Whistle Stop 05 Jul 08
The day was approached with some trepidation by the organisers because of the weather forecast. Magically all the teams were there well before their start times. The first bowls were due to be played at 10.00 am and, as forecast, slight rain began to fall during the introductory welcome by the vice Chairman and umpire, Neil Emsen. He said that he intended to keep the day going as long as possible and that the Groundsmen’s representative Bob Richardson would have the overall say depending on the state of the green.
Play commenced on time and wet weather gear was soon worn by the players. With great fortitude the bowlers played on until lunchtime when breaks began to appear and the remainder of the day was intermittent showers and almost sunny very short periods.
The competition was keen but friendly between the teams and the Hundens team from Darlington quickly indicated their intention to win by taking a commanding lead during the first Round. They were able to keep up the pressure throughout the day and finished up as well deserved winners.
First Prize (£32.00)
Hundens – B Watson, I Hobson, M White and M Baines. Score +50
Second Prize (£16.00)
Country Casuals – B Richardson, F Donaldson, R Richardson and J Mawson. Score +34
Third Prize (£8.00)
Richmond – G Millins, M Knowles, V Mullins and B Chaffe. Score +27
A large raffle, organised by Brian and Margaret Hall, was held in the afternoon which together with a ‘bottle board’ helped to raise considerable funds for the club.
The day was a great success despite the inclement weather (the first wet Whistle Stop at Bedale for many years) and this was due to the humour of the bowlers and the extra-ordinary input by the club members to make the day as enjoyable as possible for the visitors. Special thanks should be given to the team of Groundsmen who prepared the immaculate green and surrounds, to Barbara Hardy who organised all food and spent the day in the kitchen together with a series of volunteer helpers, to Paula & Neil Emsen who did the paperwork preparation for the match and the scoring checking and finally to all the club members who gave their time helping in lots of various ways.
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