2025 Season Club and League fixture results

Spital Bowling v Glascote Social Club, Return Match

There was a starsk contrast in conditions from the first leg of this friendly competition which was played in pouring rain, to a very warm dry day and our green not at its best, with many dry unpredictable patches.  However, this did not deter our visitors who claimed five wins from eight games with a score of 85-83.  They had won the first leg 107-76 giving them an overall score of 192 - 159, a 33-shot win.  All games were played to 15 ends and of the three games won by Spital Jackie Fox and Dave McAneney scored 17-5, the highest win of the day, followed by Joyce Moore and Mike Humphreys with 15-6 and Pat Humphreys and Paul Greenaway 11-7. Very well done to Glascote Social Club.  The very pleasant afternoon concluded with tea and delicious home made cakes, some even provided by Jayne from the opposition! We look forward to further friendly encounters with GSC next season.

Yates Cup 2025

Winners: Wendy Evans, Joyce Moore and Dave McAneny

Runners-up: Pauline Jenkins, Keith Evans and Matt Bulzacchelli  

Score: 16-5

The Yates Cup is a knock-out competition which is played by teams of three randomly selected players.  Each round’s winners were the first to gain 15 shots, and in the first preliminary round, which took well over an hour, Wendy, Joyce and Dave were 12-9 down before scoring a five to take the win over Ade C, Mike H and Dave P. In the semi-final they again came back from a slow start before scoring a massive 6 when they were still 9-11 down, to claim victory from Pat H, Sue Storr and Ray Vanstone.  Meanwhile,  Pauline, Matt and Keith stormed to a 16-7 victory over Sue Bates, David Storr and Alec, to set up the final. By this time, Wendy, Joyce and Dave were well in the groove and playing their third game of the afternoon, steadily improving and gaining the victory in 13 ends. Wendy had won this event with different partners last year and has achieved a rare record in winning consecutively against stern competition. Congratulation to all three winners!

The Hargrave Goblet 2025

Winners: Sue Bates and Keith Evans

Runners up: Pat Humphreys and Ray Vanstone

This round-robin event is the occasion when the ladies invite a gentleman to partner them for the day. Eight couples took part and eventually everyone played against everyone else, seven ends each time with the score being handed in and kept a closely guarded secret until the big reveal at the end of play. Fortunes varied and it transpired that the lead changed a few times during the 4 hours of play, but the outcome was that  Sue and Keith accumulated a score of 44, followed by Pat and Ray with 42. It was as ever, a fun event to participate in, and Sue and Keith fully deserved the win.

Spital Bowls Club v Little Aston, Mixed,  2025

Score: Spital 96 -  Little Aston 67

We travelled to Little Aston for the second leg of this friendly competition brimming with confidence having defeated our hosts on our own green, and starting with a 59 shot lead. As always when we meet Little Aston bowlers, the atmosphere is consistently pleasant though competitive. Each game was to 15 ends and of the  8 games played Spital won 4 and  drew 2, with David Storr and Joyce logging the best score of the afternoon with a win of 17-6, closely followed by  Ray Vanstone and Sue Bates 15-8, Jackie Fox and Pat Humphreys 15-10, and Ade Coleman and Lidia Higson 12-8 . As always everyone enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts and the opportunity to bowl on the  lovely green at Little Aston.

Spital Bowls  v Castle Bowling, Away 2025

Contesting the Spital Cup

Winners: Spital 172 - Castle 143

The second leg of this friendly competition took place in the Castle Bowls Club’s beautifully kept green in the shadow of the historic Tamworth Castle. The weather between the two halves of this match was in complete contrast, from the hottest day of the year for the first match to a very wet day for the final. We started off in the rain and though the sun did come out before the end, conditions were very squelchy.  Despite this there were some very close matches, everyone from Spital played well to further enhance the score we had taken with us - a lead of 24 shots.  The score was much closer this time with Castle scoring 72 and Spital 77, making the score on aggregate 172-143 in Spital’s favour. Our hosts were gracious in defeat and had made us very welcome all afternoon.  It is always a pleasure to engage in friendly rivalry with them, and we look forward to many more contests.

