Short Mat

First up Rink 1 (bar) with Jamie Challoner, Jenny Reed and Les Canfield. The game was closely fought with neither side winning an end by more than 1 shot, with both sides on 4 shots each at end eight, but Thame won the last two ends gaining the win. Thame 6, Wendover DG 4.  Well done team hard fought.

On Rink 2 (window) Ian R, Geoff Roynon and David Hickman also had a close fight. After being 4/1 up at end four, losses on ends five and six, a win, a loss and thankfully finishing with wins on the last two ends gave the team their win Thame 7 Wendover DG 6. Well done team another hard fought match, nail biting for those watching.

After the break and raffle on rink 1 Bill Heritage, Heather Hallchurch and Irene Park had another of those games where both sides were only picking up single shot wins, with Thame winning the first four ends, then losing the next three ends, but finally putting daylight between the teams by winning a single and a three before losing the final end by two shots. Final score Thame 8 Wendover DG 5. A good result with both teams battling hard.

On rink 2 Tim Gould, Tom Devaney and Nigel Legard looked as if their game was going to be similar to the other games, fairly tight, winning three of the first five ends to be 5/3 up. But from then on, the team became supercharged scoring 13 shots over the last five ends, with 2, 1, 4, 3, 3, gaining an excellent win. Final score Thame 18, Wendover DG 4.  Well done team.

A good win for Thame shot score Thame 39  Wendover 19.     Ten well-earned points. Well done team, next stop Chinnor? I dream.

My thanks to Sandra, Philippa and Tom for assisting in laying out the mats, and preparing the kitchen, Mel for running the bar, Sandra and Philippa for running the refreshments, Jenny for cajoling entrants for the raffle and everybody assisting in clearing away and readying for the next occupants. Once again Well Done Team.

Regards Colin

Well, the report should say ‘could do better’ but we will have to put up with the result.

On rink 1 Byron Harvey, Heather Hallchurch and Jenny Reed. Bierton had won the toss and given Thame the mat. The team took a couple of ends to find their way and by end 6 were 7,3 up, but unfortunately the next two ends were disastrous for them, giving a 5 and a 4 before regaining composure to win the last two ends with a 3 and a single. The score ending a respectable Thame 11, Bierton 12. Hard luck team.

On rink 2 Trevor Watkins, Philippa Feltham and Tim Gould. Thame started pulling away from end three winning the next three ends then a loss by 1 shot, a win by 2 shots, a loss by 1, a win with 4, a further loss by 1shot gave the team a well deserved win. Thame 12, Bierton 4

After refreshments and the raffle the game continued. On rink 1 Les Canfield, Norman Hyde and Bill Heritage. The team took control from end 4, with a 4 shot win, followed by a 1 and a 3 win, a loss of 2 shots, then further shot wins of 2, 1, and a final 4 shot gave Thame the win. Thame 16, Bierton 4. A good win.

On rink2 David Hickman, Colin French, and Tom Devaney started off shakily and couldn’t get to grips with the mat, but managed to keep end losses to a 1 shot, the game ending Thame 4, Bierton 7.

Well done everybody, a home win with Thame picking up the two extra points. Thame 43,  Bierton 27.  Six points to Thame.

Thanks to Sandra, Philippa, and Tom with helping putting down the mats and equipment, also with the seating. Thanks to Sandra and Irene for making the teas and clearing away, thanks also for the raffle organisers and all who helped putting the mats away and arranging the room for the next occupants.

Have to wait now for the weekly results sheet. Next game Marsh Gibbon away. Colin

Match Report – Wendover Light Greens home 13th October 2026

Match Report – Winslow away 6th October 2026

On Rink1, Jamie, Heather and Irene started off warily trying to adjust to the mat with all its quirks losing the first three ends by 1 shot each end but picked up a 3 and a 1 to put them ahead, giving some hope. But, over the last five ends Winslow picked up 5 shots to Thame’s 3 giving Winslow the win. Thame 7, Winslow 8. Hey-Ho, if only. Valiant effort team.

On Rink2 a hastily changed team of Tom, Nigel and Diane tried their very best up against a very good team who knew their mat. Tom and team only picked up one end by 1 shot but unfortunately lost some big ends. The score belies the effort and probably frustration coming through, the team tried their best. Thame 1, Winslow 21. Pity we don’t get to play them twice away.

After refreshments and the raffle the second half commenced, but we faired little better. On Rink1 Jenny, Geoff and Philippa didn’t star picking up shots till end four and by end five were 1 shot down, two further losses and a 3 shot win on end eight put the scores level on 6 each. A further 1 shot win on end nine gave hope but a 3 shot loss on the final end gave Winslow the win. Thame 7, Winslow 9. A good effort just unfortunate on the last end.

