Author: TC

Our final away game of this Prem B season saw Hustlers venture to the wilds of Charlton Kings, hoping to turn Madhatters over and edge a little closer to safety.

And we got off to another cracking start as all three openers broke the 40-mark, with Clive top scoring once more as they eked out a 4-pin lead.  Second leg were less fortunate, despite pulling early pins, and soon found the gods of fate steering them to a 16-pin loss, with Rich setting bottom score.

With Wallsy walking off with the raffle, the signs were looking better as third leg started out.  And they soon found themselves pulling pins.  But that was not to last long and they also started leaking pins, closing the leg a further 17 behind.  But the anchors are always up for a challenge and soon set about the chase.  With Gary and Neil both matching Clive’s top score and Steve so narrowly losing to his man, they proved too strong for the ‘Hatters.  But not strongly enough, as it turned out, and we lost by a narrow 22 pins.

It’s our final home game next week and we look to achieve that rarest of doubles this year – the double over the Cannonballs and a win under Rob’s command.  Tune in to find out what happens next.

31/3/14 v Madhatters @ Charlton Club

TC	6	7	5	5	6	6	35	-6
Rich	8	6	4	4	4	6	32	-6
JT	8	4	8	6	3	4	33	-4

2nd leg total 100 v 116

Pete	6	7	4	5	6	8	36	-5
AS	8	6	4	4	5	5	32	-3
Chris	9	7	5	2	7	6	36	-9

3rd leg total 104 v 121

Gary	5	9	9	6	8	7	44	3
Steve	3	8	5	5	7	8	36	-1
Neil	8	9	7	7	6	7	44	5

4th leg total 124 v 117

Grand total 454 v 476

WON by -22

With the end of the season now fast approaching, Hustlers returned to the Suffolk, looking to salvage at least some pride and, hopefully, a handful of points.

And what a way to start.  With Pete and Clive getting our first 9s on the way to a pair of 40s, and Neil just missing out on his (but becoming the first Hustler past the 1000 pin mark for some years), they set an unbeatable leg score to give us an early 19-pin lead.  Second leg proved to be our lowest-scoring, with TC narrowly missing a rare 40, JT making amends for a faltering display with a final 9 and AS beating his man, despite being bottom scorer.  Still, a further 7 pins were eked out against the Flyers’ poorest leg.

Next up was the Flyers’ best leg.  Alan came in as supersub, sandwiched between joint bottom scorer, Lofty (despite his 9) and another 40 from Chris (with a pair of 9s).  But third leg couldn’t hold out, so conceded the 7 pins we’d just pulled out, but still leaving the anchors with a rare healthy lead.  Gary set about defending the lead with another solid 40, while Steve and Rob stumbled some way behind.  Buit they did more than enough, dropping just the three pins as they wrapped up a rare Hustlers win with a fine total.

It’s off to the Charlton Club next week, as we look to take points off Madhatters.

24/3/14 v Brown Jug Flyers @ Suffolk

JT	4	6	7	2	5	9	33	-1
TC	6	7	7	4	8	7	39	4
AS	7	7	5	4	5	4	32	4

2nd leg total 104 v 97

Mart	2	7	2	9	6	6	32	-2
Alan	6	8	5	2	5	8	34	-5
Chris	9	7	4	9	5	8	42	–

3rd leg total 108 v 115

Gary	7	7	8	6	6	7	41	4
Steve	3	8	4	7	8	3	33	-11
Rob	6	5	8	8	3	5	35	4

4th leg total 109 v 112

Grand total 450 v 434

WON by 16

Rested after Race Week, Hustlers made their last trip of the season to Saracens, looking for revenge against Steamers and the start of our run to safety.

First leg got us off to the best possible start, with both Pete and AS equalling their season’s bests.  A spareless 40 (but our first 9) from Pete was followed by spares from AS and Neil, as they set up an early lead of 17 pins.  TC opened second leg with a 9, but all three struggled, with Rich just edging JT out for bottom score as we saw those 17 pins cancelled out.  Still, nothing lost as it was all square after the first half.

Chris made a great start on third leg with a spareless top score (and so unlucky to lose to his man by 4 pins), with another 40 from Mike and an injured Clive just missing bottom score.  But their efforts were negated by Steamers’ strongest leg, who opened out a 12 pin lead for the anchors to chase down.  But with just Steve breaking the 40 barrier (Gary & Rob so narrowly missing it), their valiant effort ultimately proved not to be enough as we dropped a further 13 pins, to concede the double.

