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Pontymister Athletic travelled to Chepstow on Saturday for a league 1 GBL clash. With a much changed team due to sheer numbers to select from, the Ponty boys needed to get back on track if they  are to successfully defend their title after 2 defeats in recent weeks.

 

The game was played with lovely weather and a beautiful setting, but the boys fell short on the day even though 2 of the 3 rinks managed to win. Chepstow 55- PA 47 – 8 points to 4.

 

The rink of Richard Jones, Ian Holder, Richie Beaugie and Tom Guy were in a very tight encounter, winning by the narrowest of margins 13-12, maintaining Guys winning run.

 

Mike Lyons, Jamie Roberts, Graham Smith and Jack Collier who tested out his new car raced into a fine lead before being pegged back to win 23-19.

 

While the rink of K.Mckinnon, Andrew Davies, Ian Collier and Keith Richards struggled to come to terms with a tricky green and fell to a heavy 24-11 defeat.

 

Sorry for the lack of detail in the report, but the captain left the scorecards at Chepstow. The boys however would like to thank Chepstow for their hospitality and a very enjoyable game.

Croesyceiliog were the visitors to Field Road on Saturday for a MBA division 1 clash. On a perfect sunny day for bowls, Pontymister were expecting a tough battle against a Croesy team who have started the season very well.

 

In the early stages Ponty held a slender lead across the rinks, 3 shots after 5 ends and at the halfway point the game was still very close overall with Ponty 2 shots up, rinks 2, 3, &5 up , but rink 4 having a trouncing 12 shots down. Encouragement was coming from Captain Lloyd Turnbull to the rink 4 boys led by Andrew Goodwyn, so much so that by the 15th end the rink was tied 19-19 giving the mister men a lead of 18 shots overall. Ponty never make things easy for themselves and to the credit of the away team, they never gave up and fought all the way  to then end; final score Ponty 92 – Croesy 88 (12points to 2).

 

Rink 2 saw the revitalised Frank Trepleton, Phil Huntley, Roger Simms and birthday boy Roger Venn take on then Croesy 4 of D.Williams, captain Mike Cleaver,N.Furr and C.Jones. The game was tight throughout and the lead changed hands a number of times, but it was the Ponty boys who finished the stronger to win by 3 shots.

 

Rink 3 was the liveliest of all, with no need for a vocal coach, bringinging together Ethan Symmonds, Grandad Sid Phillips, Captain fantastic Lloyd Turnbull and the sheepish character Ronnie Morgan., playing W.Saunders, P.Goring, P.Silverthorne and Mal Bishop.  A tight but quiet start soon lit up, as the Ponty boys stormed into a commanding lead with some top quality bowls. Croesy were matching the increase in decibels from the Rocket, but  couldn’t match the bowls on the day, with the home 4 winning by 7 shots.

 

Rink 4 started well, for the Ponty 4 of Shaun Kenvyn, Jason Bradshaw, Chris Beale and chairman Andrew Goodwyn, with a 5 on the first end but it was short lived as the Croesy boys, A.Roberts, S.Manley, N.Gooding and Mal Brooks took control. Leading 19-7 after 10 ends, the mister men looked dead and buried but encouragement from team mates and supporters on the side, saw a spirited fight back that brought the rink level at 19 each on 18 ends. Credit must go to the rink for the character they showed after a first half drubbing, but they eventually run out of steam and succumb to the Croesy boys 31-23.

 

Rink 5 was made up of Dai Bowd, the refreshed Chris Symmonds, Richie Murphy and Dave Hill who faced L.Jones, D.Williams,M.O,Dwyer and K.Jones. The Ponty boys started well and  were dominant throughout the game playing really well, but a slight wobble on the last 4 ends (8 shots conceded ),  saw Croesy come back to within 2 shots, which slightly flattered them on the day. Final score 22-20.

 

The day ended with a fine buffet provided by Lloyd Turnbull  and a  well deserved drink or two  with fine company. We wish Croesy all the very best for the season and look forward to the away fixture in  August

On a lovely evening, the visitors to Field Road were Oakdale in the SML. Oakdale have got off to a very good start this season and with lots of new members, it was no surprise when they requested an extra friendly rink which we were pleased to accommodate them .

