Breckland League 'B' Team
| Connaught Breckland 'B' Team | Date | Shots | Points | | Results 09-10 | | | | | | | F | A | F | A | | Connaught 'B' | v | Forncett | Home | 12-Oct-09 | 50 | 59 | 4 | 6 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Yaxham | Away | 15-Oct-09 | 43 | 81 | 0 | 10 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Harling Rec | Away | 21-Oct-09 | 77 | 56 | 8 | 2 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Hingham 'B' | Home | 28-Oct-09 | 119 | 40 | 9 | 1 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Connaught 'A' | Home | 07-Nov-09 | 55 | 69 | 4 | 6 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Wymondham | Away | 17-Nov-09 | 69 | 50 | 6 | 4 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Watton | Away | 27-Nov-09 | 58 | 79 | 2 | 8 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Banham | Home | 09-Dec-09 | 47 | 70 | 4 | 6 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Hingham 'A' | Away | 12-Dec-09 | 50 | 85 | 4 | 6 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Carleton Rode | Home | 30-Dec-09 | 70 | 60 | 6 | 4 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Carleton Rode | Away | 04-Jan-10 | 47 | 83 | 0 | 10 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Hingham 'A' | Home | 09-Jan-10 | 72 | 61 | 6 | 4 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Banham | Away | 20-Jan-10 | 57 | 68 | 4 | 6 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Connaught A | Away | 06-Feb-09 | 50 | 96 | 0 | 10 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Watton | Home | 17-Feb-10 | 71 | 55 | 10 | 0 | | Connaught 'B' | V | Wymondham | Away | 28-Feb-10 | 39 | 94 | 0 | 10 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Forncett | Away | 04-Mar-10 | 73 | 58 | 6 | 4 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Harling Rec | Home | 10-Mar-10 | 81 | 50 | 6 | 4 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Yaxham | Home | 17-Mar-10 | 60 | 69 | 2 | 8 | | Connaught 'B' | v | Hingham 'B; | Away | 22-Mar-10 | 78 | 52 | 9 | 1 |
Scroll down to see Match reports (Most up to Date report first) Click here to view Breckland league table |
CONNAUGHT 'B' v HINGHAM 'B'
Connaught 'B' won at Hingham 'B' on Monday 22 March by 78-52 and 9-1 to complete their league programme.
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Steve Hall won 19-16 against K Buller
Mat 2 Terry Makings, Ron Maddern and Alison Rush won 17-8 against R Leverett
Mat 3 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup drew 16-16 with R Narsh
Mat 4 Joyce Hazell, Len Thurston and Heather Winup won 26-12 against N Thorp
Despite the result Connaught did not find this an easy match. Hingham 'B' on their own mats have learnt a lot about width, pace and tactics and the visiting side had to concentrate grimly throughout. Ralf & Co built up an 8-0 lead after 4 ends and never lost the lead, but they were pegged back to 14-12 until a 3 on end 15 took them to 17-12. That margin just proved enough. Likewise a 3 and 2 start gave Terry Makings a margin and a lead which was never lost. However, Hingham did not let go and Terry and Alison really had to raise their game to keep their noses in front. Terry saved on quite a few ends and Alison, probably happier at 2, showed that county play has improved her game on fast mats. Alan, Peter and John had a real battle on their hands against a triple which played good controlled weight and destroyed good Connaught heads in frustrating fashion. At 13-16 down after 15 ends Connaught were facing defeat but 3 x single shot ends gave them the draw. All three Connaught players had excellent individual ends, with John perhaps the most consistent, but their combined play was not as tight as usual. Joyce Hazell Len Thurston and Heather Winup won in amazing fashion. They won only 1 of the first 7 ends, fortunately with a 5 on end 5, and were 5-10 adrift. Thereafter Hingham won only 2 ends, both by 1 shot, and the visitors stormed on. 13 shots were scored over the last 5 ends including 5 on end 18. Len , who has had a great season, started to be spot on at lead and Heather, with a mixture of shots, had one of her best games to conquer the fast mat. Skipping against N Thorp, who has beaten Connaught 'A' triples twice this season, Joyce had a superb match. The mat suited her woods and playing style and she got through the smallest of gaps time and again.
