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CONINGSBY BOWLS LEAGUE

All the up-to-date news from the Coningsby and District Bowls League 2006

Latest tables 2006 season

Final round-up 2005 season

Round-up from the 2006 Coningsby Bowls League season

Week nineteen (ending September 1)

Mareham-le-Fen came unstuck at Stickney who won each rink with apparent ease on their home green to record a 71-41 (8-0) victory. They did much better, however, at home to champions Bicker with a 50-41 (6-2) win. This means they will stay in Division One. Castle did well at Stickney by winning well on two rinks to record a 47-55 victory which settles who goes down to Division Two. Woodhall Town did well to hold West End to a draw. The game was as close as it could be with a one shot rink win each and the third tied on 17-17 to give a 47-47 (4-4) result. This has helped to finally decide the top of the table positions. Norprint obviously found it difficult at Good Fellowship, going down 57-42 (6-2) With only R and P Vinter with D Toyton putting up any real resistance. Bicker and Stickney have yet to submit their result, but the outcome will not affect any key positions at the top or bottom of the table

Wrangle A and BBC I completed their Division Two fixtures with a 44-58 (2-6) result. It left them in mid-table while BBC I’s late challenge left them regretting some inconsistencies during the campaign. The pick of the rink results was possibly the 10-29 win by G Grant, C Metcalf and M Cropley. The top of the table clash between Freiston and Chapel Hill B was close with the former playing at home and losing 50-51 (2-6) despite a 23-12 win by D Hunn, H Philpott and M Hunn. Freiston did better at home to Burton House with a one shot rink win each and a 23-13 win by J Stray, I Smith and W Sharp to give them a 53-33 (6-2) result. Away at Sibsey, though, Freiston lost with each rink won by nine shots — two going to the Strollers and one to Freiston to give a 59-50 (6-2) result. At the bottom of the table Wigtoft and Swineshead had what appears to have been a good match with each rink won well. Two successes gave Swineshead a 38-53 (2-6) win. Several results came in for West End B who have obviously been playing a hectic catch-up with their fixtures. At home to Burton House they won all three by good margins to record a 77-38 (8-0) win. At home to West Skirbeck they had another good win of 66-28 (8-0) when it was also good to see Mick Roberts playing. And then away to West Skirbeck, Barry Bagley, John and Janet Whyers took one off them 16-11 but they still won 39-53 (2-6). Their last game with Swineshead yielded yet another substantial of 84-41 (8-0) to put them top of the table, land the title crown and round-off an excellent season for them.

The bottom of Division Three has been nip-and-tuck all year but Sleaford Road I improved their chances of staying up with a 61-44 (8-0) win at home to Boston Central who will play in Division Four next year. Right to the wire any one of four teams could have gone down with them, but Sibsey B also improved their chances of staying up with a 64-57 (6-2) win at home to Sleaford Road I who also needed points. Woodhall Ladies could have stayed up, but did not help their chances by losing at Bicker 55-45 (6-2) with only a two-shot rink win to show for their efforts. And then, by losing at Central Park 55-47 (6-2) — with only J Cutting plus R and G Oliver winning although they were close on another rink — it meant they were left needing points from their postponed week four game with Freiston, albeit reports suggesting a revised date could not be agreed between the teams. Elsewhere, Kirton A consolidated their position in a promotion spot with a 65-42 (6-2) at home to Donington who stay mid table.

The Division Four saga of Donington II v Sleaford Road II was discussed at a meeting of the emergency committee, when chairman Stan Avison, also representing Castle, outlined the facts of the matter as determined by an exhaustive investigation that he had taken on since becoming aware of the problem. He also presented a letter from Peter King recently received and dated August 24 outlining his views. The emergency committee referred to rule 9 indicating that if a game is not played by the end of August the chairman and the emergency committee will decide who should get the points and with what shot difference. In this case the committee considered that a draw was the right decision with no points difference, which means, of course, that each team will get four points if the game hadn’t been played before the end of August.

Week eighteen (ending August 25)

A close-fought conclusion to the season is in prospect at the bottom of Division One, particularly with Castle winning two rinks to one at home to Norprint in a high scoring game with all rinks decisively won to give a 61-48 (6-2) result. This could take Castle out of trouble. But any one of four teams are still in the frame to be relegated with Woodhall Town. At the top of the table Bicker will be champions but Sibsey A finished their best season since they won the Jubilee Cup in 2000, with a 45-60 (2-6) win at Jubilee Park who also will finish in a respectable position.

In Division Two Wrangle B needed to win at Sibsey against the Strollers and they did enough on two rinks to take the game 51-57 (2-6), so it will be any two from Wrangle B, Burton House and Freiston who are promoted. Wigtoft and Swineshead who both finished the season well will, however, be relegated.

At the bottom of Division Three Sleaford Road A lost out to Central Park with a convincing rink win each and the decider going to P Simson, J Knowles and P Young of Central Park 11-17 to give a 40-52 (2-6) result. Sibsey B, with Barry Thompson back from holiday, had a convincing win at Central Park 53-69 (1-7) which could be enough to keep them up. But it will be close as any one of four teams could join Boston Central in Division Four next season. Kirton A lost at home to Freiston 45-56 (1-7) but with Chapel Hill B they cannot be caught at the top of the league and both will go up with one or the other as champions.

Division Four games are complete for Norprint and their last game was at home to Kirton B. With the three rinks being well taken by both sides, one to Kirton and two to Norprint to give a 45-37 (6-2) result. Sibsey C away at Chapel Hill A lost badly to the rink skipped by B Jolley 28-8 but Margaret Wells, Roger Smalley and young Kris Jutsam won 13-16 to give a 55-35 (6-2) win for the home side. Sibsey C, however, had a decisive win at home to Sleaford Road II with rinks skipped by Lee Archer and George Bulman winning well at the end of a good first season for them with a 56-44 (6-2) win. BBC II and Wyberton look certain to go up but a Sleaford Road II versus Donington II game has to be decided by the emergency committee and their decision could influence matters.

Week seventeen (ending August 18)

Numerical checks of scoresheets are always undertaken at this point of the season. And close inspection of one in particular means that the points total of Wrangle B in the Second Division has meant an adjustment at the top of the table positions. Other sheets remain missing and league officials stress the need for all results confirmation of games played to be submitted in good time, especially when end-of-season details need to be fully confirmed.

In Division One Mareham-le-Fen seem to be making an effort at last to stay up. They had a good win at home to Woodhall Town with three close rink wins in what was obviously a rain-affected match to give a 42-32 (8-0) result. Mareham also fared well at Sibsey with a last-gasp tied rink on 21-21. And with Noel Bush, B Clark and K Hutton winning 15-20 it gave a 64-49 (5-3) result. There were three definite rink results at Castle with the visitors West End taking two of them and the match 35-44 (2-6). Home skips D Sharpe and K Manley must be wondering what they have to do to beat Bicker with the Jubilee Park side losing two rinks by one shot and the game 47-59 (0-8). Jubilee Park did no better in the woods at Woodhall with the Town side winning 61-44 (6-2) thanks mainly to a 26-11 win by J W Gee, S Balderson and H Archer. West End won three rinks well in their home game with Good Fellowship to take the game 63-36 (8-0).

In Division Two West Skirbeck found the trip to Wrangle too much, going down to Wrangle A 69-52 (8-0) with all rinks won well by the home side in this delayed game. Sibsey Strollers and BBC I had a good game on the Sibsey green which is playing well, with one rink each being relatively close but with D May, P Turner and S Upsall winning 8-19 the aggregate and the game went to BBC 42-59 (2-6).

