Ladywell v Southwark Sports bowls match report

Ladywell faced a tough opening challenge in their first John Collyer League (JCL) bowls match of the 2026 season against last year's double winners, Southwark Sports. And, after losing to their opponents in the Ron Hams Cup Final last year, Ladywell were looking to turn the tables on their own green.

In the JCL, teams play three triples matches, with two points awarded to the winning club on each rink. Then the overall scores are added together and the winning club gains an additional four points.

On the first rink, Ladywell Club Captain Phil Welch was joined by Tracy Umney and Norman Lewis in a close match against formidable opponents. After losing one shot on the opening end, the home team got into their stride and moved into a 3-1 lead after three ends. The Southwark Sports triple pulled one back on the fourth end, but the Ladywell team gained three shots on the following end to open up a four point lead. Once again, their Southwark Sports opponents pegged them back and at the break after nine ends, there was nothing between the teams, with a 7-7 scoreline. It was Southwark Sports who came out of the break strongest, securing three shots over the tenth and eleventh ends to open up a 10-7 lead. The teams exchanged single shots on the following two ends, before Ladywell picked up two shots on ends 14 and 15 to move to within one point of their opponents. And it was the 16th end that proved to be decisive, with the home triple gaining four shots to take a 14-11 advantage. And although the Southwark Sports team fought back on the penultimate end, gaining two shots to trail by one point, Ladywell secured a single shot on the final end to gain a 15-13 victory.

The second match saw the Ladywell triple of Trevor Martenstyn, Merlin Ramdawar and Skip, Howard Smith take on a triple skipped by the Southwark Sports Club Captain. The teams exchanged two shots each on the first two ends, before Ladywell moved into a three-shot lead with singles on the following three ends. And despite the Southwark Sports team pulling two shots back on the sixth end, Ladywell extended their advantage leading up to the break, and went in for tea with a healthy 10-4 lead. After the break, the teams fought to gain the upper hand, with first one and then the other gaining the mat. But with two shots on the 13th end and another two on the 14th, Ladywell pulled away even further to open up a 15-6 lead. The Southwark Sports team hit back on the 15th end, gaining two shots, but the Ladywell triple were well into their stride and with consecutive scores of three shots on the final three ends, they ran out comfortable winners by 24-8.

On the third rink it was a very different story with the Ladywell triple of Alvin Nelson, Sally Bryan and Skip, Steve Marlow facing a strong Southwark Sports team. It seemed that whatever the Ladywell team tried was bettered by their opponents, who also found that their every attempt paid off, so it was a struggle for the Ladywell team to get into the game. After four close ends, the visitors had a 5-0 lead, but the following two ends saw them score six shots and five shots respectively to open up a 16 point advantage. With three more winning ends leading up to the break, including a score of seven on the ninth end, they went into the break 26-0 up. The tea break seemed to strengthen the Ladywell team's resolve and they gained their first points with a score of two shots on the tenth end, and another two on the eleventh, but their opponents wiped that gain out with a score of four on the 12th, before Ladywell gained a single shot on the 13th. But with eight more shots over the following three ends, the Southwark Sports team extended their lead still further. And with the teams exchanging single shots over the final two ends, the match ended with a 39-6 victory to Southwark Sports.

This meant that in the overall match, the score was 45-60, so Ladywell gained four points while Southwark Sports gained six. A reasonable result in the end for Ladywell, but an opening day defeat against tough opponents. They'll be hoping for a better result by gaining their first league win in their next match, away at Southwark Park on Wednesday 20th May.