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CONNAUGHT 'B' v YAXHAM
Connaught 'B' lost at home to Yaxham on Wednesday 17 March by 60-69 and 2-8.
Mat 1 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 10-21 to R Harris
Mat 2 Terry Makings, Peter Hambling and John Winup won 23-8 against D Cross
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Steve Hall lost 10-21 to J Turner
Mat 2 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Alan Marshall lost 17-19 to O Secker
Before the interval Alison's triple went 0-14 down after 6 ends with a dropped 5 the finishing touch. Alison then tried her usual move, swapping with Phil. This steadied the ship and they won the rest of the match 10-7. On Mat 2 Terry Makings & Co lost the first 4 ends, all by a single shot. Peter then found the radar and was spot on for the rest of the match. John was steady and had good running woods second half. Terry played very well throughout; he is a natural bowler, sees the shot and plays it. Tight at 5-5 after 9 ends, the match second half saw Connaught win 18-3 and shut Yaxham out. After the break Ralf & Co had an appalling start, with dropped 4s on ends 5 and 6 helping to a 2-17 deficit after 9 ends. John Turner was on form and ruthless in this period. With Ralf and Steve swapping Connaught won the second half 8-4 in an improved display but Moira's inability to play forehand, needed at lead on this mat, did not help on the night. Joyce Hazell's triple, with Alan providing some ballast at 2, played well from the start to force a 12-2 lead after 7 ends. Concentration and communication then wavered big time as 3, 1, 2 and 5 were dropped and the score became 12-13 down. Connaught steadied a bit but the chance had been lost and the outcome perhaps was inevitable. Yaxham had been given the opportunity and turned the screw. It is unfair to blame one triple, who lost by just 2 shots, but Connaught really should have had 4 or 6 points from this match
CONNAUGHT 'B' v HARLING REC
Connaught 'B' beat Harling Rec at home on Wednesday 10 March by 81-50 and 6-4.
Mat 1 Terry Makings, Peter Hambling and Alan Marshall won 28-6 against A Snelling
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King won 28-8 against T Hewitson
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Steve Hall lost 11-15 against R Buffery
Mat 2 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Stan Groom lost 14-21 against E Jones
This was a match of two distinct halves with each side's stronger triples playing the other's weaker triples. Terry Makings & Co and Alison Rush & Co were too strong on the night for their opponents and both had sizeable wins. Harling found weight and line difficult and all the Connaught players had very good matches. No complacency or mucking around set in (a good thing for this is disrespectful to opponents) and both triples ground it out to the end. Things changed after the interval. Ralf & Co were not quite on song but kept their noses in front for 13 ends when they led 10-7. Harling still sensed an opportunity and with good shots and some luck eroded Connaught's lead. In truth this was a bit of old-fashioned Connaught 'B' with faltering in the finishing straight. Joyce Hazell & Co led 9-2 after 5 ends but then dropped 5 and things went downhill. Connaught were 10-21 down after 15 ends before coming back a little. Harling played well but for Connaught Stan put his hand up. He had a bit of a shocker but his attitude showed the team spirit in the side. Apologies after the match, an emailed apology at midnight and 90 minutes solitary practice (yes, 90 minutes!) the next morning. He was told "we stand or fall as a team". Joyce and Heather both played well but were up against it. In the end a bit disappointing for Connaught but a win is a win.
CONNAUGHT 'B' v FORNCETT
Connaught 'B' won at Forncett on Thursday 4 March by 73-58 and 6-4.
Mat 1 Moira Eades, Len Thurston and Steve Hall won 20-7 against T Ottewell.
Mat 2 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Ken Lurcock lost 18-21 against D Rumsby.
Mat 1 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup won 24-10 against K Humphreys.
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 11-20 against P Lock.
