Friendly; Adderbury

Bloxham travelled to Adderbury for a mixed friendly. Adderbury fielded a very strong team and despite all the efforts from a very determined Bloxham lost all four rinks resulting in quite a heavy defeat for Bloxham by 46-92. On rink 1 Brian Meikle’s team never really got going and struggled throughout but despite this did gain a 4 on one end but could not match Adderbury and Brian’s team lost 8-28. On Rink 2 Steve Prole’s team fought very hard after losing a 5 early on they fought back to gain their own 5 and went ahead 13-10 after 12 ends but unfortunately Adderbury picked up 11 shots in three ends to run out 27-14 winners. On rink 3 this was the tightest match of the night and Des Jones’s team fought all the way and there was never more than 3 shots in the match until 15th end when Bloxham dropped 4 shots, this proved too much to recover and they lost the match 11-16. On rink 4 Paul Shipton’s team got off to a slow start and were trailing 18-3 after 10 ends but a spirited fight back by Paul’s team in the second half of the match pulled back the deficit but ultimately were left with a little too much to do and lost 13-21. Playing against a very strong team whose men’s team lead Division 2 and a lot of these players were playing against us last night, so the team that played last night should not be disappointed with their performance as everybody gave 100% and put up a great display. Also we can use this as a learning experience for the less experienced bowlers and hopefully pick up some good habits going forward. Thank you to everybody who bowled last night, a great effort well done to all.

Ladies; Charlbury

Bloxham Ladies played Charlbury Ladies on their beautiful green. Wait for it ……….. Bloxham ladies won 42-40!!!! Whoop! Whoop! 👏🏻👏🏻 We lost on one rink and were triumphant on the other 2 rinks. We had 2 very experienced players Norma Gardner and Hilary Thomas who won on both their rinks. This proves Bloxham ladies need the very experienced bowlers. 

League; City & County B

The Bloxham men's team returned triumphant from their mid-League encounter with Oxford City and County B! Congratulations. No matter that we were consigned to their poor match condition B-green - and for which their Captain apologised to me after the game - the Bloxham mettle and resilience shone through with a fine win by Dave Morse's team and great battle wins by both Tony Gardner's and Des Jones' teams. The final result was Bloxham 70 - 56 to Oxford City and County - and we took home 5 of the 6 available points to put ourselves just ahead of Oxford in the League table. 

Ladies; Witney Town

Bloxham ladies league played Witney Town Ladies on their grounds. Unfortunately we lost 72 -25 against a very strong team. We had Witney supporters that cheered us all on, which was lovely to see. Thank you to all the ladies that are willing to put their names forward for the games. I am so proud of Bloxham ladies at every league game, our friendliness and

Friendly; Chestnuts

Bloxham played and beat Chestnuts 3 rinks to1 rink, and by 69 shots to 57, a great performance. Dawn Danby’s team led the way on rink 1 and scored consistently for the first half and led 10-6 at halfway and maintained the momentum and even gained a 5 on the last end to run out handsome winners at 25-15. On rink 2 Jeanine Venter were involved in a very tight and they were leading 8-7 at halfway they extended this lead with another 4 at the 11th end but unfortunately Chestnuts had a storming finish and picked up 8 shots in the final three ends to gain victory over Bloxham team by 19-14. On rink 3 Steve Prole’s team were involved in an extremely tight match and only 11 shots had been scored by halfway with Bloxham leading 6-5, the match continued to be tight and Steve’s team were leading by 1 going into last end, and Bloxham secured a 3 on the last end to run out 15-11 winners. Finally on rink 4 Brian Meikle’s team got off to a slow start and were trailing 5-9 at halfway but a good second half from Brian’s team saw them level the match at 12-12 in the 16th end before scoring 3 shots in the final 2 ends to secure victory 15-12. 

Friendly; Burford

The Bloxham mixed team played Burford in a friendly. The format was slightly different due to Burford struggling for players, the game was played over 2 rinks and 2 triples.  Bloxham emerged with one rink winner but the margin of victory was enough to secure an overall draw of 58 shots each. On rink 2 Paul Shipton’s team started well going into a 6-0 lead after 5 ends and they maintained this momentum throughout the match running out handsome winners by 22-5. Rink 3 saw the first of the triples and Steve Prole’s team were involved in a close encounter but were edging it 12-7 after 15 ends but then disaster struck and the team gave up 12 shots in the final three ends to lose 12-19. On rink 4 Dawn Danby’s team were in action in the second triple, again this match was very tight and keenly contested throughout, but unfortunately Burford picked up 6 shots in 2 ends and this would ultimately prove the difference, Dawn’s team losing 8-13. On Rink 5 Brian Meikle contested the final rink match again a very close affair with Brian’s team only 3 shots down 7-10 at halfway but then Burford pulled away gaining 9 shots in four ends but Brian’s team came back at the end gaining 6 shots in 2 ends to reduce the final deficit to 16-21. 

League; Banbury Chestnuts

For the second time this season, the Bloxham men's team took on Banbury Chestnuts at home. It was a very closely fought contest with an overall loss on the day on shots with Bloxham 71 - 77 Chestnuts. Bloxham won on 2 rinks skipped by Norman Hambidge and Des Jones - good work fellows - and Bloxham scored 2 points for the League while Chestnuts took home 4 points. 

Ladies; Borough & Chestnuts

Our home league match against Borough/Chestnuts club combined resulted in a loss with a score of 43-31. The evening was one of our most enjoyable matches in the league. The 3 clubs ladies are all old friends and we definitely had fun on the evening with lots of laughs and of course with some healthy competition. Once again thank you to the 9 ladies that put their names forward for the match. 

League; Witney Town B

Bloxham travelled to Witney for a second away fixture against Witney Town B. Our brave contenders battled through what was called "a difficult evening to bowl with low temperatures and rain."  Someone still needs to let us know why we play this game in the rain. Bloxham came in second with a 51-75 shot loss and only winning on 1 rink - which means Witney Town took away 5 points to Bloxham's 1 point in the league.

