Braintree & District


The Braintree & District Petanque League caters for clubs in the North East of the region. There are 2 leagues, Summer commencing during April played on Wednesday evenings and Winter commencing in October played on Sundays.




In the Daniel Robinson & Sons Braintree & District Petanque League Rayne Swan 1 are the Champions for 2008.
Swan 1 visited the Onley Arms needing two points to take the league title. The triple of Lee Dodge, Vince Schofield and Adam Buxton built a 9-3 lead with a little help from the home side. Tracey Austin, Daniel Blows and Derek Roughton took four to make it 9-7 but Swan pushed on to win 13-7.
In the singles, Lorne Gibson came up against home captain Trevor Blows who had his best game for some weeks. After Gibson took the first point, Blows scored twelve at the next five ends to lead 12-1. Gibson rallied with three points from two ends but the pointing of Blows at the final end produced a 13-4 win.
So the match and the league title rested on the doubles game. Blows and Austin traded points with Buxton and Dodge but the Swan pairing pulled away for a 13-6 win to take a deserved league title win.

Feering Bell 2 hosted Rayne Swan 2 in their last game of this seasons BDPL Summer League.
In the triples the Swan’s Courtney, Smith & Sams never allowed the Bell’s triple of Bird, Pearse & Winter into the game. The closest the Bell got was 3–6. After this, excellent shooting from Sams and pointing from Courtney & Smith prevented the Bell scoring anymore points as the Swan ran out deserved 13–3 winners.
The singles and doubles were much more evenly contested. Pearse built up a healthy lead in the singles and with the help of a carreau made the score 11–5 and then secured the game 13-7.
In the doubles, after being 7–1 down, Bird & Winter took 9 unanswered points to take a 10–7 lead, but Sams & Courtney came back and took the game 13-10 and the match for the Swan 2-1.

Feering Bell 1 took the runners-up spot 4 points behind the leaders on 43, with Chequers in 3rd place with 40 and Colne Angel 4th also on 40. Rayne Cock 3 finished in 5th place having some excellent wins during the season over teams above them. Then came Swan 2 & Onley both with 27, followed by Rayne Swan 3 & Rayne Cock 1. Feering Bell 2 just managed to stay above the bottom spot and have showed great improvement over the season. The last place goes to Rayne Cock 2 with 12 points. Their enthusiasm was blighted by their lack of ability to fulfil all their fixtures.


League Champions

League Champions: Rayne Swan 1
l-r Vince Schofield, Adam Buxton, Lee Dodge & Lorne Gibson.


BDPL 3/9/08
In the league Rayne Cock 1 visited the Onley Arms and Clay O'Sullivan, Paul Linehan and Scott Wilsdon built a 7-2 lead in the triples before the Onley found their game. The pointing of Tracey Austin and Derek Roughton plus the shooting of Trevor Blows brought it back to 8 all. The Onley triple finished the stronger to take the game 13-10.
In the singles, the all-round play of Linehan proved the difference in the 13-10 defeat of Trevor Blows.
The deciding doubles saw Austin and Daniel Blows build an 11-0 lead but they failed to finish off the opposition who pulled it back to 11-7. The Onley took a point at the next end and completed a 13-7 win, with Wilsdon and O'Sullivan not able to match the pointing of Austin and Blows who are developing as a good doubles team.

The Chequers team of Frank Britt, John Perfect & Lloyd Herman were untroubled in their opening triples against Rayne Swan 2 and were 13-2 winners over Tom Smith, Harry Waldie & Colin Sams.
Swan put up more of a contest in the doubles. Despite losing 5 on one end and going 9-2 down, Matt Waldie & Clare Courtney pointed well until another loose end cost them match, going down 13-9 to Perfect & Bill Eve.
Sams started well in the singles against Britt but was overtaken and finally lost 13-6.

Rayne Swan 1 boosted their chances of the title with another 2-1 win over Swan 3. Adam Buxton, Vince Schofield & Lorne Gibson raced into a 10-0 lead in the triples and eventually won 13-4. Trevor Turner & Beryl Gibson pointed really well in the doubles for Swan 3 but Buxton & Schofield just shot out everything in their way and won 13-2.
In the singles Graham Brewer was on top form, and stopped the whitewash with a very good 13-7 win over Gibson.

Elsewhere Rayne Cock 3, who have had some excellent wins this season, did the double over Feering Bell 1, winning 2-1 away. This seriously damages the Bell’s hopes of retaining their title.


BDPL 1/9/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Sons Braintree & District Petanque League, The Onley Arms visited title contenders Feering Bell and were quickly defeated 13-2 in the triples.
In the singles, Bernie Wade and Trevor Blows were neck and neck early on, trading points to 4-5. Two good ends for Wade took him ahead but a three put Blows back into the game at 10-11. Wade held his nerve to point in for the game to win 13-10.
The doubles was a fascinating game to watch. The Onley pairing of Daniel Blows and Tracey Austin started with a five and continued to score points to take an 11-0 lead. The thoughts of 'fannying' Ian and Carol Barnes on their home pitch seemed to affect the visitors. After missing the chance to take the game, the home pairing dug deep and used their experience to get back into the match. The Onley pinched another point to get to twelve but the home pair pulled it back to 12-8. The Onley finally got the deserved 13th point to take the game but the Bell took the match 2-1.


