SWWBA President Jenny Ronchetti flanked by Pauline Black and Ann Craigie
By WebsiteCoordinator 04/07/22 0 comments
Ladies assembled from across Suffolk to celebrate Jenny’s Presidents Day on Saturday 18th June at Stanton BC. Although the weather forecast had been a concern, the overcast skies did not produce any lasting rain and our spirits were certainly not dampened by a passing shower. With the help of just a few men, a very enjoyable game was played on all six rinks.
With a tea break and a spider the afternoon passed all too quickly, followed by delicious refreshments in the clubhouse. The Stanton ladies did us proud, with a wide array of sandwiches and savouries followed by homemade cakes. Wine was kindly donated by Richard Sewell, Secretary of Stanton Bowls Club.
On receiving gifts from the Executive Committee and the Area D Committee, Jenny paid tribute to all those who have helped her during this Presidential year, not least husband Mike.
Jenny’s charity, St Nicholas Hospice, benefitted from generous donations from Stanton Bowls Club members and funds received on the day. The raffle, in aid of the County, was also well supported with a variety of donated prizes. As the event came to an end, Jenny presented each player a gift as a memento of a lovely day.
A Message from SCWBA President Jenny Ronchetti
I would like to thank all on the Exec. Committee and the Area D Committee for the gifts you gave me on my presidents Day at Stanton BC. Donations of cards from my fellow bowlers were also greatly appreciated. My charity is St Nicholas Hospice and our Treasurer will be sending a substantial cheque for funds raised by the raffle. I shall have very happy memories of my presidents Day for a long time to come.
By Jane Pitcher et al. 27/06/22 0 comments
Area B - Finals Day 2nd July at Martlesham Bowls Club Please find the program here
Area D finals Day at Great Barton BC Please find the program here
Under 25`s A Team
By WebsiteCoordinator 03/06/22 0 comments
Suffolk`s U25s County Teams played their first match of the season at Halesworth Bowls Club on Sat May 28th. They were visited by the EWBF National President, Paula Gooch, and the EBF Junior Deputy President, Trevor Flatt, both from Suffolk. In this match Suffolk's A team played Suffolk`s B team which resulted in a good win for the A team.
Both teams will be playing teams from Norfolk and Huntingdonshire in the coming weeks.
Under 25`s B Team
Paula Gooch, Ladies National President, alongside other Ladies and Men`s officials at Newark
By Sally Smith 26/04/22 0 comments
The Newark Finals began on Tuesday 19th with competition for the Harry Carver Trophy. Suffolk came 6th overall, an improvement of two places over last time. The ladies playing were: 1st team Paula Gooch Jenny Ronchetti and Pauline Black, who lost 7_8, lost 8_4, won 12_6 and then drew 6_6. Our 2nd team was Linda Nunn Barbara Rushbrook (replaced in the second half by Shirley Plummer) and Margaret Thorpe who lost 10_4, lost 8_4, won 12_5 and then won 26_1.
Individual competitions began for the SCWBA ladies on Wednesday 20th April. The first match for Suffolk was the Ladies Rinks in which Shirley Plummer, Jan Truin and Margaret Thorpe won a close-fought match by 23 shots to 22. A similar match was to follow later in the day in the second round, but sadly the result went against the Suffolk trio this time when they lost by the same one-shot margin, 23-24.
Margaret Thorpe was required to play her third match of the day in the Ladies Singles on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, the result did not go her way and she went out 12-21 in the first round to the Norfolk competitor.
Also on Wednesday, Shirley Plummer, Andrew Pulford and Bob Sillett were in action in the Mixed Rinks. The defending champions sadly did not find their feet in this match and they went out in the first round 21-10 to Northumberland.
Shirley Plummer and Andrew Pulford were in action again on Thursday afternoon when they had a strong win 26-6 in the Mixed Pairs first round against Lincolnshire. Friday morning saw them in the second round against Norfolk. Sadly, this well-fought match did not end in their favour and they lost by just one shot, 18-19.
The first round of the Ladies Pairs was also on Friday for Shirley Plummer and Margaret Thorpe. They were unable to better their opponents from Northumberland and went out of the competition by 5 shots to 15.
Friday evening saw a change of fortunes for Margaret Thorpe, with a first-round win in the Senior Ladies Singles. Against the North Cambs competitor she had a strong win 21-12. In the second round, played at 12 noon on Saturday, Margaret continued on commanding form and won 21-9 against Humberside. The semi-final, played in the late afternoon, was not to go her way, although Margaret made a determined finish to the game pulling back on her opponent. The eventual result was a loss by 16-21 to the bowler from Hunts.
Overall, the results this year were disappointing, with just one sem-final place, but Suffolk players took part in some close games and the venue at Newark was as welcoming as usual.
Overall, the results this year were disappointing, with just one sem-final place, but Suffolk players took part in some close games and the venue at Newark was as welcoming as usual.