Ladies; West Witney

Bloxham played West Witney ladies who are at the top of the league table. Unfortunately we lost 70-17 to a very vocal group of ladies. Thank you to all 9 ladies that played excellently and played with so much dignity. I was so proud of being part of the Bloxham Ladies team. Thank you to Jocelyn and Mandy for being our awesome bar ladies. Thank you to the supporters who kept our spirits up. Lastly I would like to thank Dawn Danby for standing in as Ladies Captain while I was away.

Banbury Borough

Bloxham men’s team entertained Banbury Borough in a friendly at home. The weather was overcast but dry but distinctive chilly for June. The match was a relatively tight affair on all four rinks and in the end Bloxham secured 1 rink win to Banbury’s 3 rink wins resulting in a defeat for Bloxham by 59-72 although the match was closer than the score suggests On rink 1 Steve Prole’s team were slightly ahead in a very close first half of the game but then dropped a 5 and a couple of ends later dropped a 7 this proved too much to recover and the team lost 14-20, Rink 2 saw Ian Jackman’s team build up a six shot advantage by halfway, the second half of the contest was much more even but the early advantage proved vital and Ian’s team ran out 19-13 winners. Rink 3 John Stephen’s team started well and picked up a 4 early on and were level at halfway but unfortunately Banbury pulled away in the second half of the game and John’s team were defeated 13-22. Finally on rink 4 Chris Field’s team struggled early on and slipped to 5-16 down after 11 ends but a very spirited comeback for the final 7 ends saw Chris’s team reduce the deficit quite significantly to only lose eventually 13-17 Overall as said before the match was a lot closer than the final score suggests, it was a great effort from the team against tough opponents in Banbury and the guys should be very happy with their performance and it was only decided on a few ends when Banbury scored heavily. Well done to everybody who played this evening.

Friendly; Southam

Bloxham suffered a 39-78 defeat, though the final score line did not reflect how close the game was overall. On Ian Jackman’s rink the game was evenly contested apart from 3 ends when Ian’s team dropped a 6 and two 5’s this ultimately was too much for the team to recover and lost 8-25. On Steve Prole’s rink it was again tight but Bloxham could not pick up any shots and slipped to 2-17 behind, but the team rallied and picked up 6 shots in the final 4 ends to lose 8-19. On John Stephen’s rink again a very tight match which saw the team level at 8-8 at halfway and it remained tight until the last end when Southam scored a 2 to clinch the match 12-14. Finally on Dawn Danby’s yet again very close throughout, and Dawn’s team led by one 8-7 at halfway but unfortunately Southam picked up 6 shots in the final three ends to seal the win 11-20 for Southam.  Special mentions to Phil, Julie and David for playing for Southam to make the game into 4 triples, thank you very much it was greatly appreciated

League; Carterton B

On a very slick green - the fastest we've come across this season - Bloxham lost 50 - 88. The result was exaggerated by the result on Ian's rink - who definitely took home the wooden spoon! On the other three rinks skips Paul, Des and Dave led their teams well, fighting hard throughout.  In all cases, it was much more competitive than the score would suggest. Congratulations to Phil Hackett who played his first Men's League match - keep up the good work! We hope you enjoyed the experience.

Friendly; Bicester

Bloxham mixed team entertained Bicester in a mixed triples friendly match. The match started in light drizzle which did stop but unfortunately after about 12 ends a very large shower arrived so the game was halted temporarily.  We waited for about 30 minutes but the rain showed no sign of stopping so the decision was taken to call off rest of the match and take the match score when we left the green, this unfortunately resulted in a narrow defeat for Bloxham by the score of 45-41 On Steve Prole’s rink the game was fairly even for first 5 ends but then Bloxham picked up 12 shots in the next six ends to run out 17-11 winners. On Tony Gardner’s rink the team had a very slow start and were 7-0 down after 5 ends but then the team started to find their lines and had pulled back to 6-10 before the rain came. On Dawn Danby’s rink again Bloxham had a slow start and were 5-1 down after 5 ends but just like Tony’s team they then started to up their game and were only 2 shots behind at 10-12 when the rain intervened. Finally on Ian Jackman’s rink the Bloxham team started well and were 5-1 after 5 ends. Bicester fought back and they was only 1 shot between the teams but then unfortunately Bloxham dropped 5 shots on the 11th end and this was to prove decisive as it resulted in a 6-12 defeat.

Friendly; Kineton

Bloxham suffered a heavy defeat 47-102.  Steve Prole’s rink got off to a bad start dropping a 4 and a 5 shot advantage early on recovered a little in the middle but then Kineton pulled away at the end resulting in a 5-32 defeat, Chris Field’s rink also had a bad start and were trailing 13-2 at the halfway stage, but a great comeback from the team ensured a very close finish and they were only beaten on the last end 18-17. On Des Jones’s rink it was a fairly even affair for the first half but then Kineton scored 15 shots in 4 ends although Des’s team fought back the deficit was too large to claw back and lost 26-14. On Josie’s Campbell’s rink they also had a very slow start and we trailing 17-3 just after halfway but they kept battling and the latter part of the match was a much closer affair losing the match 26-11.  A very big thank you to Roy, Jocelyn and Paul who bowled for Kineton.

League; Banbury Chestnuts

The match started in cloudy weather but then the rain came down: firstly in light showers which turned into a steady rain which dampened the mood. The match was interrupted by agreement to allow the rain to pass and then continued on in the relative dry for a late finish.  In what was a closely fought contest Bloxham lost 52 - 60. Bloxham managed an exciting draw on one rink and a fine win on another. The points went 1-1/2 to Bloxham and 4-1/2 to Chestnuts.