Woodhall Ladies struggled in their Division Three match at Chapel Hill B going down by the convincing margin 98-16 (8-0). There was a good rink each in the match Swineshead v Wrangle A but the away side won the decider and the game 41-57 (2-6). Wrangle B also did well at home to Freiston who struggled on two rinks but took the third by one shot to give a 64-35 (6-2) result. West Skirbeck continued their efforts to climb the table with a good win at Wigtoft, Ivor Roberts, Janet Lewis and D Wright ran it close but they won the other two well and the match 45-66 (0-8). The rink skipped by A Sage did well to take a rink off Kirton A in their Division Three game away to Central Park but the Kirton side won the match 45-56 (2-6).

Donington A won well at home to Boston Central 81-30 (8-0) with P Gorbutt, J Potter and P Wilson winning 40-5. Bicker II struggled on two rinks at home to Sibsey B with the away rink skipped by captain Walter East winning 8-27 to comprehensively win the aggregate 36-70 and the game (2-6).

It is understood that Sleaford Road II in Division Four are having difficulty finding dates for games which they couldn’t play early in the season against Sibsey C and Donington II. It is perhaps no coincidence that their first team also cried off in week five for the game with Sibsey B and are also having difficulty in finding a date to get it played. However, they did manage to get their later home game with Donington II played and came out winners 67-35 (6-2). If they don’t get these played it will not be an easy one for the emergency committee. There was a good 10 shot rink win for each team at Wyberton with K Woods, A Westrup and I Facey winning the decider by one shot to give the home side a 48-47 win over BBC II.

Week sixteen (ending August 11)

This year’s Jubilee Cup final was held on the excellent green at Stickney, where the hospitality was also first class. Norprint won the toss and took the jack. But after two trial ends it was West End B who settled best early on and delivered the better woods in the first half of the fixture. Norprint came back, but West End B held on and came out as winners of the trophy by a scoreline of 61-52. This is a team competition and it is perhaps not right to pick out individual performances. But the bowling of M and S Hippisley for West End B was consistently good throughout and gave their side the confidence and the shots needed in a keenly contested final in good playing conditions. The cup competition was initiated in 1979, 50 years on from the Coningsby and District League’s formation at a meeting held in the Castle Hotel on February 26 in 1929.

In the bread-and-butter action of the main league programme, a six-shot rink win each in the Division One game Mareham-le-Fen v Good Fellowship ensured a close finish and Noel Bush, B Clark and K Hutton just made it with a one shot win to give the home side a 56-55 (6-2) result. Stickney pulled out all the stops to record a good 64-41 (8-0) home win against Jubilee Park, with perhaps the pick of their rink wins being the 22-10 result by A Wooding, P Giles and F Smith. Good Fellowship out-bowled Sibsey A on two rinks in this top of the table clash but Dave Bridges, Maureen Brammer and Richard Jutsum pulled one back to give a 54-30 (6-2) result. Norprint did well at home to Stickney winning 50-37 (6-2) with two rinks skipped by R Pick and B Allitt winning well.

In Division Two West End B mastered the stormy conditions better than Sibsey S and came out winners by the convincing margin 60-36 (7-1). There was a close game at Wrangle between the A and B sides with what some would see as a surprising result. The A side beat the B side comprehensively with a 39-59 (0-8) score. Freiston and BBC I had a tied aggregate in what was obviously a rain affected game with two rinks to BBC I to one in favour of Freiston to give a 35-35 (3-5) result. BBC I were, however, well beaten at home by West End B who are going well at the moment by 43-62 (1-7). West Skirbeck look set to avoid relegation but only just won at home to Swineshead 52-47 (6-2) who are playing much better than earlier in the season. Burton House are doing their usual end of season charge with a 63-29 (7-1) win over Wigtoft, but they may have left it a bit late.

In Division Three Chapel Hill B continue their challenge for promotion with a 43-58 (2-6) win at Bicker with the Bicker II side getting one close rink win but with the away rinks skipped by M Carr and S Wells taking the other two with apparent ease. In the bottom of the table clash Sleaford Road won well on two rinks to get the result at home to Sibsey B 54-44 (6-2). Sibsey B lost out again at home to Donington on two rinks but with Alan Woods, John Gash and Eric Beale winning 16-8 it gave a result of 38-41 (2-6). Freiston won well at home to Boston Central (not Central Park) with A Pape and his rink sharing the spoils to give a 51-47 (7-1) result. Kirton A also beat Boston Central at home with a 65-39 (6-2) result. Woodhall Ladies did well to get their game played at home to Sleaford Road and they had a good win 33-28 (6-2).

Wyberton look destined to leave Division Four as their comprehensive win at home to Norprint shows, winning well on all three to take the game 71-44 (8-0), but they didn’t do so well away to Chapel Hill A with two rinks tied and the third going to the home side to give a 36-30 (6-2) score in the rain. In what appears to have been a rain affected game also Sibsey C just beat on Norprint B on three rinks to take the match 38-30 (8-0). Peter King is doing a good job with his Sleaford Road II side but they lost out at home to BBC II 32-45 (2-6) with E Lewis, S Smalley and J Thornley winning 6-22 for the away side. BBC II continued their winning ways with a 66-34 (8-0) win over Kirton B with each rink well won.

Clubs are also reminded that rule 16 requiring that players shall play for one club only in any one season can only apply to the Coningsby League. Player are, of course, free to play in other competitions for as many clubs as they wish.

Week fifteen (ending August 4)

A close Division One game took place at Jubilee Park. There the home team took on Mareham-le-Fen in a fixture that saw the visitors go close to success on all three rinks. But in the end they managed only one success (and that by a single shot) as the bulk of the points (6-2) went to the home side on a 59-52 aggregate.

There was also a close aggregate at Castle where — despite a 22-9 win by F.Pearce, T Scholey and Stan Avison — they lost out to the Woodhall Town rinks skipped by D Crabtree and N Wigglesworth and the match 52-52 (3-5). A game of mixed took place fortunes at Sibsey where the A side took on Castle. Two good wins for the home side were countered by a 9-19 win for A Watson, S Bradley and N Burton of Castle to give a 56-45 (6-2) result.

At Wigtoft in the Division Two, Sibsey Strollers mastered conditions to win on two rinks but lost out on the third to the skilful bowling of Mr and Mrs Rooney for a drawn game 54-52 (4-4). Sibsey B away to Chapel Hill B found their hosts on form and it appears giving little away to record a 74-33 (6-2) win. The home rinks skipped by Shaun Wells and Mike Carr scored particularly well.

In Division Four a 12-21 win by D Mullenzer, W Stennet and R O’Rourke for Chapel Hill A at Norprint was enough to earn a draw for the away side in a 40-43 (4-4) finish. A strong Sibsey C side were obviously too good for Donington II gaining maximum points in a 56-39 (8-0) result.

Week fourteen (ending July 28)

Norprint have won through to the final of the Jubilee Cup. They achieved the feat by hitting the road to face Jubilee Park. And they returned to Boston with a 54-51 winning margin to their names. In the showpiece final, they will play West End B who are the first second string team to make it all the way since BBC II some years ago. The Norprint rink of B Barton, D Toynton and D France were largely responsible for their victory on the strength of their rink success by a 10 shot margin.

A week 13 in the top division came from Mareham-le-Fen where the visitors were Stickney. They latter appear to have been outplayed on two rinks, losing 36-9 to H Major, D Hodgson and C Beardsworth and 24-13. The aggregate of 75-42 showed the home teams superiority, although points of (6-2) illustrated that at least one rink made a fight of it.

