2023 Season match results
A Summary of the 2023 Season match reports
Week 1
The start of the season Week 1 (up to Sat 29 April) saw 2 matches: Ewhurst (away) friendly and Wallington (home) the first ESL match in our new Division.
Ewhurst
The Ewhurst friendly was a draw - 81 each - and was played in a very sociable atmosphere
Wallington
The first ESL game of the season was a home match against Wallington and, with the season kicking off earlier than usual, the green was heavy, as expected, but played well. Dorking won on one rink to take our first 2 points of the season after promotion to Division 1. James, Paul McA, Kevin, and Peter H. fought a close game eventually losing by 2 shots; Richard W., John H., John S., and Paul M. ended down 12 shots; whilst Martin, Nick, Trevor, and Peter R. took their rink by 6 shots.
Overall Dorking 2 Wallington 8 points but a steady start to the season.
Report: Trevor T.
Week 2
Our second week had more league games: Redhill (home) NDL plus friendly and Godalming (away) GTL.
Only have the GTL report at the moment.
What a super start for Dorking for our inaugural game in the Men's Guildford and Woking Tuesday Triples League (GTL). Playing away as a club for the first time at Godalming (last year's Guildford section winners), we won on both rinks with an overall score of 52-22, taking all 6 points. Well done to Richard W., David M., and Peter R. on rink 1 and Ray, John S., and Trevor on rink 2. Played on a lovely spring afternoon, the location and views from the Godalming green, close by the river Wey, made a great setting for a successful season opener.
Week 3
Week 3 schedule was Chipstead (home) ESL, Albury (home) GTL, Epsom Park (home) Friendly, Esher (Away) Friendly and Old Coulsdon (Home) ESL)
Chipstead (home) ESL
After the continuous rain all through the Coronation, the weather finally relented on Sunday for our second East Surrey division 1 match of the season, at home to Chipstead.
Played in pleasant sunshine we won on rink 4 after a slow start. From the 16th end Peter R as skip, backed up by John S, John B and James forged ahead to finish 21 to15. Rink 3 under Peter H had a rather more difficult time against strong opposition. Skip Peter H, backed up by Trevor, Nick and Martin battled on but went down, with a final score of 7 to 27.
Rink 2 with Paul M at the helm put up a fine show and were 5 shots ahead at 18 ends, but Lady Luck ran out. Despite fine play from Richard, Mike and David, we couldn’t win an end. We lost 2 in the final end to draw 20 20. Overall we lost on aggregate 50 to 62 points, which gives us 3 match points to Chipstead’s 7. Tough opposition indeed, but not unexpected now we’re playing in the big boys top division. Credit on our rink must go to our relatively new player Mike V who played brilliantly with great accuracy throughout!
The Ladies’ friendly triple of Diane, Pat and skip Sonia was a much closer affair than the men and Chipstead finished just ahead at 12 points to 11. I’m told it was a most enjoyable game made all the better by the warming sunshine.
Reporter: David M
Albury (home) GTL
All afternoon the thunder clouds circled the especially excellent green (this was comment by the opposition!) but very fortunately we hardly felt a drop of rain.
This was not a game to enjoy watching as the only excitement occurred at the end of match. The team of R.Woodman, M. Miranda and N.Roos were in total control throughout the game and finished 27-6. Au contraire, the team of M. Saull, B.Jones and J.Stenton struggled throughout to match the opposition on minimum jack lengths.
With the successful team in the club house eyes were on the remaining game and 2 ends to play. Losing 3 would mean an overall draw, losing 4 would mean chins on chests. The penultimate end lost 2 shots, the last end a measure for 1 or 2 shots in favour of the Albury team. Phew: lost by 1 shot and so drew the match overall and retained our unbeaten record in this league (we've only played 2). Oh yes, ----- and the score for the latter team 5-26 if you really must know.
Reporter: John S
Old Coulsdon (Home) ESL
Dorking had a wonderful result yesterday. The ladies drew their friendly on one rink and won on the other by 2 shots. The men won on one rink, drew on one risk and narrowly lost on the final rink.
Well done to all our players for a super performance against the best club around but a bigger thanks to our supportera who came and made it such a big atmosphere.
Week 4
Week 4 schedule was - Burpham (Away) GTL, Cheam Fields (Away) Friendly, Croydon MO (Away) NDL, Purley Bury (Away) ESL, Leatherhead (Home) Surrey Advertiser
Surrey Competitions
This week was the start of the unbadged singes competition and many congratulations to Kevin Moutrie, Captain Peter Revell, Nick Roos, Ray Smith, John Stenton, and Richard Woodman who all won their first round matches.
