Up to date club news and match reports. 

Welcome to the 2011 season

Presentation Night   The Rhymney Royal Bowling Club Presentation Evening will be held on Friday 18th November 2011 at 7.30pm in the Farmers Arms, Rhymney when the silverware will be handed out. All members should ,make every effort to attend and salute the prize winners.

Hugely Successful Friendly Marks End Of Royal Season - Saturday 17th September 2011

Rhymney Royal BC  113   Swansea BC  78

Rhymney Royal's Finals Day Results - Saturday 3rd September 2011

Idris Davies Rink Final - Winners: C. O'Brien, A. James, I. Prosser, J. Watkins

American Can Triples Final: - Winners: R. Withers, A. James, I. Prosser.

D. Atkinson Pairs Final: - Winners: P. Smith and N. James.

Whitbread Two Woods Final:- Winner: C. O'Brien.

F. Maddocks Singles Final:- Winner: P. White.

E. Glencross Novice Singles Final: - Winner: D. Morgan.

Octavious Evans Club Championship Singles Final:- Winner: J. Doyle. 

The Cwm Win Withers Sheild

The Cwm BC  58  Rhymney Royal BC  37 - Weds. 31st August 2011

Abercarn BC   87   Rhymney Royal BC  68 - Saturday 25th August 2011

AGM - The Annual General Meeting of the Rhymney Royal Bowls Club will take place on Monday 3rd October 2011 in the Farmers Arms, Rhymney at 7.30pm. All members should make every effort to attend.

League Leaders Routed By Royal

Rhymney Royal BC  96   Abergavenny Avenue BC  78 - Saturday 20th August 2011

League leaders Abergavenny's hopes of winning the MBA Division 2 title were left hanging in doubt after they suffered this defeat against struggling Rhymney Royal in their final game. Ironically they were defeated at home against the Royal's sister club Rhymney Gwent in the first match of the season. The basis for this Royal victory was laid early on when the rink skipped by K. Cochrane and including captain T. Ryan, P. Smith and C. O'Brien stormed into a 18 - 2 lead after just 6 ends against Abergavenny's Matthew Vale and his bowlers. With such a solid start the home rink consolidated to run away with the contest by 31 - 16 giving encouragement to the other home bowlers in the process. Royal skip D. Hann and his rink of KR Evans, R. Withers and D. Lynch took inspiration from the contest on the neighbouring rink by bowling steadily in a close game to extend a single shot advantage at 14 - 13 after 15 ends into a winning 28 - 17 victory against the visitors skipped by Ieuan Jenkins. The third Royal rink which featured A. James, G. Morris and N. Protheroe built up a 13- 8 lead at midway in their contest against Abergavenny's Gethin Hill and his bowlers. The home rink hung on to their advantage and, despite a late comeback by the visitors, registered a 22 - 19 win. Royal skip P. White has had a good first season at the helm but his luck deserted him in his tussle with newly crowned over 60s Welsh pairs champion John Beaton. The Royal bowlers battled hard to get within a single shot at 11 - 12 after 14 ends but a dropped seven put paid to their efforts and they succumbed to a 15 - 26 defeat denying the Royal of a clean sweep across the rinks. Having completed all their matches for the season Abergavenny must now rely on other teams slipping up to claim the title but promotion looks a distinct possibility for them whilst the Royal bowlers can at last feel proud of their efforts in their penultimate game.

Gwent Triumph In Hospital Cup

Rhymney Gwent BC  69   Rhymney Royal BC  62

High flying Rhymney Gwent hosted their sister club, Rhymney Royal, in this annual fixture for the Hospital Cup. Matches between these sides have traditionally been close and this year's contest was not any different. The Gwent were in the middle of a six match unbeaten run in the MBA league whilst the Royal were struggling to find the early season form that had deserted them in recent weeks so this contest posed a number of questions. Royal skip P. White with I. Prosser, F. Price and D. Morgan found themselves trailing by a single at 7 - 6 at midway against the Gwent's Keri Denner and his bowlers but the "visitors" held their composure to record a 14 - 17 win in what was a tight contest. A further Royal victory came in the form of skip N. James with J. Doyle, R. Withers and P. Smith who edged the contest against skip Les Wooldrigde, M. Siddle, L. Hill and M. Wilde by 14 - 17 despite being 13 - 7 down after 13 ends.  The Gwent bowlers on the other two rinks made their present form count as they both posted convincing wins to make up for the two rink loses. Skip Noel Tippett with L. Brock, D. Wilde and M. Roberts proved too strong for the Royal four of skip J. Watkins, D. Hann, A. Jenkins and D. Lynch in recording a 20 - 14 win whilst new skip Neil Jones and his rink of captain Mal. Evans, A. Thomas and Ray Jones registered a fine 21 - 14 victory against their Royal opponents. A 7 shots aggregate win for the in-form side and the honour of holding the Hospital Cup for the next twelve months will give the home side much pleasure but it will leave the Royal bowlers deflated after yet another defeat.      