Shirley Allen and her Good Fellowship side came up against an in-form Jubilee Park at Woodhall with the home side winning on all three by good margins to give a 65-39 (8-0) result. Two results were submitted from Bicker. The first was a surprising home draw with Norprint and that thanks mainly to Roger Wing and his rink with a 27-12 win to give a 57-50 (4-4) result. The second showed two good rink wins for Bicker at home to Castle, but with league chairman Stan Avison, B Sweet and N Burton winning 17-23 to give a 69-43 (6-2) result.

A tied aggregate and a one shot rink win saw Sibsey home 53-53 (5-3) at home to Norprint A. Two sizeable rink wins by West End A at home to Stickney earned them a 63-43 (6-2) win with perhaps the 23-8 win by Peter Tracey, S Tracey and C.Hawkesworth worth a mention.

Sibsey S at home to West Skirbeck in Division Two were held to a draw thanks mainly to a 13-25 win by B.Bagley and J and J Whyers to give a 51-54 (4-4) result.

A good rink result each for Wrangle B at home to BBC I but with the home side just taking the decider gave a 46-43 (6-2) result. The Wigtoft rink of G Dawson, R Piggins and M Murphy did well at Freiston with an 11-19 win but the home side took the other two to give them a 54-48 (6-2) win.

There was a good result for Sleaford Road I in Division Three at home to high fliers Chapel Hill B with a good rink win each and the home side taking the third 17-14 to give them a 55-53 (6-2) result. Three decisive rink wins in the woods saw two of them going to Woodhall Ladies and one to Boston Central as the home side took the game 59-53 (6-2). Bicker II struggled at home to Kirton A with a two-shot rink win each. But with the third going to the away side 10-26, it gave them a comprehensive 47-64 result.

Donington A did well at home to Chapel Hill B winning two rinks with apparent ease but losing out to M Carr, M Brommell and Emma Carr on the third to win the game 58-40 (6-2). At the lower end of the division Boston Central did well to beat Donington 56-46 with two good rink wins by skips A Pape and L Nixon.

In Division Four Sleaford Road II making up lost ground with a 53-46 (6-2) win at home to Norprint B and winning on two rinks at home to Sibsey C with the away rink of Ann Wys, Roger Smalley and Kris Jutsam pulling one back 12-16 in the 56-43 (6-2) result. A local derby with a surprising result saw Kirton B draw with Wyberton 47-40 (4-4) thanks mainly to a 17-6 win by John Marshall, David Hill and Alan Pinnock. Donington II won a rink by 8 shots but lost the other two to good wins by BBC II who took the game and the points 42-47 (2-6).

Week thirteen (ending July 21)

In Division One Castle appear to be trying hard to impress once again. This week they were at home to Jubilee Park who are not the easiest team to beat. The home side won two rinks by a considerable margin but Jubilee Park came back on the third to take it 11-18. But the game still went to Castle 70-38 (6-2).

Sibsey A played at West End and the two rinks skipped by Dave and Sue Bridges won well to take the aggregate and the match 35-67 (2-6). West End later took two rinks with apparent ease at home to Mareham-le-Fen who won the third equally well to record a 49-40 (6-2) result. Woodhall Town obviously found it too draughty at Goodfellowship who won the three rinks and the game at a canter 60-29 (8-0) with perhaps the 24-10 win by the Allens worth a mention. Tony Hall and his colleagues at Norprint had a good result at home to Woodhall Town winning all rinks well and the match 65-35 (8-0).

The result sheet in for Division Two game Wigtoft v Wrangle B had an arithmetical error, but it did not change the result, which was a 57-35 (6-2) win for the home side. All was correct, however, in the high scoring game between Freiston at home to West End B with the three rinks just going the way of West End to give a 49-64 (0-8) result. West End B then continued their run with a 55-40 (6-2) win at home to Wrangle B, a close rink win each with the decider going to the home rink skipped by Keith Swain 25-9.

Sibsey Strollers played at home to Burton House with a good rink win each dividing them and Burton House just taking the decider 18-20 to win the aggregate and the match 54-57 (2-6). Wrangle A narrowly won each rink and the match at home to Wigtoft, 18-14, 16-15, 17-16, and took the match by 51-45 (8-0). Wigtoft must be wondering just what they have to do to win! BBC I duly won at home to Swineshead although the away rink of C Grief, J Mews and E May pulled one back 12-17, to give a 62-36 (6-2) result. It was close at West Skirbeck with one rink tied on 17-17 and a rink win each to give a 51-54 (3-5) result against Freiston. Margaret Chester and her rink did well again for Burton House at home to BBC I winning 20-5 and leading the way to a 58-27 (8-0) win.

In the Third Division, Freiston B fared better than their first team with a 52-38 (6-2) result at home to Bicker II. D and M Hunn with H Philpott did particularly well for Freiston taking their rink 22-10. The Woodhall Ladies revival continues with only the second defeat this season of Kirton A, a good rink win each with the third going to S Bellamy, J Hawkins and G Oliver of the Ladies team 19-16 to secure the aggregate and the game 57-45 (6-2). There was a close rink win each in the Freiston B v Woodhall Ladies game. But the third went to the home rink of D Hunn, H Philpott and M Hunn gave Freiston a 52-46 (6-2) win.

Donington did well at home winning a rink 33-8 and the game against Central Park 63-39 (6-2). Donington did the business at Sleaford Road winning by the large margin of 31-72 (0-8), K Staples, G Bastow and G Irving winning 1-30 and the other two won well. The rink of Central Park of R Davy, J Young and B Blackbourn scored 29-9 at home to Chapel Hill B but it was not quite good enough to take the aggregate and Chapel Hill won the other two and the game 55-56 (2-6). Each rink won well in the Boston Central v Bicker II game with one to the home side and two to Bicker to take the game 46-61 (2-6). Skips M Goddard and J Evans guided their rinks to good wins for Kirton A at home to Sibsey B but Alan Woods, Tony Bowler and Eric Beale replied with a 12-14 score to give a 59-39 (6-2) result.

The Division Four game at Wyberton was a hard fought encounter with Sleaford Road II who drew the match thanks mainly to a 7-20 win by J Riches, R P King and F B King to give a 42-49 (4-4) result. Norprint B took two rinks to the one gained by Donington in a low scoring game with a 45-29 (6-2) result. Chapel Hill A went close on two rinks but the BBC II rink of R Goodale, B Sansam and H Medlock made no mistake with the third taking it comfortably 23-8 to give a good result for them 55-34 (8-0).

Sibsey C at home to Wyberton was as close as they come with two rinks going to the away side but with a 30-9 win by Ann Wys, Roger Smalley and John Hodgson to take the aggregate and give a 55-44 (4-4) result. At home to Kirton B, Sleaford Road II scraped home by one shot on one of the rinks but won the other two well to take the game 71-25 (8-0). Three good rink wins were the feature of the Chapel Hill A v Donington II match with two going to the home side to give them a 57-30 (6-2) win. BBC II took a rink at home to Norprint B by one shot but the away side won the other two convincingly and the game 36-52 (2-6).

Week ending July 21

SPECIAL TRIBUTE:

It is with sadness that the Coningsby and District Bowls League has learned via information from Peter Tracey and others of the death of John Gale. He was associated with the league for many years both as chairman and treasurer. His enthusiasm for the league will be missed and the many bowling colleagues who met with him and enjoyed his company both on and off the green will mourn his passing.

Week twelve (ending July 14)

A reminder for the two teams in the Jubilee Cup final. At the last annual meeting, the secretary reported that Stickney had agreed to host the cup final on their green on the evening of Monday August 7 at 6pm with their usual green fees of £2 payable. The result of the round three match between Central Park and Jubilee Park is now in and although the home side went close on two rinks Jubilee Park won well in the finish and came out winners by 50-71. They will now play Norprint to see who joins West End B in the final.