The game itself was very close throughout, with Ponty leading in the early stages by 4 shots. At the halfway point, Oakdale had got to grips with the green and led by 4 shots and stayed in front right up to the last bowl of the game. With 3 rinks finished and the away team 3 shots up overall, Ponty were holding 2 shots on the final end with only 1 bowl to play. Skip Chris Beale managed to trail the jack and record a 67-65 victory giving Ponty 12 points and Oakdale 2.

Rink 2 saw lead John Sheldon, Chris Simmonds, GBL captain Ian Collier  and the evergreen Graham Smith who was finding his form again matched against Karl K,Clinton S,Richard P and captain Matthew S.  The lead changed hands a few times between the two teams, but it was the Ponty boys who held onto their lead and record a win by 3 shots.

Rink 3 was where the real drama unfolded, Richie Beaugie and Jamie Roberts started up front, with captain Chris Beale playing skip for the first time and Mike Lyons third to babysit everyone,they were up against Simon W,Dai L, Bryn J and the familiar face of Bob M. Ponty surged into a good lead, but bit by bit Oakdale came back into the game, 4 shots up going into the last end.  The only rink left out, Ponty were 3 down overall and facing defeat both on the rink and overall, but with the last bowl to come and two shots up there was a chance. Mike Lyons made it crystal clear to Beale what he needed to do, either draw the shot to tie the game or trail the jack for victory. Remembering a shot played by Danny Davies junior, which denied the Ponty boys the points against the mighty keys, Beale went for it, picking up the jack and making a 5, which not only won the rink but also won the game 67-65 which gave Ponty 12 points and Oakdale 2.

Rink 4 saw the battle of the heavy weights, in form lead Shaun Kenvyn was with Martin “Spanner” Watkins, fellow second row Dave Kenvyn and the biggest of them all Jack Collier playing skip. They were playing Martin W,Ron P, and best friends Robin and Chris Storey, spanners old apprentice. The Oakdale boys, familiar with the green, led for the lion share of the game but the beasty boys wouldnt lay down and with 6 shots on the last 3 ends secured the narrowest of wins, to secure the points.

Rink 5 saw our youngest and oldest members matched Ethan Symmonds and Beynon Jones, who were shepherded by Phil Huntley and Roger Simms. They played Andrew C, Isetyn,Dai H and Sean Case. Once again the game was another close encounter, but Oakdale managed to hold onto a slender lead and record victory by 3 shots.

The friendly rink was special as it saw the debut of David Harding for Ponty, son of Neil and grandson of the great Andrew DaviesBrian Protheroe who was on the side supporting him.He was joined by another home debutant Andrew Davies, Ian Holder and mentor for the night Keith Richards. The boys won well and we would like to thank the Oakdale boys for making it possible.

The usual refreshments were laid on by our michelin star chef Lloyd Turnbull and a very pleasant evening was enjoyed by all. We would like to wish Oakdale all the very well for the rest of the season and compliment them for the way they handled themselves both on and off the green.

Pontymister Athletic made the long journey to Monmouth on Saturday for a top of the table GBL clash. Monmouth are flying high at the top of the league, with Ponty in second place, but with games in hand.

The game started in the sunshine with Monmouth racing in a 7 shot  lead after 5 ends. Things got even worse for Ponty at the halfway point being 13 shots down.

The second half saw the rink led by Tom Guy stage a recovery, up 7 shots at 15 ends , but Monmouths superiority on the other 2 rinks was evidedent and although Guy held on for victory the team were well beaten on the day by 70-47. Giving the leaders 10 points and Ponty 2.

Rink 3 was made up of D.Lewis, debutant Andrew Davies, Allan Elliot and jack of all trades and captain I.Collier who faced  the Parker boys, K.Weatherlake and D.Davies. The Monmouth boys swept into an early lead as Ponty struggled with green and recorded a convincing win by 17 shots.

