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Downton v Wilton (S&D)

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 A lovely evening for a game of bowls, against fourth in the league Wilton. In the reverse fixture back in June, we won one rink & lost the match 49-54 (2pts-10 pts). Tonight we won two rinks, but lost the match 46-55 (4pts-8pts). Two very consistent results, just going the wrong way for us.
Rink 1 – Dibbie, Martin & Simon were well beaten 10-23, by a strong trio, very keen on long ends.
Rink 2 – David Fretwell, Geoff & John came back brilliantly from 0-9 down after four ends, to win an enthralling match 16-15 (nine ends each), winning the match with one shot on the last end.
Rink 3 – Paul Tanner, Dave Galpin & Ivan, road their luck (also winning nine ends), before coming through another tight encounter to win 20-17.
Overall score Downton 46 v 55 Wilton. Downton 4 points, Wilton 8 points.
Next match is away to Amesbury on 14th August. They are one place above us in the league, so if we want to try & get off the bottom, this really is a must win match!
Ivan Buss – 9th August 2023.

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Downton v Pewsey Blues

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DOWNTON V PEWSEY BLUES, 7th August
Second again, with opposition proving a bit too strong for a couple of rinks.
One bright spot, Paul Tanner, Dave Galpin and Nick Purkis managed a win which gave us 2points against their 10!!! He was called ‘Nick the wick,’ but I am sure he doesn’t mind!!! As the bar was closed we did tea and biscuits with Marg, and Ann adding their female touches!!!! Thank you girls.
Alan Waters,8/8/23

Downton Dragons v Wimborne Charlie

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Match Report 22nd July 2023

First I would like to thank Ann Galpin for stepping in at the last moment to replace Dawn Jones who was feeling unwell.

Rink 4 – Lynda , Cathy and Charles had a convincing win with 20 shots to 8 shots.

Rink 3 – Colin, Ann and Steve struggled with the long jacks put up by the opposition and lost by 12 shots to 15 shots. However we won the match overall and maintained our third place position in the league.

Next week we are away at Bournemouth Bowls Club.

Steve Allen – Downton Dragons Captain

Downton Dragons v Swanage Puffins

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Match Report 5th August 2023 Today’s match at Swanage has been cancelled due to bad weather on the coast. As we were unable to agree a date for a return match we therefore agreed to share the points. Our next match is at home against the Swanage Seagulls in Saturday 12 August at 10am. Steve Allen Downton Dragons Captain
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Bustards v Lyndhurst

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Despite the horrendous weather forecast & heavy rain just an hour before the due start of the match, the Lyndhurst captain was still very keen to play. When I saw how strong their team was, I understood why! Fortunately, the forecast thunder storms never materialised & we managed to play all 18 ends, at least half of which were played in glorious sunshine. Despite the rain, the green played really well. Thank you to the green keeping team for all their hard work.
Rink 1 – Ivan, Muriel & Cathy just got pipped at the post & lost 13-15, having played a tremendous match against a very strong trio.
Rink 2 – Tony, Alan & Geoff, just had one of those days & lost 9-31.
Overall score Bustards 22 v 46 Lyndhurst.
We are still comfortably in third place, but I think finishing in the top two is now beyond our reach, even with a win in next weeks away match against top of the table Swanage Dolphins.
Ivan Buss – 5th August 2023.

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Bustards v Poole Park

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The Poole Park team arrived in soggy Downton, fresh from their surprise victory over top of the league Swanage yesterday.
After a quick shower before the start, it stopped raining for the minimum 12 ends required to call a result & although it did then start to rain, we did manage to finish all 18 before it started to pour it down.
We were leading on both rinks after 12 ends & managed to keep that form going, to win both rinks. Despite the weather making the going good to soft, the green still played really well.
Rink 1 – Paul, Muriel & Cathy won 26-14 (19-7 after 12). A strong start 10 of 3 ends & a strong finish 7 of the last 3 ends, helped the cause, as does winning 11 ends.
Rink 2 – Rosemary, Alan & Ivan won 17-9 (10-7 after 12). Although this was a fairly low scoring match, our team won 13 ends & after losing the first end, were never behind again.
Overall score Bustards 43 v 23 Poole.
We are now only 5 points behind second placed Lyndhurst, so a good victory over them in next weeks home match, could see us move up a place. The following week we are away to Swanage & a convincing win over them, could see us go top!
Ivan Buss – 30th July 2023.

