Season 2007
Summary of 2007 season:
All : Played 32 Won 13 Drew 0 Lost 19 For 2257 Ag. 2341.75
Home : Played 15 Won 8 Drew 0 Lost 7
Away : Played 17 Won 5 Drew 0 Lost 12
Match Reports:
Saturday 21st April was the start of the new season and the Royal has started where they left off at the end of the previous season with a good win against a local club.
The good weather and a fast running green at New Tredegar saw the start of the bowling season for the two clubs. A good competitive and friendly game got off to a good start for the Royals. With three wins for skips A Jenkins, P Cosh,and John the body and a good comeback for skip K Bartlett against the opposing side who just kept their edge all the way through the game.
The Royals eventually won the game by 28 shots giving them the confidence to go on and play their best for the rest of the season.
Royal win the Collins Cup (Weds. 25th. April 2007)
Rhymney Gwent B.C. 62 Rhymney Royal B.C. 69
Newly promoted MBA Division 2 club, Rhymney Royal, entertained their cohabitants at the War Memorial Park, the Rhymney Gwent, in this traditional early season Ron Collins Cup match and emerged triumphant by seven shots in a closely contested game. Fresh from their convincing win over New Tredegar the previous weekend, the Royal bowlers were in no mood to be overawed by their more illustrious opponents. On a typical heavy green at the start of a season, the rink skippered by new captain Pete Cosh with D. Morgan, C. Patten and D. Hann made rapid progress against Julian Evans' rink building up the shots steadily to run out 24-9 winners. Likewise the Royal's rink of John Watkins, C.O'Brien, W. Dearth and I. Prosser bowled well against Colin Clabby's four to hold on to their early advantage to win by four shots at 20-16. Skip K. Bartlett and his bowlers were made to struggle against Noel Tippett's four but succeeded in reducing the deficit to a respectable 13-20 defeat. On the final rink Adrian Jenkins and his bowlers let an early lead slip away against J.K.Evans and succumbed to a 12-17 reverse with the winning shots being gained over the last three ends. Although the honours were shared at two rinks each it was the Rhymney Royal team who won the match with a 69-62 aggregate score to clinch the Ron Collins Cup.
Guest Memorial (Dowlais) B.C. 75 Rhymney Royal B.C. 77 (Sat. 28th. April 2007)
Rhymney Royal made the short but rare visit west over the hill to meet a mixed team from the Guest Memorial Bowls Club of Dowlais in their last pre-season friendly. The MBA Division 2 side were made to work hard on an unpredictable playing surface to secure the victory. Captain P. Cosh with T. Ryan, R. Jones and D. Morgan bowled well against Peter Toomey and his home bowlers and pulled thmselves back into contention after 18 ends to level the score at 15 all but a disastrous five shots conceded on the penultimate end saw them suffer a 23-15 reverse. Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, N. Protheroe and R. Williams struggled early on against Hilda Leonard's rink but clawed their way back into the game after being 17-10 down at mid point to win at 18-23 with some sustained pressure and accurate bowling. Home skip Randal Flye and his rink kept their noses in front for most of the game against the Royal's D. Hann but the visitors pulled back to 14 all with three ends remaining but were unable to secure the shots needed and lost narrowly at 17-15. The final rink to finish was that of Royal skip John Watkins with I. Prosser, W. Dearth and C. Bryan against Rob Thomas' four. The lead constantly changed hands but with the overall aggregate score very close the result of this rink was crucial. Big John and his bowlers did not let the Royal down and a five on the last end secured the 17-24 result and the two shot aggregate victory for the visitors. With their third win under their belt the Royal bowlers can now look forward with confidence to the games that lie ahead in the MBA and West Mon. leagues over the coming months.
Carruthers Shield Victory (Sat. 12th May)
Rhymney Royal B C 100 New Tredegar B C 55
Rhymney Royal played host to near neighbours New Tredegar in their first group match in the W.B.A. Carruthers Shield competition. Both sides were dressed for the expected wet weather which fortunately did not materialise so the match was played under heavy conditions which dried as the afternoon progressed. The visitors, who are in the process of rebuilding, opened brightly with all rinks showing up on the scoreboards but it could not be sustained. Royal skip J. Watkins with I. Prosser, N. James and C. Bryan progressed steadily building up the shots to win comfortably at 23-14 against G. Hook and his bowlers. Likewise K. Bartlett's bowlers D. Hann, G. Morris and R. Jones, despite a shaky start, bowled well to secure a 25-12 victory over Brian Brown and his rink. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with T. Ryan, N. Protheroe and D. Morgan battled well early on against A. Holpin's bowlers but again proved too strong to secure a 25-15 result for the home rink. A similar tale could be said for Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, R. Withers and R. Williams against I. Crowley and his bowlers. From being 8-8 after nine ends, the home side applied the pressure with sustained good bowling to gain victory at 27-14. All credit must be given to the New Tredegar team who never gave up throughout the match but the recently promoted home side proved too strong for them to win all four rinks and now meet Llanwern in their next group match to decide who progresses into the knock-out stages of the Carruthers Shield.
Complacent Royal Slip To Defeat (Sat. 19th May)
Llanwern B.C. 81 Rhymney Royal B.C. 77
Rhymney Royal bowlers made the long trip to Llanwern to play their final group match in the WBA Carruthers Shield competition knowing that they were in a favourable position having beaten New Tredegar by some 45 shots the previous week. The Newts had already beaten Llanwern by seven shots so as long as the Royal bowlers did not lose heavily they knew that they would progress into the knockout stages of the competition on shot difference.
On a tricky green the visitors showed they meant business over the early ends and soon built up a ten shot advantage. Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, W. Dearth and R. Williams were in tremendous form against the home rink of A. Blair leading 17 - 3 after 12 ends, but the Llanwern rink came back into the game but not enough to worry the visitors who had a convincing 24 - 14 success. Royal captain P. Cosh and his bowlers were made to work hard against D. Barnes' rink. They bowled steadily to lead 16 - 14 after 18 ends only to see their hard work undone over the last three ends and suffer a 21 - 18 reverse.
Big John Watkins and his four found the green not to their liking and were constantly playing catch-up against Llanwern's M. Perrett and his bowlers. The home rink always held the upper hand and secured a 23 - 17 victory. The final rink involved Royal skip K. Bartlett with G. Morris and the father/son combination of John and Neil Doyle against B. Gatehouse and his bowlers. In an exciting game, the lead constantly changed hands with the score even at 18 -18 on the 18th end. The home rink emerged victorious having picked up the necessary shots over the final ends to finish 23 - 18 winners. The Royal bowlers dropped 15 shots across the rinks over the last three ends to lose by three rinks to one and by 81 - 77 in shots. Some complacent bowling could well have cost them dearly had they not had a handsome cushion of shots in hand from the previous game. They will need to sharpen up if they intend to make further progress in this prestigious tournament.
Royal Gain First West Mon Win (Weds. 30th May)
Rhymney Royal B C 82 Six Bells B C 66
Rhymney Royal's delayed start to the season resulted in a good win against visiting Six Bells. Despite having to make some last minute changes to their line-up, the Royal bowlers soon found themselves trailing over the opening ends on a heavy green following the recent rain. After six ends the home side were three rinks down with the fourth all square but a sustained effort quickly reversed the position. Catain P. Cosh with D. Morgan, N. Doyle and T. Ryan built up a 20 - 6 lead against Doug Jones helped by a brace of five shots and finished victorious with a 24 - 16 result. Royal skip D. Hann with C. O'Brien, N. James and I. Prosser found themselves all square at 10 - 10 at mid way but pulled away with some fine bowling to secure a 21 - 15 win against Mike Hart's bowlers. Visiting skip Dean Webley and his bowlers held a slender mid way lead against the Royal's A. Jenkins, A. James, C. Patten and R. Williams but failed to hold on to it against some tight and accurate bowling from the home rink and succombed to a 18 - 14 reverse. The last rink to finish involved Royal skip K. Bartlett with R. Jones, W. Dearth and J. Doyle against Tim Phelps' bowlers. The home rink soon built up a 7 - 1 lead only to see it reversed at 7 - 9 after six ends. The visitors always held the advantage going into the final few ends but the home rink could well have snatched it at the death before suffering a 19 - 21 defeat. With a 3 rinks to 1 victory and 12 points in the bag the Royal have finally got their West Mon league season started
Early Cup Exit for Royal Bowlers (Friday 1st. June)
Islwyn Park BC 62 Rhymney Royal BC 52
Rhymney Royal bowlers made an early exit from the Monmoutnshire B. A. Knock-out Cup by suffering a 10 shot defeat to a resurgient Islwyn Park side clearly intent on returning to the higher divisions of the Monmouthshire leagues. On a good bowling surface the home side found their progress somewhat curtailed up to the halfway stage. Only Ron Morgan's rink were making any significant advances by leading the visiting rink of skip K. Bartlett by 13 - 3 with John Main just edging ahead of A. Jenkins at 7 - 5. The other Royal rinks skippered by captain P. Cosh and J. Watkins more than held their own by leading 5 - 9 and 5 - 7 respectively against the home rinks of Kevin Porter and captain Simon Fletcher. The final half of the match saw Islwyn's Ron Morgan and his bowlers press home their advantage to secure a 20 - 10 success whilst John Main hung on to claim a 16 - 12 victory aganst A. Jenkins. Both the remaining Royal rinks of P. Cosh and J. Watkins recorded 2 shot victories at 15 - 17 and 11 - 13 but their efforts were in vain, and despite levelling the score at two rinks each, it was the Islwyn Park side that gained the spoils and advanced into the next round of the competition.
Opening Defeat for Royal (Sat. 2nd June)
M.B.A. Division 2: Bedwas/Trethomas B.C. 80 Rhymney Royal B.C. 61
Newly promoted Rhymney Royal bowlers travelled to Bedwas for their opening encounter in the M.B.A Division 2 and found out just what is needed if they are to secure their position in this division. A 19 shot reverse and just 2 league points was the reward for the visitors against a home side very intent on consolidating their place in the division. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with D. Morgan, C. Patten and T. Ryan were the only ones to pose any threat to the home side. They bowled accurately to build up a 5 - 19 lead against Gareth Griffiths' bowlers and finished with a fine 12 - 21 victory - sadly the only Royal success of the afternoon. Skip A. Jenkins went down 18 - 10 against Peter Morgan's rink, J. Watkins suffered a 18 - 15 reverse against Alan Thomas and skip K. Bartlett succumbed to a heavy 32 - 15 defeat against Jeremy Griffiths' bowlers. A useful 12 league points for the Bedwas bowlers and the 2 points picked up by the Royal shows that tighter and more accurate bowling will be needed if they are to make any advances in this division.
Comprehensive Defeat for Royal against Mon. Champions (Weds.6th. June)
Blaina B C 79 Rhymney Royal B C 50
Reigning Monmouthshire league champions Blaina showed visiting Rhymney Royal just what is needed if they intend consolidating their league position this season with a comprehensive victory by some 29 shots in this West Mon. game. The home side showed their strength in depth by including two young teenagers for their first game of the season and they didn't disappoint. On an unpredictable green the home side soon got into their swing with a 14 shot lead after just six ends but the visitors clawed their way back into contention to reduce this to 5 five shots at mid point of the game. Home skip Steve Williams progressed steadily to build up a useful lead of 9 - 6 against John Watkins with I. Prosser, N. James and R. Jones after 9 ends to eventually run out 26 - 7 victors. Similarly Blaina's Paul Roberts gained a comfortable 18 - 11 success against Royal captain P. Cosh's rink with some accurate and sustained bowling. Royal skip K. Bartlett with G. Morris, N. Protheroe and C. Patten found themselves all square at 10 - 10 at midway but had to yield to some fortunate bowling from John Kitt's bowlers and suffer a 19 - 14 reverse. The only bright spot in the Royal's performance was the victory of skip A. Jenkins with D. Hann, W. Dearth and J. Doyle who bowled consistently well to secure a 16 - 18 success against Colin Coburn's men. A 3 rinks to 1 defeat for the visitors then and just 2 league points picked up away from home was their reward from this early season encounter.
First Home Defeat For Royal Bowlers (Sat. 9th June)
Rhymney Royal BC 67 Nantyglo BC 74
With both sides finding themselves with a blank week-end, this friendly match between two old adversaries proved to be a most enjoyable afternoon for all concerned. The match was played in brilliant sunshine and on a near perfect playing surface and it lived up to all expectations.