Blaina BC  89   Rhymney Royal BC  65

With the hosts striving for promotion and the visitors struggling in the midst of a lean spell, this contest could prove to be a defining moment in the Mon. Division 2 league for the season. The visitors needed a win badly but try as they did, fortune did not favour them and they succumbed to a 24 shots defeat which puts them perilously close to the relegation zone. The hosts celebrated a 3 rinks to 1 victory and 12 valuable points to propell them up the table with games in hand. Home skip Bryn Russell caused most damage when his rink registered an emphatic 28 - 12 victory over the visitors rink skipped by P. White. Likewise Blaina's John Kitt extended a narrow 17 - 16 lead after 15 ends into a winning 22 - 19 victory against his Royal opponents. The third Royal rink, skipped by J. Watkins, suffered a similar fate when they went down 22 - 14 to skip Martyn Powell's rink after holding the home bowlers to 13 - 12 after 15 ends. Some consolation for the Royal bowlers was the victory of skip N. James with KR Evans, A. James and C. O'Brien against the home rink of G. Wall by 17 - 20. Just 2 league points for the visitors but is it enough as the season draws to a close?

 Rhymney Royal BC   73   Pontymister Athletic BC   85

Pontymister Athletic came to the War Memorial Park with just one league loss to their name this season and with ambitions to make a quick return to the top flight next year. If the form they displayed in this game is anything to go by then their wish will surely be realised. The home side ,on the other hand, will need to regain their old form which has been sadly lacking in recent games or they will find themselves slipping out of this very competitive division two.  The one bright spot for the Royal bowlers was the continuing good form of Skip P. White, who led his rink to a 20 - 19 victory against Pont's Nicky Harris and his bowlers. Skip White, with I. Prosser, fit again A. Jenkins and D. Morgan, were level at 11 - 11 after 12 ends before they hung on in the game to gain that single shot advantage giving the home side the 2 league points which could prove vital at the final reckoning. Royal skip N. James on the other hand was unlucky to lose by the same margin of a single shot in his battle with visiting Brian Prothero and his bowlers. The Royal boys were actually leading 16 - 10 after 18 ends but failed to close the game and surrendered to a 16 - 17 defeat. With the other two home rinks suffering defeats by 19 - 26 and 18 - 23 to rinks led by Tyrone Bendle and Roger Venn respectively, it left captain Andy Elias and co. to claim the 12 points and pursue their dream of an immediate return to Division 1.

Ebbw Vale Welfare BC  77  Rhymney Royal BC   74

In this final game of the West Mon season, the Royal bowlers went across to the Ebbw valley confident of picking up the necessary points to finish in runners-up position in the league but their intentions turned sour against a competitive home rink looking to improve on their indifferent start to the season. With the rink honours shared at 2 - 2, the Royal rink of skip P. White with I. Prosser, N. Protheroe and D. Morgan came back from trailing 16 - 12 after 12 ends to clinch the game at 18 - 23 against the home captain and skip Ivor Morgan and his bowlers in a very competitive tussle. The visitors also gained success with their rink which included K. Cochrane, KR Evans and J. Doyle against the home side skipped by Jeff Short. In this contest the visitors extended a 12 - 13 advantage after 12 ends to a winning 14 - 25 scoreline at the finish but although these two rinks showed  a net gain of 16 shots it proved to be insufficient as the other rinks lost to a greater margin. Royal skip N. James with D. Hann, captain T. Ryan and D. Lynch had an off-night in their battle with home skip John Ridley and his bowlers. The home boys led throughout and extended a 11 - 5 score at midway to an emphatic 25 - 12 scoreline at the end. The Welfare's Ron Hayward and his bowlers found themselves trailing at 11 - 14 after 12 ends in their contest againt the Royal's J. Watkins' rink but they rallied well over the closing stages to gain a 20 - 12 success which proved enough to give the home side the spoils by 3 aggregate shots and deny the visitors the second spot in the league which they so dearly craved for. Nevertheless the Royal bowlers have earned the third spot in the West Mon league after some gritty early season performances.     

