Spital v Glascote B

In the Baddesley midweek League Spital played host to Glascote B where the competition was fierce between the two sides. Rob Bates had a narrow defeat at the hands of Dave Chamberlain when after drawing 18 all lost out on the last 2 ends. David Storr had an easy win against Charlene Parkinson who pulled back from 9-1 down but couldn’t make inroads on the score losing 21-8. Ade Coleman had a slow start against Lynda Beal being 10-2 down at end 11 but pulled back to 15 all then 18 all and just got into the lead at end 32 when Beal managed the next 2 ends to win 21-19. Ray Vanstone in game 4 got stuck on 4 shots whilst his opponent Andy Athersmith ploughed through the game to lead 16-4 but Vanstone picked up his form and managed to score 15 shots while Athersmith was held at 20 for 6 ends finally getting the winning shot. At this point in the match the shot score was 73-71 in favour of Spital so everything depended on the next 2 games. Jackie Fox went into an early lead 7-1 against Tom Beal who was playing catch up throughout the game but he started to build his score pulling up to 10-8 at end 19. Fox fought back to take 4 doubles and 3 singles over 11 ends to take the game 21-11. The shot score was now Spital 94-82 so the last game was vital for the team. Keith Evans was up against one of the top league scorers Kevin Beal who challenged Evans shot for shot with the scores level at 5 all, 8 all, 10 all when Evans took the lead briefly at 12-10 but Beal replied to lead 16-12. Evans managed another 4 shots but Beal took the game 21-16. Despite only winning 2 games out of six the shot score was 110-103 in favour of Spital.
 

Spital v Wilnecote

On a dull drizzly evening Spital travelled up the A5 to Wilnecote WMC with its picturesque views over Tamworth. First up was Adrian Coleman who had a tight game with Richie Brown drawing on scores 13 all at 18 ends then slowly creeping ahead over the next 11 to take the victory 21-17. In game 2 Ray Vanstone played Mick Smith and kept with his opponent up to end 10 at 6 all but then got left behind 16-6 at end 16. He managed to pull back a few shots but finally lost 21-11. Sue Bates took on Diane Medhurst in game 3 and never settled losing 21-4. In game 4 David Storr found the conditions tricky and fell behind early in the game and could only get within 2 shots of Dave Bellamy who took the contest 21-15. Spital were trailing 80 shots to 51 at this point so when Jackie Fox took on Steph Clancy in game 5 the pressure was on. The ladies battled it out with the lead changing throughout the game with the score levelling out at 10 all at end 14 then Clancy pulling ahead to 14-10 then Fox replying to lead 15-14 then 19-14 at end 22. Clancy dug in and pulled out 7 shots over 5 ends to take the game. The final game saw Keith Evans against Andy Clancy where Evans took an early lead but Clancy pulled back to draw 10 all at end 16 and then build a steady lead to 15-11. Evans managed to pull back a few shots but Clancy kept the lead winning 21-15. Wilnecote won the match 122-85.

Spital v Amington Eagles B

On an untypically cool July evening Spital Bowls Club played host to league contenders Eagles B. It was set to be a highly competitive match as four players were in the top ten on aggregate, 3 for Eagles and 1 for Spital. David Storr was first on against Ian Scattergood and there was nothing between the players who vied for the lead right through to end 27 on 17 all when Scattergood took 4 shots over 3 ends whilst Storr managed a single. In game 2 Ray Vanstone had an 8-1 lead at end 8 against Chris Green and maintained his advantage throughout with Green only making 9 shots. In the third game Adrian Coleman got off to a good start against Harvey McDonnell leading 11-5 at end 13 but McDonnell pulled back with 3 doubles looking like a comeback was on the cards but Coleman picked up the scoring rhythm and took the game 21-15. At this halfway stage Spital were leading by 15 shots. In game 4 top ten player Jackie Fox found herself 16-6 down at end 16 against Eagles Andrew Brittain but battled away to pull back to 16 all at end 23 and take the lead 19-16 at end 25. Brittain regained control taking 2 doubles and a single over the next 3 ends to take the game 21-19. Captain Matt Bulzacchelli couldn’t settle into the game against Richard Brittain and only managed to score 5 shots leaving the match score 87-84 in favour of Eagles B so the last game was crucial. Keith Evans made a good start against top ten player Adrian McDonnell and built a lead of 8-2 at end 8 and kept ahead despite being challenged throughout the game when McDonnell pulled back to 11-10 at end 17. Evans kept his cool and consistently scored end after end to take the game 21-12 and the match 105-99 shots.