BDPL 27/8/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Sons Braintree & District Petanque league there was a titanic battle between title contenders Rayne Swan 1 & Feering Bell 1 with Swan 1 emerging the victors after a match lasting 2 ½ hours.
The triples started well for the Bell with Carol & Ian Barnes & Bernie Wade going into a 6-5 lead but Lorne Gibson was in good form for the Swan and backed by good all round play from Vince Schofield they took the game 13-6.
The singles could have gone either way with Wade & Gibson battling for every point right up to 12 all, with Wade managing to get the final winner.
It all rested on the doubles and Buxton & Schofield looked to have it sewn up when leading 10-3, but the experienced husband & wife duo of Carol & Ian Barnes will always keep fighting and pulled the score back to 10-9. Unfortunately a shooting error moved the coche in Swan’s favour and the Barnes’ could not rectify it and the game & possibly the title go to the Swan.
There are just 3 games left and if Swan win them all they look unstoppable.

Rayne Cock 3 did the double over Rayne Swan 2 with a 2-1 away win.
The triples could have gone either way with Graham Hill, Stephen Tooley & Neil Morgan just squeezing through 13-12.
Tom Smith took the singles 13-9 against Morgan without looking in any trouble.
Hill & Tooley rounded off the evening with an excellent 13-2 doubles win over Sams & Waldie. Hill played superbly all evening, with some brilliant shooting and accurate pointing and was definitely the difference between the two teams.

The Feering Bell 2 triple of Dave Pearse, Dave Bird & Tom Winter got off to a great start against Rayne Swan 1. Good pointing from Pearse on the fast terrain supported by shooting from Winter saw them into a surprising 9–0 lead. At 9–3 Pearse pointed too heavy and dragged the coche back to a Swan boule. This mistake looked as if it might be decisive as the Swan then took a 10–9 lead with the help of a 5. However excellent pointing by Bird gave the Bell a 3 and Pearse was able to amend for his earlier error by pointing in on the next end for the game 13–10.
In the doubles after sharing early points the Swan’s Dodge & Buxton took control of the game to gradually build up a healthy lead. At 11–3 Bell managed to pick up a 3, but this proved a short lived come back as on the next end Dodge pointed to the coche and Buxton carreaued for game.
In the singles Bird got an early 3–1 lead, but after this, struggled to compete with Swan’s Gibson who ran out a convincing 13–3 winner and ensured a 2–1 match win for the Swan.


BDPL 20/8/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Sons Braintree & District League Rayne Swan 1 kept the pressure on at the top with a 2-1 win over Chequers from Gt Tey.
Lloyd Herman, John Perfect & Frank Britt for Chequers were outgunned in the triples losing 13-2.
Herman then partnered Bill Eve in the doubles and evened the score with a 13-8 win.
In the deciding singles Lorne Gibson, who had been pointing well throughout the match, ensured the points went to the Swan with a good 13-9 win over Britt.
This keeps the pressure on Feering Bell 1 at the top of the table.

Feering Bell 2 were beaten 2-1 by Rayne Cock 1.
In the opening triples with the Bell leading 5 – 4, James Hardy, Paul Linehan & Clay O’Sullivan took control of the game and grinded out a 10 – 5 lead. With the Bell’s spirit flagging the Cock carried on playing well and secured the game 13 – 5.
The doubles was more tightly contested. Most ends were won by a single point with the teams never more than a couple of points adrift of each other. At 8 – 9 down the Bell double of Dave Bird & Dave Pearse made the first move when the coche got dragged back to make a 3. However at the next end the Cock double of O’Sullivan & Scott Wilsdon were presented the first chance to take the game but could only make 2. This was only a short reprieve for the Bell as O’Sullivan, with 2 excellent points, ensured the game for the Cock on the next end 13 - 11.
The singles was another close contest. Tom Winter was always in the lead for the Bell, but Linehan dragged himself back into contention but could not make the shot to take the game so Winter secured a 13 – 11 win and a consolation point for the Bell.


BDPL 13/8/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Sons Braintree & District Petanque League, the Onley Arms had a good win at Rayne Swan 2 despite losing the triples, 13-8, to Clare Courtney, Tom Smith and Colin Sams. The home triple took an early lead but some good pointing by Derek Roughton gave the Onley an 8-7 lead. The Swan then took advantage of three poor ends by the visitors to win the game.
In the singles, Tom Smith and Trevor Blows both gave good alround performances. After sharing the early points, Blows took a 10-6 lead. Smith fought back to 10-10 but the away skipper kept his nerve to point in for the game, 13-10.
The doubles was another good game with Courtney and Sams playing the brother and sister pairing of Daniel and Nikki Blows. The deciding factor, in a neck and neck game, was the pointing of Nikki Blows who led the Onley to a 13-9 win. So a 2-1 win for the Onley Arms.