Birchwood Bowl 2025

The algorithm dictated that this  9 team single elimination competition began with a preliminary round,  Jackie Fox v Ade Coleman, the format being first to 7 shots in 2 or 3 ends, depending on the score.  Jackie won the first game and then went on to play Mike Humphreys, Keith Evans played Sue Bates, David Storr played Pat Humphreys, and Sue Storr played   Lidia Higson. Keith, Lidia, David and Jackie, emerged victorious to play in the semi finals:  Jackie v David, Lidia v Keith. Having won their semis,  Keith and David contested the final which was played to 21 shots.  David won 21-3 - he had been in majestic form all afternoon, and indeed all season, having won 3 trophies already this year.  He’s the one to watch!

Spital Gents v Little Aston Gents Away 2025

Score on aggregate: Spital 107 - Little Aston 105

The second leg of this friendly competition took place on an extremely hot afternoon, with Spital out to revenge the score Little Aston had inflicted on them when they came to Tamworth in May.  The match was played in very good competitive spirits with varied results, and as is clear from the score, Spital just squeaked the win by 2 shots.  Star players for Spital on this occasion were Dave McAneny and Keith Evans who played and won twice. We always look forward to playing on the lovely green at Little Aston  and relish further encounters with them.

Queen’s Jubilee Competition, Bowls and Tennis 2025 winners Jan Webb, Joyce Moore and David McAneny

Runners-up: Christina Souliou, Wendy Evans, David Storr

This was an action-packed afternoon of bowling where the two sections of Spital Bowls and Tennis Club came together to enjoy friendly combat.  Played in threes with one tennis player and two bowlers in each team, three rounds of ten ends played, and the winners of each round progressing to the next stage. During the final the two tennis ladies in each team played brilliantly, with Christina having had a previous win in this competition a couple of years ago, but Jan showed exceptional skill and contributed well to the win.  The final was a tight contest and after nine ends had been played, the score was 9 shots each, but Dave McAneny came through for the winning shot with his last bowl, the team winning 10-9.  Many of the tennis players showed great aptitude at bowling and we would welcome them as regular members of the bowling section, but  especially, Jan and Christina!

Russells Cup 2025

Winners: Jackie Fox and David Storr

Runners-up: Sue Bates and David McAneney

This annual in-house knock out competition began with four games played to ten ends involving 16 couples, then  reduced to 8 couples in the semi final, also to 10 ends, followed by the final which was played as normal: first pair to  score 21 winning the match.  David and Jackie, Sue and Dave produced a thrilling final for us also rans to watch, with Dave and Sue first gaining advantage by end 16 being 11-10 up before Jackie and Dave broke ahead to 14-12.  Then they scored a magnificent 4 at end 20 to make the score 18-12.  However, Sue and Dave regained the jack and steadily increased their score until it was 18 all, followed by a 2 which put them ahead 20-18.  Dave and Sue were on the jack and seemed likely to have won the match on end 28 but bowling last and with her final shot Jackie knocked them off and gained 2 for the Fox/Storr team, making the score 20-20. With a final flourish Jackie and David were straight on the jack and won the last end with the score 21-20.  We were all on the edge of our seats.  Excellent bowling all round.     

Spital Ladies v Little Aston Ladies

Score on aggregate: Spital 83 - Little Aston 64

It was lucky for Spital ladies that we went to Little Aston with a 17 shot advantage after our home win in April, as our hosts were in fine form and ready to avenge the score. On a hot and humid afternoon we played 4 games of 15 ends with each side winning two and losing two.  Jackie Fox was our star player of the afternoon winning 15-5 alongside June Atkins and winning a second time 13-4 with partner Sue Bates. On the day the score was 43 Spital, 41 Little Aston.  As usual our hosts were very welcoming and we always look forward to these friendly encounters on their lovely green.

