Very good start to Winter season

Winter League

Review of the first round of fixtures in Division 4 of the Winter League played on Monday 13 October at Primrose Hill Lib

Monday saw the start of the 2025-26 Winter League bowling season with a full programme at Primrose Hill Liberal Club. The Sunday sunshine had given way to a misty Monday to remind us all that we are now into winter bowling which is different in all aspects. However it wasn't winter cold yet as confirmed with a few of the more hardy male members donning shorts in defiance of the weather.

It is always good to be there at the start of a new season with team expectations always at their most optimistic and bowlers most positive about their chances before reality kicks in. It reminds me of my time as a football referee when I was confronted by a club secretary saying "The trouble with you referees is that you just don't care who wins!" And of course he is right and you are probably the only one present who feels such impartiality. It is the same at bowling for me with no great allegiance to any team and surrounded by bowlers who care very much who wins.

Back to Monday at Pip Hill and the worse thing that any team could do on the opening day of the season was to win their first match on the green. Each of the four first games was won by the team that would go on to lose their first match. That was especially true of the home team from Pip Hill as their pairs players took 1-hour 40minutes in edging past their Netherton Con A opponents 21-20 only to go on to lose the match 2-6. It was the same in the other three matches as well but nearly wasn't in the Huddersfield Recreation Club A versus Lindley Lib C encounter. The Recreation Club went into the lead after Trevor Atkinson, the Division 3 Top Bowler last season, gave his team a bright start but that was a false dawn as the team lost the other two games although a shared 'Aggregate For' total at 49-49 produced a final 5-3 win for last season's Division 5 Champions, Lindley Lib C.

Being totally neutral is not an easy stance when you have gone public in forecasting your tips for the top and bottom places in the final table of the season. I was pleased to see my two Division 4 tips conform to my expectations with Netherton Con A heading the first table of the season. My other tip, Milnsbridge B also performed to my expectations when going down 2-6 to Linthwaite Hall A and ending the day in equal bottom place with a one-point 'Aggregate For' lead over the host team who open the season sat the bottom of the table.

A bumper attendance of 71 on my one count ensured that all the hot sausage sandwiches were soon demolished shortly followed by the bacon butties and home-made scones, meaning a profitable day for the hosts as well, even if their team are sat at the bottom of the table.