Royal skip A. Jenkins found himself in a real battle against Anthony Williams' bowlers. With the scores never more than a couple of shots in difference throughout the game, it came as no surprise to find the scores level at 16 all going into the last end. With the home skip holding shot, the visiting skip produced a last wood beauty to claim the single shot advantage at 16 - 17. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with T. Ryan, N. Doyle and R. Williams found themselves on the wrong end of a heavy defeat against John Bray's rink. The home side dropped a six early on and struggled to recover the deficit although they did themselves pick up a six late on but the result had been decided by this time with a 15 - 25 defeat for the home rink. Likewise skip J. Watkins and his bowlers were always playing catch-up against the visiting rink of Ken Titford. The visitors held a 6 shot advantage at mid point in the game and improved upon it to secure a 11- 20 success.
The final rink to finish was that of home skip K. Bartlett with vice-captain N. James playing his first game at third, C. Patten and N. Protheroe against Ralph Dando and his bowlers. The early ends were fairly even but as the match progressed, the home rink exerted the pressure with some fine bowling to secure a 25 - 12 result. This 13 shot margin was not enough to rescue the home side's unbeaten home tag and they fell short by some 7 shots in their 67 - 74 aggregate defeat
Royal Slip To Friendly Defeat (Weds.13th June)
Newbridge Welfare B C 61 Rhymney Royal B C 59
This hastily arranged friendly between two recently promoted sides proved to be an exciting affair with some fine bowling on an excellent bowling surface. The visitors showed a much changed line-up with vice captain Neil James taking over the helm for the first time and J. Barry making his debut. The expected rain kept away making it an even more enjoyable evening.
Home skip and captain Malcolm Jones opened strongly building up a 12 - 3 lead against the Royal's K. Bartlett after nine ends but the visitors pulled back to 15-15 with three ends to go before the home rink applied the pressure to secure a 24 - 15 win which turned out to be the home sides only winning rink of the evening. On the other three rinks the manner of the Royal's wins followed a similar pattern. A. James and his rink of T. Ryan, N. Doyle and W. Dearth found themselves trailing against Alec Powell's bowlers but levelled the score at 7 - 7 before gaining a 11 - 13 success. Skip A. Jenkins with captain for the night N. James, R. Withers and C. Patten struggled against Terry Parker's bowlers in the early stages to find themselves at 12 - 8 but pulled back strongly to record a fine 14 - 16 win. On the final rink home skip Eddie Harding and his men found themselves in a real battle with the Royal's D. Hann, I. Prosser, J. Barry and D. Morgan. With the lead changing hands constantly, it was the visiting rink who held their nerve to secure a deserved 12 - 15 success. At the end just two shots separated the sides and the two matches to come this season between these sides should be close calls if this match is anything to go by.
* The Rhymney Royal Bowling Club would like to wish Terry a speedy recovery when he enters hospital today for his knee replacement operation. The green will be a quieter place without you!
Carruthers Cup Exit for Royal (Sat. 16th June)
Rhymney Royal Bowling Club made an early exit from the Carruthers Shield competition in the first round knockout stages by losing 94 - 56 to the experienced Dinas Powys side at their Cardiff ground. Skip and captain P. Cosh put up a brave fight against Mike Ackland to lead 13 - 16 after eighteen ends only to lose 19 - 16 at the end. Similarly skip John Watkins made Jason Greenslade work hard to secure a 19 - 17 win after he lead the home side by 11 - 14 after twelve ends. The two other Royal rinks could could not quite match their opponents and suffered 29 - 13 and 27 - 10 reverses in the process.
Rhymney Royal Back To Winning Ways (Sat. 23rd June)
Rhymney Royal BC 86 Abergavenny BC 78
Following a run of six defeats in all matches, including a 94 - 56 loss at Dinas Powys in the Carruthers Shield, Rhymney Royal finally got back to winning ways with this narrow win against Abergavenny in this Monmouthshire League Division 2 encounter at the War Memorial Park.
The threatened heavy rain did not materialise and the match opened with Royal skip and captain Peter Cosh and his bowlers rapidly building up a 11 - 0 lead against Neil Mallard's men. They extended this to 25 - 9 after 12 ends and 26 - 14 after 18 ends. At this point the visitors pulled some six shots back against the home side's single shot to finish with a 27 - 20 win for the home rink. Similarly John Watkins and his rink built up a useful lead against the visiting Robert Poynter's bowlers to lead 16 - 10 after 15 ends only to see the visitors gain eleven shots over the last few ends against the solitary shot for the home rink resulting in a 17 - 21 defeat for the home side.
Royal skip Kelvin Bartlett with D. Hann, G. Morris and J. Doyle were always in control against Ieuan Jenkins and his bowlers. They extended a 9 - 1 lead after six ends to 15 - 8 after fifteen ends to secure a resounding 24 - 13 victory. Abergavenny skip John Beaton gave very little away in his tussle with the Royal's A. Jenkins. The visitors kept their noses in front throughout the game to record a 18 - 24 result. Although the rinks were shared at 2 - 2 the Royal gained an aggregate eight shot victory and ten league points to hopefully kick start their league campaign.
*All at the club offer their best wishes and congratulations to Peter Cosh and John Watkins following another notable success against Division One opponents in the MBA Pairs competition.
League Leaders Show Their Strength (Weds 27th June)
Rhymney Royal BC 54 Beaufort BC 64
With both sides fielding under strength sides due to holiday and work commitments, this West Mon. league fixture had all the ingredients of a tough battle between two old adversaries and the contest did not disappoint. At the end it was the visiting team to the War Memorial Park who enjoyed the success by ten shots to strenghten their position at the top of the league and preserve their unbeaten record.
Royal skip J. Watkins found himself in a real tussle against Tony Musgraves' rink with very few shots conceded by both sides. In all just twenty-three shots were scored throughout the eighteen ends but they went in favour of the visitors who secured a 7 - 16 result. Beaufort skip Alan Edwards seemed to have his match against the Royal's K. Bartlett in the bag after fifteen ends with a lead of 11 - 18 but the Royal rink produced a very late surge to come within a single shot of victory but succumbed to a 17 - 18 defeat. Royal skip A. Jenkins and his bowlers did well to stay in contention against Clive Sutherland's men but the visitors kept their noses in front to earn a 12 - 16 victory. The final rink brought together the opposing club captains who produced an exciting contest with some fine accurate bowling from both sides. Royal skip P. Cosh always held the advantage over Darren O'Callaghan throughout the allotted eighteen ends and recorded the only home success of the evening with a 18 - 14 result. With the visitors gaining a 3 rinks to 1 victory and a further 12 league points to add to their already impressive total, the strength in depth of talent available to them should see Beaufort do well in this league this season.
Royal Hopes Dampened
MBA Division Two: Rhymney Royal BC 72 Abercarn BC 87 (Sat. 30th June)
Rhymney Royal's hopes of extending their unbeaten home record in the Monmouthshire league were washed away by a very determined Abercarn side who made the rare visit to the rain sodden War Memorial Park for this Division Two encounter. The green held up well after taking a pounding from the weather and both sets of bowlers produced a very high standard of bowls in atrocious conditions.
Royal captain and skip Peter Cosh and his rink of D. Hann, N. Doyle and D. Morgan were involved in a tight contest against Abercarn's Keith Hunt and his bowlers. The lead constantly changed hands throughout the contest with shots hard to come by in the watery conditions. With the scores delicately balanced at 19 - 19 after 18 ends, it was the home rink who held their nerve to pick up five shots over the last three ends and secure a 24 - 19 result.
Visiting captain and skip Ken Discoll and his rink came up against the Royal's John Watkins and his bowlers in another titanic contest. The home side found the conditions not to their liking and found themselves trailing at 7 - 12 after 12 ends and down 9 - 18 after 18 ends, but despite a late flurry, succumbed to a 13 - 20 defeat. Royal skip A. Jenkins was always playing catch-up against Abercarn's Roger Peart with the visitors stretching their lead from 7 - 10 after 12 ends to 12 - 26 at the end with some accurate bowling. Perhaps the most exciting contest of a miserable afternoon saw Royal skip K. Bartlett with his rink of G. Morris, N. Protheroe and P. White up against John Beecham and his bowlers. The visitors opened up a 5 - 10 scoreline after 9 ends only for the home rink to pull back at 17 - 15 after 15 ends. The score stood at 19 - 20 with three ends remaining but the home rink bowled tightly and accurately to gain a single shot win at 23 - 22. Despite sharing the rink scores at 2 - 2, the Royal side saw their unbeaten home tag in the Monmouthshire league washed away by a 15 shot aggregate defeat and just four leaue points to add to their meagre total so far this season.
Lady Luck has certainly deserted Rhymney Royal bowlers this season as they struggle to establish themselves in both the Mon. League Division Two and the West Mon. league and their recent results prove that point.
Rhymney Royal 62 RTB Ebbw Vale 64 (Weds. 4th July)
In their mid week West Mon. fixture against RTB Ebbw Vale at the War Memorial Park the Royal bowlers found themselves sharing the honours at 2 rinks all but losing on aggregate by just two shots at 62 - 64 giving them four points against the visitors ten points. It was a home match they should have won but inconsistency let them down against a useful RTB outfit.
Royal skip K. Bartlett and his rink of G. Morris, N. Doyle and C. Patten battled well against Paul Haydn's men to level the scores at 15 - 15 after 15 ends and clinch it over the last three ends to win 19 - 16. Similarly home skip A. Jenkins with D. Hann, W. Dearth and J. Doyle proved too strong for the rink of youngster Jamie Brown and emerged 19 - 10 winners with some fine accurate bowling. Unfortunately the other Royal rinks skippered by J. Watkins and captain P. Cosh did not fare so well going down 8 - 16 and 16 - 22 respectively against the rinks skippered by ex-international bowler Robert Price and Alec Gummer.
Rhymney Royal 59 Beaufort 90 (Sat. 7th July)
In their Saturday Monmouthshire Division Two match against visitors Beaufort the Royal bowlers needed a lift in spirits and performance if they were to gain anything out of this home fixture but again sadly it was not to be. They couldn't blame the weather which turned out to be perfect as they succumbed to a resounding 59 - 90 aggregate defeat picking up just two league points in the process. The visitors contained a fair number of youngsters in their rinks who performed admirably against the home bowlers. In all, the Royal bowlers went down on three of the rinks with captain P. Cosh losing 11- 22 against Wayne Hooper, J. Watkins suffering a 10 - 31 reverse against Clive Williams and K. Bartlett losing 14 - 21 against visiting captain Darren O'Callaghan. The only bright spot was the win for Royal skip A. Jenkins and his rink of D. Hann, W. Dearth and J. Doyle who secured a 24 - 16 win against Tommy Daniel and his bowlers. Two points gained but another twelve home points lost in the league was a poor return for the Royal efforts to maintain their status as a Division Two club.
Away Win For Royal (Weds. 11th July)
Nantyglo BC 59 Rhymnet Royal BC 62
Rhymney Royal recorded their first away win in the West Mon league with this narrow win over a determined Nantyglo side. In what has been a disappointing start to this season's campaign, the visitors were looking to regain the momentum of last season's success and this 2 rinks to 1 victory with another shared will give them the boost they have been looking for.
Royal skip John Watkins and his rink of Ray Jones, Richie Williams and Ieuan Prosser opened strongly against John Bray's bowlers quickly establishing a 2 - 8 lead after three ends extending this to 5 - 12 at midway before securing a 13 - 23 win with some accurate bowling and picking up a six in the process. Their efforts seemed to inspire their colleagues, especially skip A. Jenkins with his rink of Alan James, Wayne Dearth and John Doyle who found themselves struggling against Nantyglo's Ralph Dando and his bowlers. From being 9 - 2 down after six ends they battled well, also picking up a six, to establish a 12 - 14 lead with three ends to go but had to be content with sharing the honours at 15 - 15 against equally determined opponents.
Royal captain and skip Peter Cosh was always in command against the home rink of G. Long. From the onset, the Royal rink with Des Morgan, Cyril Patten and Neil James built up steadily and just keeping ahead of their opponents before securing a 11 - 16 victory. The final rink to finish was that of Royal skip Kelvin Bartlett against Kevin Howells and his men. The visitors found themselves trailing throughout but needed to keep the shot count down as the aggregate scores were very close. Although conceding a single shot on the last end to lose 20 - 8, the visitors did enough to hold onto the narrow aggregate lead to help their team-mates to their first away win of the season in the West Mon league gaining a valuable 11 points in the process.