Spital Bowls v Castle  Bowling Club

Spital 95 - Castle 71

At the end of a busy week for Spital, Castle Bowls Club came to play the first leg of a competition for the honour of winning the Spital Cup.  It was the hottest day of the year and our green was somewhat parched, proving tricky for all though our visitors made a valiant effort.  Everyone bowled well, eight games of 15 ends were played with Spital winning six of them.  We know we will have to be on our mettle for the return match in August.  The match was played in very good spirits and we look forward our next meeting in July.

Strawberry Fayre at Spital Bowls Club

This annual fun fundraising event is a treat for us to enjoy in midsummer although it was a ferociously hot day. We had dressed appropriately for the occasion in predominantly red and white, to reflect the theme of the day. We bowled as normal on a club afternoon, but at the tea hour, we repaired to the clubhouse which had been transformed into a lovely tea room by Sue Bates and June Atkins, where we enjoyed a delicious cream tea with homemade scones, courtesy of Sue,  strawberries and cream. A marvellous afternoon and now a cherished tradition of the club.

Spital Bowling v Glascote Social Club

Score: Glascote 107 - Spital 76

The match at Glascote Social Club  commenced with 4 games on the green under cloudy threatening skies, and then down came the rain, not ideal for  bowling.   Rain stopped play for about 20 minutes and then we hardy wet souls continued  our efforts, with the home team establishing their superiority on their green, despite some close scores.  Of the seven games played Glascote won five. June Atkins with Keith Evans and Pat Humphreys with Ray Vanstone managed to win the two for Spital. Towards the end of the afternoon the sun did come out and we certainly had a warm welcome from the hosts.  We aim to redress the balance in the score when Glascote Social Club  visit us for the return match in August.

The Howard McAneny Cup

Winners: Jackie Fox and Ray Vanstone

Runners-up: Pat and Michael Humphreys

The start of this round-robin competition was delayed by an hour due to inclement weather conditions, but miraculously cleared for the 4 hour window needed to complete proceedings. This is the event where a gentleman invites a lady to be his partner and six games of seven ends are played with everyone having a bye and a welcome rest during the afternoon. Conditions of play changed starting with very wet grass, which became dryer and faster during the day. The score is kept secret and revealed at the end. Jackie and Ray were on great form and accumulated a score of 49, with the Humphreys 9 shots behind in second place and Wendy and Keith Evans in third place with a score of 32. We have to thank Sue Bates for yet another well organised very enjoyable competition.  

Spital Gents v Little Aston Gents, Home

Spital 56 - Little Astion 65

Despite there being a gap of a few years since Little Aston men came to play on our green, the visitors adapted to conditions amazingly quickly and stormed to a strong lead, winning 4 and gaining a draw out of the 6 games played.  Luckily for the home team, Dave McAneny was on good form winning alongside Ade Coleman with a score of 16-2, then logging an 11-12 loss alongside Keith Evans in his second match. Alan Hancock and Ray Vanstone drew 10-10 in their match, helping to keep the loss down to 9 shots, but all credit to Little Aston who were on fine form. We know we will have a stern challenge when we play the return leg at Little Aston in July, but we relish the challenge! After the match refreshments were provided by the ladies, so thank you girls.

Spital v Little Aston, Mixed, at Home

Spital 97  -  Little Aston 38

On a beautifully sunny afternoon we welcomed our friendly adversaries from Little Aston to the first leg of this annual competition.  The home team were in fine form and won all 8 games played, gaining a 59 point advantage to take with us when we play the away leg in July. Rob and Sue Bates set the standard with a 14-5 win, followed by Mike and Wendy, 14-1, David S and Pat, 14-6 and Dave M and Sue S 14-9. Ade and Joyce had a 12-7 win, Keith and Jackie 9-3, Lidia and Rob, 9-4 and Keith, in his second match of the day with Pauline, 11-3.  Little Aston put up a valiant defence but our large very dry green worked in our favour on the day.