On Rink2 Tim, David and Trevor had another hard time playing against very good players. All three had very good bowls when only bowl or jack to fall to the opposition’s advantage. It was a good try team . Thame 4, Winslow 12.

Overall Thame 19, Winslow 50 OUCH. Colin

Match Report – Winslow away 7th April 2026

Well, the night didn’t go quite as I’d hoped, my hopes were for four points c’est la vie.

First up on the bar mat (rink 1) Colin, Jenny and Irene were slow to get used to the speed and the quirks of the mat and unfortunately it took until the sixth end for them to get to grips and start getting winning shots. Too late, Thame 4, Winslow 8.

On the wall mat (rink 2) Chris, Geoff and Tom were playing single shot wins equally with their opposition, until end seven when they picked up a 4 and then two further single shot wins to give a winning score of Thame 8, Winslow 5.

After the raffle and refreshment the game continued. On the bar mat Jamie, Heather and Sandra played a solid game winning five of the ends but they were up against Mary (Winslow Captain and skip), who had a shot or two up her sleeve, and so succumbed to a loss, Thame 6, Winslow 8.

On the wall mat Tim, Ian and Deirdre had a tough time, on several ends on they looked in a good position only for Victor (skip) to take it away from them, a hard-fought game which the score belies. Thame 6, Winslow 10.

A final shot score of, Thame 24, Winslow 31. Thame 2 points, Winslow 8.

Hard luck Team Thame, we all tried our best, but once again more than anything the speed of the mat caught us out.

That was our last game of the short mat season, the league table has placed us as sixth, not as good as last season but I’m sure I can vouch for all in saying “We’ll be back”

Regards Colin

Match Report – Marsh Gibbon home 31st March 2026

A very good night for Thame v Marsh Gibbon, well played everyone.

We welcomed captain John and his team and after the usual formalities started, on Rink 1 (Bar) Bill, Colin and Byron, and Rink 2(Window), Ian, Philippa and Sandra.

On Rink 1 Thame started nervously and by end 5 were 1, 6, down  but from thereon started a fight back with the team collecting  8 shots over the next 5 ends to finish the game Thame 9, Marsh Gibbon 7. Meanwhile the team on Rink 2 started off well but then Marsh found their way with our mats and started putting pressure on with team Thame having to play defensively, in the end losing out to a respectable score of Thame 7 Marsh Gibbon 10.  This gave Marsh Gibbon a 1 shot lead at the break.

After the break and raffle the game restarted on Rink 1 with Jamie, Heather and Trevor, and on Rink 2 with Tim, Geoff and Deirdre. On rink 1 the teams were fairly even, both teams winning 5 ends, but team Thame picked up bigger end shot wins of 3, 4, 3,on their ends for the score to end Thame 12, Marsh Gibbon 5. On Rink 2 the team played steadily against a good team, winning 6 of the 10 ends, but more importantly picking up a 3 and a 4 to win the game with Thame 11 and Marsh Gibbon 6.

The shot score ended Thame 39, Marsh Gibbon 28, and 8 points to Thame. A very respectable ending against a good team, a Very Big Well Done to Team Thame.

Thanks to Sandra and Tom for assisting in putting out the mats and setting up for the tea break during the afternoon. Thanks also to Ken and John for running the bar, all who assisted with the raffle, the ladies helping with running the tea bar and of course all helping with the mats and tidying up. Without any of you Team Thame cannot exist, thank you all.

Next week is our last game, at Winslow away, let’s try to keep up the momentum.  Colin

Match Report – Beacon away 24th March 2026

I was hoping for 4 points from last nights game, and at one point it looked a possibility, but in the end we came away with just 2. Ah well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

On mat 1 (wall side ) Tim, Deirdre and Tom started off slowly while they found their way, but on end 4 picked up a great 6 shots and from there on didn’t look back, losing only the last end by 2 shots.  Final score Thame 14, Beacon 6. Well done team.

On mat 2 (window ) Jenny, David and Diane found things not going their way, with an early 8 followed by 4 shot losses, a fight back looked likely on the next 3 ends but a further 6 shots lost over the last 3 ends put the match to bed in Beacons favour. Final score Thame 4, Beacon 20. Hard luck team, the mat was not the easiest.

After tea and a Kit Kat (thank you Beacon) the game resumed. Back on mat 1, Chris, Colin and Philippa, started well, seeming to overcome the mats foibles and at end 6 were 6 shots to 1 up, but, then it all fell apart and the losses on the last 4 ends left the team with a shocked loss. Final score Thame 6, Beacon 16. Some thought needed into that loss.

