IT’S been another successful summer season for Penarth Windsor Bowling Club with more promotions than Groupon (fact not verified).

The men’s second team clearly got a taste for promotion last year and helped themselves to another. League leaders Radyr rather ran away with the division leaving very little between the rest of the teams who all remained in contention for promotion for most of the season. With two defeats prior to the last game of the season, it looked as though Windsor’s staked claim for second was slipping away but a steely win over local rivals Penarth Rectory on the last day of the season proved enough to secure passage to Division One. Although not knowing it at the time, the 6-0 scoreline proved crucial to send Windsor up on rubbers won.

The ladies’ third team came agonisingly close to promotion from Division Four last summer and came away determined to go one better. Go one better they did with a very strong showing in their last two matches making sure that they didn’t lose out again. With other teams regularly having games in hand over them, Windsor found themselves constantly looking over their shoulder but a calm approach from the experienced squad earned them second place and a step upwards.

The ladies’ fourths went one better by winning their division and did so without even losing a match and a draw away to fellow promotees Radyr was the only thing between them and a perfect season. Winning over a hundred sets during the course of the season, they looked imperious from the outset and that form never wavered.

Not wanting to be outdone, the ladies’ fifths also outgrew their division and will be plying their trade in Division Six next season. Still a new team, the ladies proved that enthusiasm can certainly be more important than experience as they fiercely got the better of teams that the formbook would have favoured at the start of the season. With only one match lost back near the beginning of the season, the confidence was flowing alongside the champagne with excitement already building for next year.

It was also a superb season for Windsor’s first ladies team who were only denied promotion by already being in the top league, Premier One. Last year’s promotion was rightly recognised as a wonderful achievement but has been eclipsed by this year’s performance that saw the firsts finish second on South Wales’s top league following a string of superlative performances.