🎩 DERBY DAY DELIRIUM – THE GREAT HOOK CLUB CLASH

🦊 Hook Foxes vs 🐇 Hook Hares

📍 Hook Bowling Club 📅 Wednesday 11th June🏆 Whitchurch & District League – Division 3

 

What scenes! What splendour! What stirring of club spirit and silken spectacle!
Under a cooling summer sky, the green of Hook Bowling Club was transformed into a coliseum of quiet fury, finesse and familiar faces pitted in unfamiliar colours. Yes — this was no ordinary fixture. This was the first act of the Hook Derby double bill, and oh, how the curtain rose!

Hook Hares, fresh from a romping win, arrived with twitching whiskers and spring-loaded stride. Hook Foxes, every bit as clever as their namesake, plotted patiently in the shadows. And as mats were placed and bowls kissed the jack, the crowd fell into that thrilling hush — a community holding its breath.

🎬 RINK THREE — “HARES UNLEASH THE HURRICANE”

🦊 Alan Phillips (Skip), Lyn Voce, Phil Constant
🐇 Campbell Williams (Skip), Dave Clark, Mick Poulter

The Hares didn’t walk, they stormed onto Rink 3 — and what followed was nothing short of a bowling blitzkrieg. By the 12th end, it was 16–2, and the match already halfway written.
Campbell Williams, with the poise of a test match opener, skippered calmly from the rear. Dave Clark provided thunderous support in the two slot — quiet menace, powerful precision. And Mick Poulter... simply unshakeable up front.

But the Foxes? No white flag here. Alan Phillips steadied the ship with grit, Lyn Voce found her length and rhythm, and Phil Constant refused to roll over. A spirited late rally ensured applause for both sides.

📊 Result: Hares win 19–8
🎖 Commanding from the off. Proud resistance late.

🎬 RINK FOUR — “THE FOXES SNATCH IT AT THE LAST”

🦊 Brenda Grout (Skip), Stan Goddard, Jackie Nurser
🐇 Paul Cary (Skip), Jez Wilkinson, Tim Shenton-Taylor

And here, dear reader, was your classic slow-burn thriller. A match not decided by power, but by placement, patience, and a plot twist worthy of Agatha Christie.

The Hares were bold — Tim Shenton-Taylor measuring every lead with surgical grace, Jez Wilkinson full of angles and audacity, and Paul Cary anchoring the line with cool logic.

But the Foxes clawed and countered. Jackie Nurser never flinched, Stan Goddard was rock-like at two, and Brenda Grout kept calm under pressure as the Foxes secured the match-winner with a team effort on the final end.

📊 Result: Foxes win 17–16
🎖 Edge-of-your-seat bowls with a final-act flourish.

🎬 RINK FIVE — “THE FINISHING TOUCH”

🦊 Terry Weston (Skip), Nigel Richardson, Jane Tatnall
🐇 Mike Draper (Captain & Skip), Martyn Kee, Christine Poulter

A match loaded with subtext. Terry Weston, once a Hare, now a wily Fox. And opposite him, Mike Draper — club captain, a man who lets his bowls do the talking (though his steady guidance never goes unheard).

Christine Poulter sparkled with accuracy. Martyn Kee played with solid rhythm, and Draper’s calm communication kept the trio poised from start to finish.

The Foxes punched back with a 4 on the 17th, but the Hares replied with a deafening exclamation mark: a 5-shot salvo on the final end.

📊 Result: Hares win 20–10
🎖 Quiet authority and a commanding close.

🦡 OVERALL RESULT

🥇 Hook Hares 4 – Hook Foxes 1
📈 Overall Shots: Hares 55 – Foxes 35

But numbers alone can’t capture the spirit. For this was a game of guile, of grace, of glorious grit. A night for the club’s scrapbook — and its heart.

🏆 TRIPLE OF THE WEEK

🎖 Campbell Williams, Dave Clark & Mick Poulter
Dominant. Disciplined. Devastating. From first end to last, they were in control — the heartbeat of the Hares' charge.

🌟 HARES HIGHLIGHTS

🎯 Rink 3: A stunning 5-shot haul on End 10 — delivered with drama, sealed with flair.
🦹 Rink 4: A cheeky 6-shot steal on End 11 — “At least Dick Turpin wore a mask,” muttered one Fox…
🎯 Rink 5: The final word with a 5 — signed, sealed, delivered.

👑 THE CROWD – ROYALTY & REVELRY

The green wasn’t the only place buzzing. The crowd turned out in numbers — a chorus of cheers, groans, and glorious community.

🎀 In the Presidential Box:

• President Malcolm Gow, dignified as ever

• First Lady & Foxes Captain Desiree Gow, with clipboard in one hand, raffle tickets in the other

• Dave Poulter, offering commentary that flowed like fine wine

• Jon Waterman, Steve Potts, Mr and Mrs Walker — present, passionate, and vocal

👏 Huge thanks to Hannah Goddard, whose bar service was a masterclass in grace under pressure.

🍽 And to Desiree Gow, for laying on a fabulous spread and organising a raffle with more winners than complaints (and plenty of ham rolls).

🪑 A nod to Vicky Hodges, the Hares’ reserve, sitting ready on the bench — bowls polished, eyes keen, heart in the game.

📣 And let’s not forget Claire Shenton-Taylor, leading the Hares’ support like a terrace captain — chants optional, spirit undeniable.

🎭 FINAL WORD

This, dear reader, was bowling at its most beautiful. Played between friends. Battled with honour. Remembered with laughter.

The Hares may have taken this round — but the Foxes will be licking their wounds and sharpening their claws.

🎬 Act Two is coming. And if this was the opening number... the encore could be epic.