Spital v Baddesley C

On a beautiful sunny evening Spital played host to Baddesley C in the Baddesley Midweek League. Spital had a good start with Ade Coleman who had a shaky first 14 ends against Trevor Reardon being 10-6 down but then put in 2 bursts of 7 shots over 5 ends to take the game 21-13. Keith Evans in game 2 took an early lead at end 6 against Dave Lee and never looked under pressure from then on taking the game 21-11. In game 3 Ray Vanstone couldn’t seem to get into a rhythm and trailed throughout against Eric Allan who took the game 21-13. Game 4 saw Matt Bulzacchelli take on John Freeman who trailed mid game 10-7 but suddenly found his momentum, pulled back to 12 all at end 18 and powered through to score 9 shots over the next 9 ends with Bulzacchelli still stuck at 12. At this point in the match the shot score was 67-66 in Spital’s favour so the next 2 games were crucial. Game 5 was a cat and mouse affair between Spital’s David Storr and Baddesley’s John Savage where the lead changed from player to player in the early stages then Storr taking a few shots to lead 8-4 at end 10 and 16-8 at 20 ends. For the next 7 ends Storr couldn’t score while Savage gained 10 shots to lead 18-16 at end 27. Amazingly Storr regained his composure to take 2 doubles to lead 20-18 but Savage pulled one back at end 30. Storr’s final single took the game. The shot score was now 88-85 so the pressure was on Jackie Fox in the final game with Neil Freeman. The score was 3 all at end 6 but Fox put in 4 doubles and a single to lead 12-3 at end 11, 15-5 at 16 ends and 18-10 at end 22. Freeman rallied to pull back to 14 shots at end 25 but Fox managed a single for the next 3 ends to take the game 21-14 and the match 109-99.

Spital v Glascote B.

After a warm sunny afternoon Spital travelled up the B5000 to compete against Glascote B in the Baddesley Midweek Bowls League. In game 1 new captain Matt Bulzacchelli started off against Dave Chamberlain and after an early lead got bogged down at 7 shots whilst Chamberlain built his score to lead 11-7 at 12 ends. Bulzacchelli dug in and found his rhythm pulling back to 14 all at 20 ends and taking the lead 17-14 at 23 ends. However Chamberlain fought back as Bulzacchelli got stuck on 18 to take the game 21-18. Game 2 Ade Coleman was up against Tom Beal where the players were evenly matched up to end 13 at 7 all then Coleman took control and pulled up to a 15-9 lead at end 23. Beal then buckled down and started to put in some winning shots. Despite being down 19-17 at end 31 Beal managed 5 shots over the next 4 ends to take the game 21-19. In game 3 Jackie Fox got off to a slow start against Lynda Beal trailing 5-0 after 4 ends but settled down to regain her form and pulled back to 5 all at end 8. The game was tit for tat through to end 14 at 8 all then Fox slipped behind 15-12 at end 22 but got a second wind and pulled up to level the game at 16 all at end 26. 5 shots over the next 4 ends sealed the game 21-17 for Fox. In game 4 David McAneny played Helen Athersmith who struggled with McAneny’s consistent shot making and was down 11-1 at end 9 and despite hauling back to 10 shots overall lost 21-10. Game 5 had David Storr gain a lead of 13-4 against Charlene Parkinson but then found himself in a battle as Parkinson settled down and pulled back to 13 all at end 23 and take the lead 16-13 at end 26. Storr regained momentum and equalised 16 all at end 28 and 18 all at end 31 finally taking the game 21-18. In the final game Ray Vanstone came up against top league scorer Kevin Beal who dominated throughout scoring 7 doubles and 7 singles in 17 ends whilst Vanstone could only manage 2 shots. This game swung the match in Glascote’s favour with an overall score Glascote B 108 shots to Spital’s 102.