This was a hard-fought win against a useful side which helped Connaught 'B' in their battle for finishing position against the clutter of mid-table teams (and Connaught 'A' for once did the 'B' team a favour by beating Carleton Rode 10-0 a few miles across country). Stepping into the breach in Ralf Ramm's absence Moira had the match of a lifetime against a good skip in Tony Ottewell. Len and Steve also had superb games to give Moira excellent support in a good team display. Head reading was sound and the right shots were played. Joyce Hazell and Co, with Heather in very good form at lead, seemed likely to pull off a shock result against Dennis Rumsby when leading 16-12 after 13 ends. Joyce was playing confidently and Ken was much-improved on recent performances. Then Heather had her only bad end, one off and one nowhere in sight. Ken ignored his skip's instructions and bowled firing "glory" shots instead of drawing in. Forncett applied the pressure and Joyce could not get in. Connaught 'B', end 14, 5 down and in disarray; it has happened before. Connaught fought back a bit but Forncett maintained their unexpected advantage. Alan, Peter and John had a much harder match than the score indicates and had to really apply themselves. Forncett's 2 and skip, especially the skip, demolished carefully constructed heads on many ends and Connaught often had to adjust tactics with both John and Alan forced into heavy woods in reply. Alison & Co met a strong triple skipped by Peter Lock and winners of most of their matches this season. This time Connaught could not respond to the heavy woods and 5-5 after 7 ends became 5-17 after 14 ends. As she often does when not winning Alison had changed the playing order, this time after about 11 ends, but her triple despite bowling many good woods basically were outgunned.
CONNAUGHT 'B' v WYMONDHAM
Connaught 'B' lost at Wymondham on Sunday 28 February by 39-94 and 0-10
Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup lost 7-19 to S Phillips
Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Mick Utting lost 12-24 to C Mann
Terry Makings, Heather Winup and Ken Lurcock lost 10-26 to D Phillips
Moira Eades, Len Thurston and Steve Hall lost 10-25 to B Saunders
With five of their squad, including 2 regular skips, unavailable, Connaught 'B' would have wished for an easier fixture with an understrength side. Registering Terry Makings for a one-off helped give the side a bit of balance, however, and despite the predictable scoreline the visiting side overall played pretty well. This does seem a strange observation but those playing and watching will probably agree that Connaught 'B' did not cave in and made Wymondham concentrate hard and play at their best. The home side have several very good players and high quality skips in particular. Alan Marshall's triple won only 4 ends but conceded just 1s and 2s in a series of very tight heads against a triple which played very well together. While steady John was not at his best at 2 and could not give Alan any advantage. Peter Hambling was the pick of the Connaught players. Alison & Co found themselves 1-12 down after 7 ends, with Chris Mann dominating matters, but switches of position and resultant tighter heads gave them a very respectable finish. Terry Makings played something of a lone hand against another very good triple as Heather and Ken found the pressure too much. Terry saved spectacularly on several occasions otherwise the score would have been much worse. Regularly available for short mat he would strengthen Connaught 'A' (let alone Connaught 'B' !) very considerably. With the aid of a 5 on end 11 Moira and Co pulled up to 9-12 and were holding another good 5 on end 13 when Brian Saunders bowled a tremendous last wood to cut the deficit to 1. Connaught did subside a bit after that. However, all through the match Len Thurston had a tremendous game at lead and even edged out Peter Hambling and Terry Makings as the visitors' player of the match.
CONNAUGHT 'B' v WATTON
Connaught 'B' won at home to Watton on Wednesday 17 February by 71-55 and 10-0
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Marie Head and Moira Eades won 18-16 against J Hunter, B Pointer and D Quadling
Mat 2 Joyce Hazell, Len Thurston and Heather Winup won 19-17 against R Harvey, J Todd and D Braham
Mat 1 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup won 17-12 against M Hunter, B Dibble and J Bebee
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King won 17-10 against T C rockett, J Clark and P Crockett
As the scores in each match indicate the entire contest was very tight and the result easily could have been very different. 8-0 up after 5 ends, 12-3 up after 10 and 15-9 up after 14, Ralf & Co lost their way with a vengeance to be 15-16 down after 17. A brave running wood from Ralf when 1 down helped give Connaught 3 on the last end. Joyce Hazell and Co were 6-7 down after 9 tight ends. A good 3 on end 10 gave them the initiative but a dropped 5, 3 and 1 put them 9-16 down after 13 ends. Amazingly they came back with 3, 1 and 5 for a 2-shot lead. The last two ends were shared 1 apiece. After the break Alan Marshall's triple scored 2 on end 1 and never lost the lead thereafter; the nearest Watton got was 6-6 after 7 ends. This was an excellent match, with Peter and John just giving Connaught the edge. Alan had some very good ends but Margaret Hunter, skipping for Watton, is a competent player and saved her side on many occasions. Alison, Ron and Phil edged to a very narrow lead of 6-4 after 9 ends but a dropped 4 put them 8-9 down after 12 ends. Connaught rallied well to take the last 6 ends 8-1. In a good team performance everybody in the Connaught side can be satisfied at digging in very well. As ever against Watton, win or lose, an enjoyable evening.