Full results can be found on Newark `22 Ladies (fedbowls.co.uk)
The Harry Carver Team: Barbara Rushbrook, Pauline Black, Margaret Thorpe, Jenny Ronchetti, Shirley Plummer and Linda Nunn
By Sally Smith 15/04/22 0 comments
The Men`s County Indoor semi-finals and finals involved SCWBA ladies in three events, the Mixed Pairs, the 2 Bowl Mixed Rinks and the Under 25`s.
Mixed Pairs Semi-finals:
Shirley Plummer and Andrew Pulford were drawn against Chloe Coleman and Phil Coleman. The strong pairing of Shirley and Andrew got off to an excellent start with a 4 in the first end and won the next four ends before Chloe and Phil got onto the scoreboard in the 6th end (11-1). Only three more ends were won by the Colemans during the 18 ends played and Shirley and Andrew ultimately won 24 shots to 6 shots.
The other semi-final, between Jan Truin and Roger Goodchild and June Andrews and Denis Andrews was a similar match. June and Denis went ahead with a three in end 1, but lost the next four ends (9-3). Jan and Roger dominated the game up to the 16th end, with June and Denis only able to win three ends with just one shot on each (18-6). However, June and Denis won three of the last four ends, with the match concluding with a 19-11 win for Jan and Roger after 20 ends.
2 Bowl Mixed Rinks Semi-finals:
The first semi-final was to have been a two-family match between Sally, Phil and Matthew Smith and Chloe, Craig and Phil Coleman, but Craig Coleman was substituted by Jack Carter for this game. The audience were treated to a closely-fought match, with the Coleman triple keeping just ahead until the Smiths edged ahead 9-8 in end 11. However, the Coleman`s triple pulled away again, winning the next three ends, but the 15th end saw the Smiths pull back with 2 shots to bring the score to 11-12. In the 16th end the Smiths were holding three shots when a wick by Phil Coleman from well out to the side ended up right on the jack (to his embarrassment). With his last shot Matthew Smith was able to dislodge the jack, but it went to a Coleman wood. A lead of two for the Coleman`s team was extended to a three-shot win, 11-14 in the 17th end.
The second semi-final involved another family team, Kath, Craig and Daniel Moss against the current EBF National Indoor Champions, Shirley Plummer, Bob Sillett and Andrew Pulford. This skilful match was initially close (4-4 after 5 ends), but a three scored in the 6th end by Shirley, Bob and Andrew was the impetus they needed and they progressed to an eventual 8 shots to 20 win.
Finals Day, Sunday 12th March
Two Bowl Mixed Rinks:
Shirley Plummer, Bob Sillett and Andrew Pulford, the National Champions, were on fine form from the start in the final. The Coleman family now had Craig playing with Chloe and Phil, but the match proved to be one-sided. Despite many close heads, the Colemans didn`t get onto the scoreboard until the 12th end when their opponents had already scored 24. The final score was a well-deserved win for Shirley Plummer, Bob Sillett and Andrew Pulford by 27 shots to 4 after the Coleman`s scored a consolation three in the last end.
Mixed Pairs:
The holders of the Suffolk title, Shirley Plummer and Andrew Pulford proved too strong for their opponents, Jan Truin and Roger Goodchild. They ran out comfortable winners by 25 shots to 9.
Under 25`s Singles:
After a strong semi-final win against Craig Coleman, Joe Sims came up against Craig`s sister, Chloe Coleman in the final. The very confident Joe put in another good performance and never let Chloe get into the game, winning the U 25`s title by 21 shots to 5.
The winners of the Suffolk competitions progress to Newark for the National finals in April.
By Ann Simpson 16/03/22 0 comments
Having joined Kessingland BC in 2006, Mel started her bowling career by winning the Novices County Singles competition that September. She quickly set her sights on playing in the County teams and was thrilled when she was selected to play in the Silver Jubilee Vase team in 2010 and then the Donald Steward team in 2019.
After winning the Club 2 bowl singles at Blundeston BC in 2014, Mel went on to win the County Champion of Champions title in 2015 and was delighted to represent Suffolk in this competition at the National Championships at Skegness that year.
She played over 40 outdoor games for Suffolk as well as representing the Suffolk Executive in the Harry Carver Indoor Team Trophy games at Newark. Mel served as Area A Secretary for over 10 years and, following 2 difficult years on and off the green, Mel was overwhelmed to receive the Victrix Ludorum for the achievements of Area A ladies in the County Competitions in 2021.
Mel enjoyed being our Junior President in the 2021 season and took on the role of President Elect for 2022 with great enthusiasm. She was really looking forward to becoming County President for 2023 and had already started making preparations for her President`s Day.
Mel had a great passion for bowls. She brought many new bowlers, both young and old, into the sport. In her role as Secretary for Area A, she successfully encouraged ladies to take part in the Novices singles competition and the Ellen Matthews Team Trophy matches, supporting and praising them in her own special way throughout.