Royal Fightback Not Enough
Newbridge Welfare BC 83 Rhymney Royal BC 73 (Sat.14th July)
This Mon. Division 2 fixture brought together last year's promoted teams and having already played each other in a pre-season friendly, the contest became a battle of wills as the bowlers knew each other's styles so well. The home side opened brightly with skips Colin White and John Churcher both building up useful starts without reply from the visitors but Newbridge skip Eddie Hardin failed to record any score against the Royal's Kelvin Bartlett's bowlers and trailed 0 - 3 after the opening three ends. Home captain Malcolm Jones also showed a deficit against the Royal's A. Jenkins also trailing 2 - 3. As the match progressed the home bowlers used their knowledge of the green to their advantage and soon built up a commanding lead. John Churcher showed a 12 - 5 lead over Royal captain Peter Cosh's rink; Eddie Hardin had built up 16 - 6 lead over K. Bartlett's bowlers and Colin White opened up a 19 - 12 lead against John Watkins and his rink. The Royal remained in contention though with skip A. Jenkins and his rink of A. James, W. Dearth and J. Doyle strengthening their hold over Malcolm Jones' rink to lead 11 - 18. As the match entered the final three ends, the Royal bowlers started cutting into the home sides overall lead. A. Jenkins and his men ran out 12 - 28 winners against the home side's captain and his rink whilst Royal skip P. Cosh with N. James, N. Protheroe and D. Morgan stormed through to clinch a 17 - 20 victory against J. Churcher. But, try as they did, the visitors could not pull back enough shots on the other two rinks to secure any more league points with E. Hardin securing a 25 - 12 win over K. Bartlett and Colin White finishing strongly to win 29 - 13 against J. Watkins. Although the rinks were shared at two rinks each the Royal bowlers had to be content with the four league points gained in this entertaining battle against their old adversaries.
Comfortable Win For Royal (Weds. 18th July)
Rhymney Royal BC 68 Cwm (Ebbw Vale) BC 56
Rhymney Royal registered their third West Mon League win of the season with this comfortable success against visiting Cwm at the War Memorial Park. On a beautiful evening for bowling after the weeks of heavy rain, both sides enjoyed the early exchanges and their efforts were not in vain as just eight shots separated the sides after six ends. Visiting skip Justine Prior with his rink shared the honours at 5 - 5 against the Royal captain and skip Peter Cosh and his rink of N. James, N. Protheroe and R. Withers. Royal skip K. Bartlett with G. Morris, C. Patten and P. White raced into an early lead of 12 - 3 against Dave Williams rink and home skip A. Jenkins with A. James, W. Dearth and J. Doyle nudged ahead 7 - 5 against Charles Jones' bowlers. Only Royal skip J. Watkins and his rink found themselves trailing by 3 - 6 against Dave Badcock's bowlers. As the contest progressed, the battle for supremacy between Cosh and Prior intensified with firstly the visitors taking the lead 6 - 8 before captain Cosh pulled back to secure a fine 17 - 10 victory. Royal skip K. Bartlett built up a healthy 16 - 8 advantage over D. Williams before the visitors stormed back into contention and had to be content with a 18 - 15 result. A. Jenkins continued to build on his advantage with some fine bowling and his rink returned an emphatic 23 - 13 victory. Despite leveling at 6 - 6 the Royal's J. Watkins could not find the accuracy to defeat D. Badcock's bowlers and fell to a 10 - 18 reverse. Nevertheless the Royal bowlers did enough to secure a twelve shot aggregate advantage at 68 - 56 and earn themselves twelve league points to lift themselves into a mid table position in the West Mon league.
Disappointing Evening for Royal Bowlers
Ebbw Vale Welfare BC 74 Rhymney Royal BC 60 (Weds. 25th July)
Centenary celebrating Ebbw Vale Welfare welcomed the Royal to their green for this West Mon. league encounter on a pleasant evening for bowling after all the heavy rain being experienced in recent weeks. Both sides lie within the lower half of the league table but the contest produced some entertaining bowls with the home side gaining the spoils by some 14 shots.
Visiting captain and skip P. Cosh was in fine form against Viv Evans' bowlers and his rink of N. James, N. Protheroe and R. Withers built up a commanding lead of 4 - 12 at mid way, extending it to 7 - 22 after fifteen ends, but a seven shot drop followed by a brace brought the home side back into the game but they had to be content with a 16 - 24 result. Much the same happened on Royal skip K. Bartlett's rink against John Ridley. The visitors built up steadily with G. Morris, N. Doyle and P. White assisting Bartlett secure a fine 13 - 22 victory. The other visiting rinks did not fare so well against a determined Ebbw Vale side. The usually reliable Royal skip A. Jenkins and his bowlers came to grief against the home rink skippered by Ron Hayward. Although shots were hard to come by in the early stages in this tight contest, it was the home rink who gained the upper hand and ran out 21 - 6 winners with some accurate bowling. Likewise Royal skip J. Watkins struggled against Richard Cooper and his bowlers. The home rink opened up a 9 - 1 lead, extending it to 15 - 6 before securing a well earned 24 - 8 success. Although the rinks were shared at two each, the home side gained a 14 shot aggregate advantage and ten league points to four in their favour to lift them up in the table to a more respectable position.
Royal Gain Full House (Weds 1st Aug)
Rhymney Royal BC 85 Brynmawr BC 55
Rampant Rhymney Royal bowlers gained their first maximum points of the season with this emphatic West Mon league win against Monmouthshire Cup finalists and Division One side Brynmawr at the War Memorial Park. Forced to make some last minute changes because of work and holiday commitments, the home side soon settled and built up an early 15 - 9 aggregate lead after just three ends with the visitors dropping fives on two of the rinks.
The Royal's J. Doyle, playing his first match at skip, with I. Prosser, C. O'Brien and D. Morgan in support picked up one of the fives on the third end to lead 6 - 1, extending the score to 13 - 3 at mid way against A. Williams and his bowlers. There was no way back for the visitors as the home rink ran out resounding 26 - 7 winners with some fine accurate bowling. Home skip A. Jenkins with his rink of A. James, J. Barry and P. White followed suite and also picked up a five on the third end to lead 5 - 3 against G. Congreve's rink. The home side's continued and sustained pressure saw them extend their lead to 16 - 4 at mid way before securing a 20 - 14 success. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh and his rink of N. James, N. Protheroe and R. Withers found themselves in a real tussle against Brynmawr's P. Carey and his bowlers. Shots were hard to come by during the early ends with the visitors holding the advantage at 4 - 7 at mid way and after seventeen ends the visitors still hung on to their lead at 15 - 17. A big finish saw the home rink gain a five on the last end to clinch an exciting 20 - 17 result. The final Royal rink of K. Bartlett, R. Jones, W. Dearth and C. Patten always held the advantage over D. Mogford's rink but the visitors did make a late attempt to claim the spoils and pulled back from 14 - 5 down at mid way to finish just two shots short to prevent the whitewash at 19 - 17. A maximum 14 league points for the home side and a reality check for the visitors ahead of their cup final date at the end of the week.
Woeful Weekend For Royal Bowlers
Rhymney Royal BC 60 Bedwellty Park BC 102 (Sat. August 4th)
Cwmbran BC 84 Rhymney Royal BC 68 (Sunday August 5th)
The two Monmouthshire B A matches played by the Rhymney Royal bowlers could well be the defining moments in their guest to remain in the MBA Division Two. The Rhymney side needed at least one victory to lift them up the table and out of the relegation zone but they failed in both matches played and now face the prospect of going down after just one season in the second division.
Against neighbours Bedwellty Park, who themselves are facing the dreaded drop, they struggled to find the form displayed earlier in the week against Brynmawr and suffered a heavy loss by some 42 shots and losing by 3 rinks to 1. Royal skip and captain Pete Cosh suffered more than anyone against Bedwellty's Jim O'Connor and his bowlers. The home rink found themselves 3 - 24 down after 12 ends having conceded a seven on the seventh end and were condemned to a resounding 9 - 35 reverse. Likewise the home rink skippered by John Watkins remained in contention against Wayne Hughes and co. and shared the honours at 10 - 10 after twelve ends. Try as they did they were unable to stay with the visitors and again succumbed to a 16 - 25 defeat. In similar fashion the Bedwellty skip Ron Price gained an emphatic 26 - 15 win against the third Royal rink which included Ray Jones, Des Morgan and Cyril Patten. The only Royal bright spot was the 20 - 16 success of skip Ad. Jenkins and his bowlers against the visiting John Edwards. A 42 shot aggregate loss and just two home league points was not the return the home side were looking for in their battle against relegation.
The rearranged Sunday match at Cwmbran offered the Royal bowlers the opportunity to redeem themselves following the previous day's heavy defeat and they responded well. On a glorious afternoon for bowling the Rhymney outfit battled well and held a two shot aggregate lead after 16 ends but as has frequently happened in many of their games this season they capitulated over the last few ends. Royal skip Kelvyn Bartlett and his rink were 13 - 13 against the rink skippered by Brian Relland but suffered the agony of a 23 - 17 reverse. Similarly the visiting John Watkins and his rink pulled back into contention at 16 - 13 against Alan Cooper and his bowlers only to suffer a 24 - 15 defeat at the end. The remaining Royal rinks were involved in titanic battles against equally determined home rinks. Royal skip Ad. Jenkins with Alan James, Wayne Dearth and Des Morgan pulled back to 17 - 17 against the home rink of ex Abertysswg man Dorian Cook and his bowlers but battle as they did they could not hold on and went down to a two shot reverse at 23 - 21. The final Royal rink skippered by captain Pete Cosh and included Neil James, Neil Protheroe and Ray Withers battled well against Howard Rees and his rink. The lead constantly changed hands in a tight game with very few shots being conceded. From 4 - 3 down to 6 - 10 up and then 14 - 12 down again with three ends to play, the visitors held their composure over the closing ends to gain an exciting 14 - 15 win but it was not enough to prevent a 16 shot aggregate defeat and again just two league points which leaves the Rhymney Royal side in a very precarious league position.
Mon. B.A. Division 2: Croesyceiliog BC 90 Rhymney Royal BC 53 (Sat. 11th Aug.)
West Mon. B.A.: Rhymney Royal BC 63 Llanhilleth BC 64 (Weds. 15th Aug.)
In this Mon. BA league fixture, the Rhymney Royal bowlers returned to the Cwmbran area, where just six days previously they had lost to the local club, hoping that their return would be more profitable in terms of league points but their hopes were dashed by a very determined Croesyceiliog side who inflicted a heavy defeat gaining the maximum 14 points in the process. All four visiting rinks lost with only Royal skip and captain P. Cosh showing any resistance against a rampant home side. Cosh and his rink were sharing the spoils 12 - 12 after 12 ends against K. Jones and his bowlers but the home rink applied the pressure to run out 23 - 18 winners. Royal skips A. Jenkins, K. Bartlett and J. Watkins and their rinks all suffered at the hands of home skips R. Morgan, R. Berry and A. Burgess losing 18 - 13, 23 - 12 and 26 - 10 respectively to complete a miserable afternoon and return home empty handed.