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New Forest Men- A Respectable Third

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Downton v New Milton A,27th July 2023 Downton Men faced NM needing a result with a four point difference in their favour.This being the final NEW FOREST LEAGUE match with NewMilton in third and Downton fourth. The bonus match points were never in doubt due to the Triple of Alan Waters, Simon Stacey and Lewis Ambler creating an almighty cushion 18-0 after eight ends. We then wanted another winning Rink. Nick Purkis, Paul Fox and Paul Tanner, were up with the opposition most of the way, but just lost out over the last few ends 13-17. Geoff Warr, Neil Gillespie and Charles Burrows, did well to claw back from 3-13 to finally end 15-17 in NM’s favour. Fortunately the steady trio of Colin Morris, Steve Allen and John James held firm all the way to give us the other winning triple 18-12. Downton finished third in the League, and to celebrate the match, Lewis has written a Limerick ditty:
On the green we aimed for a score, ‘gainst New Milton we’d give all we bore. With precision we’d throw all our bowls in a row, for a triumph that left them in awe!
Alan W.

S&D Downton v Andover Lions, [results)

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Downton v Andover Lions 24/7
How do we keep doing this? Our home match against one of the stronger League sides, again ended with Downton losing by one shot on the last end. Paul Tanners triple were holding the two needed to win, when the oppositions skip sneaked one to take the final end. A great effort by the lads, Lewis, Colin and Dibbie Emm won their Rink by 6,. John James’ triple lost by seven, with Paul Tanner, David Fretwell and Dave Galpin by two. So unlucky again.
Regards, Alan 25/7/23

New Forest League, Downton v Ringwood

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This, the penultimate match of the season, transpired into a game of some importance. In the League table, Ringwood lie fifth to Downton’s 4th, with a two point gap. The game was played at Ringwood, and you could hear the muffled chatter of the Ringwood players enthusing with a must win attitude as they are not confident of overtaking us with points from their last match on the carpet at Braeside the following week.
The fast speed of the Green took some getting use to, especially with the characteristic runs and swings the surface has at this time of the season. A pattern was set from the off with Colin Morris, Steve Allen and John James coping very well, as did Paul Bromage, Nick Purkis and Paul Tanner. The others floundered a bit, although the Waters triple did pull back some much needed shots at the end. Three rinks finished ahead of Colin’s triple, who went into the last end knowing two shots would take the match. There was a good deal of advice from the sidelines as Colin had the last shot to play holding one shot, but with Ringwood a very close second. Does he take the shot or try for the extra shot to win the match.? He returns to the mat to play his wood, which was wide of the mark. Match drawn at 73 shots each, and points shared.
Alan W. 22/7/23

Bournemouth Broncos v Bustards

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22nd July 2023. Match Result.
The Bustards team travelled to Mayrick Park, hoping the weather forecast would be wrong & we would be able to play at least the required minimum 12 ends. Fortunately, after 30 minutes of rain, the clouds kept away just long enough for us to complete the match in full. This was good news for us, as Cathy’s rink was losing 10-14 at this stage.
Rink 1 – Paul, Ivan & Cathy won 21-15, after finding their form from end 11 onwards.
Rink 2 – Rosemary, Alan & Geoff won 29-6. A commanding performance right from the off, winning 13 ends, which included a 6 & four 3’s.
Overall match result – Bustards 50 v 21 Broncos. We now sit comfortably in third position in the league.

Next weeks match is the rearranged home match against Poole Park, which is being played on Sunday, with an 11am start.  The bar will be open from midday and all spectators are welcome.