The afternoon concluded with a very well-deserved cup of tea and a slice of delicious homemade cake. Many thanks again to Ladies Captain Sue Bates who organized the event.  

Barry Holmes Trophy
The annual gents versus ladies competition was played on an unseasonably cold afternoon with 8 gents playing 7 ladies plus a volunteer gent Rob Bates. A draw was held to determine partners and a round robin format was used with the scoring system of first four woods count. Best results for the ladies were Jackie & Pauline 145 with Sue & Rob 138 and in the gents Rob & David 169 and Dave & Alec 168. The gents retained the Barry Holmes trophy for another year with the final score of 636-484.

Spital Ladies v Little Aston Ladies.

On a beautiful warm sunny afternoon Spital played host to Little Aston Ladies in the first leg of their annual friendly match. Both teams had struggled for players but they managed to make 4 games where Spital took 3 victories and Little Aston 1. Joyce & Wendy won 10-4 against Sheila & Doreen, June & Pat 10-6 against Brenda & Maddie, Sue & Joyce 13-4 against Mary & Dot and Maureen & Lidia had a close game with Chris & Shirley losing 7-9. After the match everyone enjoyed afternoon tea in the pavilion with a lovely selection of home made cakes. The ladies look forward to the return leg later in the season.

 

Spital Ladies v Lichfield Museum Ladies

Spital Ladies 45 - Musuem Ladies 55

This competition is always our first away match of the ladies bowling calendar, and in the past we have enjoyed balmy summer sunshine on the lovely green in Lichfield. However, on this occasion we were obliged to wear winter warmers whilst  battling very windy cold conditions. Lichfield Ladies, competitive as ever, won three of the five games, with June Atkins and Jackie Kirk, Jackie Fox and Pat Humphreys posting winning scores for Spital.  We will endeavour to reverse the scores when we play the return match later in the season.  

Bowling Season Starts at Spital Bowls Club

Gareth Coates,  the Mayor of Tamworth, looking splendid in his chains of office,  came to take the first bowl of the season and get our first afternoon of bowling off to a fine start. The Mayor showed a great aptitude for the game, benefiting from guidance from Gents Captain Ray Vanstone and playing alongside a crowd of us regulars until teatime, when we all enjoyed a marvellous selection of homemade cakes and a very welcome cuppa.  

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League Results

Spital v Glascote B

After 2 days of on off rain Spital played host to Glascote B in the final match of the season in the Baddesley Mine midweek League. Their hopes of staving off relegation were soon dashed as the first three games saw David Storr lose 21-11 to Andy Athersmith, Ade Coleman 21-12 to Charlene Parkinson and Ray Vanstone 21-11 to Dave Chambers. In game 4 Jackie Fox gained a glimmer of light for Spital winning 21-5 against Vic Mortimer bringing the match deficit to 13 shots but in game 5 Dave McAneny had a terrific fight back from 15-5 down against Tom Beal to 19-20 finally succumbing in the 33rd end 21-19. In similar fashion Keith Evans kept up with Kevin Beal in game 6 to 9 all but got left behind with Beal taking six shots over the next five ends to lead 15-9. Evans battled back to 16 all then 18 all and took the lead 19-18 at end 31 but was thwarted by a double and a single from Beal to take the game. Glascote B won the match by 13 shots 110-97.