Friendly, Avon BC

Bloxham visited Stratford to play Avon BC and won 3 rinks and had only a narrow defeat on the other rink resulting in a victory for Bloxham by 63 shots to 53 On rink 2 Chris Field’s team started well and were 6 shots ahead by halfway the second half of the match was much closer but Chris ran out 17-14 winners. On rink 3 Steve Prole’s team were involved in a very tight match with there only ever being a two shot advantage to either team throughout the match until the last end when Steve’s team secured 5 shots and won the match 16-10. On rink 4 Des Jones ‘s team started really quickly and we’re holding a 7 shot advantage just after halfway but Avon battled back well and the game went to the last end unfortunately Avon secured 3 shots and so Des lost a very tight match 15-16. On rink 5 Ian Jackman’s team fell behind early on and were 5 shots down approaching halfway but picked up their game in the second half to run out 15-13 winners.

League; Oxford City & County

Bloxham Men's team travelled away to meet Oxford City & County B and suffered a disappointing 55 - 94 loss.

Ladies League; Oxford City & County

Bloxham Ladies league completed their second match of the season against City & County and held on for a win.  Bloxham scored 41 to City & County’s 38. Thank you to our 9 ladies that played.

Men's League, Witney Town B

Bloxham played Witney Town B (away) for a very testing match on a heavy, bumpy and difficult early-season green. On Rink 1 Tony's team went out with a shaky start but then found their mojo to bring home a great 19-9 win. On Rink 4 Dave's team battled through a difficult first half but then found a way to claw back from a 6-11 deficit to tie on the 17th end and grab a 13-12 win on the last end. On Rink 5 Ian's team had all but lost the will to live by midway at 2-12 down. Someone said, "It's only a game!" The team focused hard to find a way to pull back to 14-all on the 17th, and miraculously scored 6 shots on the last to snatch a 20-14 win. On Rink 6 Brian's team matched the opposition in the early ends, came unstuck in the middle of the game, but fought valiantly to salvage a 30-10 loss. Considering that by the 17th end, we were expecting to go down - losing on 3 of the 4 Rinks - the overall match result was a very close-run thing with Bloxham losing 62-65 shots, having won on three of the four Rinks. Just not enough to tip us to an overall win, with the League result points shared 3 - 3 between the teams.

West Ox Ladies League, Woodstock & Kidlington

Bloxham ladies played their first league game hosted by Woodstock Bowls Club. Their team comprised Woodstock and Kidlington Clubs. The weather was exactly what we wanted, warm and pleasant. Their green was very “spongey” and quite damp which caused slow bowls. Rink 2 headed by Dawn had a difficult start but recouped some points when we started throwing long jacks. Unfortunately we lost 28-10. Rink 3 headed by Josie had a good go at scoring points but unfortunately we lost 16-6.  Rink 4 headed by Linda did very well and lost by 2 points, 14-12 Generally we enjoyed the evening and were warmly accepted as newcomers to the league.

Adderbury, Mixed friendly

The game was very evenly contested with Bloxham winning two rinks and Adderbury two rinks but the overall score was a victory for Adderbury by a margin of 76-61 On Brian Meikle’s rink it was fairly even for the first half but then Brian’s team pulled away only to be pegged back and fall behind to a 7 four ends from the end, but the team battled well and gained a 2 on the last end to win 20-19. Paul Shipton’s rink started well and held a six shot lead by halfway but then Adderbury came back with 13 shots in 4 ends and eventually ran out winners by 20-18. John Stephen’s rink was a very close match throughout with never more than two shots between the teams but a strong finish from John’s team got them across the line in the final end winning 15-14. Tony Gardner’s rink started well and were level at halfway but unfortunately could not continue in the same way for the second half only picking up one shot in second half and lost 23-8 Overall it was a great effort from the team against strong opposition and invaluable practice for the season which should stand us in good shape for season ahead.

League Cup, Headington B, 2nd round

Bloxham proudly fought every inch of the way - as they always do - over the full 18 ends, but Headington won on all 4 rinks under challenging conditions of a heavy green, light drizzle, and fading light. Overall result - 49-93 to Headington B. On Rink 1 - Dave Morse - went down 14-25 after a good start and holding on through 11 ends, before Headington pulled away. On Rink 2 - Tony Gardner - lost 9-16 with a fair start, difficult few ends in the middle and then pulled back towards the end. On Rink 3 - Brian Meikle - lost 7-27 following a fair start to hang on in the early ends, before Headington drove on to finish strongly. On Rink 4 - Ian Jackman - lost 19-25 after a slow start, a battle through the middle and then fought back hard in the latter stages getting as close as 19-21 on the 16th end, but could not bring home a win.

League Cup, Witney Town B

Bloxham Men's team braved a very chilly evening out on the green and notched up a fabulous 61-46 win against Witney Town in the League Cup 1st Round match. Two newly capped team members, Stephen Annetts and David French, fitted in well and made outstanding contributions - well done! The match was reduced to 15 ends (plus 2 trial ends) as agreed by the team Captains to allow for the fading evening light. Bloxham won the toss and after making good progress at first, were pulled back into very tense final end outcomes on Rinks 1, 3, and 4, while on Rink 2 Tony's team built a strong advantage and drove home to a 21-6 victory! On Rink 1 Ian's team won 12-11. On Rink 3 Brian's team showed courage and tenacity to the final end and came home with a 14-13 victory, and on Rink 4 Dave's team saw a strong mid-game advantage slip away to a 14-16 loss as Witney Town fought back to score 10 shots in the last 5 ends. League Cup is a straight knockout competition on total shots scored, and our opponents for the 2nd Round match will be Headington B at home. 

President vs Captain

Season 2024 has kicked off with a fun filled yet competitive President vs Captain match. We were lucky with a sunny, dry day even though some of us felt the Spring chill. Presidents team was headed by Jeanine Venter and Steve Prole and Captain’s team headed by Brian Meikle and Ian Jackman. The Captains team won with a score of 56 to 51. Well done to everyone that played. The skill and bowls ability was outstanding. Thank you to everyone that helped to make Sunday such a successful day, you all know who you are. Thank you to The “Greens boys”, the “Bar belles”, and to Norman Danby for an excellent BBQ.