Llanhilleth were the visitors to the War Memorial Park for this mid-table West Mon. clash against a Rhymney Royal side hoping to put aside the memory of successive defeats in the Monmouthshire league. If the home side thought the visitors would should any sympathy for their plight then they were greatly mistaken. From the start the home side realised that they were in for a tight game. Royal skip J. Doyle struggled to hold L. Bowen's bowlers and found himself 4 - 10 down after nine ends. Likewise skip K. Bartlett found it difficult against visiting skip T. Tranter and his rink losing 4 - 9 again after nine ends. At this mid point Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with P. White, W. Dearth and D. Morgan held a comfortable lead over M. Blanche at 11 - 2 whilst fellow skip A. Jenkins with G. Morris, R. Jones and C. O'Brien held a narrow advantage at 9 - 7 over their opponents. As the match progressed shots the visitors dug deep into their resources leaving J. Doyle and his bowlers on the wrong end of a 11 - 22 scoreline and although Royal skip K. Bartlett pulled back shots over the last few ends, visiting skip T. Tranter hung on to secure a 14 - 16 win. The other Royal rinks gained notable wins with captain Cosh gaining a 15 - 13 success and A. Jenkins an exciting 23 - 13 win but try as they did it was not enough to secure an aggregate win with the home side going down by a solitary shot at 63 - 64 and gaining just four home league points in the process
Rhymney Royal Gain Revenge Win (Sun. 19th Aug)
Rhymney Royal BC 72 Llanhilleth BC 69
This rearranged fixture brought together two of last season's promoted sides currently languishing at the basement of Monmouthshire League Division 2, with the home side out for revenge having lost to the visitors by a single shot just five days previously in a West Mon. league game. As expected the bowling was tight over the opening ends with very little being given away as both sides fought for ascendancy. Royal skip A. Jenkins with his rink of G. Morris, T. Ryan and C. O'Brien opened up an early 4 - 1 lead against Lee Bowen's bowlers only to be pulled back to 8 - 9 after nine ends. The sides shared it at 13 - 13 after fifteen ends before the visitors crept in to steal it at 16 - 19 at the close. Visiting skip Tom Tranter was involved in an equally close encounter against home skip and captain P. Cosh. Again very few shots separated the sides throughout the game with the lead changing hands often. The visitors led 10 - 12 after twelve ends before captain Cosh pulled back to lead 14 - 12 after fifteen ends. The score stood at 16 - 16 with three ends to play before the visitors claimed an exciting 18 - 19 success on the last end. Royal skip K. Bartlett always held a narrow advantage over the rink skippered by Mike Blanche. The home rink opened up an early 8 - 2 lead after six ends extending it to 13 - 7 after twelve before the visitors clawed their way back into contention only to see their efforts thwarted at the close going down 18 - 15. The final Royal rink skippered by J. Watkins and including I. Prosser, R. Williams and R. Jones, regained their composure after trailing over the early ends to build up a good 18 - 8 lead after fifteen ends against a determined visiting rink skippered by Brian Green. The visitors piled on the pressure over the last six ends with some accurate bowling but, try as they did, their efforts failed to overall the home side's shot total and they succumbed to a 20 - 16 defeat. Although the rinks were shared at 2 - 2, it was the home side who gained the spoils with a narrow three shot aggregate advantage and a useful 10 league points into the bargain.
Rhymney Royal's Finals Day
Captain Elect James Sweeps the Board (Sat 25th Aug)
On a glorious day for bowling at the War Memorial Park, the members of the Rhymney Royal Bowling Club took time off from the pressure of league matches to hold a very successful Finals Day when the destiny of their internal trophies was decided. What a day it turned out to be for young Neil James, next season's club captain! James has had a very good season in the various leagues and he carried forward his good form into the four finals he was involved in.
The first final of the day was the Rinks final for the Idris Davies Cup and James together with skip J. Watkins, G. Morris and N. Protheroe took on the rink skippered by K. Bartlett with R. Withers, P. White and R. Jones. The former rink opened strongly building up a healthy 9 - 1 lead after six ends extending it to 10 - 5 and then 15 - 9 after fifteen ends. The Watkins rink stretched it to 22 - 9 to clinch the trophy and James' first of the day.
The American Can Trophy for triples was the next trophy to be played for and it brought together club captain P. Cosh with his vice captain N. James and R. Williams against I. Prosser and his bowlers. Skip Cosh and his team opened up a 0 - 10 lead after six ends and continued to build up impressively to 2 - 12 and then 11 - 17 before running out victors at 12 - 20 with some sustained accurate bowling and a second trophy of the day for the youngster.
The Atkinson Pairs Trophy was contested for by the P. White/I. Prosser combination against the C. O'Brien/G. Morris pairing and it produced some interesting ends in the process. O'Brien and Morris opened strongly holding a 5 - 7 advantage after six ends but their opponents started to get their act together and played some good ends to build up an impressive 17 - 8 lead which they extended to 21 - 10 after fifteen. Despite bowling some accurate woods, the O'Brien/Morris partnership could not find a way back into the game and succumbed to a 26 - 12 defeat.
The first of the singles trophy to be decided was between D. Hann and R. Jones for the Maddocks Cup. Hann soon got into his stride on the long kitty and opened up an 8 - 0 lead before Jones picked up a three and got control of the length of the kitty. He played the shorter length and pulled himself back into contention at 14 - 14. With the magical 21 shots being the target the remaining ends were very close before Hann took the honours 21 - 17 on the 23rd end.
R. Jones soon made amends with a fine performance in the Whitbread Two Woods final where he came up against J. Doyle. In a closely fought game Jones just kept his nose in front using the shorter length kitty to his advantage and from being one shot ahead at 10 - 9 piled on the pressure to run out an 18 - 11 winner after 24 ends.
The remaining two trophies to be played for went to vice captain N. James with a fine display of good accurate bowling. The youngster had never won a singles trophy before but this time around he made doubly sure of success. In the Glencross Cup, James came up against D. Morgan and soon went into a commanding lead at 7 - 0. Morgan would not let the youngster have it all his own way and pulled back to 9 - 7 with James looking very uncertain. A three shot gain on the 14th end soon settled his nerves and he never looked back in securing a 21 - 12 victory.
The most prestigious trophy to win was the Octavius Evans Cup regarded as the club championship trophy and it brought together the old campaigner in captain P. Cosh against his vice captain Neil James in a fascinating singles contest. The young pretender built up a 7 - 1 lead before his captain could get into his game. Although Cosh picked up three shots on the seventh end, James did not panic and kept picking up a succession of singles to lead at 13 - 7 and then 17 - 10 before holding his nerve to gain a fine 21 - 15 victory and his fourth trophy of the day and the title of club champion that goes with it. All in all a fine day of bowling, especially for Neil James who will not forget his triumphs for a long time .
* All at the Rhymney Royal club would like to express their appreciation for the help and assistance given to them throughout the season by Caerphilly Council's Park Ranger Mr. Rod Davies.
Machen B C 99 Rhymney Royal B C 63 (Sat 1st Sept)
Rhymney Royal succumbed to a 36 shot defeat at the hands of Machen in this Mon. Division Two game and relegation after just one season. The visitors never looked like making an impression on the home side who built up steadily throughout the afternoon with the same pattern emerging on all rinks. Machen skip Andrew Fallaize went into an early 5 - 3 lead against the Royal's John Watkins and continued to hold the advantage picking up shots to extend to 11 - 6 and 14 - 8 before securing a 20 - 14 win. Likewise Royal skip and captain Pete Cosh suffered at the hands of Machen's Mark Lewis who again opened up an early lead at 6 - 3 to eventually run out 22 - 16 winners. The remaining Royal rinks faced father and son skips in Mal Williams and Owen Williams. Skip Ad. Jenkins and his bowlers stayed in contention against father Mal and his bowlers holding them at 7 - 7 but a disastrous three ends saw them concede eleven shots and any hope of winning before losing 27 - 15. Son Owen Williams and his rink always held a comfortable advantage over Royal skip Kelvyn Bartlett and his bowlers. The home rink gained an early 8 - 0 lead extended to 20 - 8 at mid point before running out 30 - 18 victors leaving the visiting team to return home empty handed after a 14 points to nil mauling and a return to Division 3 next season.
Royal Bowlers Regain Shield
Rhymney Royal BC 84 Cwm (Ebbw Vale) BC 66 (Sat. 8th Sept)
Rhymney Royal bowlers brought some smiles back to their faces after a disappointing season when they regained the Ray Withers Shield from visiting Cwm. The shield, donated to mark the 1000th game played by the veteran Royal bowler, has become an annual end of season contest between the two sides with the visitors winning the inaugural match last season. It was very fitting that the man himself should play at lead with A. Weaver, G. Morris and skip A. Jenkins against visiting captain and skip Justin Prior on a rink that saw the visitors open strongly to build up a useful 3 - 6 lead after six ends. Unfortunately the Cwm bowlers could not sustain their advantage against some determined bowling from the home four who came back purposefully to go into a 12 - 7 lead extending it to 17 - 12 before securing a 23 - 20 win. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with A. James, C. Patten and D. Morgan bowled well to hold on to their lead over the visiting rink skippered by Malcolm Darby. Following a shaky opening which saw the home side 5 - 3 down, they levelled at 8 - 8 before building by single shots to win with a 18 - 13 scoreline. Home skip J. Watkins with his rink of I. Prosser, R. Williams and C. O'Brien also found themselves trailing early on at 3 - 5 against Cwm's Charles Jones and his bowlers but the home rink soon settled into a pattern and drew level at 8 - 8 before winning comfortably at 24 - 13. The only Royal rink to taste defeat was that skippered by K. Bartlett and it took a three on the last end by visiting skip Dave Williams to earn his side a 19 - 20 success. A three rinks to one victory and a sixteen shot margin was enough to ensure thet the Ray Withers Shield came home in a thoroughly entertaining afternoon of bowls.
Abertillery B.C. 59.75 Rhymney Royal B.C. 48 (Mon. 10th Sept.)
Rhymney Royal bowlers brought the curtain down on their league season with this disappointing defeat at the hands of Abertillery in this rearranged West Mon. league match.
With the hours of darkness fast approaching, the game was reduced to fifteen ends and it was the home side who made the most of it by using their knowledge of their green to their advantage but they did not always have it all their own way.
Home skip Alan Holmes and his bowlers found themselves 3 - 5 down after six ends against the Royal's John Watkins and his rink but rallied over the latter ends to gain a three shot win with a 14 - 11 score. Royal skip and captain Pete Cosh and his bowlers made good use their numerical advantage to open up a 1 - 7 lead against home skip Gareth Watts, a lead which they sustained until the twelth end when they found themselves trailing at 12 - 11. The visitors applied the pressurs over the last few ends to run out 13 - 17 winners (Adjusted to 9.75 - 17). Abertillery skip Reg Bowdler and his bowlers always held the upper hand over the Royal rink skippered by Derek Hann and built steadily to register a 20 - 7 success whilst the remaining rink saw the home side skippered by Gethin Hucker run out victors by 16 - 13 against the Royal's Ad. Jenkins and co. Twelve league points to the home side and just two points for the visitors brought an element of respectability to both sides as regards their standings in the West Mon. league and both sides can look forward to meeting each other more frequently in the Mon. Division 3 next season.
Double Success In the West Country
North Petherton B.C. 66 Rhymney Royal B.C. 106 (Sat. 15th Sept)
St. Andrews B.C. (Weston) 70 Rhymney Royal B.C. 107 (Sun. 16th Sept)
Rhymney Royal bowlers brought their season to a close with a short tour to the West Country where they played two North Somerset mixed teams in almost perfect playing conditions. Although the greens were fast, the tourists soon adapted to the wide swinging rinks to gain resounding wins in both matches.
Against North Petherton, on their new bowling surface, the Royal bowlers opened cautiously building up steadily as the game progressed. Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, C. Patten and R. Withers found themselves 5 - 2 down after six ends but pulled back well to open up a 7 - 17 lead after fifteen ends to secure a fine 8 - 27 victory at the close. Likewise Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with D. Hann, M. Patten and D. Morgan trailed 5 - 0 before adapting to the green but soon moved into a comfortable 12 - 19 lead before again securing a 21 - 30 success. The Royal rink of J. Watkins, I. Prosser, N. Protheroe and R. Williams ended the day with a runaway victory of 9 - 35 against their opponents with some fine bowling but the only Royal rink to suffer a setback was that skippered by K. Bartlett who struggled to a 28 - 14 defeat against some determined home bowlers. A 40 shot aggregate win in their opening fixture set up the visitors for their next game at St. Andrews the following day.
Again a very hard and fast playing surface greeted the Royal bowlers but they were prepared for it this time. Skip A. Jenkins and his rink always looked in command against their Weston opponents and held a 2 - 22 advantage after twelve ends before running out 7 - 39 victors at the end of play. The Royal rinks skippered by J. Watkins and K. Bartlett were involved in much tighter matches with shots harder to come by but both rinks secured victories at 23 - 29 and 21 - 22 respectively. Although Royal skip P. Cosh and his bowlers suffered a narrow 19 - 17 defeat, the Royal bowlers on the other rinks had done enough to ensure a 37 shot aggregate victory and a triumphant end to a successful short tour. Special praise must go to Royal Secretary K. Bartlett for his organisational skills and to the athletic water-carrier R.H. Roberts for keeping the tourists on their toes throughout the uplifting weekend.