Spital v Tamworth Eagles

As the season draws to an end Spital’s hopes of dodging relegation took another downturn as an unexpected defeat of Atherstone Grove at Grendon the previous evening pushed them lower in the table in the Baddesley Mine midweek League. After a much needed showery night and a cooler day they travelled to Tamworth Eagles who were themselves struggling to avoid relegation. Game one started well with Jackie Fox making 7 doubles in 23 ends against Keith Robinson winning 21-13. Game 2 saw Sue Bates take an early lead against left handed Ian Booth but couldn’t maintain it and despite scoring 3 doubles lost 21-11. Game 3 had Ade Coleman behind throughout against Ian Sketchley and despite pulling back within a couple of shots at 11-13 lost 21-13. Spital were 10 shots adrift at this point and things didn’t improve in game 4 with Keith Evans losing 21-10 to Julie Patterson who powered through the game after being down 6-2 in the early stages. Spital were 21 shots adrift by now and needed to get back some momentum so when David McAneny scored an impressive 8 doubles in his game against Colin Wood winning 21-12 the deficit was reduced to 12. Unfortunately in the last game David Storr couldn’t get into any rhythm against Eagles Dave Morris who lead from the start and powered through to a 21-7 victory. The final match score Eagles 109-83.

Spital v Winecote

On the hottest, sultriest evening so far Spital played host to Wilnecote in the Baddesley Mine midweek League. So much was riding on this match with Spital facing relegation after a run of poor results so the pressure was on the players from the start. Game 1 started with an excellent win for Ade Coleman over Gordon Reid 21-8, followed by David Storr playing Dianne Medhurst who fought back mid game and made Storr work hard for his 21-15 win. Game 3 found Ray Vanstone in a similar position as his opponent Dave Hatley had a tail end fight back to get to 15 shots as Vanstone took the game 21-15. Jackie Fox had the shortest game over 21 ends with six doubles beating Dave Bellamy 21-7. At this point Spital were ahead by 39 shots and David McAneny built on that lead with a 21-8 win over Laurence Rimington matching Fox’s six doubles in the previous game. The final game saw Keith Evans in a battle royal with Andy Clancy who kept up the pressure drawing 9 all mid game and just trying to gain the initiative over Evans up to 12-13 then didn’t score again as his opponent powered through with singles over the last 8 ends to take the game 21-12. Match score Spital 126-Wilnecote 65 giving 9 league points to Spital to lift them out of the relegation zone for now with 3 matches left until season end.

Baddesley League: Tamworth Castle C & Birch Coppice A
After getting through the pre-lim against Tamworth Castle C in the Charity Shield of the Baddesley Mine Midweek league Spital travelled to Dordon to face Wilnecote in the quarterfinals. Things did not go well as the first 3 games went Wilnecote’s way with the shot score 42-63. In game 4 David McAneny had a comfortable win against Helen Sheldon 21-10 but in game 5 David Storr could only make 7 shots against Gordon Bath so when Jackie Fox took on David Hateley Spital were already 24 shots adrift but she buckled down and lead until midway when Hateley drew at 11 all then lead 12-11 but only got a couple more as Fox scored 10 shots over 10 ends to take the game 21-13. Final match score Wilnecote 107-91.

Spital’s next league game played against Birch Coppice A carried on in the same vein with David Storr losing 21-9 to Steve Betteridge in game 1 but Keith Evans had a tough match with Mark Pratt in game 2 finally coming out on top 21-18. Game 3 saw newby Paul Greenaway go down to 7 against experienced John Hammond. Spital were 20 shots adrift when Jackie Fox took on Paul Turner. They’re game swung both ways up until 12 all at 19 ends when Fox put in 6 shots over 6 ends to lead 18-13 but Turner replied with a double and a single to 18-16 with Fox parrying with 2 singles to 20-16 but she could only watch as Turner took 2 doubles and a single for the game. The match score now was 57-78 against Spital and things didn’t improve over the last 2 games with David McAneny struggling to get any rhythm losing 21-12 to Glen Thomas and Ade Coleman only scoring 8 against Simon Thomas. Final match score 120-77 to Birch Coppice A.