 

 

2023 Season

League Cup; West Oxford

First game of the season and its the League Cup!.  With much fortitude and some trepidation both teams entered the fray on a wet and cold night but determined to get a result.  Unfortunately the right result wasn't Bloxham's who lost 29-51.  Tony Gardner's rink after taking a initial lead went from end 4 to the end of the match without scoring, losing 3-15.  Chris Hall also lost heavily, 4-21 dropping 5 shots twice.  Dave Morse's rink was the only winner, 13-6, and Des Jones's rink drew 9-9 getting 1 on the last end to draw after not winning for 5 ends.

President vs Captain

In a club friendly with 26 members playing there was the closest of results when the Captains team beat the Presidents by 1 shot, 73 to 72.  We played three rinks of triples playing to 18 ends and one of rinks playing to 21 ends. Des Jones's team (Captain's - triples) beat Chris Hall's team in a match in which they were behind until halfway after which they won most ends to win 20-13.  Norma Gardner's team (Captain's - rinks) lost to Dave Morse's team 18-28 in a close game until they dropped a 4 and a 3 to allow Dave's team to pull away and win.  Liam Ryan's team (Captain - triples) lost to Tony Gardner in a close game until Tony's team pulled away in the last few ends to lose 11-16.  Hilary Thomas (Captain - triples) took an early lead against Chris Field's team including a 5 and a 4 a lead  that they never relinquished to win 24-15.  A very enjoyable day for all helped by somewhat better weather than the Cup match on Thursday and thanks to all who organised and made the match happen.

Friendly - Chipping Norton, Ladies

In the ladies first friendly this season they lost 30-38 but unusually drew on 2 of the 3 rinks played in a match restricted to 12 ends due to the weather.  Hilary Thomas kept in touch throughout and was leading after the penultimate end only lose on the last end resulting in a drawn game.  Linda Morse got off to a good start and was leading until they dropped a 6 near the end and from which they couldn't recover.  Norma Gardner came from behind to win the last three ends and get a draw.

Friendly - Adderbury

In a mixed friendly  the club were soundly beaten 49-80 though 2 rinks were quite close the scores on the other 2 skewed the score. Chris Hall's rink  dropped a consecutive 5, 4 & 3 to put them well behind and struggled thereafter to lose 10-23.  Hilary Thomas's rink similarly struggled after dropping 6 shots on one end from which they couldn't recover, losing 8-21. John Jones's rink were playing well and leading throughout until the last 4 ends when from 17-5 they lost all 4 ends including a 6 and a 4 to lose 17-19.  Des Jones's rink had a see-saw score with both sides swapping the lead several times and at 16 ends it was drawn 14-14 but they couldn't get either of the last 2 ends to lose 14-17.

Ladies - Woodford cum Membris

OMTL, Hanborough

League, Carterton B

In the first League game Bloxham lost away 67-80 winning one rink, Dave Morse 17-13 who took the lead early on and never relinquished it.  John Stephen's lost 25-15 going behind to a 5 on the first end and never recovering.  In a close game John Jones came from behind scoring a 7 and a 2 to go ahead but lost 19-20  by 1 shot on the last end.  Des Jones's rink sung back and for but lost on the last few ends by dropping a 4 to lose 16-22.

Avon

We welcomed one new player to our team (Geoffrey Tyacke), and it was delightful to see how our experienced senior team members demonstrated their skills and excellence to impart good spirit and encouragement to those of us in the team with so much less experience.  This is the best way we can learn to be a better team and develop depth of talent in our club.  We had 3 winning rinks skippered by Liam Ryan, Jeanine Venter and Roy Billington, and 1 rink that lost narrowly (12-13) on an super exciting last end - hard luck Hilary Thomas. Your team fought the good fight! The overall score was 78-13 to Bloxham -  a famous first win of the season!  

Byfield

Bloxham made the trip to Byfield for a Mixed Friendly match on a warm and sunny afternoon that promised us good bowling and although we all enjoyed the match, we came away with an overall 49-65 loss. Des Jones and team got fired up after 5 ends and then nothing could hold them back on their way to a brilliant 17-11 win. Chris Field's rink had a ding-dong battle throughout with a narrow 10-12 loss. Dawn Danby's rink was well in front after 15 ends, but Byfield came charging back on the last few to pip them 14-15 at the post. Ian Jackman's team battled with conditions throughout the game without much success and took a large loss of 8-27. We're looking forward to regaining our pride when we meet them again later in the year at home.

League, Chestnuts

In the first home League game the club lost 58-80 with Dave Morse again achieving the only club win.  His rink won 24-8 again taking an early lead to win 24-8 with a 3 and a 4 to finish.  Des Jones's rink lost 9-24 never really getting into the game to a well led Chestnuts team.  Alan Miles also lost heavily 9-27 again never really getting into the game.  Chris field fared better losing 16-21 leading till after halfway but then dropping two 3's to go 6 behind and unable to claw it back.

OMTL; OUP

The ladies & gents of the match had a very well deserved win by 81 shots to 70, gaining us 8 points.  We had 2 winning rinks with the outstanding result of 30 shots to 9 being achieved by Hilary, Geoff & Paul.  Thanks to all the players who collectively contributed to the overall success.

League; Banbury Central B

Bloxham played the current league leaders but kept the scores close losing by 6 shots, 64-70, and 1 rink to 3.  Des Jones's rink lost 13-16 in a close match with the lead switching several times but not in their favour at the end. Tony Gardner lost a close game, 19-20, coming from behind with , 5, 4 and 2 on the last 4 ends but just failing to get the win.  Alan Miles's rink got a good win 22-16 putting in a strong performance in the second half to come from behind to win.  Dave Morse was behind throughout running out loser 10-18.

OMTL; Woodstock

Bicester

In a triples friendly we suffered a 42-79 loss losing on all 4 rinks.   Des Jones's rink suffered a heavy loss of 7-29 having trailed throughout.  Brian Meikle despite mainly being behind kept in touch until the last 4 ends when Bicester won all the ends and they lost 13-20.  Dawn Danby led early on but then got overtaken and couldn't pull back, losing 11-16.  Norman Hambidge led till the last 5 ends when Bicester won them all with Bloxham losing 11-14.