All : Played 32 Won 13 Drew 0 Lost 19 For 2257 Ag. 2341.75
Home : Played 15 Won 8 Drew 0 Lost 7
Away : Played 17 Won 5 Drew 0 Lost 12
Match Reports:
Saturday 21st April was the start of the new season and the Royal has started where they left off at the end of the previous season with a good win against a local club.
The good weather and a fast running green at New Tredegar saw the start of the bowling season for the two clubs. A good competitive and friendly game got off to a good start for the Royals. With three wins for skips A Jenkins, P Cosh,and John the body and a good comeback for skip K Bartlett against the opposing side who just kept their edge all the way through the game.
The Royals eventually won the game by 28 shots giving them the confidence to go on and play their best for the rest of the season.
Royal win the Collins Cup (Weds. 25th. April 2007)
Rhymney Gwent B.C. 62 Rhymney Royal B.C. 69
Newly promoted MBA Division 2 club, Rhymney Royal, entertained their cohabitants at the War Memorial Park, the Rhymney Gwent, in this traditional early season Ron Collins Cup match and emerged triumphant by seven shots in a closely contested game. Fresh from their convincing win over New Tredegar the previous weekend, the Royal bowlers were in no mood to be overawed by their more illustrious opponents. On a typical heavy green at the start of a season, the rink skippered by new captain Pete Cosh with D. Morgan, C. Patten and D. Hann made rapid progress against Julian Evans' rink building up the shots steadily to run out 24-9 winners. Likewise the Royal's rink of John Watkins, C.O'Brien, W. Dearth and I. Prosser bowled well against Colin Clabby's four to hold on to their early advantage to win by four shots at 20-16. Skip K. Bartlett and his bowlers were made to struggle against Noel Tippett's four but succeeded in reducing the deficit to a respectable 13-20 defeat. On the final rink Adrian Jenkins and his bowlers let an early lead slip away against J.K.Evans and succumbed to a 12-17 reverse with the winning shots being gained over the last three ends. Although the honours were shared at two rinks each it was the Rhymney Royal team who won the match with a 69-62 aggregate score to clinch the Ron Collins Cup.
Guest Memorial (Dowlais) B.C. 75 Rhymney Royal B.C. 77 (Sat. 28th. April 2007)
Rhymney Royal made the short but rare visit west over the hill to meet a mixed team from the Guest Memorial Bowls Club of Dowlais in their last pre-season friendly. The MBA Division 2 side were made to work hard on an unpredictable playing surface to secure the victory. Captain P. Cosh with T. Ryan, R. Jones and D. Morgan bowled well against Peter Toomey and his home bowlers and pulled thmselves back into contention after 18 ends to level the score at 15 all but a disastrous five shots conceded on the penultimate end saw them suffer a 23-15 reverse. Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, N. Protheroe and R. Williams struggled early on against Hilda Leonard's rink but clawed their way back into the game after being 17-10 down at mid point to win at 18-23 with some sustained pressure and accurate bowling. Home skip Randal Flye and his rink kept their noses in front for most of the game against the Royal's D. Hann but the visitors pulled back to 14 all with three ends remaining but were unable to secure the shots needed and lost narrowly at 17-15. The final rink to finish was that of Royal skip John Watkins with I. Prosser, W. Dearth and C. Bryan against Rob Thomas' four. The lead constantly changed hands but with the overall aggregate score very close the result of this rink was crucial. Big John and his bowlers did not let the Royal down and a five on the last end secured the 17-24 result and the two shot aggregate victory for the visitors. With their third win under their belt the Royal bowlers can now look forward with confidence to the games that lie ahead in the MBA and West Mon. leagues over the coming months.
Carruthers Shield Victory (Sat. 12th May)
Rhymney Royal B C 100 New Tredegar B C 55
Rhymney Royal played host to near neighbours New Tredegar in their first group match in the W.B.A. Carruthers Shield competition. Both sides were dressed for the expected wet weather which fortunately did not materialise so the match was played under heavy conditions which dried as the afternoon progressed. The visitors, who are in the process of rebuilding, opened brightly with all rinks showing up on the scoreboards but it could not be sustained. Royal skip J. Watkins with I. Prosser, N. James and C. Bryan progressed steadily building up the shots to win comfortably at 23-14 against G. Hook and his bowlers. Likewise K. Bartlett's bowlers D. Hann, G. Morris and R. Jones, despite a shaky start, bowled well to secure a 25-12 victory over Brian Brown and his rink. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with T. Ryan, N. Protheroe and D. Morgan battled well early on against A. Holpin's bowlers but again proved too strong to secure a 25-15 result for the home rink. A similar tale could be said for Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, R. Withers and R. Williams against I. Crowley and his bowlers. From being 8-8 after nine ends, the home side applied the pressure with sustained good bowling to gain victory at 27-14. All credit must be given to the New Tredegar team who never gave up throughout the match but the recently promoted home side proved too strong for them to win all four rinks and now meet Llanwern in their next group match to decide who progresses into the knock-out stages of the Carruthers Shield.
Complacent Royal Slip To Defeat (Sat. 19th May)
Llanwern B.C. 81 Rhymney Royal B.C. 77
Rhymney Royal bowlers made the long trip to Llanwern to play their final group match in the WBA Carruthers Shield competition knowing that they were in a favourable position having beaten New Tredegar by some 45 shots the previous week. The Newts had already beaten Llanwern by seven shots so as long as the Royal bowlers did not lose heavily they knew that they would progress into the knockout stages of the competition on shot difference.
On a tricky green the visitors showed they meant business over the early ends and soon built up a ten shot advantage. Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, W. Dearth and R. Williams were in tremendous form against the home rink of A. Blair leading 17 - 3 after 12 ends, but the Llanwern rink came back into the game but not enough to worry the visitors who had a convincing 24 - 14 success. Royal captain P. Cosh and his bowlers were made to work hard against D. Barnes' rink. They bowled steadily to lead 16 - 14 after 18 ends only to see their hard work undone over the last three ends and suffer a 21 - 18 reverse.
Big John Watkins and his four found the green not to their liking and were constantly playing catch-up against Llanwern's M. Perrett and his bowlers. The home rink always held the upper hand and secured a 23 - 17 victory. The final rink involved Royal skip K. Bartlett with G. Morris and the father/son combination of John and Neil Doyle against B. Gatehouse and his bowlers. In an exciting game, the lead constantly changed hands with the score even at 18 -18 on the 18th end. The home rink emerged victorious having picked up the necessary shots over the final ends to finish 23 - 18 winners. The Royal bowlers dropped 15 shots across the rinks over the last three ends to lose by three rinks to one and by 81 - 77 in shots. Some complacent bowling could well have cost them dearly had they not had a handsome cushion of shots in hand from the previous game. They will need to sharpen up if they intend to make further progress in this prestigious tournament.
Royal Gain First West Mon Win (Weds. 30th May)
Rhymney Royal B C 82 Six Bells B C 66
Rhymney Royal's delayed start to the season resulted in a good win against visiting Six Bells. Despite having to make some last minute changes to their line-up, the Royal bowlers soon found themselves trailing over the opening ends on a heavy green following the recent rain. After six ends the home side were three rinks down with the fourth all square but a sustained effort quickly reversed the position. Catain P. Cosh with D. Morgan, N. Doyle and T. Ryan built up a 20 - 6 lead against Doug Jones helped by a brace of five shots and finished victorious with a 24 - 16 result. Royal skip D. Hann with C. O'Brien, N. James and I. Prosser found themselves all square at 10 - 10 at mid way but pulled away with some fine bowling to secure a 21 - 15 win against Mike Hart's bowlers. Visiting skip Dean Webley and his bowlers held a slender mid way lead against the Royal's A. Jenkins, A. James, C. Patten and R. Williams but failed to hold on to it against some tight and accurate bowling from the home rink and succombed to a 18 - 14 reverse. The last rink to finish involved Royal skip K. Bartlett with R. Jones, W. Dearth and J. Doyle against Tim Phelps' bowlers. The home rink soon built up a 7 - 1 lead only to see it reversed at 7 - 9 after six ends. The visitors always held the advantage going into the final few ends but the home rink could well have snatched it at the death before suffering a 19 - 21 defeat. With a 3 rinks to 1 victory and 12 points in the bag the Royal have finally got their West Mon league season started
Early Cup Exit for Royal Bowlers (Friday 1st. June)
Islwyn Park BC 62 Rhymney Royal BC 52
Rhymney Royal bowlers made an early exit from the Monmoutnshire B. A. Knock-out Cup by suffering a 10 shot defeat to a resurgient Islwyn Park side clearly intent on returning to the higher divisions of the Monmouthshire leagues. On a good bowling surface the home side found their progress somewhat curtailed up to the halfway stage. Only Ron Morgan's rink were making any significant advances by leading the visiting rink of skip K. Bartlett by 13 - 3 with John Main just edging ahead of A. Jenkins at 7 - 5. The other Royal rinks skippered by captain P. Cosh and J. Watkins more than held their own by leading 5 - 9 and 5 - 7 respectively against the home rinks of Kevin Porter and captain Simon Fletcher. The final half of the match saw Islwyn's Ron Morgan and his bowlers press home their advantage to secure a 20 - 10 success whilst John Main hung on to claim a 16 - 12 victory aganst A. Jenkins. Both the remaining Royal rinks of P. Cosh and J. Watkins recorded 2 shot victories at 15 - 17 and 11 - 13 but their efforts were in vain, and despite levelling the score at two rinks each, it was the Islwyn Park side that gained the spoils and advanced into the next round of the competition.
Opening Defeat for Royal (Sat. 2nd June)
M.B.A. Division 2: Bedwas/Trethomas B.C. 80 Rhymney Royal B.C. 61
Newly promoted Rhymney Royal bowlers travelled to Bedwas for their opening encounter in the M.B.A Division 2 and found out just what is needed if they are to secure their position in this division. A 19 shot reverse and just 2 league points was the reward for the visitors against a home side very intent on consolidating their place in the division. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with D. Morgan, C. Patten and T. Ryan were the only ones to pose any threat to the home side. They bowled accurately to build up a 5 - 19 lead against Gareth Griffiths' bowlers and finished with a fine 12 - 21 victory - sadly the only Royal success of the afternoon. Skip A. Jenkins went down 18 - 10 against Peter Morgan's rink, J. Watkins suffered a 18 - 15 reverse against Alan Thomas and skip K. Bartlett succumbed to a heavy 32 - 15 defeat against Jeremy Griffiths' bowlers. A useful 12 league points for the Bedwas bowlers and the 2 points picked up by the Royal shows that tighter and more accurate bowling will be needed if they are to make any advances in this division.
Comprehensive Defeat for Royal against Mon. Champions (Weds.6th. June)
Blaina B C 79 Rhymney Royal B C 50
Reigning Monmouthshire league champions Blaina showed visiting Rhymney Royal just what is needed if they intend consolidating their league position this season with a comprehensive victory by some 29 shots in this West Mon. game. The home side showed their strength in depth by including two young teenagers for their first game of the season and they didn't disappoint. On an unpredictable green the home side soon got into their swing with a 14 shot lead after just six ends but the visitors clawed their way back into contention to reduce this to 5 five shots at mid point of the game. Home skip Steve Williams progressed steadily to build up a useful lead of 9 - 6 against John Watkins with I. Prosser, N. James and R. Jones after 9 ends to eventually run out 26 - 7 victors. Similarly Blaina's Paul Roberts gained a comfortable 18 - 11 success against Royal captain P. Cosh's rink with some accurate and sustained bowling. Royal skip K. Bartlett with G. Morris, N. Protheroe and C. Patten found themselves all square at 10 - 10 at midway but had to yield to some fortunate bowling from John Kitt's bowlers and suffer a 19 - 14 reverse. The only bright spot in the Royal's performance was the victory of skip A. Jenkins with D. Hann, W. Dearth and J. Doyle who bowled consistently well to secure a 16 - 18 success against Colin Coburn's men. A 3 rinks to 1 defeat for the visitors then and just 2 league points picked up away from home was their reward from this early season encounter.
First Home Defeat For Royal Bowlers (Sat. 9th June)
Rhymney Royal BC 67 Nantyglo BC 74
With both sides finding themselves with a blank week-end, this friendly match between two old adversaries proved to be a most enjoyable afternoon for all concerned. The match was played in brilliant sunshine and on a near perfect playing surface and it lived up to all expectations.