CONNAUGHT 'B' V CONNAUGHT 'A'
Connaught 'B' lost "away" to Connaught 'A' on Saturday 6 February by 50-96 and 0-10
Mat 1 Joyce Hazell, Len Thurston and Heather Winup lost 9-22 against Sylvia Parsons, Diana Adcock and Ray Wells
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 16-21 to Derek Liles, Gordon Wilcox and Bill Adcock
Mat 1 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and Stan Groom lost 15-24 to Sheila Bragg, Mike Parsins and Ty Musk
Mat 2 Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Steve Hall lost 10-29 to Ollie Allen, Lee Fallows and Bob Oatway
This was a bad defeat against a side which played more solidly and with more conviction. Alison Rush was 16-16 with two ends to play and Alan Marshall was 15-15 with three ends to play but neither triple could make the final thrust
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CONNAUGHT 'B' v BANHAM
Connaught 'B' lost at Banham on Wednesday 20 January by 58-68 and 4-6
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Steve Hall won 23-10 against T Blackburn
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 5-25 to J Williamson
Mat 3 Joyce Hazell, Len Thurston and Heather Winup lost 12-22 to W Francis
Mat 4 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup won 18-11 against J Delaney
Connaught 'B' fought hard on the fast Banham mats and came away with a creditable 4 points. The winning Connaught triples faced probably the two weaker Banham combinations but also contained the visiting players most comfortable with the surfaces at Banham. The ability to draw accurately on a wide swing was important and forced Banham into a mostly unsuccessful running game. Alison & Co met John Williamson, who repeated his virtuoso performance in the match at Connaught and repeatedly removed Connaught woods. Joyce Hazell & Co stuck with it at the start and at the end but a dodgy spell on ends 8 to 12 saw them drop 9 shots. A good team effort but special mentions for Len Thurston, Moira Eades and Peter Hambling, all leading very well, for Steve Hall whose game is coming on leaps and bounds with growing experience of away mats, and for Alan Marshall in his best game of the season. And that man Ralf!
CONNAUGHT 'B' v HINGHAM 'A'
Connaught 'B' beat Hingham 'A' at home on Tuesday 19 January by 72-61 and 6-4
Mat 1 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 15-16 to J Higgs
Mat 2 Mick Utting, Vera Barber and Stan Groom lost 11-20 to J Prime
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Heather Winup and Steve Hall won 22-14 against J Frary
Mat 2 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup won 24-11 against J Roache
Worst fears were confirmed first half when Connaught 'B' lost both matches. Alison Rush v John Higgs was a cracking encounter, both generally and at skip. The match turned on end 16, with Connaught 2 up and heading for a 15-12 lead. With last wood, however, John Higgs played a superb backhand drive through a narrow space to take the jack and hold 4 for a 16-13 lead.. Connaught won the last two ends but could not force a draw. Mick Utting & Co were heading for disaster at 4-16 down after eleven ends but when Mick and Stan changed Connaught came back and importantly reduced the shots margin.
After the break Ralf Ramm, again in fine form and well-supported by Heather and Steve, had a very good win against probably Hingham's strongest triple. Jane Frary, although playing some good shots, admitted that she had trouble with the pace and swing but Ralf did play very well against her. On Mat 2 Alan Marshall & Co were in excellent form to build up a lead of 18-1 after nine ends; Peter and John were drawing very accurately and Hingham could not cope. Alan consolidated well. A change of playing order then helped Hingham who won five successive ends to reduce the lead to 18-10. Peter and John maintained form but were matched as Hingham won a series of very tight heads. Connaught broke the stranglehold to win 6-1 over the last four ends.