League; Witney Town B

After much hard work by Captain Roy in raising a team the players rewarded him with a 4 rink victory gaining 6 points in the process and moving us off the bottom of the League.  Alan Miles had a close 20-19 win having led for much of the match but then falling behind to a 5 shot score with two ends left but then got a 2 and a 3 to win by one shot.  Dave Morse continued his good form winning 25-18 only going behind twice and finishing with a 5 & 4.  Des Jones's rink was close with the score swapping several times and with 3 ends to go were behind by 4 shots but came back to 18 all to win by 4 shots on the last end.  Tony Gardner got in front with a 7 on the 4 end and kept the lead till the 17 end when the score was 15 all but with 2 shots on the last end they when to complete a clean sweep for Bloxham.

Friendly; Southam

On a very hot day the match was played to 12 ends which was perhaps just as well for Bloxham who lost 22-60, 1 rink to 3.  John Stephens went in front for a while but ended up losing 7-17 with Southam getting a 5 and 3 near the end.  Dave Morse had a very close and low scoring game running out winners 8-6.  Sue Miles struggled throughout with the opposition getting three 4's giving Bloxham a loss of 2-22.  Alan Miles never recovered from dropping two 4's at the start and lost 5-15.

Friendly; Banbury Borough

Our mixed team fared very well at home on a lovely June evening against Borough, who fielded an all men team.  A few Bloxham supporters were out on the patio cheering us on.Tony Gardner's rink lost 10-22, Roy Billington's rink won 16-8, Hilary Thomas' rink won 18-13, and Chris Field's rink battled their way back to a small loss of 11-15.  Overall score was 55-58 to Borough - so just three shots in a well fought contest.

League; Burford

In a match in which the scores were heavily to one side or the other Bloxham lost 67-73 but drew 2 all on rinks.  Des Jones's rink lost 10-24 having been in contention till halfway but the dropped two 4's and never recovered. Alan Miles's rink went into an 11-1 lead but then failed to score to for 5 ends for the score to come back to 11-10 but they then won every end to win 25-10.  Dave Morse continued his winning ways getting off to 8-0 after two ends and staying in the lead throughout to win 23-9.  Tony Gardner was 0-12 down after 5 ends and struggled to score losing 9-30.

We now have a break from the League for 2 weeks before taking on Carterton B at home.

OMTL; Charlbury

The team had an encouraging result against Charlbury winning 64-52.  Brian Meikle's rink drew 12-12 winning the last two ends to secure the draw.  Dave Morse's rink came from behind to win18-16. Hilary Thomas led throughout to run out winners 21-9.  Alan Miles had a close game but lost at the end 13-15.

Ladies, Banbury Chestnuts

In the ladies Triples friendly we lost 33-41, but 2-1 on rinks.  Linda Morse kept in touch for most of the game but dropped 4 shots on the last end to lose 0-16.  Dawn Danby had a good win leading throughout to win 14-9.  Hilary Thomas went behind early on when Chestnuts scored a 5 on the fourth end and after that couldn't recover to lose 10-16.

Kineton.

Kineton could only provide 9 players and  so we lent them 3 of our players to make up the 4 Triples out on the green.  Thank you to those of our players who agreed to bowl for the opposition.

The overall score was 64 - 68 to Kineton. Bloxham won on 3 rinks but lost on rink 1. All in all a very competitive match. Chris Field's rink lost 8-20, Tony Gardner's rink won 16-14 (coming back strongly from 5-10 at the halfway stage), John Stephens' rink won 20-16 (our highest winning rink) and Hilary Thomas' rink won 20-18 (by scoring 3 shots on the last end!).

Ladies, Banbury Borough

Banbury Chestnuts

This mixed friendly was played on a lovely sunny and mild summer evening. There were plenty of supporters out on the patio enjoying a sundowner and watching the games out on the green. Your encouragement and support was much appreciated by the players.  Although we managed to win on 2 rinks the overall match score was Bloxham 56-74 to Banbury Chestnuts.  John Stephen's rink held on for a tight 19-17 victory, Jeanine Venter's rink lost 11-25, Brian Meikle's rink lost 6-20, and Ian Jackman's rink notched up a 20-12 win.

It was nice to see the return of John Nolan and Norman Danby back out on the rink too - well done to you both. And many thanks to Liam Ryan for sharing half the game at Lead with Norman.

League; Carterton B

In the first of the return fixtures Bloxham beat Carterton by the narrowest of margins 65-64, drawing on rinks 2 all.  Des Jones's rink lost 15-18 dropping 5 shots early on which proved difficult to recover from.  Tony Gardner won 18-13 with 3 on the last end to ensure a good win with Carterton coming back from being 15-4 down with 4 ends left.   Alan Miles lost 12-22 only scoring on 6 ends.  Dave Morse continued his winning run with a 20-11 win getting in the lead at halfway and then keeping it .

OMTL; Witney Town A

In a close game Bloxham lost 56-69, winning on one rink.  R Billington lost 13-17 getting a 4 near the end to close the gap but couldn't overcome their opponents. Tony Gardner came back from behind to win 18-15 with a 3 and a 2 from the last 3 ends.  Alan Miles lost 16-21 being behind throughout after going 11-0 down after 5 ends.  Hilary Thomas lost 9-16 despite clawing back to 9-10 but then lost the next 4 ends.

OMTL; Banbury Central

League, Chestnuts

Bloxham beat Chestnuts 68-54 despite losing on two rinks with one draw.  Tony Gardner's rink stormed into an early lead and continued to build on it to win 30-5 gaining enough of a shot difference to overcome the scores on the losing rinks.  Des Jones's rink had a close match but never being able to get enough of a lead to hold off their opponents and ended up with a draw at 13-13.  Dave Morse had his first loss of the season, 9-16 struggling to score throughout.  Alan Miles despite going 8-0 down after two ends fought back, gaining a 5 to put them in contention but lost it on the last few ends to lose 16-20.

OMTL; Burford

Against League leaders Burford Bloxham lost 46 79 and 0-4 on rinks.  Linda Morse had a close match losing 15-17 but John Jones lost heavily at 8-30.  Alan Miles kept in touch but ended up losing 11-15 and Dave Morse had a similar match losing 12-17.

