Category: Match Reports

Away at the Gas Club, Hustlers were looking to make it 5 wins on the bounce as they took on Old Golds.  Could they do it on this tricky alley?

 Taking his turn on 1st leg, Neil struggled to find form in reaching his lowest score of the season.  But Pete’s maiden 40 of the season, backed up by Cap’n Clive meant we won a seesaw leg by 8 pins.  2nd leg then started in grand style as TC hit his 1st spare of the season.  In another seesaw leg, we managed to pull out another 13 pins as TC hit his 1st 40 of the season and Jim equalled his best.

Confidence was now high as 3rd leg looked to extend our lead, getting off to a promising start with Gary notching a 9 on the 1st hand.  But they wee unlucky enough to be our lowest scoring leg of the night as they dropped 10 pins, leaving the anchors with still a reasonable lead to defend.  But that lead started to look frail as we started to drop pins rapidly.  With Rob failing to find any form (managing only half of his score from last week), it was up to the veteran JT to come to the rescue, with 2 spares in the last 3 hands, as he headed for our top score so far this season, but still managing to lose the leg.  Fortunately, it wasn’t enough to lose the game and we managed to hold on to win by a narrow 9 pins.

We’re back at home on Monday as we take on the Suffolk’s Ullenwood CC.

9/11/10 v Old Golds @ Gas Club

Neil	3	5	5	3	8	5	29
Pete	8	6	6	8	6	8	42
Clive	8	7	3	8	4	9	39

1st leg total 110 v 102

TC	16	6	7	6	6	5	46
Jim	7	3	3	8	6	8	35
Lewis	4	8	5	4	8	7	36

2nd leg total 117 v 104

Gary	9	6	8	5	7	5	40
AS	5	8	4	6	4	6	33
Stu	7	7	7	7	2	6	36

3rd leg total 109 v 119

 

Rob	5	5	4	4	2	5	25
Steve	8	6	4	8	6	6	38
JT	8	6	8	14	6	13	55

4th leg total 118 v 120

Grand total 454 v 445

WIN by 9

Having risen to 4th in Div 2, Hustlers played their 1st innings against their 2nd cricketing opponents of the season.  Could their winning streak continue?

 There was some trepidation amongst the Hustlers, as they worried about the condition of the wicket alley even before the first ball.

Our opening partnership got off to a good start as AS and Cap’n Clive both knocked off 40s – AS getting our first 9 spare of the season, with Jim helping establish a lead of 15 pins.  Despite Mark’s best efforts to collect a beaver, 2nd leg kept the opposition below 100 in a knock that increased the lead by a further 16 pins to put us 31 up at the halfway stage.

The start of the 3rd leg had the feeling of an England middle order batting collapse as we conceded 12 pins in the first 2 hands.  But they pulled themselves together with the help of AU’s 40 and just lost the 8 pins, to give the anchors a 23-pin lead to defend – and we knew they could give us a tense time with that big a lead.  But the tailenders put in a glorious performance as Dobbin knocked off our highest spares and first 50 of the season in chalking up a superb 22-pin leg win and give us our biggest winning margin of the season.

With no game next week due to cup fixtures, we next face up to the Old Golds at the Gas Club.

25/10/10 v Cheltenham CC @ Cheltenham CC

AS	7	4	8	8	9	9s	45
Jim	3	4	5	6	6	7	31
Clive	8	8	8	9	6	7	46

1st leg total 122 v 107

Mark	7	5	5	4	4	1	26
TC	4	9	6	6	7	7	39
Lewis	8	6	7	9	7	6	43

2nd leg total 108 v 92

AU	7	4	9	7	7	7	41
Stu	7	5	7	6	4	2	31
Steve	2	4	6	9	8	5	34

3rd leg total 106 v 114

 

Rob	8	16	6	7	5	8	50
JT	7	6	8	6	7	5	39
Neil	7	7	8	7	7	6	42

4th leg total 131 v 109

Grand total 467 v 422

WIN by 45!!

Now on a roll, Hustlers returned to the Suffolk to face the Chosen Champs.  Could the run of victories continue?

A much changed Husters team took to the alley this week.  First leg got off to a steady start, with Stu notching up our first 40 of the night as he guided us to an impressive 13-pin lead.  Steve kept up the 40 per leg, but couldn’t help extend the lead.  Instead, we dropped 5 pins, to raise the tension of the game a little.

3rd leg fought back, with Lewis claiming our third 40, but dropped a further 10 pins, putting us behind for the first time.  So, once more it came down to the anchors to chase the game down.  And they set about doing so from the off, but it was still a tight fight right up to the end, as Rob’s 40 guided us to a low-scoring victory.  But the run continues, so we all stay happy.

