St Chads face fixture backlog after heatwave disruption

Just a fortnight after World Cup football caused an earlier delay, soaring temperatures in the mid-30s made the latest fixture impractical, with organisers understandably reluctant to ask players to spend three hours competing under a blazing sun.

Two other league games also fell victim to the heatwave, although many members made the most of cooler evening conditions by enjoying friendly matches instead.

The club did manage to fulfil its weekend fixture at Canterbury, where more favourable conditions and an excellent playing surface set the stage for a closely fought contest.

Five rinks competed over 18 ends in an entertaining match that ebbed and flowed throughout before the hosts edged a narrow 3-2 overall victory.

St Chads’ successes came from the rink skipped by Bernard Dowley, alongside Sharon Falzon and Christine Hayward, who finished just ahead.

Karen Cavanagh also earned special praise for her determination in completing the match despite playing through injury, drawing admiration from both team-mates and opponents.

Attention has also turned to the club’s internal competitions, where Bernard Dowley was in strong form as he overcame new member Harshad Chavda 23-11 in the Moultrie Cup, a competition for bowlers aged 65 and over.

Dowley later praised his opponent’s resilience and refusal to let the scoreline dictate his effort.

Another notable contest saw Joe Falzon continue his fine run with a 21-15 victory over Peter Fielding.

Falzon, who had recently progressed in the Fixed Jack competition, established an early lead before Fielding battled back to keep the match finely balanced.

With the outcome in doubt heading into the closing stages, Falzon produced a series of high-quality bowls to seal a deserved win in an absorbing encounter.

With a growing backlog of fixtures and finals days already scheduled, club captain Keith Hutton now faces a challenging task to keep the programme on track as the summer season continues.