OMTL: Middle Barton

Despite only winning one rink Bloxham lost by the narrowest of margins 67-68. B Meikle lost 13-23, struggling after dropping 7 on the third end and then 6 near the end to lose 13-23.  D Jones lost a close game 18-20 despite dropping a 6 and 7 early in the game and at 18-19 after 17 ends they couldn't take the last end to deny MB victory.  J Stephens lost 8-16 in what was a low scoring and reasonably close game until the last 4 ends when MB scored 7 against Bloxham's one to stretch their score.  J Jones had a resounding 28-9 victory with 6 near the end but alas all our efforts just failed to get that extra shot to win the match.

League; Banbury Central B

Bloxham achieved their third consecutive League win of the season by 63-57 shots and 3-1 on rinks. A Miles despite trailing initially scored 4 to equal the scores and then proceeded to pull away to win 15-11.  D Morse led throughout despite dropping 5 early on and won 20-14.  D Jones suffered the only loss in what was a close game dropping two consecutive 3's  at mid=point but came back to 13-15 with one end to go but couldn't win it to then lose 13-18.  J Stephens had a close match helped by a 5 and a 4 winning by 1 shot at 15-14.  We have now moved up to third in the table -well done to all.

Oxford City & County

League; Witney Town B

In the closest of results Bloxham lost by two shots, 58-60, despite winning on 3 rinks and so shared the points 3-3.  John Stephens was scoring well building a good lead but on the penultimate end dropped 5 shots but still won 16-11.  Des Jones led throughout on his rink winning 18-10.  Dave Morse led throughout building a good lead but this was narrowed down at the end to win 17-15.Tony Gardner's rink got off to a bad start dropping 6 on the second end and could never get back into the game after that dropping 10 shots on the last 4 ends losing 7-24.

Hawker Cup; Adderbury

In as close a game as you could get Bloxham came from behind at both locations to end level, 20-20 at Adderbury and at Bloxham gained the lead to win 16-15 to win the match 36-35.

Ladies; Banbury Borough

Jubilee Triples

There was a record entry of 30 players, 10 teams of triples in 2 groups of 5 teams in each.  It was very pleasing to welcome 7 of this year’s new members to play in the Event!  The Winners from Group One were  Angie Dean/ Paul Shipton/John Stephens.  The runners up  were  Stephen Annetts/Joan Meikle/Dave Morse.  In Group Two, the winners were Christina Tyacke/Peter Simkins/Tony Gardner.  The Runners up were Helga R-Davies/ Michael Bowling & Adrian Coomber.  In the 6 end Semi Finals, the 2 winning teams through to Finals Day, were Tony Gardner's  and John Stephen’s rinks.

Woodford cum Membris

The mixed friendly versus was played in a very friendly spirit with Bloxham lending 3 players to Woodford to make up and the numbers. The weather was variable with a couple of heavy mid-match showers, but in the end the sun showed up.  Everyone enjoyed their game, and even though we had an 11-11 draw on Rink 1 (Hilary Thomas) and won 15-10 on Rink 3 (Roy Billington), the overall match was lost 55-58. Better luck next time!  Rink2 (Dawn Danby) was close but lost 16-17, and Rink 4  (Tony Gardner) went down 13-20.

League; Burford

Bloxham lost resoundingly to League leaders and champions Burford 83-43 losing 3 rinks and drawing1.  Dave Morse's rink kept up their good form though only managing a draw this time,19-19.  They had pulled comfortably ahead till the 17th end when they dropped 5 but managed to restrict Burford to 1 shot on the last end to deny them a win.  Chris Hall's rink lost 7-21 only winning 5 ends throughout.  John Stephens rink was a much closer result losing 10-13 just losing out on the last few ends.  Des Jones's rink had a poor night losing 7-30 getting off to bad start being 9-1 down after 4 ends and seeing their opponents get two 4's and five 3's to romp home.

That's the end of the League this year with our record being played 10, won 4, drawn 1 and lost 5, resulting in us finishing 4 out of 6.  Our season got off to a poor start winning only 1 of the first 5 games when we struggled with getting sufficient players.  The second half of the season improved, winning 3 from 5, losing one game by 2 shots.  With many new and improving players we look forward to a promising season next year.  Thanks to all those who played and all the other members for their help and support through the season.

Hawker Cup; South Oxford 

After defeating Adderbury in the previous round we were unable to repeat the result this time.  Both rinks lost, the home rink, led by Tony Gardner, lost 17-24.  After 4 ends they were down 9-1, dropping a 5 on the second end and then a few 3's through the match.  Despite our team winning more ends, 11 to S Oxford's 10 we only scored in 1's and 2's which were insufficient to overcome their initial lead even though we managed to outscore them in the second half 12 shots to 6.  Thanks to the members who gave us their support but must learn to start off better and reward their support.  The away rink, led by Dave Morse, lost 10-28, a total of 27-52.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2022 Season

 

Friendly - Kineton

The club's first match of the season was a close result with Bloxham losing 52-58 and 1 rink to 3 though 2 rinks only lost by 1 shot.  Roy's was the winning rink, 16-10, while Chris Hall after a good fightback lost 14-15.  Dave Morse lost 12-13 again after a good fightback from being 2-9 down. Norman Hambidge lost 10-20 having dropped 6 shots on the penultimate end.

Friendly - Adderbury

The club's second match of the season gave Adderbury a narrow win by 61-69 with the rinks even at 2 each.  Chris Hall's rink lost 8-23 despite scoring 5 shots after a few ends, whilst Alan Miles won 16-9 and Tony Gardner's also won, 24-12. but Norman Hambidge's lost 13-25 in what was a close game until Adderbury scored 6 on one end that took them too far away.