Swan 2 had also lost earlier in the week to one of the favourites for the title, Feering Bell 1.
The Swan took a 6-0 lead in the triples but didn’t score again as the accurate pointing & shooting of the Bell trio of Ian & Carol Barnes & Bernie Wade swept them aside 13-6.
The Bell kept on sweeping with a 13-1 doubles win and Wade rounded it off taking the singles 13-5.

It was a similar story when they played Rayne Swan 3 giving them a 5-0 lead in the triples before turning on the power and taking another 3-0 win, which moves them to the top of the table.


BDPL 6/8/08
Rayne Swan 3’s winning streak came to an end in the Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd Braintree & District Petanque League. Their opponents were Rayne Swan 2 who had defeated top of the table Swan 1 last week and this week they did the double over their team mates with another 2-1 win. Swan 3 had won 4 matches in a row, but Dennis Smith, Graham Brewer & Beryl Gibson just couldn’t get going in the opening triples losing 13-2.
They took revenge in the doubles where Smith & Gibson raced away to a 13-1 win.
The result hinged on the singles and Tom Smith for Swan 2 went 6-0 up and looked in good form. But Brewer finally brought his pointing skills to the fore to catch up and go into an 11-8 lead. It was then Smith’s turn to fight back and he went 12-11 up then pointed in on the final end to give Swan 2 the game.


BDPL 30/7/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Son’s Braintree & District League it was another night of close games at the Onley Arms with Rayne Cock 3 the visitors.
The Cock triple of Graham Hill, Neil Morgan and Ian Humm built a good lead after the early ends were shared. The Onley triple of Derek Roughton, Daniel and Trevor Blows pulled points back but the visitors ran out 13-9 winners.
In the singles, Morgan pointed well to build a 6-1 lead over Trevor Blows. The home captain responded by upping his game, taking twelve points at the next five ends, to win 13-6.
The deciding doubles saw the teams sharing the points early on but the Cock pulled away, 7-2 then 11-5, before Derek Roughton and Daniel Blows found their form to bring it back to 11-11. At the final end, with boule in hand, the Onley opened the head. It was left to Blows, under considerable pressure, to point past a wall of opposition boule, for a hard fought 13-11 win.
So 2-1 to the Onley but another match played in good spirit throughout. A hectic five games in eight days schedule for the Onley has brought three wins and eight points to move them up the table.

After last weeks joy at defeating leaders Feering Bell 1, Rayne Swan 1 came down to earth with a bump losing 2-1 to Rayne Swan 2.
Swan 2 raced into a 5-0 lead in the triples but let their clubmates back into the game. Swan 1 immediately started taking the coche long which suited them more. It became a hard fought game with Lorne Gibson, Adam Buxton & Vince Schofield finally running out 13-9 winners.
In the doubles Colin Sams & Tom Smith again took an early 7-2 lead for Swan 1, which Lee Dodge & Schofield fought back from to lead 8-7. The next end saw Sams & Smith take a stinging 5 to sit on the brink of a win at 12-8. The next 2 points went to Swan 1 to bring the score to 12-10. The last end saw Dodge, who pointed well throughout, place a boule right on the coche, but he was out done by Smith who matched it and with boule in hand, Dodge & Schofield were unable to move it so game 13-10 to Swan 2.
It was left to Gibson to win the singles for Swan 1, which he certainly was expected to do against Matt Waldie, playing his first season of petanque and only his second ever competitive singles match. What must go down as the shock result of the season saw Waldie, who played with some dour Scottish tenacity, totally upset the form book winning by a considerable margin and in fact never looking troubled. He led throughout the game and on the final end shot Gibson’s holding boule out and calmly pointed in for a 13-4 win and the game for Swan 2.


BDPL 23/7/08 Additional Report from Trevor Blows
A busy week for the Onley Arms, playing four games in five days.
At home to the Chequers, the visitors, with John Perfect pointing well, had the upper hand in the triples, winning 13-3.
Lloyd Herman took the singles but in the doubles, Tracey Austin and Daniel Blows played well to beat Perfect and Bill Eve 13-12.
A 2-1 win to Chequers and another great night between two old rivals.
On to Friday night and the Colne Angels visited Stisted for a night at the Onley Arms.
The Angels triple, Simon Bird, Daphne Barrow and Julie Constable, started well and led 11-9. At the next end, Trevor Blows shot out the opposition to leave Derek Roughton and Tracey Austin to point in for the game.
Viv Middleton Sams and Barrow took the doubles against Daniel Blows and Austin, 13-8 but in the deciding singles it was no contest as Bird 'carreaued' the night away to win 13-2 against a shell shocked Trevor Blows.
Sunny Sunday saw a double header at the Onley with Feering Bell 2 the visitors.
The two sides really get on well together and enjoyed almost four hours of petanque, entertaining the locals sitting around the terrain.
Match one and the Bell triple of Dave Bird, Dave Pearse and Tom Winter started with a six, from which Daniel and Trevor Blows, playing with Tracey Austin, could not recover. The Onley got back into the game but the pointing of Bird and shooting from Pearse took the game 13-8.
The doubles, with Daniel Blows and Austin finding some form, was a long hard fought game that went to the home side 13-10.
The deciding singles was even closer. Neck and neck early on, Pearse took advantage to build a 9-4 then 11-5 lead. Blows edged back to 11 all and pointed in to win the game 13-11. Match one to the Onley, 2-1.
The same triples started Match two and a closer game saw the Bell win 13-9. The pointing of Bird again making the difference.
Trevor Blows took the singles 13-5 against Winter to leave the deciding doubles.
Derek Roughton arrived fresh from his Sunday lunch to partner Daniel Blows against Pearse and Bird. The Bell had the best of the early ends and built a 12-5 lead. The Onley pairing, with nothing to lose, started to go for their shots and gradually picked up points to make it 11-12. Having missed a great chance to win it at the next end, the Onley made no mistake at 12-12 by taking the point, the game and the match 2-1.


