WITH the outdoor season rapidly drawing to its conclusion, Penarth Bowling Club had a quieter seven days last week with just two matches played, with the outcome being very different on each occasion.

Wednesday evening saw the visit of old friends from Llantwit Major for a four rink friendly match and, despite all the dire warnings about the approach of apocalyptic weather conditions, the match was played through to a finish in dry conditions even if things got a little chilly towards the end.

The match was keenly fought throughout with Penarth finally winning through on three rinks with a final scoreline of 65-52. Pick of the home rinks comprised Nick Thomas, Lawrence Brooke, Colin Hicks and the ever consistent Ron Maggs (20-12) and with Clive Fry winning 17-13 and Dave Dalby staging a late fightback to end 15-13, victory was assured.

“A good day out ruined by a game of bowls” might well sum up Penarth’s incursion into the West Country, for a Mixed Friendly match with Bridgewater on Saturday.

Perhaps the excessive conviviality of the visit to a local tavern prior to the match, took its toll in the end, because the visitors made about as much impact on the green as a peashooter firing polystyrene pellets at a ground to air missile.

The match was played out under almost perfect conditions and in a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere but such was the dominance of the hosts that they won on all six rinks with a winning margin of gargantuan proportions.

To publish details of this slaughter would make for depressing reading, but Penarth did succeed in winning all of the raffle prizes in the very enjoyable after match celebrations and it was generally agreed that the visitors did attain at least an 'honourable draw' in the singing and joke-telling stakes.

The next seven days sees the conclusion of the 2015 Outdoor Season with matches in the PG One at Pentyrch and the final two Les Heap Triples games at Belle Vue and Penarth Windsor.

Thoughts will then turn to the new indoor season which begins the following week.