Next Monday sees us visiting Cheltenham CC.  Can we carry our winning streak through another match?

18/10/10 v Chosen Champs @ Suffolk

AS	5	7	6	7	7	4	36
Jim	5	6	8	4	5	6	34
Stu	5	8	8	6	8	5	40

1st leg total 110 v 97

Pete	2	4	7	4	4	5	26
JimBob	7	2	5	4	6	7	31
Steve	6	8	9	8	6	6	43

2nd leg total 100 v 105

Lewis	9	7	7	7	7	5	42
Rich	5	6	5	5	5	6	32
Clive	4	7	7	6	7	5	36

3rd leg total 110 v 120

Rob	9	6	5	7	5	9	41
Gary	6	5	7	4	7	3	32
Neil	7	7	8	7	3	4	36

4th leg total 109 v 100

Grand total 429 v 422

WIN by 7!!

Still high on our first league win of the eason, this week the Hustlers faced the unbeaten Cowley Cricket Club.  Would our bowling have the Cricket Club stumped?

Well, it certainly looked that way as JT’s 35 was made up for by Gary’s 44 and JimBob’s first ever 40 (and looking like getting a maiden spare at one stage) as we took an 18-pin lead, despite conceding a spare.  TC tried to cancel out the 40s from Lewis & Stu, but 2nd leg still managed to extend the lead by a further pins, even in the face of another CCC spare.   And so we went into the 2nd half up by 22 pins.

A steady 3rd leg decided to make the game a little more interesting (it helped that we saw CCC spin in another 2 spares) as a 13-pin loss left the anchor leg simply needing to defend a 9-pin lead.

And what a leg it proved to be.  In a hotly contested battle, CCC slowly clawed back the pins, until we were down to the last hand and the Hustlers ahead by a single pin – truly squeaky bum time.  7s from AS & Olive, left Neil just needing to match it to tie the game.  And so it came to roost – 8 off Neil’s first 2 balls was enough to win the game, clearing up with the last to chalk up his 3rd 9 of the night and claim top score to boot.

A 2-pin win against an unbeaten team who scored 5 spares (as well as a 50) wasn’t a bad result – win ugly will do for the Hustlers!

Back at home next week against new opponents Chosen Champs.

12/10/10 v Cowley CC @ Charlton Club

JT	5	5	9	5	6	5	35
JimBob	7	7	7	7	7	8	43
Gary	7	9	8	7	7	6	42

1st leg total 122 v 104

Lewis	7	8	8	6	7	4	40
TC	8	5	7	6	4	4	34
Stu	6	8	7	7	7	7	42

2nd leg total 116 v 112

Mark	7	8	5	7	7	3	37
Pete	6	6	8	6	5	7	38
Rob	7	6	6	6	5	8	38

3rd leg total 113 v 126

AS	7	6	7	7	6	7	40
Clive	5	7	5	8	6	7	38
Neil	7	9	7	9	6	9	47

4th leg total 125 v 132

Grand total 476 v 474

WIN by 2!!

This week the Hustlers played Saracens A, a team with a fine pedigree but newly demoted from Division 1.  Would this be a chance for our first points of the season?

Well yes, in a word, because an excellent first innings by Rob, Stu and Gary, which included spares at either end of the leg, saw us bettering – and battering – Saras by 5 pins a hand and virtually ending the game as a spectacle (if skittles games can ever be spectacles).

Second leg did what they could to inject some interest in the game by seeing how low they could score.  However, even their best efforts were thwarted by an opposition determined to find as many gaps as possible and Hustlers ended up only 2 pins down on the leg.  Third leg would have been reported to the betting authorities but for an accidental spare from Swainer that disguised his 39 as an attempt to throw the game, helping Hustlers to a third leg gain of 4 pins.

So to last leg where a noxious emission from Swainer the Strainer, which totally enveloped the bar area, proved insufficient to dent a fine captain’s 41 in leading last leg to a final 11 pin advantage and an eventual win by 43 pins.

No game next week – trip meeting at the Suffolk and don’t forget!

Rob                      6     8     5     7     7     13     46

Stu                      12    7     5     6     7     7       44

Gary                     7     6     7     9     4     6       39     129 v 99      +30

 

JT                         6     7     7     7     3     5       35

Rich                      6     5     7     5     7     2       32

Steve                   7     6     7     5     4     8       37     104 v 106     +28

 

Lofty                    6     4     4     3     7     6        30

Mark                    5     8     6    12    3     5        39

Lewis                  4     5     7     9     8     3        36     105 v 101     +32

 

Andy S                 4     7     7     6     6     6        36

Clive                    5     5     7     7     8     9        41

Mel                      5     8     4     5     9     5        36     113 v 102     +43

 

Total     451 v 408

Won by 43 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A first away league game saw us full of hope.  This hope grew as Gary’s 40 set 1st leg on the way with a grafting 5 pin lead.  2nd leg struggled to improve, with Pete twice failing to get a beaver.  And so we began the 2nd 1/2 with the match all square once more.