The first Division One result for the current report is a bit of a surprise with Mareham-le-Fen losing at home. Castle had two rink wins to the one achieved by the home side and came out winners by 41-49 (2-6). A good result for them, although Noel Bush reports that extra teams are now having an effect. Norprint also did well away to Jubilee Park with one rink win and one tied. But the home rink of F Manley, H and B Welburn (winning well by 28-13) helped to take the aggregate for a 57-47 (5-3) result. Stickney provided stiff opposition at Sibsey by winning one rink well and coming close on a second. But Sue Bridges, Ivor Brown and Gordon Wells saw off any opposition with a 28-8 win to give Sibsey A the 62-46 (6-2) result.

A re-arranged Division Two game saw West Skirbeck losing badly at Freiston with only Gordon Gallichan, Rob Rutherford and B Staples putting up any resistance with a 14-15 win to give the 69-32 (6-2) result. At Swineshead the home rinks struggled against Sibsey Strollers with only L Bristow, P Dawson and E May making things competitive with a 12-13 rink score in a 33-57 (0-8) result.

In Division Three, Kirton A continued their winning ways with a 50-62 win at Sleaford Road with the rinks of skips R Bennett and J Evans winning well to take the points (2-6). Sibsey B took on Boston Central on the park and came away winning two rinks to one and the game 47-45 (6-2).

Division Four saw a close result at Wyberton with one shot deciding the aggregate in the game against Donington. There was a good rink win each with the decider going to J Cotton, P Mermott and M Warren of Donington to give a 47-48 (2-6) result. Tracey Hodgson and her Sibsey C side won two rinks well at home to Kirton B who took the third 12-20 in a 56-39 (6-2) result.

Week eleven (ending July 7)

Stickney showed a return to last season’s Division One form with a 73-34 (8-0) home win against Woodhall Town. Obviously all rinks were won well but the 25-7 result by A Wooding, A Peacock and S Jupp possibly stands out. A good rink win each at Jubilee Park saw West End just take the decider by two shots to draw the game 58-50 (4-4). Thanks to an 8-31 win by Sue Bridges, Ivor Brown and Richard Jutsum, Sibsey A managed a draw at Woodhall Town with a 54-61 (4-4) result. Bicker slipped again this time at West End going down on two rinks to lose the game 56-52 (6-2).

In Division Two, Wigtoft looks as though they played as people know they can by beating West End B 59-28 (8-0) with A Saunby, D Rooney and L Blackamore leading the way with a 21-5 rink win. A substantial rink win each was the feature of the game at Wrangle where their B team were playing West Skirbeck. However, Ivor Roberts, Jan Lewis and D Wright took the decider 16-20 and the match went to the away side 57-72 (2-6). BBC I won well on two rinks to beat Wigtoft 52-38 (6-2). Burton House, at home to Wrangle A, lost one rink by three shots but took the other two comfortably to win the game 60-45 (6-2).

A Division Three game at Sibsey saw the home B team at home to Freiston B who managed to take two rinks by just one shot. But they won the third conclusively 18-24 and the match 47-55 (0-8). Central Park at Bicker won a rink by one shot but lost the other two to good home scores and the match 66-44 (6-2). Donington at home to Woodhall Ladies took one rink 22-10 but the Ladies won the other two by good margins and the game 45-62 (2-6). Kirton A did well to beat Chapel Hill B, winning well on two rinks but losing on the third until Ray Woods’ daughter Marie took over as skip at 8-13 down and going on to win 21-13 which gave the home side a creditable 61-32 (8-0) win. On the park at Boston, Central Park and Boston Central played out what looks to have been a tight game with two rinks decided by two shots and the third by one to give a 53-52 (6-2) win to Central Park.

The Division Four game at Chapel Hill saw the home team’s A side on top against Kirton B — although the away rink of Alan Pinnock, Mary and Samantha King won 12-19 to give a 58-42 (6-2) result. At Kirton, their B team reversed this score with a 49-39 (6-2) win against Chapel Hill A who won a rink by three shots but looked as though they struggled on the other two. Terry Grimshaw and his Donington II side probably asked for a recount on two rinks as they lost them by just one shot to Wyberton who won the third well to take the match 33-63 (0-8). Sibsey C did well at home to BBC II winning well on two rinks to give a 55-40 (6-2) result.

Meanwhile, the first Jubilee Cup finalist has been decided — West End B beat Castle 55-49 in what must have been a thriller with the home side taking two rinks by one shot and the third by four. The round three result of Central Park v Jubilee Park is still awaited with that winner due to play Norprint in the second semi-final.

Week ten (ending June 30)

Castle defeated Wrangle B 62-53 in the Jubilee Cup and now go on to play West End B in the semi-final. West End B and Good Fellowship had a game as close as they come with West End B coming out winners by just one shot — a good result for them and it opens up the cup competition this year. Norprint beat Wigtoft in another close tussle 51-49 although rink results were not so close. They now play the winners of Central Park v Jubilee Park in the other semi-final.

Three close rink results gave Stickney a 52-54 win at Castle in Division One with a four-shot win each and the decider going to A Peacock, B Bellamy and G Jupp 15-17 to give Stickney a (2-6) points win. Bicker lost their first game of the season at Sibsey with a good rink win each but with a 22-8 decider by the home rink of Dave Bridges, Maureen Brammer and Pete Clark to give a 50-42 (6-2) result. Norprint defied the odds to win at home against Mareham-le-Fen 52-48 (6-2) including a good 23-14 win by B Barton, D Toynton and P Vinter.

There were three substantial rink wins at Goodfellowship with two of them going to Castle. It meant the latter enjoyed a good win 44-60 (2-6) with Stan Avison among the winners. A close result at West End where the A team and Woodhall Town carded a 57-57 (5-3) aggregate, following three clear rink wins.

In Division Two an obviously good team effort by Freiston at Swineshead gave them two very good rink wins but L Bristow, D Armstrong and E May got one back 18-15 to give a 39-72 (2-6) result. Three good rink wins were in evidence at Wrangle — two to the B side playing at home to Burton House yielding a 56-50 (6-2) win for the home outfit who are chasing promotion this year.

Three good rink results for Sibsey Strollers saw them home in an enjoyable game against Wrangle A with a 68-35 (8-0) win. Maud and her West Skirbeck team appear to be struggling this year, going down again at BBC I 54-46 (7-1) despite a good effort by Barry Bagley, John and Janet Whyers with a 19-19 rink result.

Freiston did not do so well against the stronger opposition at Burton House, losing on all three rinks to go down 54-37 (8-0).

Woodhall Ladies had a comfortable win over Bicker II in Division Three 59-44 (6-2) and it appears the team lived up to its name with nine ladies playing under the captaincy of Shirley Ballamy who tested the GPO by addressing the result sheet incorrectly. The result sheet for the Ladies’ win at home to Sibsey B, however, arrived correctly addressed showing a definite 61-39 (8-0) win for them.

Bicker II at home to Donington made no mistake with a 62-47 (6-2) win, although K Staples, J Potter and G Irving carded a 14-23 win for the away side. Freiston B at home to Sleaford Road I shared the points thanks to a 28-13 win by J Walker, M Perrin and L Walker to give a 52-50 (4-4) result.

In Division Four there was a good rink win each for Norprint B and Sleaford Road II with the decider going to B Shaw, M Shaw and J Loughran 18-16 to give a 51-51 aggregate and the points shared (5-3).

Captain Tracey Hodgson with Lee Archer and D Law won their rink 15-17 for Sibsey C at BBC but the home side won the other two rinks by just three and one shots to take the game 47-45 (6-2).