Royal skip A. Jenkins found himself in a real battle against Anthony Williams' bowlers. With the scores never more than a couple of shots in difference throughout the game, it came as no surprise to find the scores level at 16 all going into the last end. With the home skip holding shot, the visiting skip produced a last wood beauty to claim the single shot advantage at 16 - 17. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with T. Ryan, N. Doyle and R. Williams found themselves on the wrong end of a heavy defeat against John Bray's rink. The home side dropped a six early on and struggled to recover the deficit although they did themselves pick up a six late on but the result had been decided by this time with a 15 - 25 defeat for the home rink. Likewise skip J. Watkins and his bowlers were always playing catch-up against the visiting rink of Ken Titford. The visitors held a 6 shot advantage at mid point in the game and improved upon it to secure a 11- 20 success.
The final rink to finish was that of home skip K. Bartlett with vice-captain N. James playing his first game at third, C. Patten and N. Protheroe against Ralph Dando and his bowlers. The early ends were fairly even but as the match progressed, the home rink exerted the pressure with some fine bowling to secure a 25 - 12 result. This 13 shot margin was not enough to rescue the home side's unbeaten home tag and they fell short by some 7 shots in their 67 - 74 aggregate defeat
Royal Slip To Friendly Defeat (Weds.13th June)
Newbridge Welfare B C 61 Rhymney Royal B C 59
This hastily arranged friendly between two recently promoted sides proved to be an exciting affair with some fine bowling on an excellent bowling surface. The visitors showed a much changed line-up with vice captain Neil James taking over the helm for the first time and J. Barry making his debut. The expected rain kept away making it an even more enjoyable evening.
Home skip and captain Malcolm Jones opened strongly building up a 12 - 3 lead against the Royal's K. Bartlett after nine ends but the visitors pulled back to 15-15 with three ends to go before the home rink applied the pressure to secure a 24 - 15 win which turned out to be the home sides only winning rink of the evening. On the other three rinks the manner of the Royal's wins followed a similar pattern. A. James and his rink of T. Ryan, N. Doyle and W. Dearth found themselves trailing against Alec Powell's bowlers but levelled the score at 7 - 7 before gaining a 11 - 13 success. Skip A. Jenkins with captain for the night N. James, R. Withers and C. Patten struggled against Terry Parker's bowlers in the early stages to find themselves at 12 - 8 but pulled back strongly to record a fine 14 - 16 win. On the final rink home skip Eddie Harding and his men found themselves in a real battle with the Royal's D. Hann, I. Prosser, J. Barry and D. Morgan. With the lead changing hands constantly, it was the visiting rink who held their nerve to secure a deserved 12 - 15 success. At the end just two shots separated the sides and the two matches to come this season between these sides should be close calls if this match is anything to go by.
* The Rhymney Royal Bowling Club would like to wish Terry a speedy recovery when he enters hospital today for his knee replacement operation. The green will be a quieter place without you!
Carruthers Cup Exit for Royal (Sat. 16th June)
Rhymney Royal Bowling Club made an early exit from the Carruthers Shield competition in the first round knockout stages by losing 94 - 56 to the experienced Dinas Powys side at their Cardiff ground. Skip and captain P. Cosh put up a brave fight against Mike Ackland to lead 13 - 16 after eighteen ends only to lose 19 - 16 at the end. Similarly skip John Watkins made Jason Greenslade work hard to secure a 19 - 17 win after he lead the home side by 11 - 14 after twelve ends. The two other Royal rinks could could not quite match their opponents and suffered 29 - 13 and 27 - 10 reverses in the process.
Rhymney Royal Back To Winning Ways (Sat. 23rd June)
Rhymney Royal BC 86 Abergavenny BC 78
Following a run of six defeats in all matches, including a 94 - 56 loss at Dinas Powys in the Carruthers Shield, Rhymney Royal finally got back to winning ways with this narrow win against Abergavenny in this Monmouthshire League Division 2 encounter at the War Memorial Park.
The threatened heavy rain did not materialise and the match opened with Royal skip and captain Peter Cosh and his bowlers rapidly building up a 11 - 0 lead against Neil Mallard's men. They extended this to 25 - 9 after 12 ends and 26 - 14 after 18 ends. At this point the visitors pulled some six shots back against the home side's single shot to finish with a 27 - 20 win for the home rink. Similarly John Watkins and his rink built up a useful lead against the visiting Robert Poynter's bowlers to lead 16 - 10 after 15 ends only to see the visitors gain eleven shots over the last few ends against the solitary shot for the home rink resulting in a 17 - 21 defeat for the home side.
Royal skip Kelvin Bartlett with D. Hann, G. Morris and J. Doyle were always in control against Ieuan Jenkins and his bowlers. They extended a 9 - 1 lead after six ends to 15 - 8 after fifteen ends to secure a resounding 24 - 13 victory. Abergavenny skip John Beaton gave very little away in his tussle with the Royal's A. Jenkins. The visitors kept their noses in front throughout the game to record a 18 - 24 result. Although the rinks were shared at 2 - 2 the Royal gained an aggregate eight shot victory and ten league points to hopefully kick start their league campaign.
*All at the club offer their best wishes and congratulations to Peter Cosh and John Watkins following another notable success against Division One opponents in the MBA Pairs competition.
League Leaders Show Their Strength (Weds 27th June)
Rhymney Royal BC 54 Beaufort BC 64
With both sides fielding under strength sides due to holiday and work commitments, this West Mon. league fixture had all the ingredients of a tough battle between two old adversaries and the contest did not disappoint. At the end it was the visiting team to the War Memorial Park who enjoyed the success by ten shots to strenghten their position at the top of the league and preserve their unbeaten record.
Royal skip J. Watkins found himself in a real tussle against Tony Musgraves' rink with very few shots conceded by both sides. In all just twenty-three shots were scored throughout the eighteen ends but they went in favour of the visitors who secured a 7 - 16 result. Beaufort skip Alan Edwards seemed to have his match against the Royal's K. Bartlett in the bag after fifteen ends with a lead of 11 - 18 but the Royal rink produced a very late surge to come within a single shot of victory but succumbed to a 17 - 18 defeat. Royal skip A. Jenkins and his bowlers did well to stay in contention against Clive Sutherland's men but the visitors kept their noses in front to earn a 12 - 16 victory. The final rink brought together the opposing club captains who produced an exciting contest with some fine accurate bowling from both sides. Royal skip P. Cosh always held the advantage over Darren O'Callaghan throughout the allotted eighteen ends and recorded the only home success of the evening with a 18 - 14 result. With the visitors gaining a 3 rinks to 1 victory and a further 12 league points to add to their already impressive total, the strength in depth of talent available to them should see Beaufort do well in this league this season.
Royal Hopes Dampened
MBA Division Two: Rhymney Royal BC 72 Abercarn BC 87 (Sat. 30th June)
Rhymney Royal's hopes of extending their unbeaten home record in the Monmouthshire league were washed away by a very determined Abercarn side who made the rare visit to the rain sodden War Memorial Park for this Division Two encounter. The green held up well after taking a pounding from the weather and both sets of bowlers produced a very high standard of bowls in atrocious conditions.
Royal captain and skip Peter Cosh and his rink of D. Hann, N. Doyle and D. Morgan were involved in a tight contest against Abercarn's Keith Hunt and his bowlers. The lead constantly changed hands throughout the contest with shots hard to come by in the watery conditions. With the scores delicately balanced at 19 - 19 after 18 ends, it was the home rink who held their nerve to pick up five shots over the last three ends and secure a 24 - 19 result.
Visiting captain and skip Ken Discoll and his rink came up against the Royal's John Watkins and his bowlers in another titanic contest. The home side found the conditions not to their liking and found themselves trailing at 7 - 12 after 12 ends and down 9 - 18 after 18 ends, but despite a late flurry, succumbed to a 13 - 20 defeat. Royal skip A. Jenkins was always playing catch-up against Abercarn's Roger Peart with the visitors stretching their lead from 7 - 10 after 12 ends to 12 - 26 at the end with some accurate bowling. Perhaps the most exciting contest of a miserable afternoon saw Royal skip K. Bartlett with his rink of G. Morris, N. Protheroe and P. White up against John Beecham and his bowlers. The visitors opened up a 5 - 10 scoreline after 9 ends only for the home rink to pull back at 17 - 15 after 15 ends. The score stood at 19 - 20 with three ends remaining but the home rink bowled tightly and accurately to gain a single shot win at 23 - 22. Despite sharing the rink scores at 2 - 2, the Royal side saw their unbeaten home tag in the Monmouthshire league washed away by a 15 shot aggregate defeat and just four leaue points to add to their meagre total so far this season.
Lady Luck has certainly deserted Rhymney Royal bowlers this season as they struggle to establish themselves in both the Mon. League Division Two and the West Mon. league and their recent results prove that point.
Rhymney Royal 62 RTB Ebbw Vale 64 (Weds. 4th July)
In their mid week West Mon. fixture against RTB Ebbw Vale at the War Memorial Park the Royal bowlers found themselves sharing the honours at 2 rinks all but losing on aggregate by just two shots at 62 - 64 giving them four points against the visitors ten points. It was a home match they should have won but inconsistency let them down against a useful RTB outfit.
Royal skip K. Bartlett and his rink of G. Morris, N. Doyle and C. Patten battled well against Paul Haydn's men to level the scores at 15 - 15 after 15 ends and clinch it over the last three ends to win 19 - 16. Similarly home skip A. Jenkins with D. Hann, W. Dearth and J. Doyle proved too strong for the rink of youngster Jamie Brown and emerged 19 - 10 winners with some fine accurate bowling. Unfortunately the other Royal rinks skippered by J. Watkins and captain P. Cosh did not fare so well going down 8 - 16 and 16 - 22 respectively against the rinks skippered by ex-international bowler Robert Price and Alec Gummer.
Rhymney Royal 59 Beaufort 90 (Sat. 7th July)
In their Saturday Monmouthshire Division Two match against visitors Beaufort the Royal bowlers needed a lift in spirits and performance if they were to gain anything out of this home fixture but again sadly it was not to be. They couldn't blame the weather which turned out to be perfect as they succumbed to a resounding 59 - 90 aggregate defeat picking up just two league points in the process. The visitors contained a fair number of youngsters in their rinks who performed admirably against the home bowlers. In all, the Royal bowlers went down on three of the rinks with captain P. Cosh losing 11- 22 against Wayne Hooper, J. Watkins suffering a 10 - 31 reverse against Clive Williams and K. Bartlett losing 14 - 21 against visiting captain Darren O'Callaghan. The only bright spot was the win for Royal skip A. Jenkins and his rink of D. Hann, W. Dearth and J. Doyle who secured a 24 - 16 win against Tommy Daniel and his bowlers. Two points gained but another twelve home points lost in the league was a poor return for the Royal efforts to maintain their status as a Division Two club.
Away Win For Royal (Weds. 11th July)
Nantyglo BC 59 Rhymnet Royal BC 62
Rhymney Royal recorded their first away win in the West Mon league with this narrow win over a determined Nantyglo side. In what has been a disappointing start to this season's campaign, the visitors were looking to regain the momentum of last season's success and this 2 rinks to 1 victory with another shared will give them the boost they have been looking for.
Royal skip John Watkins and his rink of Ray Jones, Richie Williams and Ieuan Prosser opened strongly against John Bray's bowlers quickly establishing a 2 - 8 lead after three ends extending this to 5 - 12 at midway before securing a 13 - 23 win with some accurate bowling and picking up a six in the process. Their efforts seemed to inspire their colleagues, especially skip A. Jenkins with his rink of Alan James, Wayne Dearth and John Doyle who found themselves struggling against Nantyglo's Ralph Dando and his bowlers. From being 9 - 2 down after six ends they battled well, also picking up a six, to establish a 12 - 14 lead with three ends to go but had to be content with sharing the honours at 15 - 15 against equally determined opponents.
Royal captain and skip Peter Cosh was always in command against the home rink of G. Long. From the onset, the Royal rink with Des Morgan, Cyril Patten and Neil James built up steadily and just keeping ahead of their opponents before securing a 11 - 16 victory. The final rink to finish was that of Royal skip Kelvin Bartlett against Kevin Howells and his men. The visitors found themselves trailing throughout but needed to keep the shot count down as the aggregate scores were very close. Although conceding a single shot on the last end to lose 20 - 8, the visitors did enough to hold onto the narrow aggregate lead to help their team-mates to their first away win of the season in the West Mon league gaining a valuable 11 points in the process.