Spital v Castle

In the Baddesley Mine Midweek League Spital visited the historic Tamworth Castle Bowls Club for their next league encounter. In game 1 Jackie Fox played John Bennett who led throughout with Fox only managing to get within a couple of shots at 9-11 but held on with a last ditch attempt to make 16 as Bennett took the game 21-16. Game 2 went in similar fashion with David McAneny trailing all through the game with Chris Barnett finally losing 21-9. In game 3 Ray Vanstone took an early lead over Glyn Evans but then found himself caught at 9 all mid game then 11 all at end 21 as Evans scored 10 shots over 9 ends with Vanstone only managing a couple more losing 21-13. The score line was then 38-63 so the next games were crucial for Spital’s recovery. In game 4 Ade Coleman built up a good lead over Tony Millership 10-3 at end 12 and continued to keep ahead throughout with Millership only making 12 shots. In game 5 David Storr had an early lead against Malcolm Gregory but then found himself battling it out as Gregory forged ahead to 12-7. Storr fought back to 14-15 and lead 16-15 at end 27 but despite his efforts Gregory took 2 doubles and 2 singles over the next 4 ends to win 21-16. At this point Spital could only hope for a 21-0 victory to draw the match but unfortunately when Keith Evans went on in game 6 it was not to be as Steve Stratfull pulled back from a shaky start to 6 all at end 13 then powered through with 15 shots over 12 ends to take the game 21-6 and the match 117-81.

Charity Shield

On the hottest summer evening for years Spital travelled up the A5 where they met their opponents Tamworth Castle C on the green at Wilnecote Working Men’s Club playing in the pre-lim of the Baddesley Mine Midweek League Charity Shield competition. Wilnecote’s Green had suffered with the intense heat as had all the greens in the league so both visiting teams found the going difficult. In game 1 David Storr took 38 ends including 9 no ends to win 21-13 against Peter Randell. Game 2 was a quicker affair with Keith Evans winning against Jan Millership 21-7 over 19 ends. Ade Coleman had a similar game as Storr with 11 dead ends in his game with Paul Wetherill as they drew level mid game with Coleman pulling ahead from then on taking the victory 21-13 over 40 ends. Despite a lead by Kevin Westlake in the early stages Jackie Fox soon caught up and cruised through the game with just 3 dead ends to take the game 21-12. In game 5 David McAneny had another long game over 39 ends with Castle C’s Captain Glenda Watson with each player pulling ahead then being caught up to 16 all. McAneny pulled ahead to 19-16 at end 35 only to be overtaken at end 38 19-20 with Watson rolling in the single to take the victory. The final game saw Sue Bates take a lead to 13-3 over Chris Metcalfe with 6 dead ends to end 19 but with a change of mark Metcalfe started to build a score to 9 shots then was just 2 behind at 14-12 when Bates managed to get back on a better mark taking the next 7 shots over 7 ends to win 21-13. Final shot score Spital 124-79 which puts them into the next round. 

Spital v Glascote B

On the hottest evening so far Spital travelled up the B 5000 to Glascote Social Club to play in the Baddesley Mine Midweek League against Glascote B. In the previous week they had had a friendly on the same green when the weather was in stark contrast with torrential rain. Game 1 with Jackie Fox against Lynda Beal saw Fox get a good lead to 15-9 but Beal pegged back to lead 16-15. From then on it was nip and tuck as the players kept drawing level right up to 19 all but Fox managed the double to take the game 21-19. Game 2 saw Keith Evans struggling to get any sort of rhythm going and was 2-10 down on end 9 against Andy Athersmith but picked a few shots up mid game to draw near at 13-14 but despite his efforts Athersmith was able to regain his composure and take the next 7 shots over 7 ends to take the game 21-16. In game 3 David McAneny had a tremendous battle with Tom Beal lasting over 34 ends with the lead changing throughout the game with Beal leading 17-13 at end 25 but McAneny scored a couple of singles to pull back to 15-17 then 17-18. Beal took the next 2 singles to 20-17 then had to watch as McAneny played 2 doubles to take the game 21-19. At this point Spital were 2 shots behind and when Ray Vanstone took on Dave Chamberlain the pressure was on. Both players had a slow start but Vanstone took an early lead to 7-4 but was soon caught mid game trailing 9-7. He battled on to equalise 11 all then 12 all but Chamberlain pressed on to 18-13 ahead with Vanstone just managing a single to 21-14. The match deficit was now 9 shots so when David Storr played Charlene Parkinson there was everything to play for. Storr lead from the start and was well ahead at 18-11 on end 25 when Parkinson put in a tremendous effort to 19-14 then 5 shots over 3 ends to 20-19 but to lose on the next Storr single. The final game with the score line being 93-100 had Ade Coleman up against Kevin Beal where despite being 6-0 down pulled back to draw then take the lead mid game 10-7 but then got stuck as Beal powered back to lead 17-10 and finally take the game 21-12. Final match score Glascote 121-105.

