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.

​Sunny smiles from the 30 bowlers in the ladies v men pre-match photo yesterday . Good job there was not a post-match one! That’s all the ladies would like to say! Those who were there will know why.

​A good, friendly game in the sunshine yesterday at Honiton, but sadly an overall defeat for our teams, the score was 50-43​.

Budleigh is on the up! Honiton invitation ladies triples today. 6 home teams against 6 visiting teams and our ladies won on plus 8. Well done Marilyn, Penny and Melissa
A busy weekend for our players.

​Budleigh were one of several visiting clubs competing for the Coronation Cup at Madeira yesterday The competition took the form of 5 games of 4 ends against the host clubs teams. The foursome of Andy Skudder, Roy Ardiss, Brian Ward and Bryan Membery did well to end the afternoon with a score of plus 11 (22 - 11) after 20 ends. resulting in a second place finish out of the 10 competing clubs. 
A good afternoon bowling with Madeira providing a cream tea half way through and a cold beer at the end of the day.

​A good, friendly afternoon, but sadly a 60-50 defeat for our Budleigh players yesterday. Well done to the Pinces team.

​We all had a very enjoyable afternoon yesterday, with 30 players taking part in a round robin competition, followed by a buffet meal provided by the Pop Up Dining Room. The competition was won by the team of Paul Griffin, Ann Simmonds and Anne Peacock, who were awarded medals by our Captain, Tony Mackness, who did a splendid job, as always, or organising the successful event. Friends and family joined us for a drink and the meal after the bowling. 
Thanks to all who helped make the day so successful.

​Both the Budleigh Otters and Beavers were involved in important matches in the Exeter and District Triples League, the results of which would determine if their promotion hopes would stay alive.
The Beavers travelled to top of the table South Molton on a red hot day not over confident in getting a result. But what a performance it was as they made the long trip home with six important points in the bag.
Robin Grenyer, Andy Skudder and skip Brian Ward pulled off an impressive 22-9 victory whilst Ted Shanahan, Les Gay and Bryan Membery fought a close contest and whilst losing their rink by five shots did enough for the team to win the overall match.
With just one match left to play for the Beavers against Honiton a win would certainly give them a chance to finish in the top two of division 8.
The Otters suffered a disappointing loss to Marina last week but bounced back with a fine win over Sidmouth. Peter Evans, Andy Cardy and David Roberts were always in control and surged to a 27-12 victory. On the other rink Paul Griffin, Mike James and Peter Cooper played well and were in contention until the last few ends when the visitors picked up the pace and ran out 18-9 winners. Nevertheless the overall result saw the Otters complete a welcome victory which keeps them in the hunt for promotion.
Next up for the Otters is a home match against local rivals Madeira.

​It was our turn to host teams from the other local clubs this afternoon for our annual Victory Cup.  Teams from Ottery, Sidmouth, Exonia, Phear Park, Honiton and Madeira accepted our invitation.  However, Honiton pulled out due to their players  contracting Covid and only one player from Madeira turned up, without his teammates, much to his disappointment. It is a mystery as to where the others were.  A Budleigh ladies team were brought in to make up the numbers for the round robin. It was an enjoyable,  competitive afternoon. The showers were not enough to stop play. At close of proceedings we all waited anxiously to hear the winners being announced by our Captain, Tony, while we enjoyed a delicious cream tea and cakes from the Shaldon Bakery in Budleigh.  We had held the Victory cup for the last two years, but it was taken away this year by the Ottery team, pictured below, who had a significant victory. Well done.
Well done to the team of three Budleigh ladies, Jackey, Evelyn and Angela as they got the highest score of the Budleigh teams. Their exuberant enthusiasm was evident all through the afternoon!​