Royal Fightback Not Enough
Newbridge Welfare BC 83 Rhymney Royal BC 73 (Sat.14th July)
This Mon. Division 2 fixture brought together last year's promoted teams and having already played each other in a pre-season friendly, the contest became a battle of wills as the bowlers knew each other's styles so well. The home side opened brightly with skips Colin White and John Churcher both building up useful starts without reply from the visitors but Newbridge skip Eddie Hardin failed to record any score against the Royal's Kelvin Bartlett's bowlers and trailed 0 - 3 after the opening three ends. Home captain Malcolm Jones also showed a deficit against the Royal's A. Jenkins also trailing 2 - 3. As the match progressed the home bowlers used their knowledge of the green to their advantage and soon built up a commanding lead. John Churcher showed a 12 - 5 lead over Royal captain Peter Cosh's rink; Eddie Hardin had built up 16 - 6 lead over K. Bartlett's bowlers and Colin White opened up a 19 - 12 lead against John Watkins and his rink. The Royal remained in contention though with skip A. Jenkins and his rink of A. James, W. Dearth and J. Doyle strengthening their hold over Malcolm Jones' rink to lead 11 - 18. As the match entered the final three ends, the Royal bowlers started cutting into the home sides overall lead. A. Jenkins and his men ran out 12 - 28 winners against the home side's captain and his rink whilst Royal skip P. Cosh with N. James, N. Protheroe and D. Morgan stormed through to clinch a 17 - 20 victory against J. Churcher. But, try as they did, the visitors could not pull back enough shots on the other two rinks to secure any more league points with E. Hardin securing a 25 - 12 win over K. Bartlett and Colin White finishing strongly to win 29 - 13 against J. Watkins. Although the rinks were shared at two rinks each the Royal bowlers had to be content with the four league points gained in this entertaining battle against their old adversaries.
Comfortable Win For Royal (Weds. 18th July)
Rhymney Royal BC 68 Cwm (Ebbw Vale) BC 56
Rhymney Royal registered their third West Mon League win of the season with this comfortable success against visiting Cwm at the War Memorial Park. On a beautiful evening for bowling after the weeks of heavy rain, both sides enjoyed the early exchanges and their efforts were not in vain as just eight shots separated the sides after six ends. Visiting skip Justine Prior with his rink shared the honours at 5 - 5 against the Royal captain and skip Peter Cosh and his rink of N. James, N. Protheroe and R. Withers. Royal skip K. Bartlett with G. Morris, C. Patten and P. White raced into an early lead of 12 - 3 against Dave Williams rink and home skip A. Jenkins with A. James, W. Dearth and J. Doyle nudged ahead 7 - 5 against Charles Jones' bowlers. Only Royal skip J. Watkins and his rink found themselves trailing by 3 - 6 against Dave Badcock's bowlers. As the contest progressed, the battle for supremacy between Cosh and Prior intensified with firstly the visitors taking the lead 6 - 8 before captain Cosh pulled back to secure a fine 17 - 10 victory. Royal skip K. Bartlett built up a healthy 16 - 8 advantage over D. Williams before the visitors stormed back into contention and had to be content with a 18 - 15 result. A. Jenkins continued to build on his advantage with some fine bowling and his rink returned an emphatic 23 - 13 victory. Despite leveling at 6 - 6 the Royal's J. Watkins could not find the accuracy to defeat D. Badcock's bowlers and fell to a 10 - 18 reverse. Nevertheless the Royal bowlers did enough to secure a twelve shot aggregate advantage at 68 - 56 and earn themselves twelve league points to lift themselves into a mid table position in the West Mon league.
Disappointing Evening for Royal Bowlers
Ebbw Vale Welfare BC 74 Rhymney Royal BC 60 (Weds. 25th July)
Centenary celebrating Ebbw Vale Welfare welcomed the Royal to their green for this West Mon. league encounter on a pleasant evening for bowling after all the heavy rain being experienced in recent weeks. Both sides lie within the lower half of the league table but the contest produced some entertaining bowls with the home side gaining the spoils by some 14 shots.
Visiting captain and skip P. Cosh was in fine form against Viv Evans' bowlers and his rink of N. James, N. Protheroe and R. Withers built up a commanding lead of 4 - 12 at mid way, extending it to 7 - 22 after fifteen ends, but a seven shot drop followed by a brace brought the home side back into the game but they had to be content with a 16 - 24 result. Much the same happened on Royal skip K. Bartlett's rink against John Ridley. The visitors built up steadily with G. Morris, N. Doyle and P. White assisting Bartlett secure a fine 13 - 22 victory. The other visiting rinks did not fare so well against a determined Ebbw Vale side. The usually reliable Royal skip A. Jenkins and his bowlers came to grief against the home rink skippered by Ron Hayward. Although shots were hard to come by in the early stages in this tight contest, it was the home rink who gained the upper hand and ran out 21 - 6 winners with some accurate bowling. Likewise Royal skip J. Watkins struggled against Richard Cooper and his bowlers. The home rink opened up a 9 - 1 lead, extending it to 15 - 6 before securing a well earned 24 - 8 success. Although the rinks were shared at two each, the home side gained a 14 shot aggregate advantage and ten league points to four in their favour to lift them up in the table to a more respectable position.
Royal Gain Full House (Weds 1st Aug)
Rhymney Royal BC 85 Brynmawr BC 55
Rampant Rhymney Royal bowlers gained their first maximum points of the season with this emphatic West Mon league win against Monmouthshire Cup finalists and Division One side Brynmawr at the War Memorial Park. Forced to make some last minute changes because of work and holiday commitments, the home side soon settled and built up an early 15 - 9 aggregate lead after just three ends with the visitors dropping fives on two of the rinks.
The Royal's J. Doyle, playing his first match at skip, with I. Prosser, C. O'Brien and D. Morgan in support picked up one of the fives on the third end to lead 6 - 1, extending the score to 13 - 3 at mid way against A. Williams and his bowlers. There was no way back for the visitors as the home rink ran out resounding 26 - 7 winners with some fine accurate bowling. Home skip A. Jenkins with his rink of A. James, J. Barry and P. White followed suite and also picked up a five on the third end to lead 5 - 3 against G. Congreve's rink. The home side's continued and sustained pressure saw them extend their lead to 16 - 4 at mid way before securing a 20 - 14 success. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh and his rink of N. James, N. Protheroe and R. Withers found themselves in a real tussle against Brynmawr's P. Carey and his bowlers. Shots were hard to come by during the early ends with the visitors holding the advantage at 4 - 7 at mid way and after seventeen ends the visitors still hung on to their lead at 15 - 17. A big finish saw the home rink gain a five on the last end to clinch an exciting 20 - 17 result. The final Royal rink of K. Bartlett, R. Jones, W. Dearth and C. Patten always held the advantage over D. Mogford's rink but the visitors did make a late attempt to claim the spoils and pulled back from 14 - 5 down at mid way to finish just two shots short to prevent the whitewash at 19 - 17. A maximum 14 league points for the home side and a reality check for the visitors ahead of their cup final date at the end of the week.
Woeful Weekend For Royal Bowlers
Rhymney Royal BC 60 Bedwellty Park BC 102 (Sat. August 4th)
Cwmbran BC 84 Rhymney Royal BC 68 (Sunday August 5th)
The two Monmouthshire B A matches played by the Rhymney Royal bowlers could well be the defining moments in their guest to remain in the MBA Division Two. The Rhymney side needed at least one victory to lift them up the table and out of the relegation zone but they failed in both matches played and now face the prospect of going down after just one season in the second division.
Against neighbours Bedwellty Park, who themselves are facing the dreaded drop, they struggled to find the form displayed earlier in the week against Brynmawr and suffered a heavy loss by some 42 shots and losing by 3 rinks to 1. Royal skip and captain Pete Cosh suffered more than anyone against Bedwellty's Jim O'Connor and his bowlers. The home rink found themselves 3 - 24 down after 12 ends having conceded a seven on the seventh end and were condemned to a resounding 9 - 35 reverse. Likewise the home rink skippered by John Watkins remained in contention against Wayne Hughes and co. and shared the honours at 10 - 10 after twelve ends. Try as they did they were unable to stay with the visitors and again succumbed to a 16 - 25 defeat. In similar fashion the Bedwellty skip Ron Price gained an emphatic 26 - 15 win against the third Royal rink which included Ray Jones, Des Morgan and Cyril Patten. The only Royal bright spot was the 20 - 16 success of skip Ad. Jenkins and his bowlers against the visiting John Edwards. A 42 shot aggregate loss and just two home league points was not the return the home side were looking for in their battle against relegation.
The rearranged Sunday match at Cwmbran offered the Royal bowlers the opportunity to redeem themselves following the previous day's heavy defeat and they responded well. On a glorious afternoon for bowling the Rhymney outfit battled well and held a two shot aggregate lead after 16 ends but as has frequently happened in many of their games this season they capitulated over the last few ends. Royal skip Kelvyn Bartlett and his rink were 13 - 13 against the rink skippered by Brian Relland but suffered the agony of a 23 - 17 reverse. Similarly the visiting John Watkins and his rink pulled back into contention at 16 - 13 against Alan Cooper and his bowlers only to suffer a 24 - 15 defeat at the end. The remaining Royal rinks were involved in titanic battles against equally determined home rinks. Royal skip Ad. Jenkins with Alan James, Wayne Dearth and Des Morgan pulled back to 17 - 17 against the home rink of ex Abertysswg man Dorian Cook and his bowlers but battle as they did they could not hold on and went down to a two shot reverse at 23 - 21. The final Royal rink skippered by captain Pete Cosh and included Neil James, Neil Protheroe and Ray Withers battled well against Howard Rees and his rink. The lead constantly changed hands in a tight game with very few shots being conceded. From 4 - 3 down to 6 - 10 up and then 14 - 12 down again with three ends to play, the visitors held their composure over the closing ends to gain an exciting 14 - 15 win but it was not enough to prevent a 16 shot aggregate defeat and again just two league points which leaves the Rhymney Royal side in a very precarious league position.
Mon. B.A. Division 2: Croesyceiliog BC 90 Rhymney Royal BC 53 (Sat. 11th Aug.)
West Mon. B.A.: Rhymney Royal BC 63 Llanhilleth BC 64 (Weds. 15th Aug.)
In this Mon. BA league fixture, the Rhymney Royal bowlers returned to the Cwmbran area, where just six days previously they had lost to the local club, hoping that their return would be more profitable in terms of league points but their hopes were dashed by a very determined Croesyceiliog side who inflicted a heavy defeat gaining the maximum 14 points in the process. All four visiting rinks lost with only Royal skip and captain P. Cosh showing any resistance against a rampant home side. Cosh and his rink were sharing the spoils 12 - 12 after 12 ends against K. Jones and his bowlers but the home rink applied the pressure to run out 23 - 18 winners. Royal skips A. Jenkins, K. Bartlett and J. Watkins and their rinks all suffered at the hands of home skips R. Morgan, R. Berry and A. Burgess losing 18 - 13, 23 - 12 and 26 - 10 respectively to complete a miserable afternoon and return home empty handed.