Back home next week as we look to regain some pride and maybe hope that we can stay up.

18/3/14 v Steamers @ Saracens

TC	9	7	6	6	6	4	38	-5
Rich	7	2	5	7	5	8	34	-5
JT	3	7	5	6	7	7	35	-7

2nd leg total 107 v 124

Chris	7	9	8	9	8	8	49	-4
Mike	7	7	7	7	9	5	42	2
Clive	3	7	6	5	7	7	35	-10

3rd leg total 126 v 138

Gary	5	8	8	5	7	6	39	-2
Steve	7	5	8	6	9	7	42	-5
Rob	8	7	5	7	6	5	38	-6

4th leg total 119 v 132

Grand total 487 v 512

WON by -25

Back at the Suffolk, back from the Weymouth trip, Clive back in charge and looking to restore some order to the Hustlers’ form – what could possibly go wrong?

First leg were looking good as Rob scored our first 9 and Pete’s consistency almost netting him a 40, but with AS faltering as he gained possession of Barry the Brasilian beaver with his lowest score of the season.  But it was still enough to establish a narrow lead of four pins.  Second leg were a little more consistent but, despite Clive getting our second 9, dropped six pins, leaving us trailing by a mere two at athe end of the first half.

With TC and landlord Alan taking the honours in the raffle, hope was still in the air.  Despite Chris finally getting our first 40, third leg underachieved in dropping a further twenty three pins, with Mike grabbing our second beaver in the process.  But the anchors could still pull it back.  And they set about it early, pulling back twelve pins on the first hand and five on the next.  Then Gary pulled a spare out of the hat, easily negated by Neil getting our third beaver (surely an unprecedented achievement, even for the ‘Slurs), but all still tight.  Gary’s top score helped the anchors to a grand total, but just not enough to grab that much-needed win.

We have another break next week for Gold Cup, before resuming combat at the Saracens against Steamers.

25/2/14 v Starbrights@ Suffolk

JT	7	5	8	8	3	7	38	-5
TC	6	5	6	4	7	6	34	-2
Clive	7	3	4	8	9	6	36	1

2nd leg total 108 v 114

Mike	8	6	0	6	5	4	29	-11
Rich	4	4	6	3	7	6	30	-14
Chris	8	5	9	6	9	6	41	2

3rd leg total 100 v 123

Gary	6	8	12	8	6	7	47	14
Steve	8	8	7	5	4	6	38	-1
Neil	7	8	0	8	6	8	37	1

4th leg total 122 v 108

Grand total 432 v 443

WON by -11

Looking to break our stand-in skip’s poor record, Hustlers headed for Hatherley, hoping for a rare win.

JT led the way on first leg, opening with 9 to slot our first 40 of the night and keeping us within 6 pins.  Second leg proved to be the best of the night, despite Rob being the only one to miss his 40.  With 9s all around and Pete top scoring, they turned the game on its head to leave us ahead by 6 at the halfway mark.

Third leg became the first to not hit a 9 as the game swung yet again towards the Boys.  So the anchors set about reeling the Celerys in to regain the lead.  And we witnessed the tightest-fought leg of the match, with the Celery’s eventually sneaking it by a mere 3 pins, to take the game by 9.

We’re back at home next week to take on Starbrights after our seaside break (Weymouth is on alert), hoping our skip can return and restore some winning ways.

25/2/14 v Celery Boys @ Hillview

Rob	6	9	6	7	7	4	39	4
Pete	7	6	8	9	8	8	46	7
AS	6	5	8	5	7	9	40	1

2nd leg total 125 v 113

Mart	4	6	7	6	7	8	38	–
Rich	6	4	7	5	7	6	35	1
Chris	7	7	4	5	5	6	34	-12

3rd leg total 107 v 119

Gary	7	8	6	4	5	7	37	0
Steve	7	4	8	6	8	5	38	-7
Neil	6	4	7	7	5	7	36	4

4th leg total 111 v 114

Grand total 451 v 460

WON by -9

After last week’s stumble, it was back at home for the ‘Slurs as we looked to do the double over old friends Tivoli Boys & end their winning streak.