Very much a people person, fellow bowlers mattered to Mel. She got on with everyone and would do anything she could for them. She was never backward in coming forward and was happy to stand up and let her views be known. Cheerful and positive no matter what life threw at her, Mel had an amazing zest for life and for helping others. Nothing ever appeared to be too much trouble for Mel, no problem was too big to solve. She was always happy to go the extra mile to find a solution to a problem.
Mel will be greatly missed by us all.
Pauline Black (Junior President), Ann Craigie (President Elect) and Jenny Ronchetti (President)
By Sally Smith 07/03/22 0 comments
The 2022 Championships Finals proved to be a triumph for Margaret Thorpe of Thorndon Bowls Club and Diss. Having reached every final, Margaret maintained an excellent standard of play throughout the day, assisted by Shirley Plummer and Jan Truin, to win all four Suffolk titles.
Hosted by Meadlands Bowls Club, the SCWBA 2022 Indoor Finals Day was opened by President Jenny Ronchetti. Flanked by Ann Craigie, Pauline Black, Veronica Southey, event organiser, and Linda Nunn, Jenny welcomed Keith Crabbe, Suffolk Men`s County President. Also assisting on the day were Umpire Mike Nunn and Ann Simpson who organised the refreshments. We were all pleased to welcome Immediate Past President, Barbara Rushbrook.
4 Bowl Singles
Margaret Thorpe was matched against defending Champion Sue Bryenton-Rochard in the first final of the day. This proved to be a very tight game with close heads. After an hour`s play the score was 8-8 with 10 ends played. In the 12th end the audience were on the edges of their seats when Margaret at three shots down took the shot with her last wood. However, Sue gradually pulled ahead and was 3 shots up at 14-11 after 18 ends. Margaret responded strongly and picked up a 3 to take her to a lead of 19-15, but she was certainly not allowed an easy win. With Margaret seeking to close out the game, a measure gave the shot to Sue bringing the score to 20-18. The game was finally won by Margaret in the next end with a superb second wood coming in just behind the jack. A 26-end marathon!
Senior Singles
The Senior Singles was a re-match of the 4 bowl singles. Margaret set off at a brisk pace, winning the first three ends, but Sue fought back in the 4th end, taking the jack clear of Margaret`s two shots, finishing with two shots herself. In the 6th end the lead changed three times, but Margaret finished with one shot, improving her score to 8-2. In the 9th end Margaret scored three, but Sue replied with a two in the 10th (12-5). However, the pattern of the game was becoming weighted in Margaret`s favour. In the 16th end, with Margaret requiring two, Sue initially held shot, but the jack was taken by Margaret to hold two. Despite a good try, Sue`s weighted shot was unable to change the result (21-7).
Two Bowl Pairs
Janice Brackenbury was joined in the final by Ann Craigie, playing in place of Pauline Wright, against Shirley Plummer and Margaret Thorpe. The match was closely-contested in the early ends, with the 7th end score at 5-4 in favour of Janice and Ann. However, Shirley and Margaret then increased their pressure and won three ends in a row, adding 9 shots to put them firmly ahead at 13-5. As the match progressed the accuracy of Shirley and Margaret headed them towards a win, but Janice and Ann continued to play their shots well and a competitive shot from Janice in the 17th end reduced a count of four to two. At the 18th end Shirley and Margaret finished off with two shots, the match ending at 22-7.
2 Bowl Rinks
The last final of the day saw Paula Gooch, Lesley Alexander and Sue Bryenton-Rochard against Shirley Plummer, Jan Truin and Margaret Thorpe. The first four ends were very close (2-2), but a measure for four jump-started the game in the 5th end in favour of Shirley, Jan and Margaret. In the next end Margaret`s triple were holding three, which was reduced to two by Sue, but losing 6 shots in two ends was beginning to look a problem. In the 7th end Sue`s triple were holding, but Margaret reduced their lead, only to have Sue play an excellent attacking shot to take the jack across to the right place and a four was scored. Back into the game, only two shots down (6-8). Sadly, their optimism was short-lived as Shirley, Jan and Margaret scored a three in the next end and also won the next two. The score at 10 ends was then 6-14 and the one shot gained in the 11th end by Sue`s triple was to be their last. The game finished at 14 ends with Shirley, Jan and Margaret gaining a 7-22 victory.
The day closed with thanks from President Jenny Ronchetti to all those who made the finals such a success, particularly the SCWBA Indoor Competitions Secretary, Veronica Southey. Jenny then presented the winner`s trophies, with special praise for Margaret Thorpe`s magnificent contribution to the day in securing four County titles.
A gallery of Photographs from the Finals is available Here
By WebsiteCoordinator 21/02/22 0 comments
The Program for the 2021/2022 Indoor Finals is available Here
By WebsiteCoordinator 11/12/21 0 comments
The draws for the 2022 (Ladies Only) outdoor competitions are now available under `Competitions`. Mixed events will be added when they are published by the SCBA.