Burpham (Away) GTL
Our third game in the new (to us) Guildford triples league was played away at Burpham on a green that was also new to us. Fine weather and good company meant an enjoyable day with the two rinks split but Dorking winning overall. Ray, John B., and David M. bossed the day winning 23-10 while Richard W., Mannie, and Trevor kept it close to loose 16-19. So overall 39-29 to Dorking and 4 points for us and 2 points to Burpham.
Report Trevor T
Purley Bury (Away) ESL
The first ESL away match of the season took Dorking to Purley Bury on a fine but breezy afternoon. The weather was the brightest moment of the afternoon as Dorking took a drumming on all three rinks, losing 89 shots to 30 overall. Dorking tried to stay with them on each rink but a very strong Purley Bury team was too strong on the day. At times the croquet being played on the adjacent green seemed more appealing.
Report Trevor T.
Leatherhead (Home) Surrey Advertiser League
The Dorking ladies won 18-4 in the first match of the Surrey Advertiser League, against Leatherhead. It was a close match where we drew level three times, including the penultimate end, but on the last end we scored four shots.
Report Paula
Week 5
Matches scheduled for this week: Merrow (Home) GTL, Pippbrook (Away) NDL, Horsham Park (Away) Friendly, Sutton (Home) ESL, Bookham (Away) Surrey Ad
Surrey Competitions
Round 2 of the unbadged singles was played this week and many congratulations to Kevin Moutrie, Nick Roos, John Stenton, and Trevor Thomas who made it through to round 3.
Merrow (Home) GTL
This week brought Merrow to Dorking for two great games. It was a lovely day for bowls and both games stayed close until the last few ends. Richard W., David M., and Trevor faded a bit to lose 14-21 but John B., Ray, and John S. maintained pressure throughout to win 20-13; meaning a draw overall of 34-34. So for a second time Dorking split the points 3-3 and has not yet lost a match. This result means we move up to third in the league just 3 points off the leader.
Report Trevor T,
Horsham Park (Away) Friendly
Thursday 25th May saw DBC Away in a friendly match to Horsham Park. Dorking lost on 2 Rinks, drew on one and won on one rink on a green that challenged the bowlers skills. Congratulations to Sue, Pat and Ray for a good win. Sheila, Brian and Vicky fought off a comeback by Horsham Park after the half time tea break to draw. Mannie, Carole fought back after a tough start but couldn’t quite catch the opposition. Richard, Marilyn and Kevin put up a great fight finally succumbing to talented opposition. Horsham Park were gracious hosts and the match played in a great friendly but competitive spirit and we look forward to hosting them at Dorking later in the season.
Report Ray S
Sutton (Home) ESL
This week's ESL match saw us pitched against Sutton. Despite a determined Dorking team, Sutton scorched past us scoring 69 to our 50 points overall. We were able to take 2 points off them by winning one rink 19-18, but even that was a tense affair with Sutton scoring 6 on the final end. It was a rough way to end the match. Rink 4, led by Peter H, was able to take the lead for 4 ends but succumbed to Sutton's siren song and lost 16-18. Though we lost, fun was had by all against the friendly Sutton team.
Report Michael V
Week 6
Matches this week: Stoke Park (Away) GTL, Banstead Neville (Away) NDL, Ewhurst (Home) Friendly, Supreme (Away) NSL. But firstly
ESL Cup
Our men have got through the first round of the ESL 11 cup and beat last year's winners, Chipstead, by 3 rinks to 2. Chipstead are a very strong team with National level players so an excellent performance by everyone but Peter, Captain, especially congratulated Paul McAllister who played a 2 woods match against a County player and beat him by quite a margin. Well done our super hero men.
Surrey Competitions
The Surrey pairs started this week and many congratulations to Richard Woodman/Peter Revell and Kevin Moutrie/Peter Hamilton who made it through to round 2, to join Ray Smith/John Stenton and Paul McAllister/Trevor Thomas who had byes.
In the unbadged singles Kevin Moutrie and Trevor Thomas made it through to round 4. Kevin Moutrie also won his first-round Officer's Bowl match.
Stoke Park (Away) GTL
This week Dorking travelled to Stoke Park for two men's triples in the GTL, another new ground for many of us. Both teams played it close but in the end Dorking were pipped at the post by one shot overall. Special congratulations to Andrea Florio, who played very well in his first league game for the club, and was on a winning rink along with Trevor and Peter R. at 19-13 up. It all came down to the last bowl on the last end for Richard W,. Mannie, and John S. who were just unlucky to end 15-22 down. So 2 points to Dorking and 4 to Stoke Park.