Rink 4 saw lead specialist John Sheldon, I.Holder and the experienced pair of Alan Taylor and Tom Guy take on the Monmouth quartet of B.Tranter, O.Jones, W.Clark and S.Croudace and after a sticky start it was the Ponty boys who ran out winners by 4 shots. Sheldon and Holder  found the lines from the off and gave the platform for Taylor and Guy to get the boys over the line.

Rink 5 brought together Spanner Watkins, fellow Bassaleg boy Keith Davies, Keith Richards and the reliable Jason Webb. They were matched against F.Leach, C.Cottage , T.Williams and M.Holder and found life very difficult on the day. Taking an early lead, the away team came up against a talented home rink who eventually recorded a comprehensive victory by 10 shots.

Captain Collier was disappointed with the result, but accepted  that Monmouth played a lot better than Ponty on the day and urged his boys to get back to winning ways next week at Chepstow.  The team would also like to thank Monmouth for their hospitality and warm welcome and wish them well for the rest of the season.

Saturday saw the visit of Bedwas & Trethomas to Fields Road for an MBA first division clash. The visitors are flying high in the division and having recently taken 6 points   off the mighty Cross Keys, Ponty were expecting a very  tough game.

The game started in the sunshine, and it was the away team who took an early lead 4 shots after 5 ends. At halfway, the game was tight overall with the mister men trailing by 3 shots but only one rink ahead. The deficit was reduced to 1 shot at 15 ends as the home team started to match their opponents and after a thrilling finish, which almost went down to the last bowl, the home team prevailed and won 73-71 and record an 11-3 victory.

The tricky rink 2 saw skip Andrew Goodwyn shaking his head on many occasions and together with lead Sean Kenvyn, late replacement Jason Bradshaw and the experienced Graham Smith face the talented 4 from B&T of M.Smith,  P.Jones,  P.Morgan and my old rugby sparring partner Jeremy Griffith(come on Machen). Leading from the start, the away built a good lead, but a brilliant 6 from the home team brought things level after 13 ends and set up what was to be an epic finish. The last rink off, B&T needed 3 shots for victory and were holding 2, with their skips  last bowl in hand. Jeremy  attempted to remove the Ponty bowl for victory, but  missed by a whisker. One bowl left for Ponty and the rink tied, should Goodwyn go for it or not?.  Onto the rink came captain Lloyd Turnbull and after a 5 minute discussion with Goodwyn, he conceded his bowl and the rink was tied, but the game won.

Rink 3, saw our very own Jimmy Somerville lookalike Dai Bowd, Sid Phillips, captain Lloyd Turnbull and the “Rocket” Ronnie Morgan take on J,Minty,M.Griffith, M.Alderwith and AJ Griffith. With throat Lozengers in hand to keep Ronnie vocal, the mister men trailed in the first half of the game, but with some fine shots and sheer aggression they stormed into the lead and held on by 6 shots to win 21-15.

Rink 4  was made up with  some of our older statesmen. Past master Phil Huntley, debutant and former player Frank Trempleton playing his first game in 2 years, the youthful looking Roger Simms and no nonsense skip Roger Venn. They were matched against S.Killhouse, D.Stingmore, D.Watts and the reliable Lee Tuckwell. With 5 on the first end , the mister men led throughout the game and although B&T did rally towards the end they recorded a 6 point advantage 19-13.

Rink 5 was made up of M.Lyons, the returning J.Collier, Richie Murphy and our talisman Dave Hill who played  the B&T 4 of G.George, A.Thomas, S.P.Griffith and the talented  A.Griffith. The mister men started well enough, but B&T took the initiative, regularly picking up the jack and turning the head into their favour. Our boys fought hard and staged a mini comeback but in the end B&T were to strong and ran out winners by 22-12.

It was a pleasure to host Bedwas & Trethomas today, the Brian Prothero lounge was packed  to the rafters, where a fine refreshments and great banter was enjoyed by all. We would also like to thank Mel Griffith for leaving us a gift and wish B&T success for the rest of the season. Finally, and the Moral of the story ; Never order a drink 5 minutes before the bus leaves. See you all in August for the return fixture.