R.Evans Cup

Spital travelled to Atherstone Grove to play against Tamworth Castle B in the first round of the R.Evans Cup in the Baddesley Mine Midweek League. The team had a good start when Keith Evans scored 9 shots over 7 ends against Zoe Locke and continued to dominate the game as Locke started to score but couldn’t make any headway finally losing 21-10. Game 2 was a marathon between David McAneny and Castle’s Dave Clay with McAneny building a lead and Clay drawing back throughout right up until end 32 at 19 all then taking a shot to 20-19 with McAneny pulling back to 20 all and clinching the game 21-20 at end 36. In game 3 Ray Vanstone started well leading 9-5 against Nigel Grounds but then got left behind as his opponent scored 12 shots over the next 9 ends to lead 17-9 at 25 ends finally taking the game 21-10. The shot score was now 52-51 in Spital’s favour and the next game of David Storr with Mike Pickford was crucial. Pickford got into a good rhythm early on and dominated the game throughout winning 21-9. Jackie Fox totally overwhelmed Lorna Findlay in game 5 taking the game 21-4 over 18 ends to redress the shot score 82-76. In the final game Sue Bates struggled to get any rhythm going against Lorraine Chritchley and despite pulling back to within 2 shots 9-11 didn’t settle and lost 21-12. This tipped the balance in favour of Castle B with the final score line 94-97. 

Spital v Wilnecote

In the Baddesley Mine Midweek League Spital Bowls Club travelled up the A5 to Wilnecote WMC with its spectacular views over Tamworth. The first game saw David Storr have a shaky start against Dave Bellamy but by end 20 had taken control to lead 16-10. Bellamy hit back to equalise at end 24 but Storr managed 2 doubles and a single to finish the game 21-16. Game 2 saw Ade Coleman build a lead of 10-7 against Steph Clancy who then took control to lead 15-10 at 20 ends. Coleman fought back to draw 16 all and after a dead end took the winning 5 shots to take the game 21-16. Game 3 had Sue Bates against Gordon Reid in a marathon match lasting 90 minutes with Bates leading throughout until end 32 after Reid pulled back to 18 all. Despite getting back a shot to 19 Bates finally succumbed with Reid taking the game 21-19. In game 4 Jackie Fox took control early in her match with Helen Sheldon scoring 6 doubles to contribute to her final shot score of 21-5 at 21 ends. At this point the shot score was 82-58 in favour of Spital. In game 5 Keith Evans managed to get to 5-7 down against Gordon Bath but never scored again as his opponent took 14 shots over 10 ends to take the game 21-5. The shot score by this time was 87-79 still in favour of Spital so the final game was crucial. David McAneny pulled back on Richie Brown’s early lead to 3-4 but got stuck as Brown built a lead of 9-3. He fought back to get 6 shots but Brown ploughed ahead to lead 18-6. McAneny had it all to do and managed to score 5 shots from 5 ends but it wasn’t enough and the game was lost 21-11 with Wilnecote taking the match 100-98.