Report Trevor T.
Banstead Neville (Away) NDL
Tuesday saw DBC away to Banstead Neville in an NDL match where the opposition took all the points. Paula, Brian and David came our closest to a win but lost by one shot having led all the way till the 16th end.
Diane John and Ray held on to the coat tails of the opposition till the half way mark but wilted after that. Charlie, Marilyn and Vicky had a rollercoaster of a ride, going down early, recovering, going down again, recovering again and finally ending on the downslope.
Supreme (Away) NSL
Thursday was our first NSL Mens triples away to Supreme and what a tight match it was. Alan, John Bo, and David won a tight match by 2 shots. Steve, Mannie and John S drew. This left Richard S, John H and Ray. Going into the last end trailing by one shot they were holding two with one bowl left by the opposition. Their skip chipped out the Jack with a drive securing them 2 shots to win by 3 shots and win the overall match by one shot. A close match played in a great spirit. Thanks Supreme for a Great afternoons bowls.
Report: Ray Smith
Week 7
This weeks games were: Woodbridge Hill (Home) GTL, Reigate Priory (Home) NDL, Reigate Priory (Home) BL, Horley (Away) ESL
Surrey Competitions
Congratulations to Kevin Moutrie who has made it through to the area semi-finals of the unbadged singles. His next match will be played at Dorking, so come and cheer him on.
In the pairs, Kevin Moutrie and Peter Hamilton were our only team to make it through to round 3.
The triples started this week and Paul McAllister, Ray Smith, and Trevor Thomas made it through to round 2, to join the teams of Richard Woodman, John Stenton, and Peter Revell; as well as Brian Jones, Dan Cooke, and Graham Baker who each had a bye.
Finally Kevin Moutrie and Peter Revell are through to round 2 of the Officers Bowl.
Woodbridge Hill (Home) GTL
Woodbridge Hill is a Guildford club mainly made up of trades people and so a working men's club with green attached (as described by their captain).
Unfortunately, our recent poor results in this league continued with both rinks losing to two teams playing more consistently.
We look forward to reversing this trend when we meet our next GTL opponents.
Reigate Priory (Home) NDL
Wednesday saw another defeat for Dorking against Reigate Priory in the NDL. The individual scores are best left unreported to save the blushes of one particular team, especially as your reporter was part of that team
Week 8
The Matches this week: Castle Green (Away) GTL, Ashtead (Home) NDL, Burgess Hill (Away) BL, Purley (Away) ESL
Surrey Competitions
Kevin Moutrie was unfortunate in a close match in the semi-finals of the unbadged singles but is through to round 3 of the Officer's Bowl.
Trevor, Peter R., Kevin, and Peter H. made it through to round 2 of the Fours.
Castle Green (Away) GTL
Castle Green is in the beautifully tended grounds of Guildford Castle, now an open public space. The club is celebrating their centenary this year, but a bowls green has been on the site since the 1660s. This was our first time bowling there and it was a really hot afternoon.
We started off quite well on rinks 2 and 3, but the local’s knowledge of a difficult green counted. Captain David skipped, ably assisted by Steve and Mannie. Both put up some perfect lines and several times Mannie came off the oppositions bowl to gain shot! But local knowledge told and we went down 11 shots to 21.
Rink 3 with skip Kevin, Alan M and John B fared a bit better on an trickier green, but they couldn’t keep it up and ended getting 18 shots to the opposition’s 22. All in all an interesting afternoon that felt like an exhibition match, being vary much in the public gaze. If you can go and explore Guilford Castle, the green and the superb flower gardens - it’s well worth a visit.
David M, Match Reporter
Purley (Away) ESL
Purley were promoted along with us to division 1 of the East Surrey League this season, so it is a pleasure to report that we acquitted ourselves very well against stiff opposition.
Rink 1 with Richard W, Mike V, and Paul Mc got off to a difficult start losing 4 on the first end, but buckled down to level up the score to 11 all at 11 ends. Skip Trevor had his work cut out to match the opposition’s skip and the final score was 17 to 22 shots.
The team of Martin, Graham B and David M on rink 2 under skip Peter R played consistently to draw well ahead by 11 ends, but lost two 3s in the later ends. Fortunately they had sufficient margin to close out at 22 shots to 14. Rink 3 took 6 ends to get a point, but then got their act together and by the 13th end skip Kevin had levelled the ship. Chris, John B and Nick continued to add the pressure, winning most of the later ends to finish 25 shots to 16.