Connaught were a relieved and happy side at the close but some remain very uptight about that Potters shambles!
CONNAUGHT 'B' v CARLETON RODE
Connaught 'B' played the return Breckland League fixture at Carleton Rode on Thursday 4 January 2010 and went down heavily 47-83
Mat 1 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 10-21 to N Davidson
Mat 2 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup lost 15-23 to R Baker
Mat 1 Joyce Hazell, Len Thurston and Heather Winup lost 11-21 to J Brown
Mat 2 Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Steve Hall lost 11-18 to T Newby
A very disappointed Connaught side were left aghast at this defeat by an "up for it" Carleton Rode side which simply outbowled their visitors. All the old Connaught 'B' faults re-appeared, brilliant individual shots offset by erratic head-building and an apparent acceptance of defeat by too many of the team. The season's pattern of digging in just did not recur. Only Ron Maddern and Len Thurston, who both bowled very well at lead, can be exempted from criticism. Other minor grains of comfort came on Mat 2, where both triples did fight back after appalling starts. Alan Marshall recovered from 0-11 down after a frightful first three ends (3, 4 and 4!) and Ralf Ramm from 2-11 down after six ends. It is simply a case of saying "well done" through gritted teeth and moving on. However, a very badly-arranged club trip to the bowls at Potters on 19 January, the day of the home match against Hingham 'A', does not augur well. Some players are rushing back early from Potters to play and others have opted not to do so. Neither path has much to recommend it. Illness has further hit team selection as reserves are brought in and as Stan Groom is specially-registered to play.
CONNAUGHT ‘B’ V CARLETON RODE
Connaught entertained Carleton Rode at home on 30th December and won 70-60 and 6-4
Mat 1 Marie Head, Len Thurston and Ken Lurcock lost 16-17 to R Baker.
Mat 2 Vera barber, Phil King and Alison Rush won 22-9 against J Brown.
Mat 1 Heather Winup, Peter Hambling and John Winup lost 10-23 to N Davidson.
Mat 2 Moira Eades, Steve Hall and Ralph Ramm won 22-11 against T Newby.
Before the interval Connaught nearly won both matches. Alison Rush, ably supported by Vera Barber and Phil King, confirmed her recent brilliant form in a ruthless skipping display to get a big win. 9-16 down after fourteen ends, Ken Lurcock and Co scored 3, 3 and 1 to level the scores but dropped 1 on an exciting last end. After the interval John Winup, Heather Winup and Peter Hambling found an opposing triple in superb form and with Neil Davidson a class act as skip. However, Ralf Ramm's triple played Mat 2 very well against useful-looking opposition on paper. Carleton Rode simply could not find the right weight and the home side, with Ralf again playing very well, stormed home
CONNAUGHT ‘B’ V HINGHAM 'A'
Connaught ‘B’ lost away to Hingham ‘A’ on the 10th December by 50-85 and 4-6.
Mat 1 Moira Eades, Steve Hall and Ralf Ramm won 17-13 against J Roche.
Mat 2 Len Thurston, Heather Winup and Ken Lurcock lost 3-33 to D Woods.
Mat 3 Ron Maddern, Phil King and Alison Rush lost 11-24 to P Groombridge.
Mat 4 Peter Hambling John Winup and Alan Marshall won 19-15 against C Harris.
Four mats at Hingham is not an easy task and Connaught ‘B’ felt relieved to come away with four points despite taking a hammering on overall shots. Again it was a tale of fast, swinging mats and some Connaught players unable or even unwilling to adapt. Bob Carter,
Earsham, Wreningham, Mulbarton – the same old story. The two winning triples buckled down and applied themselves. Alan Marshall & Co were 4-13 down at the halfway stage but never felt out of the match. They upped their game even more as the opposition wilted a bit and took the second half 15-2. Ralf, having a tremendous season, Moira and Steve played with great common sense and commitment throughout. With Phil and Alison swapping Alison’s triple recovered from 2-22 down to show what might have been. The other triple was an utter disaster
CONNAUGHT 'B' V BANHAM
Connaught 'B' lost at home to Banham on Wednesday 9th December by 47-70 and 4-6.