BDPL 23/7/08
It was a top of the table clash this week in the Daniel Robinson & Son’s Braintree & District Petanque League and Rayne Swan 1 were the victors.
Lying in second place behind leaders Feering Bell 1, the challengers showed their determination to wrestle the title away from the opposition with a convincing 3-0 away win.
With precision pointing from Lee Dodge, impressive shooting from Adam Buxton backed up by the consistency of Vince Schofield, Swan took the triples 13-4.
Dodge & Buxton held their form in the doubles where Ian & Carol Barnes were outplayed 13-4.
The victory was finalised with a 13-8 win by Lorne Gibson over Bernie Wade, which means the teams swap places giving the Swan the advantage with a game in hand.

Feering Bell 2 made their 1st visit to the Rayne Cock this season to play Rayne Cock 3.
The Feering triple of Dave Bird, Dave Pearse & Tom Winter started well, steadily building up a 4 – 1 lead. However the Cock triple of Ian Humm, Neil Morgan & Graham Hill struck back with 5 in one end and from this point forward took control of the game as the Bell failed to respond, winning 13 – 7.
The doubles followed a similar pattern with Bird & Winter steadily building a 4 – 0 lead. The game was turned on its head in the next two ends where Humm & Morgan took 9 points. There was no way back from this for the Bell with the opposition winning 13 – 7.
In the singles Pearse won 13 – 6 against Morgan. A couple of 3’s early on saw Pearse into a healthy lead. Morgan responded well to bring it back to 9 – 6, but Pearse secured a consolation point for the Bell.

4th placed Colne Angel kept the pressure on the leaders with a 2-1 away win over Rayne Cock 1.
Simon Bird, Viv Middleton-Sams & Daphne Barrow were too experienced for Paul Linehan, Scott Wilsdon & Clay O’Sullivan, winning the triples 13-3.
The doubles was a much tighter game, Wilsdon & O’Sullivan, who have an impressive doubles record, fought back to narrowly defeat Barrow & Graham Farmer 13-12.
Bird wrapped the game up for the Angel with a 13-9 singles win over Linehan.
Just behind the Angel are Rayne Swan 2 who were on form with an impressive 3-0 win over Rayne Cock 2.
Colin Sams, Tom Smith & Harry Waldie stormed away in the triples winning 13-1, only Mark Sainsbury for the opposition saving the whitewash.
Paul Christian & Peter Eldred put up a better performance in the doubles but still lost out 13-7.
Smith lost in the singles to Sainsbury in the away fixture but got his revenge at home with a 13-6 win.

 

BDPL 16/7/08
It was a triple header between Rayne Swan & Rayne Cock in the Daniel Robinson & Sons Braintree & District Petanque League, and the Swan came out on top. Swan 1 were away to Cock 2 and gained a comfortable 3-0 win to keep them in 2nd place in the league.
Mark Sainsbury, Mike Eldred & Dave Hardy were no match against Adam Buxton, Lorne Gibson & Vince Schofield who took the triples 13-3.
Schofield then teamed up with Lee Dodge to win the doubles 13-6.
Mark Sainsbury put up a good fight in the singles though, only just losing 13-11 to Gibson.

Swan 3 had a very good 3-0 win against Cock 3 who have had some excellent results recently, including a defeat of 3rd placed Chequers.
The triples ended up being a close contest when the Swan let the opposition back into the game after taking a substantial lead. Graham Hill, Neil Morgan & Ian Humm only just losing 13-11 to Dennis Smith, Beryl Gibson & Graham Brewer.
Gibson & Trevor Turner put the Swan 2-0 up with a very good doubles win, and then Smith showed his best form of the season with some powerful shooting to trounce Morgan 13-0 in the singles for 3-0 on the night and their third win in a row.

Rayne Cock 1 were the only team to take some honour back to the Cock with a 2-1 away win against Swan 2.
Paul Linehan, Clay O’Sullivan & James Hardy took the lead in the triples and kept it, winning 13-12, despite a good comeback by the Swan triple of Colin Sams, Tom Smith & Harry Waldie.
Scott Wilsdon & O’Sullivan won the doubles 13-6.
It was left to Smith to get a point for the Swan with a 13-4 singles win against Linehan.