All the players seemed to be enjoying their games, and to win the overall aggregate 64 to 52 shots was icing on the cake. This gives us 8 points to Purley’s 2, which may take us off the bottom of the table.
Reporter: David Macklin
Week 9
This week's league matches: Newdigate BL Cup 1st Round, Ewhurst (Home) GTL, Chipstead (Home) NDL, Purley Bury (Away) NDL, Horsham Park (Home) BL, Cheam (Away) ESL
Update for Surreys
Kevin Moutrie is still in the Officer's Bowl. Trevor, Peter R., Kevin and Peter H. are in round 3 of the fours.
Ewhurst (Home) GTL
Week 8 of the GTL was a great result with both rinks winning and Dorking taking all six points. John S., David M., and Peter R. got off to a slow start but steadily pulled away winning 29-11. Ray, John B., and Trevor had a closer match - pulling ahead, falling behind, and then pulling back to win 16-12. Well played all.
Week 10
League matches this week: Bookham (Away) GTL, Warlingham Park (Away) NDL, Downsman (Home) BL, Wallington (Away) ESL plus Horsham (Away) friendly and Wallington (Away) friendly
Bookham (Away) GTL
Another great result for the two Men's triples at Bookham this week, with us winning on both rinks. Bookham fought a close comeback on one rink against Richard W., Mannie, and John S., with our team holding on to win 17-16. It was a much clearer win of 24-7 on the other rink, with special mention due to Paul Crozier who played his first league game for the club and who made a massive contribution as lead, making it easy for the team with John B. and Trevor to pull ahead for the win.
We are now halfway through the GTL season and solidly in 5th place in the league.
Report Trevor
Horsham (Away) friendly.
A tough day at the office for our DBC bowlers only winning on one rink of the four played. But what a win on that Rink.
Moira, Mannie and Mike were 9-21 down after 12 ends but staged a great comeback to lead 26-21 after 17 ends. Dropping 2 on the last end secured them a fine win. Special congratulations to Mike who was playing his first game as skip representing Dorking.
It was great to see so many members from our class of 2022 representing the club. Well done to Mannie, Moira, Diane, Philip and Rory and Mike.
Report Ray
Downsman (Home) BL
A good win for Dorking by 8 points to 2.
Ray, John Bo, John By and David won by 7 shots. James, Graham, Peter and Bert lost by the same margin, so it was all down to the final rink of Mike, Andrea, Trevor and Paul who won by 14 shots to 9.A tighter game than the points score reflects.
The Police were at home to Pippbrook on the other 3 rinks so it was a full house with a great atmosphere. Must have been good for the bar takings !
Report Ray
The Dorking plants looking good also (thanks Ray).
Wallington (Away) ESL
A match of 3 halves.
On Rink 4 – an outstanding performance by James W, Andrea F, Paul Mc and John S saw them storm to a victory by 16 shots – a fantastic team performance.
On Rink 6 – despite a fighting performance by Alan M, David M, Bert O and Peter R they finally succumbed to a defeat by 15 shots.
On Rink 5 – a very close match for Martin S, Mike V, Kevin M and Paul Manuel saw them head into the final end 4 shots down and the 3 down in the overall shots across the 3 rinks. Watched by everyone at the club, they started the final end and a very exciting finale saw Dorking holding 3 shots with 1 bowl to play which unfortunately missed the all-important 4th shot by an inch.
Overall score finished equal across the match and we went down 2-1 on rinks so left with 4 well-earned valuable points. If only we could have got that 4th shot, it would have been worth another 3 points.
Report Kevin
Wallington (Away) friendly
The ladies had 2 friendly triples alongside the men’s ESL at Wallington on Saturday and it really was a friendly match. Due to birthdays, holidays and visiting relations Dorking was only able to find 4 players but how good that was for making new friends at Wallington.
The 4 teams were made up with one Dorking lady and 2 Wallington ladies in each. This idea came from telephone conversations between the ladies’ match secretaries of each club so that all had an game and how well the ladies worked together as teams. It was a bit confusing at first when looking at the head to decide whose bowls were whose but it was soon worked out.
A special mention must be made of Wendy who not only played in her first away match but was a real star getting her bowl on or very near to the Jack. With the help of the Wallington ladies she also had plenty of practice of measuring.