Charity Shield Spital v Castle C.

On a dull damp evening Spital Bowls Club travelled to Dordon Institute to play against Tamworth Castle C in the Charity Shield competition. First up was Keith Evans against Tony Millership with Evans getting an early lead and keeping ahead throughout the game, winning 21-6 at 22 ends. Adrian Coleman played Dave whitehead in game 2 and took time to settle but by end 11 had fought back to draw 6 all then went ahead briefly at end 13 with the score 8-7. Whitehead pulled a few shots back to lead 11-9 at 16 ends and from then on the lead changed from player to player to end 29 at 18 shots apiece. Coleman dug in and drew a double and single to take the game 21-19. Jackie Fox had a steady start against Paul Storton in Game 3 managing to keep in front throughout despite Storton pulling back to within 1 shot at end 12. Fox got a second wind and started to build the score whilst Storton got stuck on 11 shots and despite pulling a couple more lost the game 21-13. In game 4 Matt Bulzacchelli had a steady start and built a lead of 14- 6 shots at end 22 against James Mullis and 18-8 at 27 ends. Mullis managed to pull back a few shots to 18-11 behind but Bulzacchelli powered on through to take the game 21-11. Game 5 saw David Storr up against Castle captain Glenda Watson with Storr powering through the game leading 11-3 at 10 ends, 15-4 at 14 ends. Watson had a flurry of 3 doubles over 4 ends to pull the score up to 19-10 but Storr managed a double to win 21-10. In the final game David McAneny was drawn against Peter Randle were the players were evenly matched to end 14 at 9 all. McAneny pulled ahead to 18-10 at end 22 and 20-10 at end 23 but Randle pulled out a few shots to make 14 at end 27. Finally McAneny got the single to take the game 21-14. Match score Spital won 126 -73 and go through to the next round.

Spital v Athersone Grove.

After a day of thunderstorms Spital played host to league leaders Atherstone Grove in the Baddesley Midweek League. In game 1 Ray Vanstone had a tight encounter with Ian Cope were the game was neck and neck in the early stages but Cope settled well and built a lead of 15-6 at end 16. Vanstone pulled back with 4 doubles and a single to trail 17-15 then 17-18 at end 26 but a double and a single sealed the game for Cope. In game 2 David McAneny was up against John Wilson and built a steady lead to 11-7 at end 16. He managed to keep ahead whilst Wilson pulled a few shots back to 18-14 at 26 ends. McAneny took the next 2 ends to take the game 21-14. Matt Bulzacchelli played Steve Brown in game 3 and in the early stages played cat and mouse with the score to 7 all but then dropped behind 10-7 at end 12,13-9 at end 16. Despite pulling back to 12-14 Bulzacchelli lost the next 5 ends trailing 19-12 at end 24 but then took 3 shots to pull back to 15. Brown drew the next 2 singles to take the game 21-15. Game 4 saw David Storr have a shaky start against Barry Stone but settled to pull back to 4 all at end 7 then pull ahead 7-4 at end 9. He continued to build his scoreline with 5 pairs and 2 singles over the next 17 ends and despite a pull back by Stone, Storr took the game 21-15. At this point the match score was 74-71 in favour of Spital so when Adrian Coleman took an early lead 9-2 against Alan Bradnock things were looking good for Spital. A fight back by Bradnock saw him pull back to equalise at end 17,11 shots apiece. Coleman retaliated and took the next 5 ends to 16-11 and was leading 18-15 at end 26 when Bradnock had a run of shots to equalise at 19 all. Coleman took the game with a final double. The match score was now 95-90 so in the final game Keith Evans was under pressure from the start against Norman Kester. The shot score was even throughout the first 19 ends but then Evans got stuck on 12 whilst Bradnock took 11 shots over 9 ends to take the game 21-12 and the match 111-107.

