🦫 Match Report: Hook Hares vs. Littleton Lemurs

📍 Venue: The Recreation Ground, The Hall Way, Littleton
📅 Date: Wednesday, 28th May | 🕕 6:15 PM
🏆 Final Score: Hook Hares 48 – Littleton Lemurs 31
🎯 League Points: Hook Hares 4 – Lemurs 1

🌤️ A Glorious Evening of Grit, Guile & Gravy Bones

On a golden Wednesday evening that began with birdsong and ended with banter, the Hook Hares made the trip to Littleton and returned home with more than just muddy shoes — they brought back a commanding win, plenty of laughs, and one less sandwich, courtesy of a cheeky canine encounter.

This was bowls at its brilliant best — competitive, skillful, full of character, and just chaotic enough to keep the crowd entertained. Whether it was dazzling six-shot ends or Tim’s rebellious measuring string, there wasn’t a dull moment.

👥 Team Line-Up & Rink Reports

🟢 Rink 4

• Skip: Campbell Williams

• Two: Dave Clark

• Lead: Mick Poulter

• Score: ✅ 14 – 8 Win

Rink 4 were composed, clinical and confident from the outset. Mick was rock-solid at lead, placing opening bowls like he was drawing with a laser pointer. Dave Clark played the glue role to perfection, keeping things tight in the middle, while Campbell called the shots with calm precision.

The Lemurs tried to claw their way back midway, but the Hares turned the screw in the final ends — applying pressure with accuracy and a touch of swagger. A mature performance that showed the value of discipline, chemistry, and not talking during your delivery.

🟢 Rink 5

• Skip: Mike Draper (Captain)

• Two: Martyn Kee

• Lead: Christine Poulter

• Score: ✅ 21 – 9 Win

Mike Draper’s rink came out swinging, and by the third end, they had already stormed ahead with a blistering six-shot haul that left the Lemurs blinking. Christine Poulter was outstanding from the off, drawing so close to the jack that the poor thing may need therapy. Martyn added rock-solid support through the middle with deft touch and superb weight control.

Draper, with the glint of a man who’s seen it all, wrapped things up like a gift from a department store — neat, sharp, and immaculately timed. From the sixth end onwards, it was more a question of by how much. Answer: lots.

🔴 Rink 6

• Skip: Paul Cary

• Two: Tim Shenton-Taylor

• Lead: Jez Wilkinson

• Score: ❌ 13 – 14 Loss

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more gripping one-shot defeat. Rink 6 gave everything and then a little bit more. Jez Wilkinson opened with pinpoint accuracy, threading bowls into the head like a man possessed (or at least mildly caffeinated). Tim, despite some creative slack on his measuring string, landed several clutch deliveries in key ends. Paul Cary skippered the rink with equal parts strategy and flair.

In the end, they lost by a gnat’s, erm… whisker — the kind of wafer-thin margin that makes you laugh, cry, and immediately relive every single end in slow motion.

❗ Banter rating: 9/10 — deducted a point for Jez getting mugged by a local dog who fancied his cheese sandwich. Honestly, the only thing faster than that terrier was Paul’s draw shot on end six.

🪙 Captain’s Lucky Charm

An extra sprinkle of luck seemed to hover around the team, thanks to Captain Mike Draper’s 250-year-old lucky coin. Ever since it appeared at the match, some players have taken to rubbing it for good fortune — the coin, not the captain, just to be clear. Whether it’s superstition or genuine mojo, the Hares certainly looked sharper for it!

🗣️ From the Captain

“Fantastic team effort tonight. That’s two wins on the trot. All three rinks stuck to the task and played with energy and control. Even the narrow loss was packed with grit. And that six-shot end on Rink 5? We'll be talking about it over pints for the next decade.”
– Mike Draper, Hook Hares Captain

🏅 Match Highlights

• 🎯 Mick’s pinpoint leads on Rink 4.

• 💥 Rink 5's third-end six-pack.

• 🐶 Jez’s lunch: gone in a flash.

• 🪙 The captain’s ancient coin bringing a sprinkle of magic.

• 🪢 Tim’s measuring string: the loosest thread in Hampshire.

• 🐜 Rink 6’s noble effort, lost by a gnat’s whisker.

📍 Next Fixture

Hook Hares vs. Basingstoke Hearts
📆 Wednesday, 4th June
📍 Bowling Green Drive, Hook
🕕 6:15 PM Start

The Hearts are coming to town, and the Hares are sharpening their claws. If the past two matches are anything to go by, this one’s shaping up to be another cracker.

🗣️ Spectators welcome — bring a chair, bring a cheer, and leave your sandwiches well-guarded.