Both clubs thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon so the idea of having a midweek friendly with mixed teams could become an annual event.
Report Marilyn
Week 11
This week's matches - Godalming (Home) GTL, Old coulsdon (away) NDL, Newdigate (Home) BL
Godalming (Home) GTL
Two very close and exciting games were played at home against Godalming on a soggy afternoon with a few heavy shower interruptions. On rink 1 Ray. Bert, and Peter R, were ahead, behind, ahead, level, behind, ahead, level, behind, level, ahead, level, and then behind going into the last end and with Godalming holding shot, Peter R. put his bowl in to ping the jack and take 3 shots for a well fought 16-14 win. On rink 2 John S., John B., and Trevor pulled well ahead initially only for Godalming to comeback and briefly take the lead before our team pulled ahead again and managed to limit a late Godalming comeback to finally win 17-14. So 6 more points to Dorking and 3 clean sweeps in a row, which means we have moved up to third place in the League table.
Week 12
Matches this week - Chipstead (Away) ESL, Albury (Away) GTL, Reigate Priory (Home) friendly, Sutton (Away) NSL, Reigate Priory (Away) BL, Old Coulsdon (Away) ESL & friendly
Albury (Away) GTL
Week 11 of the GTL was played away at Albury with the odd shower and gusty wind to liven things up. A small green on the Estate, with only 4 rinks, saw two very close matches. They say 'everything changes after tea' and, as tea was taken halfway through, this turned out to be a wise old saying.
On rink 1, Ray, Mannie, and John S. were well ahead at 13-8 just after tea but could only muster one shot in the last six ends and went down 14-15. On the other rink, Nick, John B., and Trevor were behind 4-12 just after tea but managed to pull back to 10-13 before also going down 13-16.
So 'nill point' to Dorking. We are hanging on by a fingernail to third place.
Report - Trevor
Sutton (Away) NSL
Sutton put out a strong team, so we did well to win on one rink of the three.
Hero’s of the day were Mannie, John By and Trevor winning 18-13. Mike, John Bo and Ray took an early lead in a game that was very tight until the final third of the game finally losing 9-20.
The third rink was definitely a game of two halves. Richard,Eric and John S stormed into a 15-6 lead after 10 ends but then could not secure another shot losing 15-23.
2 points to Dorking, 8 to Sutton
Reigate Priory (Away) Border League
An evening that threatened heavy rain but only a light shower on the green when all around looked to be experiencing a deluge.
A very close affair on two rinks. Not so close on the other one!
Steve,Graham,Nick and David secured a one point win 15-14 in a close fought match. Well done lads.
Mike, John Bo, Ray and Peter R managed to manufacture a 11-12 loss in a very tight game. Hard luck lads!
The final rink of Chris,Andrea,John By and Trevor lost 24-7. Not sure what to say lads!
So 2 points to Dorking and 8 to Reigate Priory.
Reports - Ray
Old Coulsdon (Away) ESL
One of the top clubs, if not the top club that we will play this season in the ESL 1st div.
The weather was dismal, rain and wind, and for 2 of the rinks it was a dismal result for Dorking too. Between the 2 of us we lost by an accumulated about 40 shots so can safely say we were outplayed on the day.
However, on a brighter note, the team of C. Morris, S. Jefferson, M. Vergion and P. Revell had any excellent and fighting team performance. O.Coulsdon recovered their composure to score 3 on the last end and force a 15-15 draw. Well done that team!
Report - John S
Week 13
Matches this week - Border League knockout competition, Burpham (Home) GTL, Godstone (Away) NDL, Epsom (Away) friendly, Burgess Hill (Home) BL, Purley Bury (Home) BL
Popes Mead - BL knoockout competition
The Border League runs a knockout competition held on Sunday mornings, of a single home and away rink. In the first round we won against and now we were drawn against Popes Mead for the second round. A harder nut to crack!
Well, what an exciting morning! On the home team of Mike V, John By, Trevor and David M it was nip and tuck all the way through the 18 ends. On the last end David put up a cracker to take the jack through and give us a 3 shots score of 19 to 16, a home lead of 3.
The away team of Richard W, Nick, Peter R and Bert coasted along happily with a good lead until the 16th end, when Popes Mead got a 3, to make it 18 to 14. What followed was two fours to our opponents, to finish the final 18th end with a score of 18 to 22.
No maths genius is required! We lost by just a single shot overall! But what games they were.
At least we all enjoyed play in the dry with only the wind to take the bowls off-line. Anyway that’s our excuse! Good luck to Popes Mead in their semi-final round against Lindfield.
