Dunce

Here's the bowling lesson for today. Always double check your sums!

No one has volunteered to organise friendlies for a while, so it's the Club's first such match for three years organised by your's truly. We're playing Ramsey Bowls Club at home. Triples on four rinks, twenty-one ends, total score wins.

A couple of weeks ago found there's an important anniversary involved. Almost exactly 100 years since our two Clubs played for the first time. Formed in 1908, it  wasn't until 1913 St Ives Bowls Club played its first friendly matches. With the advent of WWI there was a pause. Probably local villages couldn't raise a team, most of their men fighting at the Front, although bowls continued to be played at our Club between members too old for call-up. The Huntingdonshire Post of 13 June 1919 reported on the first friendly for St Ives after WWI, the return match reported on 27 June 1919. St Ives won both legs. Could we win today, I ask in my welcome speech.

Initially looks like we're going to win on at least three rinks. By half-way we have a comfortable lead on my rink 3, 10-4. We're also way ahead on rink 6 at 13-5, with the other two rinks about level.

As we come to the final ends the outcome isn't so clear. In fact we're a few bowls behind on total score at one point. Rink 3 finishes first, 21-20 to us. Rinks 4 and 6 are not far behind, one a close win, the other a win by some margin.

Rink 5 is a couple of ends behind everyone else and we're losing handsomely. As they come to the last end I've worked out we're two ahead overall. Our skip has last bowl and in a crowded head with no easy way through, the opposition are one up. I advise our skip not to risk bowling her last so we win overall by one.

Becomes clear in the clubhouse over tea and biscuits that my hasty calculations are slightly awry. The true score is a tie at 75-75. Doubt if our skip on rink 5 could have changed anything. And somehow fitting to end on a draw. But could have been a serious mistake on my part. Lesson learned. Here are the scorecards.