behalf of the club. Apologies for not letting anyone know previous but the family had not notified the club and I was fully unaware of the situation until I read it in "The News" obituary column.
Wed 7 Feb 24
 
 
 
Half Yearly Meeting
The Star & Crescent Half Yearly Meeting has been arranged for Thursday 21st March 7.15pm at the Waverley Club.
 
Tues 30 Jan 24
 
 
 
Committee
Following Simon Filippi's departure, the vacancies on the Committee have been filled as follows:  Colin Lihou will now undertake the posts of Club Competition Secretary as well as being the Safeguarding Officer whilst myself will be the club's Bowls Hampshire & Portsmouth & District BA representative.
 
Mon 29 Jan 24
 
 
 
Conformation is given that Mick Dunnington's funeral will be on Friday 26th January at 2.30 pm Portchester Crematorium with the wake following at the Victory Indoor Bowls Club.
 
Unfortunately, Simon Filippi has decided to seek pastures new and has now left the club.  Although it is very disappointing news for the club, we wish Simon all the best with his new club Waverley (surprise surprise!) and thank him for all he has done for the club since he joined.  Consequently, this now means that there are vacancies on our Committee which needs to be filled: Club Competition Secretary and Bowls Hampshire & Portsmouth & District BA representative.  If you feel that you would want to fill either post please let me know. Simon was also our nominated Safeguarding Officer which is mandatory for every club; this also needs to be filled.
Sun 14 Jan 24
Mick Dunnington
It is with great sadness to inform you that one of our old members, Mick Dunnington, passed away on Boxing Day following a car crash.  I will let you know funeral arrangements when known.
2024 County Competitions
Could I remind you that the closing date for entries to the 2024 County Competitions is 31st January 2024.  So far I have received very little number of entries.
 
Posted Saturday 30 Dec 23
 
 
 
2024 League & Combination Draft Fixtures
The draft league fixtures for next season are shown on the relevant pages on this website. Once again the League team has a belated start to their Division 3 season when they entertain Gas Social on Friday 10th May. The Combination side have an earlier start in the revamped Combination Division 2. They also start with a home match with Rowner as their opposition on Wednesday 24th April.
Posted Saturday 9 Dec 23
AGM
I would like to thank the 12 members who attended the AGM last week in what was a very disappointing turnout; the lowest number recorded for a very long time. Also, thanks are given to President John for buying the drinks for those members present which was much appreciated.
For those members that were unable to attend here is a brief recap of the relevant matters discussed:
Obituaries: Paul Whiffin & Ron Manning.
P&D

1.  The following items were proposed by P&D and will be voted by all clubs at the P&D AGM in January.  

a).  League stays at 3 divisions but with 1 up / 1 down and a play-off between second top and second bottom. (This means we would be in Division 3 with Cosham Park, Gas Social, Naismith,  Pembroke Gardens, Purbrook Heath & Waterlooville).

b).  Matches to be played over 18 ends.  Star will support this proposal

c). Combination League format next season is to change to three divisions of 9, 9 and 10. (This would mean that our Combination team would be in Division 2 with Bedhampton, Leigh Park Red, Milton Park Black, Milton Park Red, Naismith, Priory Silver,  Rowner, & Waverley Red).

d).  Combination matches will be played over 18 ends

e).  As soon as first team/league player skips in the league he will not be permitted to skip for a combination team (this being a change to the current 5 match rule).  Star will vote against this proposal.

2.  If the P&D League stay at three divisions then that leaves more Monday nights free so the Rowland Cup could be delayed to July.
 
Bowls Hampshire

County Competition Entry Forms are available with closing date of 31st January 2024. Entry fee are as last year - £4 per person per entry. There is a proposal to Play men's pairs & senior fours County competitions on a fixed day. Men's pairs to be played on a Tuesday, in the same week that the County Club is held & men's Senior Fours to be played on a Monday.

 
Next season Bowls England is increasing their Affiliation fee for bowlers from £5.00 to £7.00 which is the first rise in over 10 years. To compensate for any other additional costs that may arise, it was proposed and carried that our membership fees should be increased from £15.00 to £20.00.
 
It was widely thought the club should increase efforts to attract more new members e.g. produce flyers and better use of Facebook.
Members were very keen to resurrect the club pairs competition next season possibly before the season starts in earnest.
 

Presentation of Trophies:

Club Singles Champion -  Geoff Dyer
Club Singles Runner-Up - Bob Weaver
Handicap Singles Champion - Richard Cunnington
Handicap Singles Runner-Up - Colin Lihou
 
Committee elected for 2023 / 2024 is:
President:  Colin Lihou
Past President:  John Bell
Hon Secretary:  Robbie Dennison
Hon Treasurer:  Derek Boulter
Team Selection Committee: “A” Team Captain - Steve Sprake, “B” Team Captain - Alan New & 3rd Member - Robbie Dennison
Club Competition Secretary:  Simon Filippi
Bowls Hampshire and P&D Rep:  Simon Filippi
Finance Examiner:  Geoff Dyer
 
Posted Monday 20/11/23
 
 
 
Paul Whiffin
The funeral arrangements for Paul can now be confirmed. Paul's funeral is on Monday 13th November 12.30 pm at Kingston Cemetery Chapel followed by the wake at "The Good Companions" public house.
 
Posted Wednesday 8/11/23
 
 
 
AGM Paperwork
You should all have received the AGM paperwork via my email yesterday.  Please could you let me know if you didn't receive it or if you need a paper copy
 
Paul Whiffin
It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that one of our longest serving members, Paul Whiffin, passed away earlier this week. Paul's funeral is on Monday 13th November 1.30 pm at Kingston Cemetery and afterwards at the Waverley.
Posted Sunday 5/11/23
Annual General Meeting
The club's Annual General Meeting has been scheduled for Thursday 16th November at the Waverley BC starting at 7.00 pm. It is hoped to see as many members there as possible.  I will be e-mailing the relevant paperwork for the AGM to you all a bit nearer to the date.
Outstanding Costs
I was reminded by the Treasurer that we still need to collect the entrance money from those players who participated in the P&D and Club Singles competitions.  With that in mind, I will shortly be issuing the necessary paperwork for settlement of payment which ideally could be collected at the AGM or sooner if you prefer.
 
Posted Tuesday 10/10/23
 
 

  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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