Week nine (ending June 23)

Wigtoft did well to beat Bicker 54-49 in their cup game, with A Saunby, M Chambers and A Dosell doing the damage by 27-10 in their rink win. Round three of the Jubilee Cup, due to be completed by the July 4 is steadily taking shape. In game Q1 Good Fellowship will play West End B who lost on two rinks at Sibsey but a 6-23 win by M and S Hippisley with C Swain clinched it for them. In the Q2-designated tie, Norprint will play Wigtoft. In Q3 Central Park are waiting for the winner of Kirton A v Jubilee Park and in Q4 it will be Freiston or Castle v Wrangle B.

Reports indicate that the Division One local derby between Jubilee Park and Woodhall Town was a good game all round with one rink tied on18-18 and home skips D Sharpe and F Manley taking the other two to give Jubilee Park a good 56-46 (7-1) win.

Jubilee Park came up against two strong rinks in their game at Sibsey and the home side took those two by a good margin. F Hanley, H Welburn and B Welburn took the third by four shots and gave the result a more respectable look, going down 68-39 (6-2).

Bicker did better in their league match at home to Stickney when winning on all three to take the game 58-35 (8-0). In a high scoring game at home, Bicker took two rinks to the one by Mareham-le-Fen giving an 84-41 (6-2) result. The result of Stickney’s game with Mareham-le-Fen is still awaited but it was a close one when Stickney hosted Good Fellowship with the aggregate equal on 57-57 and one good rink win to the home side and two equally good to the away team, to give a (3-5) points total.

Good Fellowship had a better game at Norprint, however, with a close win on one rink but easily taking the other two and the game 37-66 (0-8).

A Wednesday game was at West Skirbeck, who fielded a weakened team. The home side went down to three good rink wins by Sibsey Strollers who carded a 33-66 (0-8) win in their Division Two game. Away to Wrangle B on Friday it was harder for the Strollers. And although they tied one rink 17-17 and won another 16-19, R Witherington, J Thorald and C Baxter made sure of the aggregate with a 20-11 win to give a 53-47 (5-3) result.

A good result arrived for Swineshead at home to Wigtoft with one close rink win each and the third going to D Burns, G Sharp and D Gardner 24-16 to give a 55-48 (6-2) win for the home side. Burton House had a good win at home to West End B when winning two rinks well to take the game 59-38 (6-2). Three close rink results was the feature of the game at BBC I where Wrangle A were the visitors but each went to the home side with BBC I winning 59-46 (8-0).

Another close game came at Sibsey with the B side taking on Central Park with one rink each and one tied but with the away side just edging to give a 48-51 (3-5) result. Chapel Hill B continued their excellent results, winning at home to Freiston B 66-47 (8-0). All three rinks won well, two by eight shots and Mike and Emma Carr with Frank Winchester winning by three.

Kirton A seem to make few mistakes at Donington. While one rink was close, they took the other two well to get a 41-70 (0-8) result.

Sleaford Road had mixed fortunes. In their match away to Central Park, they won 39-66 (2-6) but then went down67-32 (8-0) to Boston Central with the rinks of skips L Nixon and A Pape performing well.

Life is being made complicated in Division Four. The game at Donington against Sleaford Road had to be called off. But there is sufficient time to re-arrange. Sibsey C did better at Wyberton who won on two rinks but lost the third to Margaret Wells, John Hodgson and Derick Smith 10-21 and also lost the aggregate 49-53 to draw the match and share the points (4-4).

Donington II came close on two rinks at BBC II but lost the third 29-7 to N Truepenny, S Surely and J Thorsby and the match 62-35 (8-0).

Week eight (ending June 16)

IN the Jubilee Cup, BBC I and Central Park had a close match. Two of the rinks were tied and the third went to the Central Park rink of A Sage, R Davy and C Hill by just two shots to give them the game 46-48. They now play the winners of the Kirton A v Jubilee Park game. Elsewhere, Wrangle B won at home to Sibsey B by the convincing margin of 58-45 and now go on to play Castle who had a close win 34-46 away to Freiston.

Game H in round two has been given to Norprint by Sibsey captain Barry Hudson. So Norprint go on to play the winners of Wigtoft v Bicker. West Skirbeck lost badly at home to Good Fellowship by good margins on each rink and a 27-60 aggregate. They go on to play the winner of Sibsey C v West End B.

The Division One match Bicker v Jubilee Park was not as close as many might have expected. The Jubilee Park rink of D Sharpe, W West and A Herrick had a good 14-19 win but the home rinks skipped by Roger Wing and D Allerton had 30-11 and 24-9 wins to give them a 68-39 (6-2) result.

Stickney at home to Norprint was much closer — 59-51 (4-4) with the home team getting a share of the points thanks mainly to 29-9 win by A Peacock, C Jupp and W Long. Mareham appear to have found their home form at last when beating Sibsey A. One rink was tied on 19-19 but they won the other two to record a 59-35 (7-1) success. Good Fellowship continued their good form with a resounding win at home to West End 78-35 (6-2).

A good 29-12 win netted by Ralph Pick and his rink salvaged two points for Norprint at home to Castle, but they went down 50-63 (2-6) with Stan Avison, H Watson and T Scholey outstanding for the visitors with a 6-29 rink win. The rink of D May, P Turner and S Upsall did their usual saving act for BBC I in their Division Two home match with Sibsey Strollers. They took their rink by one shot with the last wood to be bowled. But the Strollers took the other two and won the game 46-53 (2-6).

However, BBC I did better in their home game with Freiston when winning two rinks to Freiston’s one. And with a tied aggregate, they took match points 44-44 (5-3). Wrangle A at home to Swineshead was as close as they come. Swineshead took one rink by two shots but Wrangle A won the other two by just one shot each to give a 54-54 (5-3) result. The table-top game Freiston at home to Wrangle B was also as close as it gets with one rink tied on 17-17 and an aggregate of 51-50 (5-3). West Skirbeck did well at home to Wigtoft when winning 69-41 (8-0) with old-stagers Rob Rutherford, Jan Lewis and D Wright outstanding.

In Division Three’s bottom of the table clash, Sleaford Road played at home to Woodhall Ladies. One rink was tied 12-12 but Sleaford and won the other two to give a 54-36 (7-1) result. Apart from the all-lady rink of Rosemary Hoskin, Sheila Scott and Wendy King Sibsey B struggled at home to Bicker II, going down 47-51 (2-6). Three good rink wins, one to Freiston and two to Kirton A gave Kirton a good win 42-59 (2-6) result. A substantial 28-10 win for the home rink of J Cuttings, J Hawkins and J Gee was enough to get a draw for Woodhall Ladies at home to Chapel Hill B who won the other two with shots to spare to give a 61-54 (4-4) result.

In their Division Four game at home to Chapel Hill A, the Sibsey C team played one person short and went down 42-63 (2-6). Three close rink results gave Wyberton the edge at BBC II and the game 52-55 (2-6). BBC II also went down badly at home to Sleaford Road II who had two substantial rink wins to take the game 38-63 (2-6). The Sleaford Road side looked to have one or two heavyweights playing! Kirton B struggled at home to Norprint B going down 31-58 (0-8) with three good rink wins for skips B Barton, R Loughran and B Trigg.

Late call-offs are apparently causing problems for some teams, mostly in the lower divisions. Captains simply need to talk to each other to agree replay dates but if they cannot do this, the league’s emergency committee will decide who gets the points.