 

Hospital Cup:  The annual match against Rhymney Gwent BC for the Hospital Cup will now be played on WEDNESDAY 10th August 2011 due to the over 60s rink of the Gwent side being involved in the MBA Finals Day. We wish this team all the very best in the Final

Pontnewydd BC  78   Rhymney Royal BC  55 - Saturday 16th July 2011

The Royal bowlers again capitulated against a team fighting off the threat of relegation as they failed to find the necessary form to sustain a winning position. Full credit to a home side who showed far greater hunger and determination for the game and deserved everything they got. Home skip John Grey, formerly of Abertysswg, and his rink battled well against the Royal rink skipped by D. Hann and triumphed with a 20 - 14 scoreline after the scores were tied at 10 - 10 on the 12th end. Visiting skip J. Watkins with his rink of T. Ryan, C. Patten and D. Morgan had an early shock in their encounter with Pont's Ian Hier and his bowlers. The home side opened up a 12 - 1 lead after 9 ends but the deficit proved too much for the visitors who tried hard to close the gap but finally had to be satisfied with a 25 - 12 reverse. The Royal's inform skip, P. White with J. Doyle, A. James and D. Lynch started well against the home rink skipped by Jason Power leading 0 - 6 after 3 ends but gradually the home bowlers came into the game and ran out 19 - 12 victors. The final Royal rink gained a 14 - 17  victory over the home rink of skip Barry Smith but even this contest went to the last end before the visitors gained some consolation with a last wood win. Overall a poor performance by the Royal  but a well deserved victory for Pontnewydd in their efforts to move up the MBA table.

Rhymney Royal BC  57  The Cwm (Ebbw Vale) BC  61 - Wds. 13th July 2011

Rhymney Royal, perched high up in the West Mon. League, welcomed old friends The Cwm to the War Memorial Park for their last home game of the West Mon season needing a win to consolidate their position in second spot in the league table. The Cwm, without a win all season, soon showed their intentions by putting in a gritty performance to pull back over the closing ends and gain that elusive victory. Royal skip P. White and his rink opened up a 11 - 0 lead extended to 14 - 1 after 6 ends against skip Justin Prior and his bowlers before the visitors slowly and surely clawed their way back into the game with some determined bowling. The deficit was reduced to 15 - 12 after the 12th end and the scores levelled at 17 - 17 after 15 ends. A frantic final 3 ends saw the home side hang on to gain a solitary one shot win at 20 - 19. In similar fashion home skip N. James and his rink of KR. Evans, P. Smith and C. O'Brien saw their 10 - 3 lead reduced to 12 - 10 by the 12th end in their tussle with The Cwm's Malcolm Darby and his bowlers. Again the home side held on to gain a single shot victory at 15 - 14. Visiting skip Derek Suter had his hands full trying to hold home skip J. Watkins and his bowlers. The home side just kept their noses infront throughout the game to record a 12 - 10 victory. All depended on the last rink to finish with the Royal holding an aggregate 4 shots lead. On this rink The Royal, skipped by D. Hann, were trailing and needed to win by one shot to level the scores. As it happens the Cwm bowlers, skipped by Gareth Suter, won by a comfortable 10 - 18 thereby registering their club's first victory of the season lifting them off the bottom of the West Mon league.    