Spital v Atherstone Grove

In the Baddesley Mine Midweek League Spital travelled up the A5 to their hosts for the evening Atherstone Grove. On a very slick green with a true crown Spital struggled to find form. Jackie Fox had a tremendous start against Steve Bown leading 14-8  but after a failed challenge for long tapes seemed to lose momentum and got stuck on 16 shots while Bown pulled back back 12 shots over the next 10 ends to lead 20-16 and take the game 21-17. Game 2 saw David McAneny up against Lisa Chapman  who kept level until end 5 then started to build an impressive lead to 14-6 and despite an attempt to pull back by McAneny took the game 21-10. Ade Coleman suffered the same fate against Ian Cope going down 21-8 after 21 ends. In only his second league game Paul Greenaway followed the trend and trailed 16-2 against John Wilson pulling back a few shots in the latter stage of the game but losing 21-6. In similar fashion David Storr struggled to find any flow in his game with Norman Kester and lost 21-7. The final game saw Keith Evans unable to get into any rhythm against Gary Taft in the early stages but hung on despite being down 20-11 by end 24. He then scored 7 shots over 4 ends to pull back to 20-18 but finally succumbed to Taft 21-18. Match result Atherstone Grove won by 126-66.

Spital v Birch Coppice A

In the Baddesley Mine Midweek League Spital played host to Birch Coppice A on an unusually warm evening for late April. David Storr had a tight game with Mark Pratt to end 18 keeping in touch at 11 all but couldn’t pick up the shots as Pratt forged ahead to 17-11 and despite getting a couple of singles went down 21-13. In game 2 Ray Vanstone started strongly against Simon Thomas leading 16-10 at end 20 but Thomas scored 9 shots in 6 ends to lead 19-16. Vanstone fought back with 3 singles to level the game 19 all but Thomas sealed the game with 2 singles. In game 3 David McAneny had a marathon match lasting well over an hour with Laura Pratt where she led most of the game to end 26 at 15-14 but McAneny managed to draw at 15 all then pull away to 18-16 at end 31 finally taking the game 21-17. Game 4 saw Jackie Fox play Andy Jones who never settled as Fox steadily built the shot score leading 10-2 then 14-4 finally taking the game 21-9. Keith Evans started well in Game 5 against Steve Betteridge with a steady score line up to mid game but Betteridge fought back to equalise at 10 all then 16 all and finally took the game with 5 shots over the next 4 ends. By the last game the shot score was Spital 90 to Birch Coppice A 89 so the onus was on Ade Coleman to try and secure the match. His opponent John Hammonds had a shaky start but soon got into his stride and got into a good scoring rhythm whilst Coleman could only trail behind finally losing 21-13. Final shot score Baddesley A 110 - 103.

Spital v Tamworth Castle A.

After three weeks of beautiful weather Spital played host to Tamworth Castle A in the Baddesley Mine Midweek League on a cool and cloudy evening. In game 1 David McAneny played a powerful game against Glyn Evans leading 16-2 at end 13 and taking the victory 21-6 in 21 ends. Game 2 saw David Storr start slowly but by end 11 had equalised against Tony Millerchip 8 all then kept in the lead from then on taking the game 21-14 on 28 ends. Game 3 saw league newby Paul Greenaway have some unlucky knock-ons against experienced Castle player John Bennet in the early stages but buckled down to pull up to 1 shot behind 14-15 at end 25. Bennet held his nerve and took 6 shots over the next 6 ends to take the game. Game 4 saw Jackie Fox have a slow start against Chris Barnett but pulled back to draw 5 all then 8 all mid game. Barnett pushed Fox for the next 11 ends to lead 15-14 then Fox scored 3 doubles and a single on the last 4 ends to take the victory. Game 5 had Ade Coleman playing Bill Jephcott who lead until end 6 but Coleman pulled back the score and from then on the game swung in favour of both players until end 28 when Jephcott led 20-19 only for Coleman to bowl a double for the win.The final game saw Ray Vanstone take on John Coope who led in the early stages but Vanstone equalised at 8 all and then built a steady lead and maintained it to take the game 21-14. Final score Spital 120-90