2009 ALBC Trophy (Drawn rinks) & Los Gallardos Trophy ( Open rinks)

We started the competition year with the ALBC Drawn Rinks knockout competition commencing on Monday the 12th January with semis and final taking place on Friday the 16th The weather was cold and miserable but players put this inconvenience to one side and played there hearts out. The Semi’s on Friday morning ending with a team led by Colin Wright and supported by Harry Dodds, Bob Marchant and Jean Laycock and a team led by Brian Lovett supported by Viv Sykes, Graham Patrick and Pat Beattie playing the final in the afternoon. Brian’s side showed their collective team experience by not letting Colin’s side score until the seventh end when they woke up. At this stage the score was 11-1.  On the fourteenth end Colin’s team scored four shots trailing 16-9. The story could have been so different if they were allowed to keep the four shots they were holding on the fifteenth end. A brilliant trailing jack from Graham Patrick giving Brian’s team the shot spoilt this. The inevitable score with Brian’s team winning 17-13 was the case. Thanks were given to the teams and the many spectators for staying the course on a very cold day by our illustrious captain, Jim Pike.

On the Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd January the season continued with the clubs first open competition of the year, Los Gallardos Trophy. Sixteen teams took part from all local bowling clubs. Although the weather again started cold everyone enjoyed the round robin format. This involved three games of ten ends on Thursday and two on Friday teams divided into two groups. The winner of group one played runner up of group two and winner of group two played runner up of group one, making up the two semi-finals played at midday. A team from Indalo played a team from Cabrera in one semi and the   two teams from Almeria played the other.
The winners to play in the final were the Cabrera team of Trevor Robinson, Terry Hayward, Maureen Stakes and Gerald Douglas playing Colin Wright, Roy Tonkin, Patsy Tonkin and Pat Beattie. This was expected to be a close encounter with the way both teams had progressed throughout the competition. Unfortunately for Trevor, Colin’s team never let up with the game won convincingly on the ninth end.
Christina Fitzgerald presented cash prizes sponsored by Anthony and Shirley Jackson, the clubs owners, to the all finalists Jim thanked all players for taking part and the loyal spectators who supported the games throughout the two days.

Vic Parsons

For photographs of finalists go to Photo Gallery