 White's Wonder Wood Wins It For Royal

 Rhymney Royal BC  77   Caldicot BC  73 - Sat. 9th July 2011
 
In this eagerly anticipated Mon. Division 2 match between two sides looking to build up momentum for the final run-in to the season, the contest brought an unprecedented end which for one bowler will live in his memory for years to come. The home side were trailing for most of the game with MBA President and skip Alan Gripton guiding his rink to a superb 11 - 26 win against his Royal opponents whilst young Royal skip Neil James and his rink cancelled out the deficit with an equally enthralling victory by 30 - 13 against visiting skip Adrian Jones and his bowlers. The home rink of skip D. Hann with K. Cochrane, A. Jenkins and D. Morgan grabbed a narrow last end 17 - 16 success against Caldicot's Keith Nash but the real excitement was on the remaining rink where Royal skip Phil White and his rink of J. Doyle, C. Patten and D. Lynch were playing catchup against  skip Brian Howard and his men. With the aggregate scores level and White and co trailing by 15 - 18 and one shot down on the last end, everything depended on White's final wood. With deep concentration etched on his face, the skip sent down a tremendous wood that not only removed the shot wood from the tight head but also left the home side holding with 4 shots that gave them a 19 - 18 scoreline and more importantly the aggregate win and 12 league points. The Royal bowlers watching the drama unfold saw the significance of the delivery, and quite uncharacteristically for the game of bowls, burst into spontaneous applause when the visiting skip signalled the result of this thrilling contest. Both sides can feel proud of the manner in which the game was played but the Royal bowlers, and White in particular, were the ones wearing the broadest smiles.
 
Brynmawr BC  43    Rhymney Royal BC   55 - Weds. 6th July 2011
 
On a rain-sodden green which made bowling difficult, the Royal bowlers overcame the conditions to register their sixth win of the season and move into second position in the West Mon.League. Home skip Peter Carey and his bowlers suffered a 6 - 18 reverse against the inform Royal rink of skip P. White, J. Doyle, A. James and D. Lynch and Brynmawr skip Richie Cooper and his bowlers went down by a single shot at 11 - 12 against the Royal bowlers skipped by N. James. With home skip Dave Mogford also losing by a single at 12 - 13 against his Royal opponents it was left to international Owen Dando and his rink to restore some credibility with a 14 - 12 success against the Royal rink of D. Hann, K. Cocrane, A. Jenkins and C. Patten. Although gaining the 12 shots win and 12 league points, it was the weather that dominated and spoilt what promised to be an exciting contest.
 
Newbridge BC  72   Rhymney Royal BC  69  -  Sat. 2nd July 2011
 
The Royal bowlers have never found the visit to Newbridge an easy game and this contest proved very much the norm. A close run thing stayed in the home side's favour but the result could have been so different had young skip N. James managed to clip the opposing wood in the last end. Nevertheless the visitors came away pleased with their away performance and gained 5 valuable league points in the process. Royal skip D. Hann with his rink of K. Cochrane, A. Jenkins and D. Morgan stayed in contention throughout in their battle with skip Brian Porter and his bowlers. Never much in it throughout but the Royal rink claimed the honours with a fine 15 - 18 result. In form skip P. White with J. Doyle, A. James and D. Lynch battled well against Newbridge's skip Malcolm D. Jones but had to be content with a share of the honours with a 19 - 19 scoreline. The home rink of skip Clive Cridland found they had their hands full trying to hold the Royal rink of P. Cosh, T. Ryan, F. Price and N. Protheroe. Not a lot in the scores during the close tussle but the visitors claimed the points with a 15 - 19 success. With so much resting on the last rink skipped by the Royal's N. James and including I. Prosser, P. Smith and C. O'Brien. the pressure almost paid off but experienced skip Eddie Harding and co. held on for that solitary home victory 23 - 13 and the game by just 3 aggregate shots.
 