Match reporter - David M
Burpham (Home) GTL
Week 12 of the GTL brought a good Burpham team, lying second in the league, one place above us, to Dorking. It was a closely contested match that could have gone either way in the end. Trevor, Ray, and John S. had a close match but just kept their nose in front, with a great shot on the last end by John S. to secure a win 16-13 up. On the other rink Nick, John B., and Peter R. were ahead for awhile but in the end went down 14-17. So a final total of 30-30 and an honourable draw on the day, giving 3 points to each side.
Report - Trevor
Chipstead (Home) NDL
A fine first victory for Dorking in the NDL scoring 8 points to Chipstead 2.
Mike, Marilyn and Ray secured. 20-7 victory scoring consistently on 13 of the 18 ends. Charlie, Vicky and John S also scored on 13 ends securing an 18-9 win.
Sonia, John Bo and David were not so lucky fading in the final third to lose 13-21
Godstone (Away) NDL.
After going all season without an NDL win, two come along in one week with a 10 pointer at Godstone.
Diane, Eric and Vicky starred in a 25-7 win. Charlie, Paula and David were not far behind with a 19-9 win. Martin, John Bo and Marilyn secured full points for Dorking with a hard fought 16-14 win
Burgess Hill (Home) BL
Burgess Hill are the divisional table leaders and gave Dorking an uncomfortable evening.
Definitely a game of two halves as Dorking held their own an all three rinks till the half way stage but fell away.
Richard, Andrea, Mike and Peter came closest with a 12-19 loss after leading 10-8 after 12 ends. Martin, John Bo, Ray and Bert lost 12-22 after being level at 6 shots all after 9 ends. Mannie, John By, Trevor and Paul lost 11-22 after leading 7-6 after 9 ends.
Food for thought for Dorking!
Reports - Ray Smith
Week 14
Matches this week: Merrow (Away) GTL, Leatherhead (Away) friendly, Southey (Away) NSL, Horsham Park (Away) BL, Sutton (ESL)
Merrow (Away) GTL
Away at Merrow for week 13 of the two men's triples proved to be unlucky 13. It was a great day for bowls but unfortunately not for Dorking. Paul C., Ray, and Trevor kept it close for most of the match and won more ends than their opponents, but dropping a 5 on one end was the difference and they lost 14-17. Similar for John B., Peter R., and Nick who went down 16-24 after dropping a 6 on one end. Dorking is now fifth in the league with 5 games still to play.
Report Trevor
Southey (Away) NSL
Wednesday 26th July saw Dorking win away to Southey in the NSL Mens triples league, securing 8 of the 10 points.
Alan, Eric and Bert won 20-12 winning 12 ends. Well done chaps.
Steve, Chris and Ray won 20-18 after looking as if they had blown it on 14th end by dropping a six only to come back with a five to go back into the lead.
Mannie, Nick and Peter lost by three shots 16-19 but scored 5 on the last two ends to make sure we won the match 56-49 overall.
An excellent away team performance by everyone.
Report Ray
Week 15
Matches this week - Stoke Park (Home) GTL, West Wimbledon (Home) NSL, Brockham (Away) NDL, Downsman (Away) BL
Stoke Park (Home) GTL
Our run of tough games continued against Stoke Park. On rink 3, Richard S., John H., and Trevor started well and then dropped a clanger 7 that was tough to come back from; even taking the last 9 ends 12-4 was not enough, and they lost by one shot 16-17.
On rink 2 Mannie, John B., and Ray battled strong opposition to lose 11-19. So 'nill point' for Dorking again.
Week 16
Matches this week: Woodbridge Hill (Away) GTL, Caterhan (Away) NDL, Newdigate (Away) BL, Horley (Home) ESL
Woodbridge Hill (Away) GTL
Dorking travelled to league leaders Woodbridge Hill for week 15 of the GTL. Soaking drizzle and worm casts did not prevent a lively and friendly game to be played.
Richard W., John B., and Peter R. bossed their rink taking an excellent 27-9 win. It was a different story for Manne, Trevor and David M. where, despite skip David's many saving shots, they went down 12-25.
Overall though a win for Dorking and 4 points earned away at the league leaders was a great result, but that still leaves Dorking in 7th place overall with 3 games to play in the season.
Report - Trevor
Newdigate (Away) BL
The last Border League match of the season saw a close match with Newdigate taking 8 points to Dorking’s 2.
A good win on one rink for Richard, Graham, Bert and Peter.