With Steve opening the night with our first spare, it looked like it would be a good one again.  As he & Lofty chalked up our first 40s, Pete compensated with his season low and we found ourselves 12 pins behind.  second leg saw a little improvement as all 3 hit 9s, helping TC to his first 40 of the season as he top-scored.  And, despite Mike setting a new season low, we managed to actually win the leg and narrow the gap at the midpoint to just 7 pins.

With the Tivolis sweeping the raffle, we hoped to make up for it on the alley.  But third leg faltered, despite Rich opening with our second spare (making up for his capture of Barry the Brasilian Beaver later in the leg).  Like first leg, they also conceded 12 pins, leaving us to close a 19-pin gap to win – it wasn’t impossible!  And so the anchors started off well, with Gary leading the way as he narrowly missed out on a 40.  Ultimately, the Tivolis proved too strong and pulled out another 9 pins to win by 28.

Unfamiliar territory awaits next week as we travel to Hillview Community Centre to play the Celery Boys, hoping to get back on track.

17/2/14 v Tivoli Boys @ Suffolk

TC	7	7	7	7	6	9	43	8
Mike	2	5	9	4	4	1	25	-5
JT	9	3	5	5	7	5	34	2

2nd leg total 102 v 109

Rob	8	6	6	1	5	5	31	-9
Rich	10	8	6	4	0	5	33	-4
AS	7	7	5	5	7	6	37	–

3rd leg total 101 v 113

Gary	6	6	6	8	7	6	39	5
Chris	7	6	7	3	6	2	31	-12
Neil	5	7	4	8	7	5	36	-2

4th leg total 106 v 115

Grand total 418 v 446

WON by -28

Looking to extend a run the Robins would kill for, Hustlers made the watery trek out to Bishops Cleeve to face old foes Mitre at Noah’s Ark.

A top start by 1st leg saw Clive get our first spare and 40, while Rob’s consistency got him top score and Andy narrowly missed his 40, giving us an early 4-pin lead.  Mike’s spare and 40 soon followed, with steady support from TC and JT (even more narrowly missing a 40) to take that lead out by a further 11 pins at the midpoint.

Mike secured the raffle as 3rd leg took the oche.  A faltering display as Stu bottom-scored in the lowest-scoring v highest-scoring contest, which saw the game turned on its head, with Mitre taking it by 26 pins.  And so the anchors were left with an 11-pin gap to chase down.  They set about it well, with Gary getting our third spare and 40, ably supported by another Neil 40 and Chris beating his man by 10 pins.  And, as it came down to the very last ball, ‘Slurs found themselves beaten by a single onesy.

It’s back at home next week as we face Tivoli Boys and the chance to pick up another double.

12/2/14 v Mitre @ Kings Head

TC	7	2	5	7	7	5	33	-2
Mike	7	6	13	3	5	8	42	10
JT	5	7	6	6	7	8	39	3

2nd leg total 114 v 103

Pete	5	7	4	6	6	8	36	-5
Rich	5	7	5	4	7	5	33	-9
Stu	6	5	4	4	6	7	32	-12

3rd leg total 101 v 127

Gary	8	8	14	4	5	4	43	3
Chris	7	6	4	7	5	8	37	10
Neil	6	6	7	8	8	6	41	-3

4th leg total 121 v 111

Grand total 462 v 463

WON by -1

With two consecutive wins, Hustlers returned to the Suffolk looking to extend that run and notch up a second consecutive double as they faced close rivals Golden Miller.

Rob opened with our first 40 of the night as he seriously beat his man, with Stu narrowly missing his flair and support from AS as they established an early 13-pin lead while achieving top scoring leg. Second leg started well and soon saw TC and Clive get our first 9s with none of the leg losing to their men, our skipper leading the way with our highest score of the night.  Extending the lead to 28 pins at the midpoint with TC taking top prize in the raffle, all was starting to look rosy.

Third leg were just as steady, despite being the lowest scoring, with Rich getting another 40 in beating his man.  But we dropped 6 pins, just enough to set a few nerves on edge, but surely a big enough win for the anchors to defend?  A bit of a rollercoaster on last leg as they started leaking pins, despite 9s from Wallsy and Neil.  A few worried looks began to appear, but for no reason, as they fearlessly held on, dropping only 7 pins to ensure another victory.