League - Witney Town B

The club's first League match of the season resulted in a narrow loss of 67-69 with 2 rinks lost one won and one drawn.  Norman Hambidge's rink lost 12-20 having pulled back to 12-15 from 2-11 down but lost the last two ends.  ALan Miles had a god last few ends to win 23-15 and Dave Morse's rink held on to draw 18-18 having been 12-17 down at one stage. Tony Gardner's rink had a close game throughout and just lost 14-16.

WOMTL- Woodstock

In the first WOMTL match the club lost 55-62 and 1-3 on rinks in a fairly close set of matches. Alan Miles's rink was drawing with 2 ends to play but lost both to lose 14-17, Dave Morse also had a close finish losing 10-13 having been a close game throughout.  Norman Hambidge won 17-16 having led to 15 ends but then dropping 3 shots but winning enough shots on the last 2 ends to win.  Tony Gardner in another close game never managed to lead and lost 14-16.

Avon

In a return friendly from last year for the first time in many years the club visited Avon Bowls Club but lost 56-61. and 1-2 on rinks with one drawn.  Chris hall's rink drew with 3 shots on the last end, Roy Billington lost 14-15 having trailed throughout but nearly managed a comeback on the last 2 ends.  Norman Hambidges rink despite going behind at the start clawed back enough to win 15-10 while Alan Miles lost 12-21 with their opponents twice scoring 5 shots to put them out of reach.

League; City & County B

The club's first away match League match resulted in a loss by 31-85 losing on all 4 rinks.  N Hambidge's rink stayed in touch throughout but could not gain a lead and then lost points through being a man short.  Alan Miles and Tony Gardner's rinks both struggled and lost heavily, 8-26 and 5-25.  Dave Morse's rink also lost and kept in touch until halfway losing 9-19.

Ladies; Banbury Chestnuts

The Ladies got their season off to a great start with a 45-42 win over Chestnuts.  Norma Gardner's rink lost by one shot,14-15, but Sue Miles's rink had a good win, 17-11, and Hilary Thomas lost 11-14.  Many of these ladies were playing their first competitive match so congratulations to all for their efforts in an excellent win for them.

League; Hanborough

In another difficult game for the club we lost 1-3 on rinks and by 47-84.  Dave Morse's rink were always behind never managing to keep up with Hanborough's scoring losing 9-18.  Alan Miles's rink were also always behind losing 13-24 and whilst the number of ends won was fairly even they only scored mostly 1s and 2s whilst Hanborough got two 5s .  Tony Gardner fared better and once in the lead they kept it, winning 19-13.  Norman Hambidge also lost heavily, 6-29.

Southam

In a close match with each side winning two rinks Bloxham got the narrowest of wins 61-60. Roy Billington's rink had a good 20-8 win but Tony Gardner lost 9-25.  Chris Field had a close match losing 12-13 on the last end after leading throughout.  Dave Morse won 20-14.

Banbury Borough

In the annual men's friendly with Borough Bloxham lost 1-3 on rinks and 63-82.  Des Jones's rink lost 15-20 losing out on the last 3 ends. Ron Higgins won 18-15 whilst Norman Hambidge lost 16-24 losing the last 3 ends also.  Dave Morse lost 14-23.

League; Blackbird Leys

Bloxham lost to Blackbird Leys 53-68 losing 2 rinks, winning one and drawing another.  Dave Morses rink kept in touch throughout but couldn't win enough shots on the last few ends. Chris Hall started well and was in the lead but two 4's by the opponents left them too much to do.  Norman Hambidge whilst trailing through most of the match scored highly on the last few ends to gain a win by 1 shot, 16-15.  In another close match Ron Higgins held on to gain a draw on the last end, 12-12.

WOMTL; Charlbury

In their second West Ox match Bloxham won overall by 64 - 62, winning 2 rinks and losing 2.  Dave Morse led the way with a convincing win by 23-7 winning by 5 shots early on to establish a good lead.  Chris Field lost 11-18 despite leading for most of the game but losing to a 2 and a 4 on the last 2 ends.  Roland Dodd lost 12-23.  Gary Law won 18-14 coming through to win on the last 3 ends.

League; Banbury Chestnuts

Banbury lost at home 59-77, losing 2 rinks, winning one and drawing the other.  Dave Morse had a close game until the 15th end after which they dropped 5 shots to lose 11-16.  Norman Hambidge led for the first 6 ends despite a 7 for Chestnuts but then fell behind to lose 14-28.  In a tight game Ron Higgins side held out to win on the last end by one shot, 20-19.  In another close game Roy Billington held on to draw at 14-14.

Hanborough - cancelled

League; OUP

Abandoned before the start as the green had lying water.  Result a draw and 3 points each.

Adderbury

The return match of this inter-club friendly gave Adderbury another victory, 1-3 and 65-75 shots.  Several of our newer members - ladies and men - played, which for some was their first match - all acquitted themselves well and should be pleased with their game.  Norman Hambidge's rink had the only win 17-14.  They were 3 shots down on the 18th end but a good shot took the jack and resulted in a dead end - on the replayed end Bloxham won it with 1 shot.  Tony Gardner was always behind after 3 ends and ran out 16-21 losers.  Ron Higgins, playing 3-3-2 just lost it on the last end having pulled the score back from being 5 shots down.  Gary Law got off to a good start, leading by 9 shots at one stage, but then dropped a 4 and a 6 to give Adderbury an 18-25 win.

Ladies: Woodford-cum-Membris

Bloxham won a contrasting match with Woodford 44-40 despite losing 2 rinks to 1.  Norma's rink scored well including a 4 and a 5 winning 20-7 to give Bloxham a good buffer.  Hilary's rink lost 7-14 losing out on the last few ends and Diane's rink lost 17-19 despite two 3's and a 6 to bring them right back into it but they couldn't win the last few ends t score a win.

League; Witney Town B

Bloxham lost 3-1 and 72-62.  Dave Morse lost narrowly 18-19despite the score being even with 2 ends left they couldn't quite get the winning shots.  Tony Gardner lost 12-19 always being behind.  Ron Higgins had the clubs only win 21-14 scoring several 3's to draw away and win.  Norman Hambidge's rink lost 11-20 always struggling to keep up their opponents after losing the first 5 ends.