Rhymney Royal BC  77  Blaina BC  44 - Weds. 29th June 2011
 
 
Rhymney Royal BC  75  Llanhilleth BC  67 - Sat. 24th June 2011
 
 
Beaufort BC  84  Rhymney Royal BC  58 - Weds. 22nd June 2011
 
Derby Goes The Gwent Way
 
Rhymney Gwent BC  88   Rhymney Royal BC  62 - Sat. 18th June 2011
 
Rhymney Gwent recorded their first win in four attempts in this MBA fixture with this 26 shots win over their sister club Rhymney Royal. Always a keenly contested fixture there was more to prove for the "home" side as the visitors already having won 2 games in the league. With the green at the Memorial Park playing the "Gwent way" the advantage soon showed with a 11 shot lead at the fifth end. This became 15 at the half way stage before a matchwinning 28 was established by the 15th end. In matchwinning form was the rink of Andrew Thomas, Markjones, Andrew Wysoczanskyj and the Gwent's find of the season Neil Jones, who led from the start in their encounter with the Royal's Neil James. The home side registered an early 8 - 3 lead only for the "James Gang2 to level at 8 - 8. This was to be their final involvement as the home rink registered 19 shots over the next 12 ends with only 3 shots in reply to power to a 27 - 11 win. Gwent returnee skip Colin Clabby with Eddie Matthews, Malcolm Siddle and Les Wooldridge led the rink to a fine 27 - 13 victory over the Royal rink of skip J. Watkins, D. Hann, KR Evans and D. Morgan. For once skip Noel Tippett hasd the better of the Royal's P. Cosh but was made to sweat at the end as a 20 - 9 lead was evaporated to 3 with the final end to play. The Royal bowlers were unlucky leaving the Gwent skip with a single to clinch the tie by 4 shots at 21 - 17. The Royal bowlers did not leave empty handed as in form P. White with J. Doyle, C. Patten and D. Lynch playing extremely well to defeat the Gwent captain Mal. Evans by 8 shots with a 13 - 21 scoreline.
 
Rhymney Royal BC  82  Abertillery BC  43 - Weds. 15th June 2011
 
 
Rhymney Royal BC  84  Nantyglo BC  60 - Sat. 11th June 2011
 
 
Six Bells BC  75  Rhymney Royal BC  49 - Weds. 8th June 2011
 
 
 
Beechwood BC  78  Rhymney Royal BC  81 - Sat. 4th June 2011
 
A superb fightback from the Royal bowlers saw them overturn a 57 - 31 scoreline after 12 ends  to a 3 shots victory at the end claiming 11 valuable league points away from home in the process. Royal skip N. James showed true grit in digging deeply into his reserves having found his rink trailing at 22 - 9 after 12 ends. The youngster with even younger P. Smith in his rink pulled back to register a convincing 23 - 26 result against home skip D. Spear. Royal skip J. Watkins also pulled back from 13 - 6 down after 12 ends to clinch a thriller at 18 - 19 against Beechwood's D. Hill. Home skip B. Carroll had his hands full trying to contain the Royal rink of D. Hann, KR Evans, C. Patten and D. Morgan but they had to be content with a share of the spoils at 18 - 18. The final Royal rink slipped to a solitary shot defeat at 19 - 18 against the home rink skipped by S. Mitchell.  
 
Royal Bowlers Stun Champs With Late Surge - Weds. 1st June 2011

Rhymney Royal BC  69        RTB (Ebbw Vale) BC  63

Reigning County and West Mon. champions RTB (Ebbw Vale) paid a visit to the War Memorial Park green confident of gaining maximum points to consolidate their position at the top of the West Mon. league but did not expect a resilient performance from a home side still smarting from their last heavy home defeat the previous week. Indeed the game followed the usual pattern with RTB holding all the aces but a storming late comeback by the Royal not only closed a gaping deficit of some 19 shots but clinched the game with a 6 shots advantage. Royal skip N. James led the way with his rink of I. Prosser, P. Smith and C. O'Brien by turning around a 9 - 11 scoreline after 9 ends to gain a resounding 25 - 13 victory against skip JK Evans and his bowlers. The feat was closely followed by fellow Royal skip D. Hann with his rink of KR Evans, C. Patten and D. Morgan who built on a 5 - 4 lead to finish strongly with a 15 - 10 win against RTB's Steve Batten and his men. Royal skip J. Watkins and his bowlers came close to a third success by pulling back from 5 - 13 to finish at 15 - 17 in their tussle with RTB's rink skipped by Lee Thomas. The remaining Royal rink reduced their deficit from 8 - 19 to 14 - 23 at the finish against skip Steve Harris and his bowlers. With the rink honours shared it was a delighted Royal side that claimed the spoils with that narrow 6 shots margin but it maintains the home side's challenge in this competitive competition. 