It’s a long away trip to Cleeve next week as we take on old friends Mitre, looking to keep the winning streak going and move further up the table.
 

3/2/14 v Golden Miller @ Suffolk

Pete	8	4	4	8	5	5	34	8
TC	8	4	9	6	5	4	36	–
Clive	7	8	7	5	9	7	43	9

2nd leg total 113 v 98

Mart	8	3	8	7	8	1	35	-3
Rich	8	7	8	6	6	6	41	2
Chris	5	6	7	7	6	3	34	-5

3rd leg total 110 v 116

Gary	7	3	8	4	8	5	35	5
Steve	6	5	5	9	6	8	39	-6
Neil	5	5	6	7	9	5	37	-6

4th leg total 111 v 118

Grand total 449 v 434

WON by 15

On the back of last week’s morale boosting home win, Hustlers travelled to United Services, looking to complete our first double of the season over high flying Stragglers.

Rob salvaged some pride with a pair of 9s to open first leg, while Stu cruised to our first 40, with AS stuttering slightly behind.  A good opening, to set us on our way with an 11-pin lead.  JT & TC both suffered a little upturn in form, but were put in the shade after Clive’s opening 9 set him up for our second 40 of the night.  Another 10 pins opened up a most pleasing gap at the midpoint.

A bit of a faltering leg saw Lofty get a very strange 40, with an early beaver giving way to a 9, followed by our top spare, but still fail to beat his man.  Mike then managed to steal Barry the Brasilian Beaver away from him almost at the death, while Chris steadied the ship a little with another 9, as he helped himself to another 40.  With a pin dropped, it was looking good as the anchors stepped up, but anything could happen with the ‘Slurs.  And so it proved, as Steve opened with a 3, before Neil compensated with our second spare, immediately followed by our 3 from top scorer Gary.  With all three making 40s (including a share of another three 9s between Gary and Steve), though, they eased their way to a 6-pin gap to round off one of our best scores of the season and deliver another rare victory.

We’re back at home next week to face Golden Miller.  Another win will help us climb further away from the relegation slots.  How will we do?

28/1/14 v Stragglers @ United Services

JT	3	6	3	8	6	8	34	5
TC	5	5	7	8	6	5	36	-1
Clive	9	7	8	8	8	8	44	5

2nd leg total 114 v 104

Mart	6	0	9	6	14	7	42	-2
Mike	7	7	7	4	0	6	31	-8
Chris	9	8	4	8	7	7	43	9

3rd leg total 116 v 117

Gary	6	11	6	9	6	7	45	9
Steve	3	6	8	9	9	7	42	-4
Neil	10	8	7	5	8	6	44	1

4th leg total 131 v 125

Grand total 474 v 448

WON by 26

With our fortunes seemingly on the turn, Hustlers were again at home, looking to turn the Suffolk back into a fortress.

In spite of the nervous start, 1st leg soon found their groove and eased their way out to a 9-pin lead.  Encouraged by this start, 2nd leg settled into another groove and were soon stretching that lead still more.  JT led the way with our first 9 and 40, closely followed by Lofty’s top spare and top score, leaving us 25 pins up.

Dobbin again took the raffle, with Gary completing the sweep.  The omens really were looking good.  Third leg stuttered as Rich’s rare bottom score was sandwiched by a pair of 9s and 40s from Mike and Chris.  A single pin dropped – could it be the start of another collapse?  Not if the anchors could hold on.  Neil matched Steve’s 9 and 40, only to round it off with our second spare and, with all three beating their men, the lead was extended yet further and victory ensured.

Time to take this form with us, as we travel next week to United Services to take on Stragglers.

20/1/14 v Saracens A @ Suffolk

Pete	6	6	5	4	7	5	33	-1
JT	7	4	9	5	8	7	40	9
Mart	8	6	12	7	7	5	45	8

2nd leg total 118 v 102

Mike	6	7	9	6	6	6	40	7
Rich	5	4	3	4	6	6	28	-7
Chris	8	5	9	6	8	4	40	-1

3rd leg total 108 v 109

Gary	8	8	1	3	7	6	33	1
Steve	6	8	5	9	6	6	40	8
Neil	6	9	5	6	11	6	43	5

4th leg total 116 v 102

Grand total 452 v 414

WON by 38