 

BDPL 9/7/08
The torrential rain did not deter the Bell & Swan turning out for their second meeting of the season. The first encounter at the Swan was a marathon and this one again proved the teams to be closely matched with play finishing after 10pm.
The first few ends of the triples saw a flurry of points early on as both teams raced to 4 – 4. From there on the game tightened up but the Swan triple of Trevor Turner, Baz Brewer & Dennis Smith managed to retain a slight lead. However it was the Bell triple of Dave Pearse, Dave Bird & Tom Winter who had the first chance to take the game, but failed with two shots, to take out the Swan boule and make a possible 5. With the score at 11 – 9 in favour of the Swan and the Bell out of boule the Swan then failed to take full advantage only making 1. The next end the Bell found themselves holding the shot with 4 boule in hand. Unfortunately in their eagerness to take advantage they over stretched and converted the Swan boule to give them the game 13 – 9.
In the doubles Bird’s excellent pointing proved the decisive factor. After sharing the early ends the Bell double of Bird & Pearse stretched out a good lead. At 12 – 5 the game looked up for the Swan triple with Bird’s boule about 3” away from the coche and sitting down nicely due to the sodden terrain. However Brewer produced the shot of the night with his last boule to point in and keep Beryl Gibson & himself in the game. Their resistance was finally ended with the Bell winning 13 – 7.
In the singles Dennis Smith stormed into a 6 – 0 lead after two ends. Despite this, Winter put up brave resistance and was back in the game at 10 – 8. However he could not quite overhaul the initial deficit and Smith won 13 – 9 to take the match for the Swan 2 – 1.

Colne Angel & Rayne Swan 1, two of the teams challenging for the title, met at Rayne Swan, and in a closely contested game, the Swan were the team that came out on top.
In the triples the accurate pointing of Lee Dodge was probably the main difference between the teams, with Swan winning 13-5.
In the singles Bird showed his class when at 10-8 up he shot & carreaued with his 3 boule to win the game 13-8.
The doubles was the best match of the evening with a see-saw game between Viv Middleton-Sams & Graham Fowler for Colne against Adam Buxton & Vince Schofield. Colne went into a 4-0 lead when the Swan pair gained a 5 and then a 4 to go 9-4 up. It then swung the other way to 12-10 to Colne, only for Swan to level it at 12 all. The tense match was finally won by the Swan 13-12 with Buxton shooting for game.

 

BDPL 2/7/08
Feering Bell 2 travelled to the Chequers this week. Early optimism was quickly dashed as the Chequers triple of Frank Britt, Bill Eve & John Perfect quickly established control scoring heavily in the first couple of ends. The Bell triple of Dave Bird, Jack & Dave Pearse, held on to avoid a loss in 3 ends and managed to scrape a couple of points, but the play of the Chequers triple was far too strong and the result was never in question as they ran out 13 - 2 winners.
The doubles mirrored the triples with Eve & Perfect playing very well to secure a big early lead. Some good pointing by Jack Pearse prolonged the game for a little while but in the end neither he or Dave Pearse could prevent another 13 – 2 win for the Chequers.
Bird put up the best resistance for the Bell and the early stages of his singles encounter with Britt were closely contested. Eventually Britt’s experience proved telling and he ran out a well deserved winner 13 – 5.

Rayne Swan 1 kept the pressure on at the top with a 3-0 win over Rayne Cock 1. Adam Buxton, Lorne Gibson & Vince Schofield had a comfortable 13-5 triples win over Paul Linehan, Scott Wilsdon & Clay O’Sullivan.
Schofield & Buxton went on to take the doubles 13-3 & Gibson won the singles with the same scoreline.

Colne Angel had Graham Farmer returning to the sport after a long absence, and he helped Simon Bird & Daphne Barrow to a 13-6 triples win over Rayne Swan 2.
Swan took the doubles 13-12 but Bird wrapped the game up with a 13-2 singles win

 

BDPL 25/6/08
At the halfway stage of the season in the Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd Braintree & District Petanque League, there was a top of the table clash which saw Chequers PC from Great Tey steal the show.
Feering Bell 1, who were in 1st place, were the hosts and started well with a 13-10 win in the triples. John Perfect & Bill Eve then equalled the score with a 13-10 doubles win for 3rd placed Chequers.
It was left to in form Frank Britt to take the points for Chequers with a comprehensive 13-2 singles win over Bernie Wade.
It was a good away win for Chequers however; the positions remain the same as Rayne Swan 1, lying in 2nd place, trounced Onley from Stisted 3-0. Onley managed just a one end advantage as Swan 1 took the triples 13-3.
The pairing of Daniel Blows & Tracey Austin was no match for Adam Buxton & Lee Dodge in the doubles who won 13-2.
The singles was a closer game but the pointing of Lorne Gibson proved the difference, he beat Trevor Blows 13-7 to complete the rout. The win keeps Swan 1 in 2nd place on 19 points but with a game in hand on their rivals the Bell, who are on 21 points & 3rd placed Chequers who have 17 points.
Middle of the table Rayne Swan 2 had a very good 3-0 win over the ever improving Feering Bell 2. The Bell triple of Dave Bird, Dave Pearse & Tom Winter got off to a good start with a 3 but Harry Waldie, Tom Smith & Colin Sams quickly responded and moved into the lead. The following ends were keenly contested with never more than a couple of points between the teams and all players contributing, particularly young Waldie whose pointing often ensured the Swan had boule in hand. At 12-11 it could have gone either way but the Swan triple held their nerve to take a well deserved win.
The doubles was an equally long game with Clare Courtney & Matt Waldie taking a 9-2 lead only to let the opposition back in the game with two loose ends. They eventually held on for a 13-8 win for the Swan.
Tom Smith wrapped up the game for Rayne Swan with some very accurate pointing and shooting where required to defeat Pearse 13 - 8.
One place above Swan 2 and ready to pounce on any slip ups from the leaders are Colne Angel who defeated Rayne Swan 3 3-0.
The position at the bottom of the table is not so clear as many teams have postponed games to catch up on, but at the moment Rayne Cock 2 are holding up the rest with just 4 points gained, Cock 1 are just above them on 5 but have played 2 games more, then come Onley on 6. Feering Bell 2 & Rayne Swan 3 are equal on 7, with Cock 3 on 11

