​The sun shone all afternoon for our match against the touring side from Mackintosh Games Club in Cardiff. The idiosyncrasies of our rinks proved challenging for the visitors, as well as our home players, but the Cardiff team overcame them and achieved a win of 105-89. Disappointing for the home team, but an enjoyable game, with good company and it’s always a pleasure to welcome touring teams. It was the Welsh team’s first visit to Budleigh and they said they are looking forward to returning in the future.

Four mixed teams from Seaton were given a warm welcome and there followed a competitive, close fought match, which resulted in a win for the home team 72 - 68.
Seaton were leading before tea, but we came back to claim victory in the second half. Two debutants, Judith and Andrew played well in their first match and contributed to our success.
Well done to all.

​At our fourth club quiz night, the current champions held firmly on to their trophy by winning again. I’m sure it is now back, proudly on display at Evelyn’s house, the dust having not even been given time to settle after it was brought back to the club at the start of the evening. Well done to the team of Evelyn, Ted, Chris and Roy. 
Another enjoyable, entertaining evening with the slightly trickier quiz provided by our Quizmaster, John and the fish and chips being provided by the Budleigh Fish and Chip Shop. 
A good night all round. Thanks to all who helped make it a success.​

​Budleigh are through to the semi finals of the Top Club competition after two excellent victories in the earlier rounds over the last two weeks.
Top Club is a challenging competition involving five different games all played at the same time involving eleven players from each side.
At Phear Park there was a 3-2 victory with a win for Andy Cardy in the 4 wood, Paul Griffin in the 2 wood and Norman Upchurch, Peter Foreman and Brian Ward in the Triples.
Thursday of this week saw a home tie against Feniton and once again there was a 3-2 win for Budleigh. Paul Griffin once again won his 2 wood match whilst Norman Upchurch and David Roberts secured the Pairs win. The final match to finish was the Triples and Ted Shanahan, Brian Ward and skip Peter Cooper held their nerve to round off an important evening in the progress of the home team and the Club.
There was a comical interlude in the proceedings which were briefly interrupted when a water sprinkler burst into life early in the evening and whilst there was initial panic as players ran for cover all was well when club members found the fuse box and deactivated the system.
Certainly a candidate for Harry Hill’s - You’ve Been Framed!!!!!

A big thank you to Melissa Camp and Evelyn Crook for marking duties in the Feniton match.

Budleigh will now be home to either Chardstock or Sidmouth in the semi final next Thursday 4th July 6.15 start.

Penny Weeks and Melissa Camp played in the Devon Bowls Section 3 ladies unbadged pairs at Feniton, against a pair from Sidmouth. At 18 ends the match was a draw at 15-15, but unfortunately the Budleigh pair went 2 down in the decider, losing the game 17-15.  
Penny reported that it was a good, equal match and she was pleased that they did so well.
Well done to both of them.

​Thanks to Exonia for the friendly welcome to their club today. Under grey skies we achieved victory over the Exonia teams on all rinks. The final score was 79 - 45 in our favour. Well done to all our players!!​

St Thomas came to Budleigh today for a return match, after we beat them in May, and they brought the big guns with them this time! Although we were on our home turf, they quickly got the run of our green and at half time had achieved a noticeable lead. Tea didn’t do a lot to rally our troops and the away team had a convincing victory. We did win on two rinks, but the scores were well in favour of the away team on the other two rinks. An enjoyable, but frustrating afternoon for our players.
​Big "thank you" to Gwen who stepped in at the last minute to replace a missing player, she had a good afternoon and was a member of one of the winning teams.

In the Spears Trophy yesterday at Sidmouth, our Budleigh ladies were delighted to be runners up to the winners, which was a Sidmouth team!  They had a +12 score, beating all the visiting teams from Madeira, Seaton, Honiton, Ottery St Mary and Exonia.  It was a lovely afternoon, with a delicious tea served at half time.  Very well done to Marilyn, Evelyn and Ann.

​On Monday 17th June, 12 players from Budleigh Bowls travelled to Exmouth to play a Mixed Triples match against Madeira. The Budleigh teams enjoyed the perfect conditions and all 4 teams were victorious, with an overall score of 63:41.

Taking advantage of a home match in the Exeter and District Over 60's Triples League is key to success in this competitive competition and the latest encounter for the Budleigh Otters saw Exeter St. Thomas visit the club.
Paul Griffin, Andy Cardy and skip David Roberts were all square after three ends and it looked to be a close match in the making only for the Budleigh team to register seven shots on end four to take a 9-2 lead. Whilst St Thomas tried hard to get back into the game the home team stayed strong and ran out 20-12 winners.
The aggregate score between both triples teams will always decide which club wins the game and Peter Foreman, Norman Upchurch and skip Peter Cooper were going well until the eleventh end when out of the blue they dropped six shots to go 13-14 down.
That became a deficit of 15-21 going into the last end. With the overall score standing at plus two to Budleigh all eyes were on the finish as the St Thomas triple held three shots with one shot to play for the Budleigh skip. 
And what a bowl it was as Peter Cooper kept his nerve to deliver a superb shot and take the end to ensure the overall win was secured and six points were in the bag. A hard earned  victory and one that keeps the Otters vying for top spot in Division 3.

​Today Budleigh sent a team of three to Phear Park for the Axon Cup, where the home team played five other local clubs to compete for the prestigious trophy. 
It was a hard fought battle but we held our heads up high and secured the runners up position, a great improvement on recent years.
We won three out of four matches but narrowly lost to Topsham on shots scored. An enjoyable afternoon, with bonus of a cream tea.

​The Budleigh Otters continued their good form with a great win and maximum points away to Madeira Exmouth in the Exeter and District Over 60s Triples League, consolidating their top spot in Division 3.
Always a challenging task visiting the Madeira venue there were great wins for both Triple teams.
Peter Foreman, Norman Upchurch and skipper Peter Cooper started well and with the Madeira team fighting back midway through, the Budleigh team needed to dig deep and so they did running out comfortable 21-13 winners.
On the other rink Paul Griffin, Brian Ward and David Roberts hit the ground running and after only eight ends found themselves 13-1 ahead. The result was never in doubt and a 21-10 finish resulted in an overall victory 42-23.
With two home matches coming up for the Otters they will look to consolidate their top position. They play Exeter St Thomas next, followed by Axminster.

​Always a pleasure to welcome the jovial, friendly Masonic team but no matter how hard we try, we fail to match the skills of their players, who soundly thrashed us on our home green again yesterday. The score of 74-47 didn’t reflect the high standard all round. Their players come from as far away as Plymouth for their afternoon away to enjoy the tranquil setting at Budleigh.

Our first game this season at Pinces in Exeter. A beautiful day, the highlights were the sound of the Red Arrows passing close by (sadly out of sight) and the delicious lemon cake and Swiss roll, plus biscuits kindly provided at tea. The intended sugar rush worked, but not to our advantage, as the significant lead we had developed before tea was gradually diminished and the final result was a loss of 45-44. Well done to Pinces. The return match is in August.​