Rude Awakening For Royal Bowlers - Sat. 28th May 2011

Rhymney Royal BC  66 Chepstow BC  100

Any hopes that Rhymney Royal bowlers had of making a successful start to their Monmouthshire Division 2 campaign were quickly dashed by recently relegated Chepstow at the War Memorial Park. The visitors, still smarting from missing out on safety by a single point last season, were keen to make a quick return to the top league and made their intentions clear from the off. Visiting skip Ken Starr and his rink shot into a 1 - 22 lead after just 9 ends against the Royal rink of K. Bartlett, G. Morris, C. Patten and C. O'Brien leaving the home bowlers shell-shocked for on the adjoining rink, his brother Allan Starr was leading his rink to a 2 - 17 lead against the Royal rink of T. Ryan, K. Cochrane, F. Price and D. Morgan at the same juncture. Things were not looking good for the home bowlers with a 3 - 39 scoreline on two rinks. They were to deteriorate even further with the other Royal rinks struggling to make any impression on the game. Royal skip N. James and his rink were losing 7 - 13 to skip Jack Scurr and his bowlers whilst the remaining Royal rink levelled at 9 - 9 against skip Clinton Davies' bowlers. Over the closing ends, the Royal rink of K. Bartlett and co. did make a comeback but it was too little and too late as they went down 15 - 29. Royal skip T. Ryan pulled back tremendously to finish just 3 shots short with a 20 - 23 score but the remaining Royal rinks both suffered reverses with 15 - 28 and 16 - 20 scorelines. Chepstow bowlers could feel pleased with themselves in gaining the maximum 14 points for their four rink victory leaving the home bowlers scratching their heads as to what to do next.  

  Narrow Defeat Ends Carruthers Campaign

Rhymney Royal BC  70   Abercarn BC  74 - Saturday 21st May 2011
 
Rhymney Royal welcomed fellow Mon. Division 2 side Abercarn to the War Memorial Park green for the final group game in the WBA Carruthers Shield competition. The hosts had long lost any hope of progressing further but the visitors were still in with an outside chance of qualifying into the knockout stages so there was still a great deal of interest in the outcome. With two evenly matched sides the opening ends were cautious with both sides seeking that early breakthrough. The Royal bowlers made their intent known by opening up a 25 - 17 lead across the board after 6 ends with three home rinks showing leads but the visitors were not going out easily and dug deeply into their resources to pull back into the game. Royal skip and captain T. Ryan with K. Cochrane, A. James and D. Lynch saw a 7 - 4 lead after 6 ends change to a 13 - 14 reverse after 18 ends only to lose 15 - 19 to the visiting rink skipped by Ken Driscoll giving the visitors their first success. Abercarn skip Norman Ransome trailed 7 - 3 after 6 ends in his battle with Royal bowlers skip N. James, J. Doyle, KR Evans and P. Smith but despite a spirited fightback to 13 - 11 after 15 ends saw his hopes quashed by the home bowlers who registered a 24 - 13 victory.  Skip Roger Peart and his rink saw their aspirations dampened early on by trailing 14 - 2 after 9 ends against their Royal opponents which included P. White, I. Prosser and N. Protheroe. They too staged a mini fightback but had to be content with a 23 - 17 defeat. The shining light in the Abercarn camp was provided by skip John Beecham who, together with his bowlers, produced a convincing 8 - 25 victory against the Royal rink of D. Hann, G. Morris, F. Price and D. Morgan. The large margin of their victory was enough to provide an aggregate four shots win for the visitors and the slender hope of progress into the next round

 Nantyglo BC  54     Rhymney Royal BC   66  -  Weds. 18th May 2011

Rhymney Royal bowlers returned to action after an enforced week's layoff with a narrow victory at the superbly refurbished club and changing rooms at Nantyglo. Never an easy place to visit and this match lived up to expectations with both sides finding shots difficult to come by. Home skip Anthony Williams and his rink were involved in a real close tussle against the Royal rink which included P. White, H. Acreman and N. Protheroe. The contest saw the lead change hands constantly with singles being the order of the day. The final end saw the home rink requiring four shots to level but, fortunately for the visitors, the home bowlers could only manage a three giving the Royal bowlers the victory by a single shot at 12 - 13. Royal skip D. Hann with G. Morris, F. Price and D. Morgan were again involved in a tight contest against the home rink of skip Kevin Howells. The visitors just managed to keep their noses in front to edge the game with a 9 - 16 scoreline. The third successful Royal rink was skippered by N. James with J. Doyle, P.Smith and D. Lynch in support against Nantyglo's Fred Griffiths and his bowlers. The early ends were very cat and mouse with each side looking for the breakthrough but the initiative went with the visitors who opened up a 4 - 14 lead after 9 ends which they extended to a 10 - 25 winning score. The home bowlers secured their solitary success when skip Ralph Dando and his bowlers registered an impressive 23 - 12 win against his Royal opponents. The home rink found themselves 0 - 7 down after 6 ends but shook themselves into a fine comeback to secure an excellent 11 shots win. Another 12 points gained sees the Royal bowlers off to an encouraging start in this competitive West Mon. league. 