 

BDPL 18/6/08
In the Daniel Robinson sponsored Braintree & District Petanque League Rayne Swan 2 played hosts to 2nd placed Chequers from Gt Tey. The opening triples game was a long and drawn out tactical game which saw Chequers go into a 9-2 lead which didn’t reflect how well the Swan team was playing. With four on the next end, Colin Sams, Harry Waldie & Tom Smith felt justified but couldn’t peg back the lead so Frank Britt, Lloyd Herman & Bill Eve ran out 13-7 winners.
Clare Courtney & Matt Waldie stormed through the doubles with Courtney’s shooting backed up by accurate pointing by Waldie to defeat Eve & Herman 13-6.
The match was secured for the Chequers with a 13-2 win in the singles by Britt over Smith to keep them in second place.

Feering Bell 2 played Colne Angel on an overcast but pleasant evening. The Colne triple of Simon Bird, Julie Constable & Dee Barrow got off to a good start when Bird shot out the only Bell boule to make 4. At 6 – 1 down the Bell triple of Dave Bird, Dave Pearse & Tom Winter got a 4 of their own with some help from the tree. The response from the Angel was quick as they took a 4 & 3 from the following two ends to take the game 13 – 5.
In the doubles Winter & Bird took control of the game and retained the lead to run out 13 – 4 winners against Viv Middleton-Sams & Barrow.
Simon Bird took an early lead in the singles for Colne. Pearse managed to get back to 7 all but missed a chance on the next end to take the lead. Bird then pulled away to win the game 13-7.

Rayne Swan 3 raced into an 8-2 lead in the triples against Rayne Swan 1. Beryl Gibson was on fire with her pointing and outplayed her son Lorne who was in the opposing team. Although Swan 2 finally managed to get in gear it was too late, Gibson held her form & backed up by Dennis Smith & Graham Brewer ran out 13-10 winners.
Lee Dodge & Adam Buxton made no mistake in the doubles with a 13-4 win over Gibson & Brewer. Lorne Gibson did the same in the singles defeating Trevor Turner 13-2 to take the match 2-1 for Swan 1.

 

BDPL 11/6/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd Braintree & District Petanque League, the Onley Arms got back to winning ways with the 2-1 defeat of Rayne Cock 2.
Tracey Austin, Derek Roughton and Trevor Blows took an early lead in the triples but good pointing from Simon Miah brought it back to 8-11. The shooting of the home side proved the difference as they took the game 13-8.
The Cock dominated the pairs, winning 13-3 with six at one end proving decisive.
The deciding singles was a close, well fought game, with Miah pointing well throughout. At 8-7, Miah produced three great boules to extend the lead to 11-7. The next two ends, which could have gone either way, saw Blows claw back three points to 10-11. In what proved to be the final end, Blows took advantage of an open head to point in for three and the match.

In the game between Rayne Swan 1 and Feering Bell 2, Swan quickly dispatched the Bell 13 – 1 in the triples. Bell’s pointing was not up to the mark and too often left the Swan with boule in hand which they took full advantage of.
The singles & doubles were far more competitive affairs. In the doubles Vince Schofield & Adam Buxton quickly took control to build an 8 – 2 lead. The Bell pair of Dave Bird & Tom Winter then dug in and slowly dragged themselves back into the game with some resilient play. At 10 – 9 the Bell left a slight opportunity for the Swan to point in to, which they did, to secure the game 13 - 9.
The singles between Lorne Gibson & Dave Pearse was very competitive. Although the scores remained close early on Gibson started to ease out the points to eventually run out a 13 – 6 winner and secure the 3 – 0 win for the Swan.

Rayne Cock 3 had a fairly comfortable 3-0 home win over Rayne Swan 2 with the away side finding the terrain difficult to play. Graham Hill, Ian Humm & Neil Morgan won the triples 13-8.
Hill & Stephen Tooley raced into an 11-4 lead in the doubles which Clare Courtney & Matt Waldie gradually pegged back. But at 12-11 a loose end by the Swan pair saw the Cock wrap the game up 13-11.
Morgan defeated Colin Sams in the singles for a good 3-0 win.

Rayne Swan 3 entertained Rayne Cock 1 and started well with a 13-7 triples win by Dennis Smith, Trevor Turner & Graham Brewer.
The result was reversed in the doubles by James Hardy & Tony Hird for the Cock.
Paul Linehan made sure of the points for the away team with a 13-8 singles win over Smith.