Mat 1 Marie Head, Len Thurston and Ken Lurcock lost 7-23 to T Blackburn.
Mat 2 Heather Winup, Mick Utting and Steve Hall won 16-15 against J Delaney.
Mat 1 after the break Ron Maddern, Phil King and Alison Rush won 14-13 against W Francis.
Mat 2 Peter Hambling, John Winup and Alan Marshall lost 10-19 to J Williamson.
Connaught ‘B’ stuck to it in a tough match at home to Banham and grabbed 4 points by dint of two single shot wins. Alison Rush and Co played well against a very useful block with Alison herself quite brilliant. Steve Hall, Heather Winup and Mick Utting formed a makeshift block and played well for an unexpected win, albeit against probably one of Banham’s weaker triples. Alan Marshall v John Williamson was a cracking match with
fierce contests at lead and 2. Alan tried his best but found John Williamson in masterclass form. Julia Blackburn at 2 for Banham dominated the other match which the visitors won easily.
CONNAUGHT ‘B’ v WATTONConnaught ‘B’ lost at Watton on Friday 27 November by 58-79 and 2-8.
Mat 1 Mick Utting, Moira Eades and Steve Hall lost 11-24 to M Hunter
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 9-23 to J Hunter
Mat 3 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Ken Lurcock won 25-12 against T Crockett
Mat 4 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup lost 13-20 to M Dibble
Connaught ‘B were a disappointed and frustrated side after this defeat. With Ralf Ramm unavailable Connaught were a skip short. Therefore Mick Utting (playing his first league match), Moira and Steve were given a “do your best” mission while Connaught hoped to cobble together 4 points from the remaining matches. In the event their two stronger triples (on paper and record) played badly and lost. On the other hand Joyce, Heather and Ken played brilliantly against Terry Crockett & Co. 7-8 down after eight ends the Connaught triple then stormed ahead to lead 20-9 after fifteen ends. A 5 on end 17 added further salt to Terry’s wounds. All three were on fire but by common consent Ken, at times an erratic player, had the match of a lifetime. Alison simply did not get the usual level of support from Ron and Phil. Alan, Peter and John won the last twelve ends 12-7 but, less accurate than usual, could not overcome a disastrous 1-13 start on a difficult mat. A laid-back Alan with two very intense players usually works well but communication was bad on the night. Mick felt a bit upset on his debut and indeed drew the short straw. Nevertheless keeping three regular triples together was the right selection; on this occasion good players let the captain down.
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CONNAUGHT ‘B’ v WYMONDHAM
Connaught ‘B’ beat Wymondham at home on Tuesday 17th November by 69-50 and 6-4.
Mat 1 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup won 26-9 against Peter King.
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King lost 11-13 against Debbie Phillips.
Mat 1 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Steve Hall lost 11-22 to Chris Man.
Mat 2 Ralf Ramm, Vera Barber and Moira Eades won 21-6 against Steve Phillips.
Both sides were surprised by the result. Despite greater belief this season, Connaught ‘B’ realistically had targeted a 4-6 defeat as a satisfactory result. Wymondham must have hoped for at least 8-2. Did Connaught ‘B’ play well or did Wymondham have an off night probably a mixture of both. Wymondham generally did not play with the aggression and confidence expected of them but Connaught side concentrated hard to play tight and controlled bowls.
Easily the best contest was Alison Rush against Debbie Phillips. All six players contributed well and the match went to the wire. With Alison bowling a tremendous last wood, after a similar shot from Debbie, Connaught seemingly had snatched a draw. Sadly for the home side, however, a Wymondham wood toppled and just took shot.
In their two big wins Connaught established control up front and two good Wymondham skips were up against it. A mention for Ralf Ramm, who did have some patching up to do Ralf was in brilliant form and from end 8 onwards scored 15-1.
Chris Mann for Wymondham had better support and made good use of it. At 5-18 down after eleven ends and only Heather in reasonable form, Connaught moved Joyce to 2 and Steve to Skip. This steadied the ship much to the relief of the Connaught onlookers. to view Wymondham,s website report click here
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CONNAUGHT ‘B’ v CONNAUGHT ‘A’
Connaught ‘B’ was the hosts on Saturday 7th November in the first of the two local derbies and lost to the senior side by 55-69 and 4-6.
