Fantastic week for Windsor Bowls Club

The week began with the club officials looking at the many positives from the inaugural John Skone memorial tournament, so generously sponsored by Glamorgan Motors of Penarth and Paul and Chris Gunter of Windsor fame.

The competition, based on an Essex formula by Rod and Angela Hudson, is set to become an annual event in the Windsor calendar.

With no Alliance match, due to the early advent of autumn and the drop in temperature, captain David Howell took the extreme age of his team and they stayed in the clubhouse with its state-of-the-art central heating. Likewise, the more hardy Windsor ladies ended their highly successful season with a friendly game against Rhiwbina.

The undoubted match of the season in the club’s bid to be both league champions and gain promotion to division two of the private greens took place at Pontyclun.

With the home club, Cardiff Sophia Gardens and Windsor all in the mix, nothing but a victory would do to maintain Windsor’s challenge.

Even the most optimistic team member could and would not have envisaged the maximum 14 points and a clean sweep on all four rinks, which Windsor achieved.

At the after-match buffet, captain Brian Rogers was fulsome in his praise for his Windsor team, especially as he was able to confirm that the first part of his master plan had come to fruition with promotion.

Now comes the final push to be league champions with the last game against Cardiff Mackintosh.

M Matthews, R Flitney, C Burton and K McLeod: 23-22

B Rogers, M Lloyd-Jones, P Gunter and T Holmes: 21-16

A Morgan, A Woodcock, M Hope and S Close: 27-14

S Ellard, P Gooding, E Thorne and R Hudson: 27-10

Windsor 98 shots and 14 points, Pontyclun 62 shots.

At Windsor, the PG2 team lost to the Pontyclun team, in an exciting match, by just six shots. The star performance came from the Alan Dudley quartet and a courageous draw achieved by the Peter Morrish four.

J Price, D Stafford, D Hales and P Morrish: 18-18

J Worlock, I Mathias, T Warburton and H C Lewis: 17-22

A Holmes, D Renton, M Fullbrook and D Howells: 16-27

R Ellis, T Evans, M Cuccinello and A Dudley: 25-15

Windsor 76 and three points, Pontyclun 82 shots.

The icing on the cake for the Windsor club came at the ‘All Wales Championships’ held at Llandrindod Wells over the weekend.

Here, the Windsor husband and wife team of Matthew and Emma Woodcock had played themselves into the finals of the mixed pairs tournament.

With Emma already holding the Welsh singles title and heading to Australia to represent the principality, they were hoping to join Windsor’s past Welsh title holders Ken Macleod in the over 60s singles and Mal Hope, who played alongside Ken in winning the over 60s pairs.

To the delight of all at Windsor and the local bowls fraternity, they won the title in a titanic match by just one shot. Trailing at one point by 13 shots to five, it took all the renowned fighting abilities to get themselves back into the game and eventually clinch the Welsh title.

Both were eager to express their thanks to family and Windsor members. It is doubtful that the achievements of the week will ever be equalled or beaten in the years to come, so it must be hats off and three cheers for all at the fantastic Windsor Penarth Bowls Club, based at Robinswood Crescent, Penarth.