 

BDPL 4/6/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Sons sponsored Braintree & District Petanque League Rayne Cock 1 played exceptionally well to come back in both the triples & doubles to win the match 3 nil.
Scott Wilsdon, James Hardy & Paul Linehan went 11-4 down against some steady play from Feering Bell 1. They then made a tactical change with Hardy going in as first point which turned the game and they gradually overhauled the Bell to win 13-11.
Good pointing by Dave Bird saw Feering go in to another substantial 8-3 lead in the doubles but a shooting error by Dave Pearse saw him take out two of his team’s own boule to give the opposition 4. The Bell put this behind them to move in to what looked liked a winning position at 12-7, but Wilsdon & Clay O’Sullivan kept saving the game and eventually ran out 13-12 winners.
Linehan was untroubled in the singles winning 13-9 and a clean sweep for the Cock.

Title challengers Chequers from Gt Tey had a tough match against Rayne Swan 1 and started badly with a 13-10 loss in the triples. Despite John Perfect living up to his name with some perfect pointing, it was matched by Lee Dodge for the Swan and was backed up with accurate shooting by Adam Buxton to give Swan the points.
Swan also looked to be taking the doubles when Lorne Gibson & Vince Schofield went into a 6-0 lead but it then fell apart for them as Perfect & Lloyd Herman failed to lose another end, winning 13-6.
Frank Britt followed the pattern in the singles, coming back from 5-1 down to win 13-6 and ensure they stay in second place in the league.

 

BDPL 21/5/08
It was a home derby for Feering Bell this week and it was the experience of Carol & Ian Barnes along with Bernie Wade that saw them go into a 10-4 lead in the triples.
Bell 2 had chances to get some more points on the board but it ended with a 13-5 win for Bell 1.
Dave Bird & Tom Winter didn’t fare any better in the doubles, losing 13-7 and Wade wrapped up the game for Bell 1 with a 13-7 singles win.

There was also a derby game at Rayne Swan with Swan 2 gaining a good 2-1 win over Swan 3.
Young Harry Waldie was the star of the evening with some excellent pointing backed up by on form shooting from Colin Sams which saw them to an excellent 13-2 win in the triples.
Swan 3 bounced back with a hard fought 13-12 doubles win by Trevor Turner & Beryl Gibson, but Tom Smith wrapped up the game with a 13-5 singles win.

 

BDPL 14/5/08
It was all happening at the Rayne Swan this week with Winter League champions Chequers facing Swan 3 and Swan 1 v Swan 2.
Chequers didn’t have it all their own way in the triples with Frank Britt, Bill Eve & Lloyd Herman being made to work by Beryl Gibson, Trevor Turner & Graham Brewer for a 13-10 win.
Swan then pulled the doubles out of the bag with a fortunate ricochet from Dennis Smith which gave him & Gibson a 13-11 win.
Britt made sure the away team went home with the points though, beating Brewer in the singles 13-9.
The scores in the game between Swan 1 & 2 are not a true reflection of the competitive game that took place, especially in the triples which was won by Lee Dodge, Adam Buxton & Lorne Gibson 13-2, but it took them almost an hour after good tactical play by both sides.
Swan 3’s Tom Smith & Matt Waldie didn’t fare any better in the doubles losing 13-6 and Gibson wrapped up the 3-0 win for Swan 1 with a 13-4 singles win over Colin Sams.

 

BDPL 7/5/08
In the Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd sponsored Braintree & District Petanque League, Rayne Swan 3 defeated Rayne Cock 2, 2-1. Colin Sams, Harry Waldie & Tom Smith won a close triples 13-12 against Simon Miah, Paul Christian & Mark Sainsbury, coming back from 10-6 down.
Sams teamed up with Matt Waldie in the doubles and some good shooting took them to a 13-8 win.
Sainsbury took a point for the Cock in the singles against Smith, winning 13-5.

Onley Arms had a tough away game against Chequers and it wasn’t helped by ‘Lucky’ Lloyd Herman’s ping-pong tactics in the triples which saw Chequers come back from 5-0 down to win 13-9.
Onley responded with a good doubles win from Chris Hunt & Nikki Blows who defeated Herman & Bill Eve.
Frank Britt made sure of a home win for Chequers defeating Daniel Blows in the singles 13-4.

Feering Bell got their first win of the season by defeating Rayne Cock 3 on a very fast & difficult terrain. Dave Bird, Dave Pearse & Tom Winter won the triples 13-5, and Pearse also took the singles 13-6.
Ian Humm & Graham Hill took some consolation in winning the doubles 13-9 for the Cock.

 

BDPL 30/4/08
Only one game went ahead this week in the Daniel Robinson & Son’s Ltd sponsored Braintree & District Petanque League.
It was a local derby between Rayne Cock 1 & Rayne Swan 2 which saw a good away win by the Swan team.
The opening triples game was fairly even until the score reached 8-7 in Swan’s favour, after falling short with all their boule the Cock had to stand and watch the game disappear as the Swan triple pointed in for 5 and the game.
Two regional junior team mates were on opposite sides in the doubles and Cock’s James Hardy partnered by Scott Wilsdon came out on top over Harry Waldie & his father Matt, winning 13-7.
Tom Smith wrapped up the deciding singles game 13-9 against Paul Linehan to claim the first win of the season for the Swan team.