Back on mat 2, Bill, Heather and Irene started like the previous team, trying to play catch up, containing Beacon to single shot wins till the sixth, with Thame winning the end, but with 2 further end losses could only bring their shot score up on the last two ends. Final score Thame 6, Beacon 12. Hard luck team.

Final shot score Thame 30, Beacon 54, 2 points Thame, 8 Beacon.

Regards Colin

Match Report – Bierton home 17th March 2026

We welcomed Dave Rice and his Bierton team and were given the mat after Bierton won the toss.

On the Bar mat (1) Jamie, Heather and David looked comfortable winning the first four ends by 1 shot each end, lost the next end then came back with a 3 then a 6 shot win to give them an unassailable lead. Two further ends of 1 shot and a 3 gave a shot score of Thame 17, Bierton 2. Well done team.

On the Window mat (2) Colin, Deirdre and Irene also started off comfortably with 1 shot end wins followed by a 7 shot end on five, before Bierton picked up their first end win. Thame kept up the pressure picking up further end wins for a shot score of Thame 14, Bierton 3. Well done team

On resumption after tea, on the Bar mat Jenny, Bill and Wendy found themselves up against a strong team but were holding them off by only being 2 shots down on end five. But, the next end we went down by 5 shots and although winning a couple more ends succumbed to their earlier losses. Thame 5 Bierton 13. Hard luck team, you were definitely up against a strong Bierton team.

On the Window mat, Tim, Geoff and Tom got off to a good start winning 1,1, 5, before a very strong team forced them into rearguard action containing the scores to bring the game to a nail biting end of a shot score of Thame 8 Bierton 8. Very well done team to get that draw point.

Final shot score Thame 44,  Bierton 26; Thame 7 points Bierton 3.

Well done to all who played , commiserations to Jenny, a tough team to play against.

Thanks to Tom, Sandra and Philippa for your assistance setting up in the afternoon, the bar staff, the raffle organiser (I think Jenny set it up), thanks to Sandra, Diane and the ladies for the tea interval and the clearing up, without your help there would not be a competition.

Regards to All Colin

Match Report – Stewkley away 10th March 2026

Not a bad night for what I think are the most troublesome of mats to play on.

On mat 1 (wall side) Irene  Heather  and Jamie started off steadily and by end 4 were ahead but losses on ends 5 and 6 and a drawn end on 7 left them behind.Small wins on ends 8 and 9 and then a 3 shot win on end 10 gave the team a well deserved win of Thame 8, Stewkley 6. Well done team

On mat 2 (kitchen side)  Diane  Bill  and Colin had a tougher time overcoming the speed and nuances of the mat as well as the opposition.  Only winning 1 end by 1 shot , Thame 1  Stewkley 17. Hard luck team, difficult to know how we overcome these mats.

After the break, Philippa,  Geoff and Jenny played on Mat 1, finding it hard to accustom to the mat, winning 2 ends, but although on numerous times they looked likely to pick up shots were knocked back by the opposition who obviously knew their mats to good effect. The score ended Thame 3  Stewkley 15. You did your best team , not your night.

On mat 2 Deirdre, Ian and Tim looked like they would struggle, especially as after 5 ends they were 1-7 down, but the next 4 ends were wins for Thame which gave them an almost unassailable lead leaving them to fight off a major loss to end the match Thame 12  Stewkley  8. Well played team.

Shot score ending Thame 24   Stewkley 46,  4 points to Thame, 6 points Stewkley. Well done all. Commiserations to the losers, we just need to learn how to overcome the type of mat, not easy but keep going we will overcome.

Regards Colin

Match Report – Wendover Light Green home 4th March 2026

A good night for Thame. The game started on time, on the window Colin, Geoff and Deidre took command from the start, taking advantage of our slower mats, on the first two ends. The game steadily progressed in Thames favour, only losing two of the ends. Shot score Thame 14, Stewkley 5.

On the bar side Jamie, Tom and Byron also took command but with Stewkley putting up the fight so that Jamie and Co were only collecting 1 to 2 shots per end, with Stewkley only collecting their first shot win on end 7. Thame came back and the game ended Thame 10, Stewkley 5.

After the break, Ian, Tim and Philippa had a good start but had more of a fight against them and at end 6 were one shot down, but from the next end progressed taking command with a magnificent 7 shot finish on end 10. Thame 17 Stewkley 6.

On the bar mat Bill, Heather and Irene had a tough start and it took them till the eighth end before taking command with a 6-shot end progressing further to win, Thame 14, Stewkley 5.