A loss by 19-12 for Ray, Mike, Trevor and Paul left Nick, Dan, Paul and John S needing to win by 3 shots to get an overall win. They were leading by 2 going into the final end but alas dropped 4 on the final end meaning Dorking lost by 2 shots overall.
Report - Ray
Horley (Home) ESL
Following last week’s win at Sutton, we all looked forward to our East Surrey League match against Horley. They are a very friendly bunch and to our delight had nice things to say about our green, which is certainly looking good and playing very well indeed.
Rink 3 team comprised Richard W, James, Paul Mc and Peter R the skip. Looking across I could see that the opposition secured 6 shots in the first end - not your dream start. However they got a 5 and a 6 back so that by end 14 the scores were level at 20 all. Nip and tuck followed until loss of a 4 sealed our fate, the final score 26 to 30.
Our rink 4 comprised Martin S, John Bw, Mike V and David M as skip. The whole team settled in well and held off fine play by their skip Tony Buckee. In the 16th end we briefly levelled at 11 all, but we were then sunk by a 2 and two 1s. In the final end David came in for shot to reduce the loss to 2 shots, making a final score of 13 to 15.
Rink 5 was manned by Nick, Andreas, John By and John S the skip. They started well but by the 12th end were 5 - 13 down, having had lean periods. Despite a spirited effort the opposition piled on the pressure. We got one shot in the last end to reduce the balance but we were well beaten, final score 8 to 27.
As you can see the overall aggregate of 47 to 72 shots did not reflect the high standard of play by both club’s players, We could have secured 2 rinks but it was not to be, and we get nil points to Horley’s 10.
We are already in bottom place in the top division, so we need some superlative wins against Purley and Cheam, the last two matches, if we are to avoid relegation! Whatever happens we have certainly enjoyed playing the top flight clubs and given a good account of ourselves. Here’s hoping …
Report - David
Week 17
Matches this week: Castle Green (Home) GTL, Bletchingley (Away) NDL, Police (Home) Friendly, Purley (Home) ESL
Castle Green (Home) GTL
Castle Green came to Dorking Tuesday for week 16 of the GTL season and an excellent result was achieved by us with Ray, John S., and Peter R. winning 15-12 and Nick, David M., and Trevor winning 30-8.
So 6 points to Dorking takes us up to position 5 in the League Section table, and in contention for a final's day team, with two games to play.
Bletchingley (Away) NDL
Wednesday evening saw a close encounter with Dorking winning on two of the rinks but losing on total shots to take 4 points to Bletchinglys 6.
Good performances by Charlie, Vicky and David against strong opposition and also by Paula, Richard S and John S, winning by 4 shots.
Martin, Marilyn and Ray had a tough time losing 23-12 with their slow game finishing in the dark with the aid of a torch to show the jack!
Bletchingly we’re fine hosts feeding us with mini pasties. Sausage rolls, homemade cake AND scones,Jam and cream! Plus also a drink from the bar.
Purley (Home) ESL
The ESL league is now drawing to a close and we were against Purley where we had scored out first win of the season.
The match was very competitive but the atmosphere was very sociable.
Again we fell short losing 10 points to 0. Our first rink, Richard W, Paul McA, Dan Cooke and Peter raced to a 10 shot lead after 6 ends however despite winning more ends were 18 shots all on the 20th end. For the 2nd week running we lost the final end by 2 shots
Our 2nd rink were against very strong opposition and played well to win 9 ends however lost overall by 12 shots. Our final rink which also won 9 ends, was matching Purley for the first 12 ends. two excellent ends by Purley left them with a difficult run-in however they won 6 out of the last 8 ends but still lost by 7 shots
We needed to score maximum points to have any chance of avoiding relegation so Dorking will be in division 2 next year however we will strive to bounce back. We can be proud of our teams this year taking points from all the top teams, well done to all who have represented the club in the ESL.
Week 18
Matches this week - Ewhurst (Away) GTL, Horley (Home) NDL, Cheam (Home) NSL, Esher (Home) Friendly, Cheam (Home) ESL, Cheam (Home) Friendly
Ewhurst (Away) GTL
Dorking were away at Ewhurst Tuesday for week 17 of the GTL season and another excellent result was achieved by us with John S., Eric, and Peter R. winning 17-13 and Kevin, Mannie, and Trevor winning 17-9.
So another 6 points to Dorking taking us up to second in the Guildford Section, and guaranteed a final's day team, with one home game against Bookham to play. Congratulations to all that contributed.