 

BDPL 23/4/08
In the Braintree & District Petanque League, sponsored by Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd, Rayne Swan 3 & Feering Bell 2 contested a fascinating triples game. When the Bell triple of Dave Bird, Dave Pearse & Tom Winter made 4 on the 1st end there was no indication of the marathon that was to follow. The Swan triple of Trevor Turner, Baz Brewer & Tom Smith replied with a 2 on the next end, after which followed a sequence of 10 ends which were all won by a single point. The Swan appeared to be grinding out a hard earned victory at 10 – 6 when the Bell were fortunate to shoot out the coche to make 2 ending the sequence of singles. Three more hard fought ends saw the Swan leading 11 – 10. On the next end the Bell manufactured a slight opening and with the Swan out of boule pointed in to make 3 and take the game 11 – 13 after almost 1 1/2 hours of play.
As last week the Bell was unable to build on this result. In the doubles the Swan’s Beryl Gibson & Turner scored two 5’s in the first 3 ends to jump into a 10 – 2 lead. Spirited resistance by Tom Winter & Dave Bird saved the game a few times but at 12 – 7 the Bell where unable to respond when the Swan displaced their boule and went down 13 –7.
Smith was always in the lead in his singles match with Pearse. At 9 – 7 Smith shot out the holding boule to make 3 and when Pearse was unable to do the same on the following end the Swan took the game 13 –7 and the match 2 -1.

Feering Bell’s first team were hosting Rayne Swan’s third and the experience of Bell’s Carol Barnes, Ian Barnes & Bernie Wade ensured a 3-0 win.
The Bell trio took the singles 13-5, Matt & Harry Waldie put up a good fight in the doubles only losing 13-8 and Wade defeated Smith 13-10 to take all 3 points for the Bell.

Rayne Swan 1 had a very good away win against a strong Colne Angel team although a little bit of luck helped them in the triples. Simon Bird, Viv Middleton-Sams & Daphne Barrow were 3-4 down when the Swan moved the coche for the first time to take the score to 3-9. After Colne fought their way back to 8-9 the Swan trio of Adam Buxton, Lee Dodge & Lorne Gibson then had the good fortune to move the coche for a second time resulting in an 8-13 win.
Gibson played well in the singles but Bird is in such a rich seam of form at the moment he pulled away to win 13-6.
The deciding doubles was won comfortably by the Swan pairing of Dodge & Schofield, with sublime pointing by Dodge, to defeat Middleton-Sams & Barrow 13-1.

Elsewhere, Rayne Cock 1 defeated their second team 2-1. Cock 2’s only result was a close singles win by Mark Sainsbury over Paul Linehan 13-12

 

BDPL 19/4/08
In the Braintree & District Petanque League sponsored by Daniel Robinson & Sons, Feering Bell 2’s first summer league campaign got underway with a tough home fixture against Chequers PC (Gt Tey) the reigning BDPL winter champions.
The Bell triple of Bird, Pearse & Winter started well with 2 on the first end, but the Chequers trio of Britt, Herman & Eve then built a 5 – 2 lead. Pearse shot out the Chequers nearest boule on the next end to allow the Bell to point in for 3 making it 5 – 5. Excellent pointing by Britt put the Chequers back in control and at 10 – 5 the game seemed to be getting away from the Bell. However on the next end with the Chequers out of boule, Winter displaced the coche allowing the Bell to point in for 4 putting them back in the game. At 11 – 11 it could have gone either way, but an excellent point from Bird saw the Chequers use all of their boule, allowing Pearse to point in for the game 13 – 11.
This reverse stung the Chequers into action. In the singles Britt was quickly 12 – 0 up against Winter. A consolation 3 points were secured before Britt finished with a good 13 – 3 win.
In the doubles excellent shooting by Herman saw the Chequers into a 6 – 0 lead. On the next end Herman was unfortunate to shoot out his own boule allowing Bird & Pearse to get 4, but this was to be their only score as Eve’s pointing regained control of the game. At 9 – 4 Herman shot out the nearest Bell boule and the Chequers pair pointed in for a well deserved win 13 – 4 and secured the match 2 – 1.

Winter League runners-up Colne Angel also got off to a good start, with a 2-1 win over Rayne Swan 2. Simon Bird, who has been in excellent form of late, along with Daphne Barrow & Julie Constable sailed through the triples 13-0 before the home team even new what was happening.
Tom Smith & Matthew Waldie repaired some of the damage, winning the doubles 13-9 but Bird was too strong in the singles, defeating Colin Sams 13-5.

Rayne Swan 1 defeated local rivals Rayne Cock 1 3-0. Adam Buxton, Lorne Gibson & Vince Schofield were untroubled in the triples winning 13-1.
The doubles & singles were closer affairs with scores of 13-11 & 13-10 to the Swan.

Elsewhere Onley Arms PC from Stisted started well with a 3-0 home win over Rayne Swan 3