Budleigh ladies had a very enjoyable afternoon playing at Madeira, we received a lovely welcome. The result of the match was never really in doubt but we hope to prevail on our next visit.

​Work continued all last week on the replacement of the backboards on two sides of the outdoor green. It’s been harder work than anticipated but due to the stalwart efforts of the volunteers the work has almost been completed. We are so grateful for all the volunteers who have generously given their time. It is now looking so good. Nearly there!!

The prestigious quiz trophy was reluctantly handed back last night by the previous winners and the new winners are shown above. Our quiz master John, who had definitely upped the ante with the difficult questions, is pictured below. 
A good time was had by all and the curry went down well again. 
Thanks to all those who helped in organising this enjoyable event. 
Any disappointed teams will have a chance to quiz again in the New Year.

​Budleigh ladies were welcomed to Exonia yesterday and played a good game but struggled against the skill of their players.

​A very enjoyable afternoon, playing against our friends from Topsham. A resounding win for Andy, Gwen and Marilyn 22-6, and on the other rink Melissa, Stewart and Terry lost by just three points. Overall a winning score of 43-30 to Budleigh. Well done to all.

​Today we visited Sidmouth for an enjoyable friendly match. On rink 1 the match was close until nearly halfway when a big win on one end meant the Budleigh players were playing catch up for the rest of the match. While getting to within 2 points at one stage, Sidmouth kept the lead and finished 5 points ahead. On rink 2 the match was more one-sided with Sidmouth finishing 17 points ahead. Better luck next time Budleigh!

​The ladies played the gents in two triples games in our annual indoor match. On rink 1 the gents, Terry, Stewart and Ted won well with a 9 point difference at the end against Marilyn, Ann and Wendy.
On rink two the ladies, Hilary, Gwen and Ann had a resounding win with an 18 point advantage against Andy, Derek and John. Although in terms of rinks it was a one all draw, overall the ladies won with a 9 point difference. Well done ladies!!
​A big thank you to Linda for staying until the end to do the teas assisted by Trevor.​

We hosted a Mixed Triples match against a team of six local Masonic bowlers on Saturday 19th October. The Masonic bowlers belong to a variety of Clubs and come together as a team to play against local Clubs. Their visit to Budleigh is an annual event, and this year was played over 16 Ends.

The Budleigh squad was led by John Sheppard and at the halfway point John and his team on Rink 2, Nic Jones and Gwen Hurst, were holding a narrow lead of 6 shots to 4. In the second half the masonic bowlers fought back and the result was a draw 12:12.
Meanwhile on Rink 1 the Budleigh trio of Jackey Phillips, Ann Vincent and John Dill held a lead throughout their game and secured a victory of 18:8. This gave Budleigh an overall win of 30:20.
After the match the teams gathered for a well-earned tea and John Sheppard commented "These social games are at the heart of the Club and it was a pleasure to host such a friendly group of players. We look forward to playing them again when we move to the outdoor green in 2025".
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We had an enjoyable friendly match with Madeira, they were the winners this time.

​Our first friendly match of the indoor season was against Honiton.
On one rink, after losing a few ends in succession, we fought our way back to lose by just one point, but on the other rink the result was not so close. Not the opening match we would have hoped for!

Our end of outdoor season Crazy Bowls event was a great success. ​The bowls games were different and challenging, but good fun, bowling in an unconventional way and still, mostly, achieving good results. Definitely an event to be repeated. 
The afternoon was followed by a delivery of delicious fish and chips from Krispies in Exmouth.  A nice ending to a successful afternoon. Thank you to Tony Mackness for all his hard work.
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​Congratulations to the winners and runners up who are shown below.

​​On Tuesday 17th September, the Exmouth and District u3a Bowls Group played their final Outdoor game of 2024 at Budleigh Bowls Club.  The game involved Crazy Bowls, which required skills such as right-handed players having to use their left hand to play the Wood and left-handed players using their right hand. After 2 hours of play in mixed teams, the clear winners were the team of Bob Norton, Margaret Alvarez, Chris Williamson and Chris Woodward. In second place was the team of Les Gay, Ricky Alvarez and Sue Davies.