Rhymney Royal BC  79   Llanhilleth BC  55 - Weds. 11th May 2011

The West Mon season opened in fine style for the home team with 12 points gained against a useful Llanhilleth side. Royal skip D. Hann with his rink of P. White, F. Price and C. Patten led the way with an emphatic 28 - 7 win against Fred Davies and his bowlers whilst young Royal skip aided by J. Doyle, P. Smith and D. Lynch followed suit with an equally fine victory 26 - 17 over Llanhilleth's Les Bowd and his men. The third Royal victory came when skip A. James with G. Morris, H. Acreman and C. O'Brien recorded a 18 - 12 success against skip Lawrence Jefferies' visiting rink. The visitors did not go empty handed when skip Tommy Tranter got the better of the Royal rink of skip T. Ryan, KR.Evans, H. Pugh and D. Morgan to record a 7 - 19 win giving themselves the 2 points that went with it.

Royal Bowlers Slip To Carruthers Defeat - Sat. 30th April 2011

 Rhymney Royal BC  58   Cross Keys Welfare BC   97

Bouyant after the previous week's success in this competition, the Royal bowlers hosted Division One club Cross Keys Welfare in the second group game of the WBA Carruthers Shield and despite a valliant effort, failed to overcome the superior bowling and experience of the visiting side. Royal skip D. Hann with his rink of captain T. Ryan, C. Patten and D. Lynch suffered a 13 shots defeat against the Keys' Simon Bushell and his bowlers in going down 17 - 30 whilst home skip A. Jenkins with K. Cochrane, A. James and C. O'Brien suffered a similar fate against skip Andrew Bushell and his bowlers with a 14 - 28 reverse. The remaining two rinks produced much closer contests with Royal skip N. James with his rink of J. Doyle, KR Evans and D. Morgan letting slip a lead of 13 - 5 after 12 ends to record a defeat by 15 - 19 against skip Ian Slade and his bowlers. The closest contest of the afternoon produced a late flurry of shots to win for Keys' skip Tom Hancock by 12 - 20 after tying 11 - 11 after 18 ends against their Royal opponents. An aggregate win by 39 shots sets up the visitors Cross Keys to go on a win the group stage of this competition and leaves the Royal bowlers reflecting on their missed opportunities
 
Honorary Life Membership for Adrian Jenkins: It was with the greatest of pleasure that the Rhymney Royal Bowling Club bestowed Life Membership on one of its longest serving members. Adrian Jenkins has served the club for well over thirty years as a loyal bowler and administrator. Adrian captained the side on two occasions and served as its Treasurer for thirteen years.  He played his 1000th game at the end of last season and the occasion was marked with a presentation of a suitably engraved cut glass wine decanter and glasses.
 
Gwent Claim Bragging Rights In Local Derby - Weds. 27th April 2011
Rhymney Royal B.C.  59  Rhymney Gwent B.C. 70
 
The cohabitees of the War Memorial Park met for the first of three derby games planned for the forthcoming season and, as expected, the contest went to the wire with the visitors producing a more productive finish to claim the spoils in a keenly fought match.
Gwent President and skip Noel Tippett with his rink produced a consistent display of bowling to overcome Royal captain T. Ryan and his bowlers by 12 - 16 having led throughout whilst Gwent captain Mal Evans and his bowlers produced a storming comeback  over the last six ends in turning around a deficit of 12 - 6 into a winning 17 - 18 score against Royal skip A Jenkins and his men. The other two rinks saw saw the Gwent's Les Woolridge snatch a dramatic 15 - 16 win over the Royal rink of skip J. Watkins and skip Keri Denner hold on for a 15 - 20 success against his Royal opponents giving the Gwent side an eleven shots victory and the honour of retaining for another year of the Ron Collins trophy.