Report - Trevor
Horley (Home) NDL
Our final NDL match of the season saw an 8-2 points victory. Charlie, Vicky and Nick recorded a resounding victory of 30 shots to 13. A fine way to end the NDL season.
Paula, John Bo, and Ray very generously ensured Horley would not go home pointless by losing 12-18.
Pat, Martin and Bert finished well by getting a shot on each of the last four ends to overhaul the opposition with a 15-13 win.
Horley we’re great guests as usual and a convivial time was had by all in the bar after the game.
Cheam (Home) NSL
A very close match unfortunately yielded no points for our Dorking team.
Richard, Trevor and Peter R went down by 4 shots. James, Ray and Bert lost by 2 shots as did Mannie, David and John S.
Both rinks were nip and tuck in what was a hot and sunny afternoon watched by a knowledgeable crowd that consisted of Wilf and Brian making use of our great new sun shades.
Liquid refreshment was enjoyed by all, served by Eric, in a very friendly atmosphere with our friends from Cheam.
Report - Ray
Cheam (Home) ESL
This was the last match to be played in the East Surrey League for the season. Grey clouds arrived over Dorking, and a short shower preceded the match. Then, to everyone’s delight the sun same out and play commenced, where Martin S. John B. Dan C. and David M. on rink 3 won their first three ends, establishing an early lead. By the 6th end, Captain Peter’s team (with Richard W. James W. and Paul McA) were drawn with Cheam at 4 all, and Trevor’s team (with Nick R. Graham B. and John S.) were also drawn at 7 all. A change was imminent. The Captain’s rink began to pile on the pressure, adding to their total with a further 14 points by the 11th end to hold 18 against Cheam’s 4. In the end they were unstoppable, clocking up the highest score that Dorking achieved in all the ESL matches this season, with an impressive 40 points, leaving Cheam stalled on the last 7 ends with 7 points.
Meanwhile David Macklin’s team conceded 6 points on the 11th end, putting Cheam into the lead for the first time. Then followed a tight battle up to the 20th end, with scores, Dorking 15 and Cheam 17. On the final end, Dorking were holding one prior to the skips play. David so very nearly increased our score by a further point with his first bowl, and then, to finish the match, produced a spectacular final shot, which succeeded in nudging his first bowl into ‘shot’ thereby securing that vital second point, and delivering a draw at 17 all.
Trevor’s team also played a close match, but by the 14th end found themselves down 7 points, at 13 to 20. Then followed a hard fought return which included a 5 on the 19th end to put them back in the lead. They held on to that lead, winning with a total of 24 to Cheam’s 21.
Although every point was hard fought for, (and well done to all the players) a very good spirit prevailed throughout the match. It was a rewarding end to our season in the 1st division ESL, with Dorking winning two rinks and drawing one, with a shot difference of Dorking 81, Cheam 45, giving Dorking a convincing win, with 9 points to 1.
Report - Martin
A selection of the pictures taken by Mike - thanks
Week 19
Matches this week - Bookham (Home) GTL, Horsham (Home) friendly, South London (Home) NSL, Banstead Neville (Home) friendly
Bookham (Home) GTL
The last game of the Guildford League season brought local Club Bookham to Dorking. Two great games were played with Nick, John By., and Trevor holding on to win 18-15 and Richard W., Ray, and John S. with a good comeback to just loose 16-18. So Dorking won by one shot overall and take 4 points to Bookham's 2. This means we finished the regular season in an excellent second position in the Guildford section and will send one team to play Mayford Hall on the League Final's Day Sept 5th at Knaphill Bowls Club.
Week 20
Matches this week - Ewhurst (Home) friendly, Cheam Fields (Home) NSL
Cheam Fields (Home) NSL
On the hottest afternoon of the season with 31 deg C in the shade Dorking hosted Cheam Fields for our final NSL match of the season.
A fine win for Steve, Trevor and Bert, 17 -14, gave Dorking the only points from the match.
Richard S, Kevin and Ray led at the halfway mark but the opposition then got in their stride and won 23-12. Nick,John B and John S were well down at one point but rallied to a respectable 21-28 loss.
Much needed liquid refreshment was provided at the end of the match by Eric and Mary.
Well done to all the Dorking team for staying the course on such a hot afternoon.
A mixed NSL season from dorking with some fine wins and close losses. We were always competitive with 21 members representing Dorking in the 6 NSL matches. All 21 members were a credit to the club with the games played in a competitive but friendly and sporting spirit.
Report - Ray Smith