WOMTL; Witney Town Blues

Banbury just lost on points 70-72 and lost 2 rinks, 1 drawn and 1 win.  Chris Hall lost 14-26 going behind early to 6 shots by Witney and struggling to catch up with WItney winning with a 5. Roland drew 15-15 coming back at the end but losing on the last end.  Dave Morse lost 11-17never quite being close enough. Gary Law had a good win 30-14 getting some high scores, a 6, two 5's and two 4's.

Banbury Central

In their friendly match Bloxham lost 52-83 and on all 4 rinks to Central.  Chris Hall lost 16-21 being close throughout until Central got 1 6 near the end to take the lead.  Des Jones kept in touch until halfway but then lost too many ends losing 14-24. Gary Law lost 13-18, again keeping in touch until halfway them, despite getting a 5, losing too many shots. Hilary Thomas trailed throughout with their opponents getting a couple of 4's and 3's.

League; City & County

City & County

League; Hanborough

Bloxham gained their first league win of the season 68-54 and 2 rinks all against promotion chasing Hanborough.  Dave Morse's rink had a good win 25-12 leading throughout to provide a good basis for the other rinks to support. Alan Miles lost 12-20 barely scoring until over halfway but then closed the gap with some good scores.  Tony Gardner's rink also had a good win, 18-7 drawing away at the end.  Ron Higgins despite winning more ends lost 13-15 having dropped a 3 and a 4 to allow Hanborough to build a good buffer which they couldn't claw back.  But a good first win for the club.

Ladies; Banbury Borough

Despite drawing one rink and winning one the losing rink had to large a margin to give them a win and lost 35-42. Hilary Thomas had a close win getting 2 on the last end to win the match 14-13. Sue Miles held on to draw 11-11 just doing enough on the last two ends to get a draw.  Myra Peters had a heavy loss 10-18doing well until halfway when their opponents pulled away.

League; Blackbird Leys

Bloxham scored 2 all on rinks but lost on shots 61-75.  Dave Morse had a narrow win at 15-14 coming from behind and winning on the last end.  Chris Field lost 13-25 struggling all the way to keep in touch.  Ron Higgins lost 17-22 again being behind throughout though closing to within one shot at one stage.  Alan Miles won 16-14 getting a good lead by halfway and holding on to it.

Woodford cum Membris

In their annual friendly we beat Woodford 74-51 and 4-0 on rinks.  Alan Miles won 17-13 overtaking their opponents on the last two ends.  Roy Billington won 17-15 getting off to a flying start and then failed to score after halfway but had enough shots to hold on for a win.  Norman Hambidge had a good win 24-9 gaining the lead at halfway and rarely letting their opponents in after that and scoring a 5 too.  Chris Hall had a narrow win16-14 scoring on the last end to win.

League, Banbury Chestnuts

Bloxham didn't quite do enough to win this match but there were some good games.  Tony Gardner had an excellent comeback being 5-11 down at halfway but winning by one shot, 19-18, with a 3 and a 4 on the last two ends.  Dave Morse struggled throughout losing 12-18 despite getting a 3 and a 4.  Ron Higgins kept in touch through most of the game but despite leading after 14 ends lost the last 4 ends by 9 shots to lose 11-19.  Alan Miles had a good win getting off to a fine start and led comfortably by 15 ends which was enough to beat a late surge by Chestnuts to win 19-12.

WOMTL; Chipping Norton

Due to the excessive heat this game was reduced to 12 ends.  Bloxham lost 35-15, losing all 4 rinks.  Chris Halls rink despite leading for most of the match lost by 1 shot, dropping 2 shots on the last end to lose the game11-12.  Alan Mile's trailed for most of the game losing 8-13.  Gary Law never got in front losing 5-13.  Brian Meikle was always behind but closed the gap on the last end winning 5 shots but lost 11-12.

Friendly; Banbury Central

Despite everyone turning up and prepared to play the only winner was the weather.  After 2 ends the heavens opened and the game was abandoned and everyone retired to the bar.

League; OUP

We gained our second win of the season in this, the last League match.  It was 2 all on rinks but Bloxham won on shots 65 to 59.25.  Ron Higgins rink won 16-11 (then reduced by 25% as they only had 3 players), leading throughout the match except for ends 10 to 13.  Tony Gardner won 21-11 despite being 6-0 down after 6 ends but then scoring a 6 on end 7 to come right back into the game and always being ahead thereafter.  Alan Miles lost 16-19 in what was a close game and were leading at 14 ends but then dropped 7 shots on the last four ends to lose.  Dave Morse lost 12-21 going well behind after 8 ends during which OUP scored two 4's.

Banbury Borough

In the return match Bloxham lost 48-50 losing two rinks and winning one. Dave Morse had the winning rink, 18-16, with a tight game holding on at the end to win. Chris Hall despite being behind throughout came back at the end winning the last 5 ends with 3 on the last end to lose 15-16.  Des Jones despite being 9-1 down at one stage came back to 9-11 but couldn't get enough to take the lead despite getting a 3 and a 2 on the last two ends.

WOMTL - Middle Barton

WOMTL - Banbury Chestnuts

Bloxham beat Chestnuts in their last WOMTL match 77-63, winning 2 rinks drawing one and losing one.  Chris Field had a good win 25-12 going into the lead after 3 ends and never losing it thereafter and included two 5's.  Alan Miles lost 17-22 despite scoring a 6 to close the score to 11-13. Tony Gardner won 19-13 despite being behind for much of the match scoring a 3 and a 4 near the end to draw ahead.  Dave Morse drew 16-16 despite at one stage leading 15-2 with Chestnuts staging a good fightback to nearly win the match.

Byfield

Despite drawing 2 rinks all we lost badly on shots 48-68.  Des Jones won 14-11 though after getting a good lead they struggled in the latter part of the game to win any ends but held out to win. Gary Law struggled throughout going 8 ends without a win and lost 5-22.  Hilary Thomas had a good first half but then fell away to lose 10-25.  John Jones took a lead early on and never lost it winning 19-10.