Spital v Birch Coppice B.

After a full day’s torrential rain Spital travelled up to Dordon where hosts Birch Coppice B were waiting to play in the next fixture of the Baddesley Midweek bowls league. The rain abated for the start of the match as David McAneny played John Hammond. The game was neck and neck by end 18 at 11 all but then McAneny scored on the next 8 ends to pull up to 19-11 at end 25. Hammond managed a pair on end 26 but McAneny took a double on the next to take the game 21-13. Stand in Rob Bates had a good start against Stephen Thomas leading 7-3 at end 9 but only managed to gain a couple more shots in the game as Thomas settled into his stride and scored an impressive 7 doubles and 4 singles to take the game 21-9. Game 3 saw David Storr taking time to get into a rhythm against Gordon Brewster pulling back to 7 all at end 12. The game advantage went from player to player culminating at 20 all at end 35 when Brewster took the final single needed for victory. In game 4 Keith Evans was up against arch rival Richard Limm who was trailing Evans up until end 13 but then fought back to take the lead 12-10 at end 16. Evans pulled back to 12 all then 13-12 but Limm got a second wind and kept ahead for the rest of the game despite Evans digging in and getting to 19-20 at end 30. Limm took the game on the next end 21-19. In game 5 Jackie Fox started with a battle against Laura Pratt and was level on score at end 6 3 shots apiece but then started to steadily build a lead with 5 doubles and 8 singles. Pratt pulled back a few shots but Fox took the game 21-12. At this point the match score was Spital 90 shots to Birch Coppice’s 88 so the final game was crucial. Ray Vanstone was up against Steve Betteridge where the game was evenly matched in the early stages but Betteridge went ahead 10-7 at end 14. Vanstone replied with 12-10 at end 18 and Betteridge pulled up to 12 all at end 20 then leapt ahead to 16-14 at end 25. Vanstone retaliated to draw 16 all at end 26 but Betteridge replied with a single to make the score 17-16 to Coppice. Vanstone finally had a couple of doubles and a single to take the game 21-17 and the match 111-105.

Spital v Glascote B. Cup Match.

In the Baddesley Mine Midweek League Spital travelled to Baxterley to take on Glascote B in the first round of the League Cup. Only Jackie Fox was able to take a game against Helen Athersmith 21-12 but others suffered narrow losses with Adrian Coleman going down to Dave Chamberlain 21-16, Keith Evans 21-19 down to Rich Athersmith and David Storr 21-18 to Lynda Beal after a battle where Storr lead 13-8 midway but found himself stuck on 18 shots as Beal dug in and equalised at end 34 and finally took the 5 shots in 3 ends needed for victory. The other 2 games saw Ray Vanstone lose 21-9 to Charlene Parkinson and Matt Bulzacchelli 21-8 to league top scorer Kevin Beal. Match result Glascote B won by 117-91 and go through to the next round.

