BOWLSBANTER
Kenton Bowling Club
January draws to a close and it has been the month with the least rainfall I’ve recorded since January 2020.
The easterly winds have also been blowing and the temperatures have been high. It was in these conditions that the Eastern Area (EA) League competition got underway in Makhanda last Saturday.
Two matches were played by each team, followed by another two each on Sunday at Kowie.
Last weekend saw Kenton hosting the third round of the league matches.
The final two rounds take place on March 5 and 6 at Albany and Port Alfred.
Kenton has teams entered in both the Men’s A and B league, as well as in the Ladies league. We have had mixed success so far in the league but are holding our own and having fun.
Tabs last week was very well-attended and there were enough club members present after the bounce games on Friday to allow all the draws to take place.
The whisky draw was won by Ken Nixon and the PT Lockdown Meat Draw was won by Ken Bern.
Sheila Walker saw her luck change as she’d no sooner said her number never gets drawn and she was picked to have a go at the Joker draw.
Unfortunately, that’s where her luck ran out and she had to be satisfied with the consolation prize.
Business League starts on Monday evening and will continue well into March. There is a fantastic entry of 22 teams this year, which makes it the largest entry to date.
We wish them all well, but more importantly lots of fun. The last two years have been tough on everyone but especially on our friends in business, so please remember to support our local shops and businesses whenever you can.
This week the entries for the EA Singles competition closed and entries for the EA Mixed Pairs, which will take place in Kenton, close on February 7.
The entry forms for all the internal club competitions are on the notice boards so please get your entries in for them as well.
Kowie Bowling Club
Last Tuesday, nearly 50 enthusiastic sun-blocked bowlers played the normal megabucs tabs-in competition on superbly prepared greens.
The competition had a slight difference in deciding the winners of the day.
Being a first at our club, and due to the scores being equal in all ways, a final playoff was decided on the wooded floors, inside the clubhouse.
A kitty was placed on the floor, and the two leads stood about 15m from it. The closest to the white ball would be declared the winner. After (hilariously) bowling the first couple of bowls into the ladies’ restroom, the leads representing the two winning teams finally found their “indoor weight”, with Rob Turner outdrawing Ron Ruiters in the playoff.
The winning team was Peter May, Peter Giblin, and the hero of the afternoon, Rob Turner.
In overcast weather, Wednesday was attended by our clubs novices, and as usual much fun was had by all.
Thursday saw the highlight of our monthly bowling calendar where the Pam Golding sponsored day was held.
Fifty-six very enthusiastic bowlers participated, with one or two senior members sitting out to accommodate our “swallows” from the UK.
We had a full house of seven rinks playing fours. Skips drew their teams out of a bag, and the fun began. Scoring was a point an end, and 6 for a win.
As always, the competition was very competitive. The overall winners of the Pam Golding hampers were Dave Freeme, Ronel Hugh, Beth Abbott and Jason Prince.
Friday saw the second round of the Kowie Premier League being played between the nine participating teams.
The leading team at the moment on 8 points is Lennie Clark and his team of Jack and Foxy. Close on his heels on 7 points is Brian Rogers and his team of Andrew and Dave Thomas. In third spot with 6 points is Jackie Kriel’s team of Wendy Heny and Lester.
The results after the second round of the EA League hosted by the Kenton Bowling Club on Saturday is as follows:
“A” League – Men: 1. Port Alfred – 42.5 points; 2. Kowie – 34.5 points; 3. Kenton – 31.5 points.
“B” League – Men: 1) Kenton – 36.5; 2. Kowie Cavaliers – 33.0; 3. Port Alfred – 29.5.
Ladies’ League: 1. Kowie – 18.5; 2. Albany – 14.0; 3. Kenton “B ”– 13.0.
With a lot of our top players playing in the League in Kenton on Saturday, we only had three rinks of players at the club.
The winning team for the afternoon was Pieter Stegmann and his team of Belinda and Ozzie.
Sunday January 30 was a full day of top class bowling at the Kowie, where we hosted a friendly competition held between Border and Eastern Province.
With both the A and B rinks running true, the quality of bowls was phenomenal.
Scores were very close with the ladies peeling 15all after the first round, and EP men leading by 17.5 to Borders 12.5.
The final results were Border, winning both the mens and ladies competitions with 39 points to 33.
A huge thank you to the Kowie team for another successful day of top class bowling.
Finally, congratulations to Lawrie May, who won the whisky and biltong raffle, organised by Peter Ford.
The proceeds will be donated to the upgrading of our club which is celebrating its centenary this year. Thanks Peter.