Category: Match Reports

Still on a run of victories, Hustlers looked to out bowl Cowley CC, just as the Robins faced the mighty Bulls in Hereford.

1st leg got off to a great start as Lofty stole possession of Mo with our first "almost" spare of the season.  Pete reached our first 40 of the night with our only genuine spare, just beating Lewis.  But we trailed by 5 as 2nd leg took over.  Mike opened with a 9, his 40 helping a steady leg to lose no further pins and keep the game finely balanced.

A valiant 3rd leg saw a brief flurry of 9s, but Neil’s 40 wasn’t equal to a Wolves fan’s flukey last hand 17 spare, and we lost a dozen pins.  The anchors were up for the challenge and started pulling pins from the off.  And with 1 hand to go we found ourselves a single pin down.  Despite a magnificent 125 leg, the chase proved just 4 pins too much and our run was over.

We return to the Suffolk after the Christmas hiatus to start the return games with a match against the Sinners.

11/12/12 v Cowley CC @ Charlton Kings Club

1st leg total 120 v 125

2nd leg total 116 v 116

3rd leg total 121 v 133

4th leg total 125 v 112

Grand total 482 v 486

WON by -4

On the back of 5 straight wins, Hustlers were looking to make it 6 in a row as they took on Tivoli Boys.

1st leg began the game steadily, with just Mike failing to beat his man, and kept the match interesting with a rare tied leg.  With just Lewis losing to his man, 2nd leg matched 1st leg’s score, but managed to eke out an 8-pin lead at the midpoint.

Scoring improved with 3rd leg, as our first 9s of the match appeared.  Despite his beaver, Lofty was the only 1 with a positive BYM, but still finished behind joint top scorer Stu as the leg added 3 pins to the lead.  A poor start from the anchors didn’t bode well, until joint top scorer Rob hit our only spare of the night.  But that wasn’t quite enough to make up for Steve’s bottom score as we suffered our first losing leg.  Fortunately, it was enough to cling onto the lead and give us another win.

It’s Cowley CC at the Charlton Club next week.  Another win would set up the Christmas break perfectly.

3/12/12 v Tivoli Boys @ Suffolk

1st leg total 109 v 109

2nd leg total 109 v 101

3rd leg total 112 v 119

4th leg total 101 v 105

Grand total 431 v 424

WON by 7

Looking to keep thewir winning streak going, Hustlers headed for Saracens, with Mr Vonk making a delayed return to the team.

1st leg got off to a good start, despite TC’s best efforts, as Mike got his 1st spare & 40 for 5 years, ably supported by Gary, to take an early 20-pin lead.  A steadier 2nd leg saw more 40s from Pete & Lewis, as they added a further 9 pins to the lead at the halfway mark.

3rd leg struggled a little as Salty bottom-scored, but Clive added a further 40 & Stu narrowly missed another with his double 9 finish.  But still they managed to lose 18 pins, to leave the danchors with an 11-pin lead to defend.  A top performance was to follow as all 3 racked up the highest 40s of the night, Steve taking highest score & top spare.  And, with their strong finish, they even pulled the gap out by a further 14 pins, to wrap up the game in some style.

Tivoli Boys are next to challenge the winning streak as we welcome them to the Suffolk on Monday.

27/11/12 v Saracens A @ Saracens

1st leg total 112 v 92

2nd leg total 115 v 106

3rd leg total 111 v 129

4th leg total 133 v 119

Grand total 471 v 446

WON by 25

After the tension of last week’s match, Hustlers returned to the Suffolk to maintain our winning streak against Diards.

First leg struggled to get started, despite early 9s from Lofty and TC, and found themselves losing by a huge 15 pins.  Second leg were much better, as Pete steadily progressed to 42 (but still losing 9 pins to his man) and Lewis hit our first spare on his way to another 40.  Despite Stavros claiming bottom spot, they managed to claw back 7 pins to close the gap a good way.

Third leg put in a fine performance, with just Stu missing out on a 40.  With a massive 22 pin gain, they left the anchors defending a 17-pin lead.  A steady leg ensued, with just Neil breaking the 50 as his top spare helped him to our high score.  But it was enough to ensure the lead was not just maintained, but stretched still further.

On a run, we look forward to keeping that form going as we head next week for Saracens to face Saracens A

19/11/12 v Diards @ Suffolk

1st leg total 102 v 117

2nd leg total 116 v 109

3rd leg total 123 v 101

4th leg total 118 v 110

Grand total 459 v 437

WON by 22

Hustlers travelled to Prestbury tonight to face up to the Beehive Bitzas in a very tense match.

1st leg got us off to a steady start, with Rich hitting two 9s on his way to our first 40, despite starting with an almost beaver!  2nd leg faltered a little a s they squandered a massive 2-pin advantage, converting it instead into a 15-pin deficit.

3rd leg gallantly attempted a fightback, with Steve & TC hitting a spare on their way to 40 apiece (& TC somehow managing top score), but still lost a  pin, to hand over to the anchors with a gap of 16 to peg back.  40 from Neil & a cracking 40 from JT continued the struggle, but it wasn’t quite enough, so we had to settle for a most honourable draw.

With that relief, we head back home next week for the challenge of the Diards.,

13/11/12 v Beehive Bitzas @ Beehive

1st leg total 111 v 109

2nd leg total 90 v 107

3rd leg total 111 v 112

4th leg total 116 v 99

Grand total 427 v 427

WON by 0

With the Suffolk being unavailable for our last game of 2012, Hustlers quickly rearranged that fixture to a spare Cup week, so were hoping to get in a win tonight.