3rd leg once again looked to be swinging things back our way, with Stavros Fatley leading the way with our 2nd spareless 40 of the night and Lewis getting our sole spare, as they establishede a narrow 4-pin lead.  And so, once more it was all down to the anchor leg to decide the fate of this match.  Even in the face of a 30-pin hand from the Kraftsmen, the anchors fought on, with a victory within their grasp.  And so it all came down to the very last Kraftsman.  But he just did enough and we fell by a mere 2 pins!

 

The season proper now started and we were at home – the omens were good.  And 1st leg got us off to a great start, with 40s from Rob & Steve setting up a 13-pin lead.  A tense 2nd leg soon saw that whittled away as we finished the 1st 1/2  down by a single pin.

3rd leg performed slightly better, but still conceded a further 13 pins.  and so it was down to the anchors.  A gallant performance saw all 3 get 40s, and Clive our 1st spare of the league campaign.  A great effort saw us regain the lead by a single pin, with 2 hands to play and the game open.   Hustlers won the leg, but not by enough to snatch the victory and we lost by 11 pins.

Still on a high from last week’s victory over the Anchor Old Ladies, we were looking to start a cup run.  A gallant performance from 1st leg saw us get off to a great start, with Rob & Trevor just missing out on maiden 40s of the season, handing over 17 pins up.  2nd leg stuttered along, but managed to convert that lead into an 8 pin deficit.  But the win was still well within reach.

 1st leg , ably lead by Pistols (with the first spare of our new campaign) & Lofty with 40s, seemed in a mixed mood, but managed to pull out a superb 41 pin lead.  But this standard soon slipped as 2nd leg struggled in dropping 4 pins to the ladies.  Gary’s 40 wasn’t enough to compensate for the poor performance from the rest of 3rd leg as they dropped a further 12 pins, and the future wasn’t looking quite so bright.  Then up stepped the anchor to take on the Anchors’ anchor.  JT’s bottom score was clearly a sign of the pressure of performing in front of his daughter, but why the missed spare from Lewis.  Thanks to some unorthodox heckling and Steve’s top score, the rot was finally halted as we gained 10 pins to cement a glorious(-ish) victory.

 

 With the Leagues and Cup now ended, focus turned to the Front Pin competition during May.  Follow the fortunes of our 2 intrepid entrants – Rob & Cap’n Clive.

Rob was drawn against the Black Abbotts’ Terry Middleton in the first round,  winning it despite failing to score in the 3rd hand:
4, 3, 0, 6, 8, 6  27   v   3, 3, 8, 4, 2, 2  22

In the 2nd round he was drawn against Kevin James of Old Golds but narrowly lost in a very tight game, to go out of the competition early:
7, 0, 9, 3, 6, 3  28   v   2, 3, 9, 4, 6, 3  27

Clive’s 1st round was against Adam Gregory, which he won easily, despite failing to score in the first hand:
0, 3, 3, 5, 7, 1  19   v   4, 8, 4, 7, 8, 0  31

Up next was Clive Hodges of the Brolly Boys, who proved more of a challenge for our skipper:
0, 4, 4, 6, 9, 6  29   v    4, 8, 9, 6, 2, 5  34

Clive’s march through the rounds continued with a resounding victory in round 3 over Terry Johnson of the Travellers:
7, 6, 7, 8, 7, 7  42   v   4, 3, 7, 8, 1, 7  30

The ¼ finals saw Clive facing the Steamers’ Paul Ashfield and putting in another great performance to secure another win:
4, 5, 7, 2, 8, 6  32   v   9, 7, 5, 7, 3, 8  39

The semi-final  brought Clive’s toughest challenge yet as he fought through against 2007 Champion Mick Benbow:
7, 6, 7, 11, 0, 8  39   v   3, 9, 7, 9, 3, 9  40

And so we came to the final, where Clive was pitted against the Travellers’ Darren Johnson:
8, 7, 6, 8, 9, 6  44   v   7, 8, 2, 8, 4, 9  38

Falling at the last, but not disgraced, Clive collected his runner-up trophy to bring us our 1st trophy since winning the shield at Woolacombe last year.  Well down skip – a great finish to a hard season.  Can we go 1 better next year?