Mat 1 Alan Marshall, Peter Hambling and John Winup lost 13-16 to Bill Adcock, Diana Adcock and Sylvia Parsons.
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King won 18-17 against Bob Oatway, Gordon Wilcox and Derek Liles.
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Len Thurston and Moira Eades won 14-13 against Lee Fallows, Christine Musk and Ollie Allen.
Mat 2 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Ken Lurcock lost 10-23 to Sheila Bragg Mike Parsons and Ty Musk.
With a bit of tension in the air the match was tightly contested. Connaught ‘B’ had resolved to dig in and not be overawed; results might then follow. In this they succeeded apart from the second half of Joyce Hazell’s match. Having recovered from 1-8 down to lead 10-8 Joyce and co were disappointed at not sustaining the effort. Alison and co and Ralf and co played with great determination for their single shot win, Bad advice to Alan Marshall on end 9 led to a dropped 4 which crucial in a good ,close match.
Connaught ‘A’ although always a bit nervous for this match, must have hoped for at least an 8-2 to help their title chase. They will still take the win and move on.
Rumour has it that Connaught ‘B’ deliberately give Connaught ‘A’ an easy match. Visitors to this site – do not believe it! .This was a real contest.
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CONNAUGHT 'B' v HINGHAM 'B'
Connaught 'B' entertained league newcomers, Hingham 'B', on Wednesday 28 October and won by 119-40 and 9-1.
Mat 1 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Ken Lurcock won 39-6 against K Buller
Mat 2 Ralf Ramm, Len Thurston and Moira Eades drew 21-21 against R Narsh
Mat 1 John Winup, Peter Hambling and Steve Hall won 41-3 against S Gibbs
Mat 2 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King won 18-10 against N Thorp
This was simply a match comprising two huge wins for Connaught 'B' on Mat 1 and two much closer matches on
Mat 2. In the big wins all the Connaught players were on top form and the Hingham opposition found it very hard to adjust line and weight. Moreover, neither Connaught triple started to muck around or relax in any way and paid their opponents the respect of taking everything very seriously until the last wood was bowled. Ralf Ramm & Co had a shock on Mat 2. A 5 on end 11 followed by a 2 on end 12 gave the home side a seemingly unassailable lead of 20-9. Hingham had other ideas and won the next five ends by 12-0. 20-21 down Connaught were relieved to get 1 on the last end and scrape the draw. Hingham did bowl well over the last six ends but Connaught lost it a bit and seemed unable to draw for second wood. Alison Rush's triple found themselves in a tight and tough struggle from the start and after eleven ends were 8-9 down. Up to that point Phil King had not "found it", although Alison kept her side in it, but once Phil found form the triple clicked to win the last seven ends 10-1. Ron Maddern had led steadily throughout.
Hingham proved very good company and never let heads drop despite the size of defeat. Added to that they contributed well to a good bar take and a good raffle. Most of their side are fairly new to the game and they will do better with experience.
CONNAUGHT 'B' v HARLING RECREATION
Connaught 'B' won at Harling Rec on Wednesday 21 October by 77-56 and 8-2.
Mat 1 Alison Rush, Philomena King and Ron Maddern won 21-17 against G Harbour.
Mat 2 Ken Lurcock, Len Thurston and Steve Hall won 22-11 against R Meek.
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Peter Hambling won 19-11 against B Knappett.
Mat 2 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and John Winup lost 15-17 to R Buffery.
Harling now have three mats in situ and their league mats are in slightly different positions from previously although their characteristics have not changed a great deal. The home side said from the start that they were not used to the new lay-out and perhaps this attitude was reflected in some of their play. Nevertheless this was a good performance from Connaught 'B' at a venue where they, and also Connaught 'A', have struggled in recent seasons.