All began a little hesitantly for 1st leg, despite Lewis getting our first 40 of the night.  9 pins down, 2nd leg rose to the challenge as Stavros hit our first 9, rounded off by another from Pete, on his way to a 40, ably assisted by another from Cap’n Clive.  And what a rally, as they took the leg by 19 pins, giving us a 10-pin lead at the halfway point.

Hesitancy returned with 3rd leg, who became the only leg without a +ve BYM as they turned the game back around to leave the anchors 11 pins behind.  And so the pin chase began, with Rob & Neil equally matched as they supported the free-scoring JT on his way to our top score. And it all came down to the anchor himself, as JT scraped his last 3 balls to ensure we took the game by a mere 3 pins.

Bouoyed by the win, we look to extend the run as we head to the Beehive (Prestbury) next Tuesday to face the Beehive Bitzas.  Just what will the scores look like there?

5/11/12 v Chosen Champs @ Suffolk

1st leg total 107 v 116

2nd leg total 115 v 96

3rd leg total 101 v 122

4th leg total 127 v 113

Grand total 450 v 447

WON by 3

The Hustlers return to the Suffolk this week, looking to make amends for the last game.

1st leg began well, despite Clive’s 2nd ever beaver (balancing out our 1st 9 of the night), to put us 3 pins up.  A good showing from 2nd leg saw AS get our first 40 of the night, but still not enough to win the leg.  So we turned around just 2 up.

3rd leg wasn’t happy with this, so TC set about getting bottom score, while Steve (on his way to 40) & Stu hit further 9s.  But we only lost 8 pins  on the leg, as we handed over to the anchors.  Rob lead the way with our only spare on his way to the top score, ably supported by Gary & JT, who soon turned the game completely around and leading us to a much-needed win.

We currently have no game next week, but may rearrange our pre-Christmas game for Monday

29/10/12 v Flyers @ Suffolk

1st leg total 108 v 105

2nd leg total 113 v 114

3rd leg total 104 v 112

4th leg total 121 v 110

Grand total 446 v 441

WON by 5

Not even ten thousand men would have been able to save the Hustlers from losing their shirts on a lottery of an alley against Duke of York at the Buffs Club tonight.

First leg opened reasonably well but by the fifth hand had run out of steam despite Lofty and Clive achieving two of the three top scores of the night.  Second leg did not even get going with Lewis, remarkably still top of the averages, showing his girlfriend how easy it is to score 23 pins in only 6 hands, leaving the Hustlers trailing by 24 pins. On the credit side however, Swayner managed to become the only player to beat his man.

Third leg continued the car crash with only Gary managing a score in the 30s, and losing a further 29 pins into the bargain.  Fourth leg started brightly and had actually knocked 4 pins off the deficit by the third hand, but then the rot set in and Duke of York ran out winners by a mere 66 pins. 

The lesson is clear; the higher up the league one goes, the worse are the alleys and being able to win at home is key to success.  A special mention to Jim who, despite his ailments, turned up and still managed to get the same score as the person currently on top of the averages !

24/10/12 v Duke of York @ RAOB Club

1st leg total 98 v 107

2nd leg total 87 v 102

3rd leg total 86 v 115

4th leg total 103 v 116

Grand total 374 v 440

WON by -66

This week saw the Hustlers return to the Suffolk after their bye week, seeking a bit to get the season back on track.

1st leg got us off to an intresting start, as Stavros got a double beaver in setting our bottom score of the night, while Rob hit our first 40 and Mark our first 9.  15 pins down, 2nd leg proved more consistent, with TC (top scorer) & Gary both hitting 9s on their way to their 40s.  And, as top scoring leg, they not only pulled back the gap, but gave us a 4 pin lead at the halfway mark.

 3rd leg was a much closer affair, with Lewis adding another 9 and Steve a 40.   But the Extras proved a touch stronger & pulled back 4 pins, leaving it all down to the anchors to decide the final outcome.  Neil opened with a 9, to put us back into the lead once more.  With another 40 from JT, they held on to that start, ensuring a narrow victory would come the way of the Hustlers.

1st leg total 99 v 114

2nd leg total 120 v 101

3rd leg total 113 v 117

4th leg total 114 v 108

Grand total 446 v 440

WON by 6

An away draw in this year’s Hospitals Cup, saw Hustlers face up to Flowers Originals.

1st leg kept the game tight, as Stu & Gary narrowly missed 40s, while TC did his bit to separate the 2 teams.  Dan got our furst 9 of the night & Steve the first 40 as 2nd leg improved our total, but still lost a handful of pins, leaving us trailing at half-time.

Both sides had indifferent 3rd legs as Originals somehow managed to double the lead, leaving the anchors to pull back a dozen pins.  We immediately dropped far beyond as JT opened with a 1.  But they soon recovered, especially with Olive posting our 1st flattener in many moons on his way to our top score (it should have been a 50!), ably assisted by Neil’s 40 & JT just missing out.  The closest leg of the night, but still lost, making the total a baker’s dozen short.

We have a bye next week, but will convene at the Bank House for our trip meeting on Tuesday.

2/10/12 v Flowers Originals @ United Services

1st leg total 113 v 116

2nd leg total 116 v 119

3rd leg total 95 v 101

4th leg total 129 v 130

Grand total 453 v 466

WON by -13