Following 3 weeks of practice and club friendlies, competitive bowling began in earnest at Stoke Park BC on May 14th with the intra-club Pavilion Fours event.

Taking place over one afternoon, the 24 bowlers who lined up anticipated who might lift the first silverware in Stoke Park’s history. The pre-selected Skips were entrusted in randomly selecting their sides, with each scheduled to play each other over 4-end shootouts, with the winners determined by the greatest Shot Difference over the entire day.

As grey skies cleared and clouds melted overhead, all competitors were in high spirits as the five rounds of games were completed. Once calculators had been put away, the final results showed that just 4 shots split the top three teams, with 2nd and 3rd places only determined by ends won when both finished on +8.

However, the team that took the acclaims (and the Pavilion Fours trophy) were Fran Webster, John House, Peter Botting and Gareth G-Alesbury with a score of +12.

With the day showcasing a high standard of bowling all round, and the internal knockout competitions gearing up in the coming weeks, hopes are this May afternoon is a warm-up to further displays of bowling of the highest calibre over the upcoming season.