Llanhilleth were the visitors to the War Memorial Park for this mid-table West Mon. clash against a Rhymney Royal side hoping to put aside the memory of successive defeats in the Monmouthshire league. If the home side thought the visitors would should any sympathy for their plight then they were greatly mistaken. From the start the home side realised that they were in for a tight game. Royal skip J. Doyle struggled to hold L. Bowen's bowlers and found himself 4 - 10 down after nine ends. Likewise skip K. Bartlett found it difficult against visiting skip T. Tranter and his rink losing 4 - 9 again after nine ends. At this mid point Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with P. White, W. Dearth and D. Morgan held a comfortable lead over M. Blanche at 11 - 2 whilst fellow skip A. Jenkins with G. Morris, R. Jones and C. O'Brien held a narrow advantage at 9 - 7 over their opponents. As the match progressed shots the visitors dug deep into their resources leaving J. Doyle and his bowlers on the wrong end of a 11 - 22 scoreline and although Royal skip K. Bartlett pulled back shots over the last few ends, visiting skip T. Tranter hung on to secure a 14 - 16 win. The other Royal rinks gained notable wins with captain Cosh gaining a 15 - 13 success and A. Jenkins an exciting 23 - 13 win but try as they did it was not enough to secure an aggregate win with the home side going down by a solitary shot at 63 - 64 and gaining just four home league points in the process
Rhymney Royal Gain Revenge Win (Sun. 19th Aug)
Rhymney Royal BC 72 Llanhilleth BC 69
This rearranged fixture brought together two of last season's promoted sides currently languishing at the basement of Monmouthshire League Division 2, with the home side out for revenge having lost to the visitors by a single shot just five days previously in a West Mon. league game. As expected the bowling was tight over the opening ends with very little being given away as both sides fought for ascendancy. Royal skip A. Jenkins with his rink of G. Morris, T. Ryan and C. O'Brien opened up an early 4 - 1 lead against Lee Bowen's bowlers only to be pulled back to 8 - 9 after nine ends. The sides shared it at 13 - 13 after fifteen ends before the visitors crept in to steal it at 16 - 19 at the close. Visiting skip Tom Tranter was involved in an equally close encounter against home skip and captain P. Cosh. Again very few shots separated the sides throughout the game with the lead changing hands often. The visitors led 10 - 12 after twelve ends before captain Cosh pulled back to lead 14 - 12 after fifteen ends. The score stood at 16 - 16 with three ends to play before the visitors claimed an exciting 18 - 19 success on the last end. Royal skip K. Bartlett always held a narrow advantage over the rink skippered by Mike Blanche. The home rink opened up an early 8 - 2 lead after six ends extending it to 13 - 7 after twelve before the visitors clawed their way back into contention only to see their efforts thwarted at the close going down 18 - 15. The final Royal rink skippered by J. Watkins and including I. Prosser, R. Williams and R. Jones, regained their composure after trailing over the early ends to build up a good 18 - 8 lead after fifteen ends against a determined visiting rink skippered by Brian Green. The visitors piled on the pressure over the last six ends with some accurate bowling but, try as they did, their efforts failed to overall the home side's shot total and they succumbed to a 20 - 16 defeat. Although the rinks were shared at 2 - 2, it was the home side who gained the spoils with a narrow three shot aggregate advantage and a useful 10 league points into the bargain.
Rhymney Royal's Finals Day
Captain Elect James Sweeps the Board (Sat 25th Aug)
On a glorious day for bowling at the War Memorial Park, the members of the Rhymney Royal Bowling Club took time off from the pressure of league matches to hold a very successful Finals Day when the destiny of their internal trophies was decided. What a day it turned out to be for young Neil James, next season's club captain! James has had a very good season in the various leagues and he carried forward his good form into the four finals he was involved in.
The first final of the day was the Rinks final for the Idris Davies Cup and James together with skip J. Watkins, G. Morris and N. Protheroe took on the rink skippered by K. Bartlett with R. Withers, P. White and R. Jones. The former rink opened strongly building up a healthy 9 - 1 lead after six ends extending it to 10 - 5 and then 15 - 9 after fifteen ends. The Watkins rink stretched it to 22 - 9 to clinch the trophy and James' first of the day.
The American Can Trophy for triples was the next trophy to be played for and it brought together club captain P. Cosh with his vice captain N. James and R. Williams against I. Prosser and his bowlers. Skip Cosh and his team opened up a 0 - 10 lead after six ends and continued to build up impressively to 2 - 12 and then 11 - 17 before running out victors at 12 - 20 with some sustained accurate bowling and a second trophy of the day for the youngster.
The Atkinson Pairs Trophy was contested for by the P. White/I. Prosser combination against the C. O'Brien/G. Morris pairing and it produced some interesting ends in the process. O'Brien and Morris opened strongly holding a 5 - 7 advantage after six ends but their opponents started to get their act together and played some good ends to build up an impressive 17 - 8 lead which they extended to 21 - 10 after fifteen. Despite bowling some accurate woods, the O'Brien/Morris partnership could not find a way back into the game and succumbed to a 26 - 12 defeat.
The first of the singles trophy to be decided was between D. Hann and R. Jones for the Maddocks Cup. Hann soon got into his stride on the long kitty and opened up an 8 - 0 lead before Jones picked up a three and got control of the length of the kitty. He played the shorter length and pulled himself back into contention at 14 - 14. With the magical 21 shots being the target the remaining ends were very close before Hann took the honours 21 - 17 on the 23rd end.
R. Jones soon made amends with a fine performance in the Whitbread Two Woods final where he came up against J. Doyle. In a closely fought game Jones just kept his nose in front using the shorter length kitty to his advantage and from being one shot ahead at 10 - 9 piled on the pressure to run out an 18 - 11 winner after 24 ends.
The remaining two trophies to be played for went to vice captain N. James with a fine display of good accurate bowling. The youngster had never won a singles trophy before but this time around he made doubly sure of success. In the Glencross Cup, James came up against D. Morgan and soon went into a commanding lead at 7 - 0. Morgan would not let the youngster have it all his own way and pulled back to 9 - 7 with James looking very uncertain. A three shot gain on the 14th end soon settled his nerves and he never looked back in securing a 21 - 12 victory.
The most prestigious trophy to win was the Octavius Evans Cup regarded as the club championship trophy and it brought together the old campaigner in captain P. Cosh against his vice captain Neil James in a fascinating singles contest. The young pretender built up a 7 - 1 lead before his captain could get into his game. Although Cosh picked up three shots on the seventh end, James did not panic and kept picking up a succession of singles to lead at 13 - 7 and then 17 - 10 before holding his nerve to gain a fine 21 - 15 victory and his fourth trophy of the day and the title of club champion that goes with it. All in all a fine day of bowling, especially for Neil James who will not forget his triumphs for a long time .
* All at the Rhymney Royal club would like to express their appreciation for the help and assistance given to them throughout the season by Caerphilly Council's Park Ranger Mr. Rod Davies.
Machen B C 99 Rhymney Royal B C 63 (Sat 1st Sept)
Rhymney Royal succumbed to a 36 shot defeat at the hands of Machen in this Mon. Division Two game and relegation after just one season. The visitors never looked like making an impression on the home side who built up steadily throughout the afternoon with the same pattern emerging on all rinks. Machen skip Andrew Fallaize went into an early 5 - 3 lead against the Royal's John Watkins and continued to hold the advantage picking up shots to extend to 11 - 6 and 14 - 8 before securing a 20 - 14 win. Likewise Royal skip and captain Pete Cosh suffered at the hands of Machen's Mark Lewis who again opened up an early lead at 6 - 3 to eventually run out 22 - 16 winners. The remaining Royal rinks faced father and son skips in Mal Williams and Owen Williams. Skip Ad. Jenkins and his bowlers stayed in contention against father Mal and his bowlers holding them at 7 - 7 but a disastrous three ends saw them concede eleven shots and any hope of winning before losing 27 - 15. Son Owen Williams and his rink always held a comfortable advantage over Royal skip Kelvyn Bartlett and his bowlers. The home rink gained an early 8 - 0 lead extended to 20 - 8 at mid point before running out 30 - 18 victors leaving the visiting team to return home empty handed after a 14 points to nil mauling and a return to Division 3 next season.
Royal Bowlers Regain Shield
Rhymney Royal BC 84 Cwm (Ebbw Vale) BC 66 (Sat. 8th Sept)
Rhymney Royal bowlers brought some smiles back to their faces after a disappointing season when they regained the Ray Withers Shield from visiting Cwm. The shield, donated to mark the 1000th game played by the veteran Royal bowler, has become an annual end of season contest between the two sides with the visitors winning the inaugural match last season. It was very fitting that the man himself should play at lead with A. Weaver, G. Morris and skip A. Jenkins against visiting captain and skip Justin Prior on a rink that saw the visitors open strongly to build up a useful 3 - 6 lead after six ends. Unfortunately the Cwm bowlers could not sustain their advantage against some determined bowling from the home four who came back purposefully to go into a 12 - 7 lead extending it to 17 - 12 before securing a 23 - 20 win. Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with A. James, C. Patten and D. Morgan bowled well to hold on to their lead over the visiting rink skippered by Malcolm Darby. Following a shaky opening which saw the home side 5 - 3 down, they levelled at 8 - 8 before building by single shots to win with a 18 - 13 scoreline. Home skip J. Watkins with his rink of I. Prosser, R. Williams and C. O'Brien also found themselves trailing early on at 3 - 5 against Cwm's Charles Jones and his bowlers but the home rink soon settled into a pattern and drew level at 8 - 8 before winning comfortably at 24 - 13. The only Royal rink to taste defeat was that skippered by K. Bartlett and it took a three on the last end by visiting skip Dave Williams to earn his side a 19 - 20 success. A three rinks to one victory and a sixteen shot margin was enough to ensure thet the Ray Withers Shield came home in a thoroughly entertaining afternoon of bowls.
Abertillery B.C. 59.75 Rhymney Royal B.C. 48 (Mon. 10th Sept.)
Rhymney Royal bowlers brought the curtain down on their league season with this disappointing defeat at the hands of Abertillery in this rearranged West Mon. league match.
With the hours of darkness fast approaching, the game was reduced to fifteen ends and it was the home side who made the most of it by using their knowledge of their green to their advantage but they did not always have it all their own way.
Home skip Alan Holmes and his bowlers found themselves 3 - 5 down after six ends against the Royal's John Watkins and his rink but rallied over the latter ends to gain a three shot win with a 14 - 11 score. Royal skip and captain Pete Cosh and his bowlers made good use their numerical advantage to open up a 1 - 7 lead against home skip Gareth Watts, a lead which they sustained until the twelth end when they found themselves trailing at 12 - 11. The visitors applied the pressurs over the last few ends to run out 13 - 17 winners (Adjusted to 9.75 - 17). Abertillery skip Reg Bowdler and his bowlers always held the upper hand over the Royal rink skippered by Derek Hann and built steadily to register a 20 - 7 success whilst the remaining rink saw the home side skippered by Gethin Hucker run out victors by 16 - 13 against the Royal's Ad. Jenkins and co. Twelve league points to the home side and just two points for the visitors brought an element of respectability to both sides as regards their standings in the West Mon. league and both sides can look forward to meeting each other more frequently in the Mon. Division 3 next season.
Double Success In the West Country
North Petherton B.C. 66 Rhymney Royal B.C. 106 (Sat. 15th Sept)
St. Andrews B.C. (Weston) 70 Rhymney Royal B.C. 107 (Sun. 16th Sept)
Rhymney Royal bowlers brought their season to a close with a short tour to the West Country where they played two North Somerset mixed teams in almost perfect playing conditions. Although the greens were fast, the tourists soon adapted to the wide swinging rinks to gain resounding wins in both matches.
Against North Petherton, on their new bowling surface, the Royal bowlers opened cautiously building up steadily as the game progressed. Royal skip A. Jenkins with A. James, C. Patten and R. Withers found themselves 5 - 2 down after six ends but pulled back well to open up a 7 - 17 lead after fifteen ends to secure a fine 8 - 27 victory at the close. Likewise Royal captain and skip P. Cosh with D. Hann, M. Patten and D. Morgan trailed 5 - 0 before adapting to the green but soon moved into a comfortable 12 - 19 lead before again securing a 21 - 30 success. The Royal rink of J. Watkins, I. Prosser, N. Protheroe and R. Williams ended the day with a runaway victory of 9 - 35 against their opponents with some fine bowling but the only Royal rink to suffer a setback was that skippered by K. Bartlett who struggled to a 28 - 14 defeat against some determined home bowlers. A 40 shot aggregate win in their opening fixture set up the visitors for their next game at St. Andrews the following day.
Again a very hard and fast playing surface greeted the Royal bowlers but they were prepared for it this time. Skip A. Jenkins and his rink always looked in command against their Weston opponents and held a 2 - 22 advantage after twelve ends before running out 7 - 39 victors at the end of play. The Royal rinks skippered by J. Watkins and K. Bartlett were involved in much tighter matches with shots harder to come by but both rinks secured victories at 23 - 29 and 21 - 22 respectively. Although Royal skip P. Cosh and his bowlers suffered a narrow 19 - 17 defeat, the Royal bowlers on the other rinks had done enough to ensure a 37 shot aggregate victory and a triumphant end to a successful short tour. Special praise must go to Royal Secretary K. Bartlett for his organisational skills and to the athletic water-carrier R.H. Roberts for keeping the tourists on their toes throughout the uplifting weekend.