Week seven (ending June 9)

Sibsey C defeated BBC II 51-41 in a Jubilee Cup round one encounter. It was a match that BBC contested despite not being able to field a full side — all credit to them for seeing the fixture through. A result in from the Castle v Sibsey A game last week shows some familiar names back for Sibsey with Eileen and Ivor Brown in the side. They obviously had the desired effect as both their rinks won to give the away side a 39-49 (2-6) result.

Meanwhile, it is reported (via Norprint) that Donington have conceded their game to opponents Sibsey A — a surprising way to get the information to league officials!

In Division One Sibsey A were at home to Good Fellowship and achieved a creditable draw by winning two rinks. J Moore, D Sawer and Moore won 8-26 to give a 44-50 (4-4) result. Mareham-le-Fen away to Woodhall Town were well beaten. Woodhall made no mistakes in the game, winning 75-39 (8-0).

West End could only manage a draw at home to Castle despite a 30-13 win by J Sellars, R Dawkes and N Barnes to give a 57-48 (4-4) result. Another away defeat came for Mareham-le-Fen this time at Good Fellowship — with familiar names giving good rink wins for the home side and a 64-46 (8-0) result.

In Division Two Sibsey Strollers were at home to West End B who won two rinks, one of them by just one shot. Thanks to a 29-6 win by John Peach, Phil Stubley and Ivan Stimson the team managed a 55-39 (4-4) draw. A close game at Wigtoft saw the home side beat Burton House 49-44 (6-2) with G Dawson, J Murphy and M Murphy confirming the win with a 21-14 result.

In the Wrangle derby a one-shot rink win for each side saw the B team just taking the spoils via a 14-17 win for A Saxton, B Dickinson and D Dodsworth. A result sheet has arrived at last for the West Skirbeck game away to Swineshead. It ended in a 4-4 draw with rink wins by skips B Bagley and Gordon Gallichan against a definite 27-6 win by home rink M Nichols, J Mews and E May to give a 58-48 result.

In Division Three another Sibsey team had a drawn game. Sibsey B were away to Donington A and won two rinks. But a 23-13 win by K Staples, J Potter and S Staples gave the aggregate and a draw to the home side 52-50 (4-4). Chapel Hill B v Bicker II was dominated by the home side who won three rinks well and the 55-43 (8-0) result reflected that. Kirton A at home to Central Park had a good win. Two resounding rink wins of 31-5 and 25-7 were countered by an 11-25 win by D Young, L Alcock and B Blackbourne to give a 67-37 (6-2) result.

Boston Central at home to Freiston B had two good rink wins but lost badly on the third 3-35 to D Hoon, H Philpott and M Hunn to draw the match 42-59 (4-4). Stand-in captain Ann Wys with Pam Fraser and young Kristian Jutsum lost by just two shots but Sibsey C away to Norprint B made no mistake on the other two to take the game 52-56 (3-5) in their Division Four match. One rink tied on 16-16 but with the other two won with apparent ease by the home side gave a 57-30 (7-1) result in the Wyberton v Chapel Hill A match. Three low scoring rinks gave a close result at Kirton B where the home side just beat Donington II 36-34 (6-2).

Week six (ending June 2)

Jubilee Cup results include Wigtoft’s impressive 34-54 win at Woodhall Ladies, thanks mainly to the two good wins by the rinks skipped by S Rooney and A Saunby. The sheet for Sibsey C v Kirton B shows the home side’s win to be a good team effort. West Skirbeck had a close 49-45 win at home to Wrangle A, with no rink closer than the one shot win by Ivor Roberts, Jan Lewis and P Wicksted.

BBC II caused some concern by identifying their opponents as Central Park when they were playing Boston Central. The result, however, still went their way with a 51-46 win. They now go on to play Sibsey C on their new green. BBC I did well at home to Bicker II, winning on all three rinks and taking the game 54-34. They now go on to play Central Park.

On the league fixtures front, there were two good rink wins Woodhall Town in Division One. But these were countered by an equally good win for Castle that contributed to a 54-47 (6-2) result. West End have found their previously lost form with a 31-73 away win at Stickney. One rink was close but a 3-38 win for G Myers, P Myers and A Kemp ensured a 0-8 result.

One good rink win each led to a 16-18 decider going to Jubilee Park at Mareham-le-Fen to give the away side a creditable 45-59 (2-6) result. Bicker made no mistakes at home to Good Fellowship with a 76-35 (8-0) result. The away side were close on one rink but came badly unstuck on the other two, with skips D Allerton and P Massingham leading their colleagues to record substantial wins.

K Robinson, George Salmon and R Dales did well for Woodhall Town at Bicker but Roger Wing et al took the other two rinks and got a 55-47 (6-2) win. Stickney seem to be slipping a bit this year. In their latest match, they went down at Jubilee Park 57-47 (6-2). Norprint lost at home to an improving West End 45-59 (2-6).

In Division Two, Freiston made few mistakes at Wigtoft when winning all three rinks with shots to spare for a 43-59 (0-8) result. Despite a 26-12 win by D Burns, C Grief and Geoff Sharp, Swineshead lost to two good rink wins by Burton House with a 48-56 (2-6) result.

Sibsey Strollers, with their captain and vice-captain away, recorded a good home win 53-48 (6-2) against Wigtoft with Ray Wagstaff, Peter Parker and new lead Derick Smith finding some sort of form at last with a 22-8 win. The wait goes on for Wrangle B’s result sheet from their game against Wigtoft. Freiston A narrowly won on all three rinks to beat Wrangle A 57-50 (8-0). It was a good win with everybody contributing.

Wrangle B at home to Swineshead added to the latter’s problems with a resounding 64-38 (8-0) win.

A good win for West End B at home to BBC I by 56-43 (6-2) saw only G Grant and his rink putting up any real resistance with a 14-20 rink win. Two good rink wins by Burton House to one by West Skirbeck gave a close aggregate 51-47 (6-2).

In Division Three Central Park, away to Freiston B, obviously played well and played up to their previous form with a 29-68 (0-8) win. Three close rink results unfolded at the Sibsey B v Chapel Hill B game with one rink going to the home side and two the other way to give a 39-45 (2-6) result.

Woodhall Ladies at home to Central Park was a close game with the Ladies getting a good rink win and the aggregate and Central Park winning on the other two to give a 46-44 (4-4) result. Freiston B at home to Donington took a rink win by one shot and tied another 21-21. But Donington won well on the third and took the aggregate to win 48-66 (3-5).

One rink close emerged at Sleaford Road but Bicker II won well on the other two and took the match 31-58 (0-8). Two close rink wins and one not so close gave the Kirton A team a comfortable 45-61 (0-8) win at Boston Central, But they did not fare so well at home to Bicker who won all three with comparative ease and the game 41-60 (0-8).

Division Four looks to be closely contested this year and the Chapel Hill A v Norprint B match appears to have been just such a game. There was a substantial rink win for each side before B Jolley, Jenny Earl and J Farr took the decider 15-7 to give a 56-48 (6-2) result.

Donington B v Sibsey C was also close with a good win each and with the third rink tied on 11-11 but skip John Gash with J Hodgson and M Sturgess made sure of the aggregate with a 9-25 result. Two results that were not so close saw Sleaford Road II winning at home to Chapel Hill A 68-36 (6-2) thanks mainly to a 35-2 win by J Riches, R P King and F B King. And Wyberton beat Kirton B 68-37 (8-0) with what appear to be comfortable wins on all three.

Kirton B also struggled at home to BBC II, going down 36-63 (0-8) with perhaps the pick of three good away rink wins being the 9-20 win by N Truepenny, C West and L Tokley. Wyberton registered a substantial win away at Norprint B thanks mainly to a 3-40 win by K Woods, A Westrup and P Atkin to give a 34-73 (2-6) result.