A good win for Thame, 10 points in the bag, 55 shots to 21, leaving Thame in a good position within the league.

Thanks again to Tom, Philippa and Sandra for helping put the mats and tea things out, also the team assisting with clearing away, with Geoff in the bar needing to wash up, thanks Geoff.

We came away thinking if only, just one shot from a draw, two from a win, that close in the end. But, on reflection, looking at last season I’m over the moon.

Everyone arrived in good time which allowed the game to start by 7:15 pm. On the window side ( mat 1 ) Les, Sandra and Tom found themselves up against it, no matter how good they played the opposition overcame them it was hard to watch. Shot score Thame 1 v Wendover LG 13.

On the Bar side ( mat 2 ) Jamie, Deirdre and Jenny got us back into the game with a shot score of Thame 13 Wendover 3, Thame now just two shots down.

Continuing after the break the window team of Colin, Diane and Trevor fared slightly better than our earlier team with a shot score of Thame 4 Wendover 9, seven shots down.

All on you Bill, Heather and David on the bar mat. Once again, the Thame team fared better than their sibling team on the window, and on end 9 were ahead by one shot. Unfortunately, nothing is won until the last bowl, and the last end was lost by two shots. Thame 10 Wendover 4.

After adding up all the scores Wendover took the winners’ two points, so Thame 28 Wendover 29 THAME 4 POINTS WENDOVER 6 POINTS. Well done teams, last season we came away with zilch and a much higher shot difference. Colin

Match Report – Winslow home 21st October 2025

In the first half on the Bar mat Colin, Jamie, and Diane had a good game, back and forth till end five. With the scores at T4 to W5 but from then on Thame took command only losing end nine by one  shot and finishing with a flourish with four shots to win 13 – 6, two points in the bag.

On the Window mat, Les, Jenny, and Sandra found things very different, winning only three ends. To be fair the first four ends put Thame in with a chance and at end six were only down by one shot with Thame 6 to Winslow 7, but it would seem that Winslow found their way about our mat and then stormed ahead with the game ending 6 – 17 with two points to Winslow.

The game re-commenced after a short break. On the Bar mat Bill, Heather, and Irene played as usual, with Irene laying down the foundation and Bill and Heather doing the re-adjustment with Thame taking over the game from end four. Thame 12 shots to Winslow 3. Two more points.

On the Window mat, Chris, Deirdre, and Philippa looked from the start the team to beat, pulling away 14 shots to nil by end 6, on end 7 Winslow started to the line, winning three of the next four ends, 1 shot, 1 shot, loss by 2 shots and then winning the last end by 4 shots. But of course, the damage had been done and a good score of 16 – 6 gave Thame two more points.

The final score added up, ending, Thame 47 shots Winslow 32 shots with Thame receiving the extra two points for the greater shot score. That’s 8 points to Thame. Well done team, Colin

Well, it was the first game of our season, and we didn’t come away with any points, but not surprisingly as Chinnor are the team to beat. They arrived early and were ready to start almost immediately, with a quick welcome, cards made up, and we started.

First up on the window mat were Ian Rutherford, Jenny Reed and Philippa Feltham, but their opposition soon became accustomed to the mat and took early command; a hard-fought game with Chinnor just nipping in for the single shot to win an end, finishing Thame 4 Chinnor 7.

On the bar mat the team of Jamie Challoner, Colin French and Diane Mackriell also had a match on their hands, with the game toing and froing, but the last two ends saw them overcome, losing two shots on each end, with the final score Thame 6 Chinnor 9, although a loss, a satisfying game.

After the break on the window mat Chris Shannon, Tom Devaney and Sandra French endured a very tough game against a very practiced team and although they came back over the last four ends, this was not enough to make up for the earlier losses. They succumbed to the biggest loss of the night, but they were up against a top team. Thame 8 Chinnor 15.

On the bar mat team Bill Heritage, Heather Hallchurch and Irene Park played a to and fro game, winning six of the ten ends but a five shot loss on end eight put the game out of their reach, with the game ending Thame 6 Chinnor 9. So hard to take but keep your chins up team. Not a bad loss overall to an accomplished team with a finish of Thame 24 Chinnor 40, which meant a full ten-point loss on the league table but I’m sure that against other teams, we would have come away with points.

Thanks to Philippa Feltham, Sandra French and Tom Devaney for your assistance on Tuesday afternoon for setting up the mats and getting the tea break set up. Thanks also, to all who assisted in tidying up, it’s good to leave our clubhouse ready for the next occupant. Colin