Carruthers Success For Royal Bowlers - Sat.23rd April 2011

Ynysddu B.C.  66 Rhymney Royal B.C.  96

Rhymney Royal bowlers got this season's Carruthers Shield campaign off to a successful start with a convincing win against gallant opponents in Ynysddu. On a bright and sunny afternoon and on a fine looking green, the visitors opened stronly with skip A. Jenkins and his rink of A. James, returnee F. Price and P. Smith building up a 5 - 12 lead after 9 ends against skip Peter Simpkins and his bowlers. The Royal bowlers held this lead until the closing ends when a spirited fightback saw the home rink come within a few shots of the Royal but the visitors held their nerve to register a 21 - 27 win. Royal skip D. Hann with J. Doyle, R. Withers and D. Morgan similarly opened up a 2 - 14 lead after 9 ends against home skip Fred Paul and his rink but on this occasion the visitors showed no mercy in finishing with a fine 11 - 25 vistory. Ynysddu skip Mark Warwick and his rink overcame a 2 - 8 deficit after 6 ends to lead 11 - 8 after 9 ends in their battle against the Royal rink which included P. White, G. Morris and N. Protheroe but the visitors dug deep into their resolve and produced an excellent 13 - 28 success. Former Pontlottyn boy and now Ynysddu skip Leighton Jones led his rink to an exciting victory over the Royal rink skippered by captain T. Ryan with I. Prosser, KR. Evans and C. Patten. The visitors held a narrow advantage throughout the contest but it was not enough to hold off a strong finish from the home bowlers who registered a good 21 - 16 win to claim their solitary success of the afternoon. Although winning by 3 rinks to 1 the Royal bowlers realise that they will need to up their game for the visit of Cross Keys in the next game in this competition.

Royal Bowlers Open With Impressive Win - Sat. 16th April 2011

 New Tredegar B.C. 59   Rhymney Royal B.C. 81
 
Rhymney Royal bowlers made the short journey down the valley to New Tredegar to mark the opening of the new season and came away with an impressive first victory by 22 shots against very keen and enthusiastic opponents. Both sides observed a minutes silence in honour of the loss of loyal and faithful members of both clubs during the winter at the start of this friendly match but it did not take long for the visitors to open up a good overall lead to settle their nerves and rid themselves of prematch blues. Royal skip N. James with his rink of J. Doyle, C. Patten and D. Lynch extended a 0 - 5 lead after 3 ends to 1 - 7 after 6 ends and although the New Tredegar rink of skip Gary Hook battled well to almost come back into contention, the Royal boys stretched their advantage to a winning 12 - 20 scoreline. In similar fashion home skip Idris Crowley and his bowlers found themselves trailing 0 - 9 after 3 ends against their Royal opponents which included P. White, G. Morris and N. Protheroe. Try as they did they could not make any headway to reduce the deficit and had to suffer the consequences of a 12 - 31 reverse. The third Royal rink skippered by captain T. Ryan with K. Cochrane, R. Withers and D. Morgan proved too strong for their home counterparts skipped by guest Dennis Evans. The Royal bowlers produced a fine 16 - 24 victory against some determined bowling. The home bowlers did taste success when their rink skippered Gareth Fortune held the upper hand against the Royal rink of D. Hann, A. James, KR Evans and C. O'Brien. with the hosts registering a 19 - 6 win. With three rinks returning winning cards the Royal bowlers can feel pleased with themselves for getting the season underway with that all important W (win). 

CAPTAIN'S EVENING: The 2011 Captain of Rhymney Royal Bowling Club, Mr. Terry "Bunny" O'Brien, cordially invites all past, present and prospective future bowlers to his Captain's Evening to be held on Wednesday April 13th 2011 at the War Memorial Park Bowling Green commencing at 5.30pm until 8.00pm. At this time you will have the opportunity to meet friends old and young, spend some time on the green and enjoy the light refreshments provided. The Captain looks forward to your company.

PRE-SEASON MEETING: This has been arranged for MONDAY 28th March 2011 at the FARMERS ARMS, RHYMNEY at 7.30pm. All members are asked to attend to show their support for our new 2011 Royal Captain Bunny O'Brien.

Mr. Richard H. Roberts: It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Richard on Friday 21st January 2011. Richard will be fondly remembered as being a larger than life character both on and off the green and an excellent tourist. His baritone "Da iawn" comments often thundered across the rinks in acknowledgement of good shots played and the Royal club will be a sadder place without him. Aged just 58 years, he was Chairman of the Royal on two occasions in 1988 and 1990 and was also a member of the 2006 side which won the MBA Division 3 title and promotion. His funeral will take place on Wednesday 2nd February 2011 at 12.45 in St. Davids Church, Rhymney followed by cremation in Llwydcoed.