Following the previous week’s reference to Jubilee Cup games, Tracey Hodgson, captain of Sibsey C, says the failure by certain teams to get early cup games played on time is causing her team (and probably others) considerable fixture difficulties.

Week five (ending May 26)

Jubilee Cup games have been contested and completed despite plenty of inclement weather. And results sheets arriving from various quarters indicate some interesting matches. Defending champions Good Fellowship showed their class at Sibsey against the Strollers with skips A Bristow and J Moore winning comparatively easily 16-23 and 10-29. The home rink of John Peach, Ivan Stimson and Richard Johnson pulling one back with a 20-12 outcome in a 46-64 aggregate score. Sibsey C, however, at home to Kirton B did better, or so it is understood — albeit with no result sheet confirmation as yet. West End B had a surprising win at home to Mareham-le-Fen by 69-37 with skips Norman Ablard and Derek Henderson recording excellent rink wins.

A Division One game that stands out was Castle v Bicker in which the home side obviously gave Bicker a good run for their money by winning one rink and holding them in a second. However, with Bicker getting the aggregate via a 10-23 win for P Massingham, D Stanhope and R Slaughter to give a 47-58 (3-5) result.

Norprint and Sibsey had a close aggregate with the home side just taking it by one shot. Each rink was as close as they come with Norprint winning two while Barry Freeston, Ivor Brown and captain Barry Hudson took the third by 19-22 for Sibsey to give a 56-55 (6-2) result. Jubilee Park ought to have felt at home on the green at Good Fellowship but the host side showed their class once again with a 68-39 (6-2) result.

A close aggregate in Division Two came in the match between Wrangle A at home to West End B where the final result was 49-43. Wrangle had rink wins by five and one shots while the other was tied at 15-15 for a match points return of 7-1 to the home side.

West End B obviously found some good form later on with a 48-41 (6-2) win at home to Freiston despite a 13-17 rink win by K Stones, R Matson and I Smith. Another close aggregate came at BBC I where Burton House won 51-55 (2-6). BBC I also struggled at home to Wrangle B in a later game going down 44-55 (2-6) with the away rink of S Skelton, J Hippesley and S Pickwell winning well 9-22.

Division Three saw Chapel Hill B at home to Sleaford Road I and they took three rinks by seven, six and seven shot margins to give a 59-39 (8-0) result. Obviously all played their part!

Chapel Hill B had a closer aggregate result at home to Donington with each side winning one rink well. The home rink of Craig Hume, Wayne Whiteman and Frank Winchester just won the third 12-10 to give a 46-43 aggregate and a (6-2) points tally.

A bottom of the table clash on the park green saw Boston Central take it 59-37 (6-2) against Woodhall Ladies with a narrow rink win each but with A Hanson, N Lockwood and B Hanson winning well for Boston Central 25-7. Despite a 16-11 win by the Coton family, Donington B lost to Chapel Hill A 35-49 (2-6) in their Division Four clash with Chapel Hill who recorded their first points of the season thanks to the rinks of Jenny Earl and B Tolley.

Week four (ending May 19)

There are some difficulties being reported in the early throes of the new season, notably with Freiston B calling off their away game against Woodhall Ladies whose team officials state they have no dates available to cope with any possible re-arrangement. A lack of players was apparently indicated by Freiston, who, it is understood might only have been able to field six people. Rules 9 and 11 would appear to be relevant here. Rule 9 dictates that only the emergency committee can decide whether to award points and 21 shots to the opposing team if the game is not played and with rule 11 saying any re-arranged match must be agreed by both clubs. In relation to another problem, it should also be noted by teams that in order to have played for a club as defined in rule 16, a player has first to be a member of that club.

Back to events on the greens. And Jubilee Cup games continue to be played. But Chapel Hill B who were due to play at Kirton forfeited the game to Kirton A. No reason was given but Kirton A now go on to play in round two. Woodhall Town gave Bicker a good game with one rink each and one tied but Bicker just managed it 47-50 and proceed to round two. Boston Central playing in the preliminary round at home to Donington B made no mistake with a good win on all three and a 72-22 result. They go on to play at BBC II in the second preliminary game.

Sibsey A have got off to a good start in Division One this year thanks mainly to three of their better players forming what appears to be an unbeatable rink. Dave Bridges, Maureen Brammer and Pete Clark won again 22-9 in the 46-36 (6-2) win over West End in a rain affected game. Mareham-le-Fen had a good win at home to West End with two rink wins and one tied in the 58-38 (7-1) result. The result sheet for the tied rink makes interesting reading with the game at 10-10 at end 15, 16-16 at end 20 and no score on 21. Woodhall Town had an excellent win at home to Norprint with a 24-8 win for Dennis Hoyes, B.Connelly and P.Fox heading a 58-39 (8-0) result.

The Division Two game Freiston v West Skirbeck has apparently been re-arranged for Monday July 10. Elsewhere, a strong Burton House side won well on two rinks at home to Sibsey Strollers with skips J Allen and P Richardson and their rinks scoring 18-12 and 22-7, but away skip John Peach and his rink countered with 14-21 to give a 54-40 (6-2) result. Wigtoft at home to Wrangle A was close with one rink each and one tied to give a 49-41 (5-3) result. Wrangle B at home to West End B was also a close result but thanks mainly to a 29-9 rink win by S Skelton, B Rice and D Dodsworth. Swineshead appeared to struggle at home to BBC I but D Burns, Geoff Sharp and D Gardner managed to tie their rink in a 42-64 (1-7) result.

In Division Three Chapel Hill had a good win at home to Central Park with Mike Carr, Mick Brommell and Frank Winchester taking their rink with a 31-5 score in the 75-36 (6-2) result. Sibsey B played at home against Kirton A and found them a difficult team to beat, losing to away skips R Bennett and T Nixon but with Barry Thompson, Pat Woods and Wendy King winning 17-10 to give a 43-48 (2-6) result. Bicker II won two rinks well in their 57-52 (6-2) win over Boston Central. Central Park and Donington had a high scoring game on the park with the home side winning two rinks 33-17 and 26-17 but with skip K Staples and the Bastows winning 6-23 for Donington to give a 65-57 (6-2) result.

In Division Four Norprint and BBC II had a close game ending in a draw thanks mainly to a 24-5 win by B Shaw, D Allenby and J Loughran for the home side to give a 50-45 (4-4) result. Sleaford Road II away to Kirton B scraped home on two rinks with 14-15 and 10-16 wins but skip J Riches made no mistake on the third to give a 38-56 (0-8) result.

Week three (ending May 12)

In the preliminary round cup-tie between Wyberton and Kirton B, the scorecard shows a close game with a 52-54 aggregate in favour of the latter. They now go on to play Sibsey C to decide who goes into round one.

One fixture at this stage now decided is the Wrangle B v West End match in which the home side, who are going well this year, took the aggregate 54-51 thanks mainly to a 23-13 rink win by R Witherington, C Baker and S Pickwell. Another round one game between Castle and Freiston B showed clearly the advantage of playing on your own green and the considerable difference in standard of play between First and Third Division teams. Castle won by the considerable margin of 81-31 with Stan Avison and his rink standing out with a 35-12 result.

A close game in Division One emerged when Castle entertained Mareham-le-Fen. The result sheet showed a good rink win each with Mareham beating Stan Avison by just one shot to take the third 19-20. John Bontoft didn’t hold it together and Castle took the aggregate to give a 63-63 (3-5) result. Sibsey A at Stickney also obtained a good result with a drawn game 54-60 (4-4) thanks mainly to an 11-34 win by Dave Bridges, Maureen Brammer and Pete Clark.