Alison Rush & Co had a good start and were coasting at 17-5 after nine ends. Harling came back very well and were 6 up on one end when Alison bowled a tremendous last wood to take shot. Otherwise Harling would have taken the lead and probably the match. Ken Lurcock's triple had a good win with Ken and Steve Hall having solid games. They had a good finish when Len, after bowling too short, found the right pace. Connaught were helped by the normally dependable Robert Meek who for once had a bit of a nightmare. Ralf Ramm, Moira Eades and Peter Hambling had a similar match to Alison's triple, well ahead by 14-2 at halfway but losing the second half. However, with Peter very accurate, Moira steady and Ralf bowling confidently, Connaught never really wavered against Harling's improved play. Joyce Hazell & Co, on the tricky Mat 2, were a bit loose at the start and the opposition skip was in good form. 2-11 down after eight ends Connaught seemed down and out but they rallied well to take the lead at 15-13 after scoring 4 on end 16. Both sides played well on the last two ends but Harling just shaded it with 2 x 2.
CONNAUGHT 'B' v YAXHAM
Connaught 'B' lost at Yaxham on Thursday 15 October by 43-81 and 0-10.
Mat 1 Alison Rush, Vera Barber and Philomena King lost 15-20 to R Harris
Mat 2 John Winup, Peter Hambling and Steve Hall lost 8-28 to P Wilson
Mat 1 Ralf Ramm, Heather Winup and Joyce Hazell lost 13-14 to J Turner
Mat 2 Ken Lurcock, Len Thurston and Marie Head lost 7-19 to O Secker
Yaxham would have expected easy pickings from this match and to some extent they got them. However, Connaught 'B' put up a good showing in most of the matches. Alison Rush & Co played very well to win 10 of the 18 ends but a dropped 6 on end 7 proved their undoing. Ralf Ramm's triple, with Heather excellent at lead, wanted 3 to tie on the last end and held 5. John Turner fired them down to 2 with his last wood and Ralf just failed with a difficult draw. John Winup & Co faced a triple in top form but played very badly themselves in a disappointing result. Ken Lurcock's triple had a good start and finish but little in between, although Len again was very steady at lead.
CONNAUGHT 'B' v FORNCETT
Connaught 'B' started the 2009/2010 league season on Monday 12 October with defeat at home to Forncett by 50-59 and 4-6.
Mat 1 John Winup (skip, Peter Hambling (lead) and Steve Hall (2) won 12-10 against A Aldridge
Mat 2 Joyce Hazell, Heather Winup and Ralf Ramm lost 5-21 to D Rumsby
Mat 1 Alison Rush, Ron Maddern and Philomena King won 23-9 against K Humphreys
Mat 2 Ken Lurcock, Len Thurston and Marie Head lost 10-19 to P Lock
Connaught's selection was disrupted on the Monday morning when Alan Marshall pulled out with severe back pains (he will be out for at least two weeks). Moira Eades, first reserve, was called up but scratched later in the day - a routine hospital appointment managed to produce a septic toe and three days as an in-patient! Steve Hall, second reserve, was called up hurriedly for his first-ever league match. In the circumstances this was not a bad result.
The disrupted triple played very well to win 12-10 in the best contest of the evening; both sides played superbly in a very tight match. Connaught went from 8-10 to 12-10 with a 1, 2 and 1 finish. Peter was a metronome at lead, Steve played calmly and well at 2 and John adapted confidently to the skip position. On the adjoining mat Dennis Rumsby staged a master class for Forncett. More often than not Connaught held shot after the leads and 2s had bowled but Dennis, in tremendous form, saw off both Joyce and then Ralf who shared the pain at skip for the home side.
After the break Alison Rush skipped brilliantly for Connaught in her triple's sizeable win, coming in for shot or extra shots time and again and also saving well. Free from captaincy and given the skip's position in a settled triple, she will have an excellent season on this form. Ron, very accurate, and Phil, who can disrupt a head, supported her well. On the adjoining mat Ken Lurcock's triple played well from the start to lead 8-6 after ten ends, with Len excellent at lead, but Forncett upped their game and the pressure told as the Connaught triple tired a bit.
On this evidence Connaught 'B' will form a tight but rather limited unit. The leads, especially with Vera Barber in reserve, are solid and give little away. But with Alan absent and with Derek Liles now in the 'A' squad, the balance now is not quite right. The plan must be to dig in and make life as difficult as possible for the opposition.