The men’s first match of the season took place in ideal bowling conditions, sunny and dry. Although we had enjoyed some success against our opponents last season, we knew that we were likely to be up against it in this match and so it proved. It was essential that on our own green we got off to a confident start but this only materialised on one rink. Pat Maher with his team of Gerald Rees, Chris Brown and Norman Cooper scored heavily in the early stages, were never behind and ran out comfortable winners 22-16. When Plessey threatened to rally late on, Chris Brown kept a cool head to steer Bembridge home. On the adjacent rink, John Hawkes with Steve Day, Ian Hampshire and Stewart Small started slowly and at one stage were 14-3 down but fought hard to recover to within one shot at the end, losing 18-19. Steve Day who led consistently throughout the game played a large part in this recovery. Chris Emms with David Brown, Peter Svensden and Colin Greer were drawn against a particularly strong Plessey four and although they had their moments lost 12-31.
Match score: Bembridge 2 points Plessey 8 points
Shot score: Bembridge 52 Plessey 66
Gerald Rees