Spital v Glascote B

In the Baddesley midweek League Spital played host to Glascote B and began the match after a torrential downpour. Ray Vanstone in game 1 led 14-6 at end 12 against Tony Wilkinson but found himself level pegging 15 all at end 20 and falling behind 19-16 at end 24. He managed to equalise at end 27 but Wilkinson took the next 2 ends to win 21-19. Game 2 saw Keith Evans play Jonny Turner and after a slow start was trailing 5-1 at end 6 but regained his momentum and pulled back to equalise at end 9. From then on he built a steady score whilst Turner got left behind only managing to get to 10 shots. Ade Coleman played Maurice Blaby where the game was nip and tuck up until end 19 on 10 all, then 14 all at end 26 but Coleman took 7 shots over the next 5 ends to take the game 21-14. In game 4 David Storr played Paul Allcote and took an 8-2 lead but Allcote settled into a rhythm and made a fight back equalising at 15 all at end 21, then leading 18-15 at end 24. Storr pulled back to 18 all and led 19-18 at end 28 then Allcote equalised at 19 all finally taking a double on end 30 to win 21-19. Jackie Fox was up against Trevor Holland in game 5 and after 3 ends got into a rhythm and built a steady scoreline to win 21-9. The final game saw Matt Bulzacchelli have a battle royal with Dave Wilson and trailed behind throughout the game until end 19 when he took the lead 13-11. Wilson fought back to lead 19-15 at end 28 but Bulzacchelli plugged away to draw 20 all at end 33 and got the final end on a pair. Match score Spital won 122-95.

Spital v Baddesley C. Cup Match.

In the Baddesley midweek League Spital travelled to the historic Castle Bowling Club on an unusually sunny evening. The beautiful weather however did not bode well for the team as the Castle A side had a complete sweep of the games with only David Storr and Jackie Fox getting into early teens on the scoresheet. Final score Castle A 126-56. Later that week the team had managed to get to the final of the Charity Shield and met their opponents Baddesley C at the Tamworth Eagles green minutes after the latest downpour. First up was Keith Evans against Neil Freeman who scored an impressive 7 doubles and left Evans stuck on 3 shots for half the game finally winning 21-9. Next was Matt Bulzacchelli with John Savage where the game was close all through to end 15 but then Savage had a good run of shots and pulled away to lead 16-9 at end 20 and despite a concerted effort from Bulzacchelli took the game 21-15. In game 3 David Storr had a strong start against Ian Shorthouse and was leading 13-0 at end 9 when his opponent got into a rhythm and started scoring end after end whilst Storr got stuck on 17 shots up until end 22 with the score now 17-12. Finally Storr restored his composure and took the next 3 ends to win the game 21-12. In game 4 Jackie Fox struggled against Barry Fox and despite scoring with 5 doubles couldn’t get into the game and went down 21-12. In game 5 substitute Rob Bates had a battle royal with Eric Allan after being behind in the early stages but pulling into the lead 9-7 at end 12 and just keeping ahead for the rest of the game winning 21-18. At this point the shot score was Spital 78 to Baddesley’s 93 so the pressure was on Ade Coleman to take his game without his opponent scoring more than 5 shots. Unfortunately by end 10 John Freeman had reached the winning shots needed and despite battling on Coleman lost 21-12. Final match score Baddesley C 114 to Spital’s 90.

Spital v Baddesley C

On a beautiful sunny evening Spital played host to Baddesley C in the Baddesley Midweek League. Spital had a good start with Ade Coleman who had a shaky first 14 ends against Trevor Reardon being 10-6 down but then put in 2 bursts of 7 shots over 5 ends to take the game 21-13. Keith Evans in game 2 took an early lead at end 6 against Dave Lee and never looked under pressure from then on taking the game 21-11. In game 3 Ray Vanstone couldn’t seem to get into a rhythm and trailed throughout against Eric Allan who took the game 21-13. Game 4 saw Matt Bulzacchelli take on John Freeman who trailed mid game 10-7 but suddenly found his momentum, pulled back to 12 all at end 18 and powered through to score 9 shots over the next 9 ends with Bulzacchelli still stuck at 12. At this point in the match the shot score was 67-66 in Spital’s favour so the next 2 games were crucial. Game 5 was a cat and mouse affair between Spital’s David Storr and Baddesley’s John Savage where the lead changed from player to player in the early stages then Storr taking a few shots to lead 8-4 at end 10 and 16-8 at 20 ends. For the next 7 ends Storr couldn’t score while Savage gained 10 shots to lead 18-16 at end 27. Amazingly Storr regained his composure to take 2 doubles to lead 20-18 but Savage pulled one back at end 30. Storr’s final single took the game. The shot score was now 88-85 so the pressure was on Jackie Fox in the final game with Neil Freeman. The score was 3 all at end 6 but Fox put in 4 doubles and a single to lead 12-3 at end 11, 15-5 at 16 ends and 18-10 at end 22. Freeman rallied to pull back to 14 shots at end 25 but Fox managed a single for the next 3 ends to take the game 21-14 and the match 109-99.