Woodhall Town got their first point of the season going down 40-58 (1-7) to Good Fellowship with the Allen rink winning well. Jubilee Park showed their second draw in the first three games with a 60-48 (4-4) result at home to Castle who took two rinks well but went down 28-7 to skip K Manley and his rink. Good Fellowship at home to Stickney was always going to be close run thing. But A Harrison and his rink just swung it Stickney’s way with a 13-23 win to give them a 55-56 (2-6) victory. Bicker continue to build on last year’s results with a 45-56 (2-6) win at Norprint.

A bottom of the table clash in Division Two saw Sibsey Strollers just take it 53-45 (6-2) against Swineshead.

West Skirbeck had their first win of the season at home to Wrangle A with skips Barry Bagley and Mick Roberts winning well. In Division Three, Woodhall Ladies at home to Donington A won two of the rinks well in a low scoring game to take the aggregate in a 46-38 (6-2) result. Bicker II and Freiston B had a close game with one rink tied and the others also tight in a 47-51 (3-5) result.

Donington A at home to Sleaford Road appeared to struggle on two rinks but R Pearson, J Potter and I Bristow pulled one back with an 18-15 win to give a 32-68 (2-6) result. Sleaford Road, however, did not do so well at Kirton going down 69-48 (6-2). Central Park played at home to Bicker II one man short and obviously found it difficult going down 43-65 (2-6). Sibsey B away to Boston Central on the park did well with a 38-60 (0-8) result. Skips Rosemary Hoskin, Alan Wood and Barry Thompson all won well.

Kirton A are looking too good for Division Three and proved the point with a 62-40 (6-2) win at home to Woodhall Ladies.

Division Four matches have now started and BBC II away to Chapel Hill A have started well with a 31-63 (0-8) win. Equally Norprint B have started well also with a 43-66 (2-6) win at Donington B. Skips Ann Wys and Margaret Wells did well for Sibsey C who won at Kirton 41-61 (2-6), I noticed that Margaret had Gwen and Barry Hudson in her rink. There was a close finish at Sleaford Road II who entertained Wyberton with each rink winning by one shot, two to the home side and one to Wyberton in the 49-48 (6-2) result.

Week two (week ending May 5)

The bank holiday and Boston May Fair clearly delayed the delivery of some result sheets. Of those that did appear, it was surprising to learn that Wyberton and Kirton did not play their first preliminary round cup match in the first week.

Weeks one and two in Division Four were left vacant for that reason with the second preliminary round matches in the second week. Norprint B at home to BBC II were well beaten on all three to go down 26-70. Away skips A Mason, K Whyers and F Lewis obviously wanted to ensure a round one game!

Sleaford Road II tackled Freiston in the round one cup match and won on two rinks but a substantial 4-31 win by skip B Nightingale and his rink gave Freiston a 44-58 aggregate win and they go on to round two. Sleaford Road I at home to Norprint lost badly on all three rinks and the aggregate 27-68 to give Norprint a game in Round Two. A close game unfolded on the park with Central Park at home to Burton House, the home side edging it 53-46.

In Division One Stickney — who did well last season — were away to Woodhall Town on their lovely setting in the woods. Rinks skipped by Denis Hoyes and George Salmon lost by just one shot but H Wragg, C Jupp and S Shaw made the game safe for Stickney with an 11-20 result to give Stickney a 40-51 (0-8) result.

Away to Sibsey A the Woodhall side fared no better losing on all three rinks to give the home side a result of 58-38 (8-0). Skip B Allitt and his rink managed to get two points by just one shot at Mareham-le-Fen but home skips John Bontoft and captain Noel Bush took their rinks by 12 and 16 shots respectively to record a 63-36 (6-2) win.

A good rink win for each side at Castle but the Good Fellowship rink of J Moore, J Craft and Mrs S Moore settled it for the away side with a 9-28 win to give a 46-66 (2-6) result.

Jubilee Park away to West End A did well to take two rinks and the game 49-55 (2-6) with possibly D Oldroyd and his rink standing out. In their week two game Jubilee Park again won on two rinks but lost the aggregate to draw their game at Norprint 53-50 (4-4).

West End found it difficult at Bicker with T Horn and his rink winning by just one shot but with home skips P Hudson and D Allerton winning well to take the game 70-45 (6-2).

In Division Two Freiston entertained Swineshead and although two rinks were close K Stones, I Smith and R Telford secured maximum points for the home side with an 18-8 win to give a 58-44 (8-0) result. Burton House held Wrangle A who had a good win last week, in a tight game. One good rinks each with a close one for opposing skips H Dodd and M Chester going for M Chester 15-16 gave a 54-53 (4-4) result. An eventful game at Freiston saw the home side take all the points with a 57-42 (8-0) win against newly promoted Sibsey S.

Familiar names in the West Skirbeck side struggled at home to Wrangle B going down 29-65 (1-7) with only Ivor Roberts and his rink putting up any real resistance. Wigtoft made no mistakes at West End with two substantial rink wins by A Saunby and G Dawson and just losing out by one shot on the third to take the match 29-70 (2-6). At home to BBCI, however, they lost three closely contested rinks to lose out 42-55 (0-8). Swineshead appear to be struggling this year going down to West End B 36-61 (0-8).

Also at Freiston, the B side took on Sibsey B under their new captain Walter East and despite two close rink wins the honours were shared following a 23-10 win by home skip K Posey and his rink giving a 52-44 (4-4) result. A result sheet in from Sleaford Road for their week one game with Freiston B again shows two close rink wins but with P Cannon, J Rylott and S Simpson-Shaw winning 30-4 the home side took all points with a 67-35 (8-0) result.

Chapel Hill, newly promoted to Division Three, were at home to Kirton A. Arthur Fountain and his rink were obviously on top form and won their game 19-10 to counter two closer rink wins by Kirton A to give a 46-46 (3-5) result.

Close again at Donington where their A team took on Bicker II with one good rink win each and with the rinks skipped by K Staples and D.Croft tying on 15-15 to give a 52-48 (5-3) result. Not so close was the 69-29 (8-0) result of Chapel Hill B v Boston Central. Each rink appears to have been won by the home side with comparative ease.

Week one (week ending April 30)

The new season started with a typical, cold evening and sweaters were evident all round. A full league programme was scheduled together with the preliminary round of the Golden Jubilee Cup. And as no matches were reported as being called off, the assumption is that all were played — but results are a bit slow coming in.

The first cup result in was from the match between newly formed Sibsey C and Chapel Hill A. The former were heavily dependent on the rink skipped by club president George Bulman. And their 25-10 win helped to provide an aggregate win for the team of 48-45. They now play (on Friday May 5) the winners of the Wyberton v Kirton B tie.

Division One results in show that Bicker have not lost their touch, winning at home to Sibsey A by the convincing margin of 64-38 (8-0).

In Division Two newly promoted Sibsey Strollers found the Wrangle green difficult to understand and Wrangle A took full advantage and the game 53-48 (6-2). Wrangle B away to Burton House completed a successful week for them with a 33-69 (0-8) win with skips R Witherington and S Skelton winning well and A Saxton not so well but still winning. Maud and her West Skirbeck side at home BBCI lost 56-61 (2-6), although Ivor Roberts and Janet Lewis with D Wright pulled one back for them.

Three good rink wins by skips Alan Woods, Richard Jutsam and Rosemary Hoskin gave Sibsey B a 71-33 win over Woodhall Ladies, in the Division Three game.

The “park derby” between Boston Central and Central Park finished very close on 46-47 with one rink won well for each side and R Davy, R Young and B Chapman took the decider 12-15 to give Central Park a 2-6 win.