The Exmouth and District u3a Bowls Group was established in 2022 and play at Budleigh Bowls Club each Tuesday at 10.30am and 2.00pm. More than 80 u3a members have had a trial session and each week up to 50 u3a bowlers travel to Budleigh to play friendly yet competitive games  
U3a is a national charity, and the Exmouth & District branch is one of the largest branches with around 1200 Members. The u3a motto is Live, Laugh, Learn and the Exmouth branch offers nearly 100 activities that include sports such as bowls and golf, arts and crafts, languages, book clubs, pub visits and many more. Further information can be found on the website ​https://exmouthu3a.online

It was great to have Madeira visit us on what will be our penultimate friendly match of the outdoor season. On an unexpectedly lovely day the Madeira team were great company and went away with a decisive victory. We look forward to meeting again outdoors next year.

We were welcomed warmly by the friendly Topsham club players, on what was a first visit for many of the Budleigh players. Budleigh won convincingly on two rinks but did not do so well on the other one. The overall score was 49-43 in Budleighs favour. It was a very enjoyable afternoon for all involved.​

​Following overnight and early morning rain the home match with Exonia was in doubt but the skies cleared and the green drained and so the match was on. Sometimes it was challenging playing with bowls which were wind assisted but we all played a very competitive game nonetheless. It was very close going in to tea and that continued after tea and right to the end. An enjoyable afternoon resulted in a very close finish with just a single point difference between the clubs. A fair result we all agreed.​

​​The Budleigh Beavers travelled to Honiton for their last match in the Wednesday Exeter and District Over 60's Triples League in search of maximum points to keep their promotion hopes alive and they achieved seven of the eight points available with a fine 41-36 overall victory.

Robin Grenyer, Brian Ward and skip Terry Flynn secured a vital 22-17 win with the help of a five shots on the sixteenth end.
Ted Shanahan, Les Gay and Bryan Membery drew their rink 19-19 with the Beavers registering the rink draw with the last bowl of the match.
With two teams still to finish their fixtures next week it will be a waiting game to see if promotion is achieved but this win at Honiton has given the Beavers a great chance.

The Budleigh Otters visit to Axminster in Division 2 sadly did not go to plan as they were defeated on the infamous Axminster outdoor carpet where only one team have won there all season. The Otters practiced the night before on the indoor facility at Budleigh but were no real match on the day. 
Peter Foreman, Norman Upchurch and skip David Roberts contained the home side in the first few ends but eventually lost by eight shots. Paul Griffin, Mike James and Andy Cardy similarly struggled to master the rink and lost out 23-10.
With one match left there is still an outside chance of securing second place and promotion but it will mean that the Otters will need to take all eight points at home against top of the league Tiverton and hope Seaton and Axminster falter in their away matches.

Budleigh hosted Phear Park ​for a friendly game on a not very sunny Sunday afternoon. In enjoyable and mostly close matches the guests won on three of the four rinks. Melissa, Gwen and Terry won on their rink and saved Budleigh from a total loss. Well done everyone !!

​Budleigh sent a strong team to Seaton for a friendly match in the late summer sunshine. Unfortunately we were defeated on three of the four rinks. It wasn't a total loss as Ann, Gwen and Terry from Budleigh were victorious and had a good 19-12 win on their rink. It was great to visit the friendly Seaton club and enjoy a lovely bowls afternoon.

​Consecutive wins for the Budleigh Otters in the Exeter and District Over 60s Triples League has given them a fighting chance of promotion from Division 3.
In a rearranged match away to Cullompton on Tuesday the team came away with seven points. Peter Evans, Paul Griffin and David Roberts took charge early on and despite a late fight back from the home team ran out worthy winners 19-13.
Mike James, Peter Cooper and Andy Cardy were under pressure throughout but held their nerve to snatch a commendable draw 14-14.
A visit to Exeter St Thomas the following day saw the Otters once again in great form. Peter Foreman, Bryan Membery and Peter Cooper were dominant throughout and secured a 19-8 win. On the other rink Peter Evans, Norman Upchurch and David Roberts were 9-1 down after eight ends and their prospects of a rink win looked doubtful. But in a game of two halves they dug deep to reduce the deficit and registered fourteen shots in the last nine ends to take the game 18-11 and an overall eight points.
Attention now turns to a crucial visit to a Axminster who are flying high in the division whilst the Budleigh Beavers play their last match at Honiton with a great chance of securing promotion from Division 8.