R. Evans Cup.
Spital travelled on a cold rainy evening up the A5 to Wilnecote WMC where they took on Birch Coppice B in the R Evans Cup Round 1. Matt Bulzacchelli was first up against Steve Betteridge who settled into the game from the start and despite an initial fight back from Bulzacchelli by end 8 always kept ahead and easily took the game 21-11. David Storr had a really good start against Laura Pratt and by end 16 was leading 19-4. Pratt then found form gaining 9 shots over 8 ends to pull back to 19-13 but Storr rolled in a double to take the game 21-13. Game 3 saw Ade Coleman take on Stephen Thomas. After a hesitant start Coleman built the score and after end 13 was leading 16-4. Thomas picked up a few shots but never gained any momentum and Coleman took the game 21-16. Game 4 between Spital’s Ray Vanstone and Birch Coppice’s Frank Spencer started slowly but gained momentum after end 6 when Spencer took control and built a steady lead whilst Vanstone trailed throughout. Game score 21-15. Game 5 saw David McAneny up against Gordon Brewster who took an early lead but McAneny clawed back the shots to 9 all at 15 ends. The game was nip and tuck with the lead changing over the next 8 ends. McAneny went into a 6 shot lead at end 28 but Spencer pulled back to 19 all at end 33. A double from McAneny sealed the game.
The final game saw Jackie Fox compete against Richard Liam in a game where the lead changed from player to player then drawing level at end 21 score 14 all and 15 all end 23. Lim led 17-15 at end 24 and Fox pulled back to lead 19-18 at end 27 but finally succumbed to lose 21-19. Birch Coppice go through to the next round 111-108.

Spital Bowls Club began the 2024 season in the Baddesley Midweek League with a visit to Amington based Eagles B.  After a day of rain the weather changed to a cool clear evening. First up was men’s captain Ray Vanstone against Chris Green who dominated the match from the start making it difficult for Vanstone to get into the game. Green won 21-6. David Storr took on Chris Payne and settled well and was leading 11-4 at 13 ends but Payne dug in and equalised at 12 all at 19 ends. It was neck and neck to end 24 at 15 all but Storr lost momentum and Payne pushed ahead to take the match 21-15. Game 3 saw Jackie Fox take on Harvey McDonnell with Fox taking an early lead but McDonnell fought back and by mid game edged ahead 9-8. From then on it was nip and tuck on scores until end 23 when Fox went a shot up then monopolised on the lead keeping ahead to take the game 21-17. Game 4 saw Ade Coleman matched against Richard Britton where the game was even up to end 9 at 6 apiece but from then on Coleman trailed behind from end 11 and despite picking up a couple of shots lost 21-9.
Game 5 matched vice captain Matt Bulzacchelli with Andrew Britton. Bulzacchelli started well and built a steady lead keeping Britton at bay up to end 14 score 12-5 but then Britton started sending long jacks and pulled back to 18 all at end 31. Despite Bulzacchelli clawing back to lead 20-19 at end 33 Britton equalised at end 34 and finally got the winning shot 21-20. The final game between Rob Bates and Ade McDonnell saw Bates take an early lead to end 6 but couldn’t compete with the long jacks sent by McDonnell and trailed the match throughout finally losing 21-11. Final match score Eagles B 122-82.