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08/04/12
Onley PC from Stisted secured at least second place in the Essex Petanque League after a 3-0 win over Bocking. Onley still have a chance of coming top and it all comes down to the last game when leaders Rayne Swan meet their rivals and need just 1 point to be crowned champions.
Against Bocking Trevor Blows shot well early on to allow team mates Daniel Blows and Tracey Austin to take a 9-0 lead in the triples. David Mills then found his form on his return from injury and with David and Pam Adams, got back to 5-9. Bocking even had a shot for five and the match at 8-12 but settled for two. The Onley wrapped up the game at the next end thanks to an Austin special.
The singles and doubles matches both provided a great final end. In the singles, T. Blows could not shake off Malcolm Smith who pointed well throughout. At 8-7, Blows produced a good end to take three. Next end and Smith pointed on to the coche with his last boule. Blows produced a carreau with his last shot to take the two needed for the game, 13-7.
In the doubles, The Adams pair took an early lead. D. Blows and Austin pulled it back and then took five to open a 4-9 lead. At 12-4 some excellent pointing by the Bocking pair was spoilt when D. Adams tapped up an Onley boule to give the home side a 13-4 win. A remarkable finish for a 3-0 win.

Thorley (Bishops Stortford) were unlucky to lose their final game 3-0 and definitely deserved more against leaders Rayne Swan. Ken Kilbey got his team off to a storming start when he shot for a five, but the Swan pulled it back and claimed a five of their own to win 13-6.
The doubles saw Barbara Kilbey and Doreen Butcher also take a 4-0 lead but once again despite some good play by the ladies, Swan’s Gibson and Buxton proved too strong and won 13-5.
Jon Sellar did well to lead Keith Flack 8-7 in the singles but finally lost out 13-8 for a 3-0 win for the Swan.

Rayne Swan consolidated their place at the top with a 2-1 away win over Bird in Hand (Earls Colne). Although they didn’t start well, going 8-0 down in the triples, Adam Buxton, Graham Brewer and Lorne Gibson fought back to lead 12-10. It was a slice of good fortune by Colin Sams when he moved the coche to claim 3 and the game 13-12 for the Bird.
Buxton and Brewer played well to defeat Sams & Ridehalgh 13-1, and Gibson won his singles 13-7 for the 2-1 win.

01/04/12
Only one game took place in the Essex Petanque league this week and it saw Chequers from Gt Tey take top spot.
Playing their final game of the winter league, Chequers jumped from 3rd to first after a 3-0 win but have played more games than their closest rivals. Home side Feering Sun played well in the opening triples with Tom Winter, Russell Bingham and Dick Youngs only just losing 13-11.
Paul Brown and John Perfect were not troubled in the doubles winning 13-4.
Which left the ever improving Keith Brandon to enjoy his first singles win, defeating Bingham 13-6 to take all three points.

25/03/12
Chequers Petanque Club from Gt. Tey remain in 3rd place in the Essex Petanque League after defeating bottom club Blackwater U3A (Maldon).
There was just too much experience in the Chequers team with Paul Brown, Bill Eve and Lloyd Herman winning the triples 13-2 against Dorreen Linton, Brian Butcher and Peter Holmes.
Linton and Holmes were unable to improve matters in the doubles, going down 13-0 to Eve and Herman. Butcher was also outplayed in the singles where Brown was always in control winning 13-4.
Blackwater have now completed their fixtures and although they have finished bottom in their first season competing in the league, they have enjoyed visiting other venues and gaining experience and are already looking forward to competing again next year.

Yo-yo team Thorley from Bishops Stortford lost at home to Bird in Hand (Earls Colne). Barbara Kilbey, Doreen Butcher and Bob Jennings never got out the starting blocks in the triples, losing 13-2 to Clare Courtney, Laszlo Szilagyi and Ian Morgan.
Kilbey and Butcher played better in the doubles and despite a mini comeback by Szilagyi and Morgan, won 13-8. Jennings also improved for the singles but went down 13-9 to Courtney for a 2-1 win for the Bird.

Stisted club Onley Arms continue to challenge at the top with a 3-0 win over Feering Sun. The Sun were missing their captain Tom Winter and struggled to get into the match. Andrew Winter, Dick Youngs and Russell Bingham lost 13-4 to Daniel Blows, Tracey Austin and Trevor Blows. Youngs and Bingham managed an extra point against D. Blows and Austin who won 13-5, but Winter lost out to T. Blows 13-4 to keep the Onley in second place with a 3-0 score line.

11/03/12
Rayne Swan took advantage of Onley’s postponed game to open a gap at the top of the Essex Petanque League.
Their opponents Feering Sun put up a good fight and the opening triples lasted an hour and a half with the score creeping up a point at a time. The Sun trio of Tom Winter, Dick Youngs and Russell Bingham went 4-0 down but came back to take the lead. There was good play by both sides but the Swan’s Lorne Gibson, Adam Buxton and Beryl Gibson eventually came out on top winning 13-9.
Buxton and B. Gibson also took the doubles 13-4 and L. Gibson played well to defeat Youngs 13-6 in the singles for the 3-0 win.

04/03/12
Rayne Swan played their strongest team to gain a 3-0 win and move to the top of the Essex Petanque League.
Adam Buxton, Lorne Gibson and Keith Flack took the opening triples 13-4 against Wendy Ridehalgh, Ian Morgan and Laszlo Szilágyi from the Bird in Hand (Earls Colne).
Viv Middleton-Sams teamed up with Morgan for the doubles and went 11-4 down against Buxton & Gibson before making a fight of it. Getting 6 in two ends saw them jump up to 11-10 but Buxton shot well to take two and the game for the Swan.
Despite the score line of 13-3 in Flack’s favour in the singles, Szilágyi played well, but Flack kept chipping away to build up a substantial lead which the Bird man could not catch.

Onley from Stisted drop into second place after losing 2-1 at Thorley, (Bishop’s Stortford). Bob Jennings and Jon Sellar played well for Thorley and along with Ian Groves gained a comfortable 13-3 triples win over Dan and Trevor Blows and Tracey Austin. Onley struggled with the Thorley terrain but did slightly better in the doubles with D. Blows and Austin scoring 7 but still losing out to Doreen Butcher and Sellar. Consolation was gained in the singles where T. Blows played well to defeat Groves 13-5.

Feering Sun move up the table after a 3-0 away win over Blackwater U3A from Maldon. Andrew and Tom Winter and Dick Youngs defeated Peter Holmes, Sylvia Rivers and Terri Hardcastle 13-3. The Maldon side improved in the doubles but Holmes and Hardcastle still lost out 13-9 to the Winters. Youngs finished off the match with a 13-5 singles win over Rivers to keep the Blackwater team anchored to the bottom.

19/02/12
The Essex Petanque League were back in action after the winter snow and leaders Onley Arms from Stisted made their intentions to stay at the top very clear with a 3-0 win.
Visting the Bird in Hand (Earls Colne) for the first time they found it difficult to adapt to the challenging terrain. The home triple of Clare Courtney, Wendy Ridehalgh and Ian Morgan took four at the first end. With pointing not too easy, the Onley triple of Nikki Parrish, Daniel Blows and Trevor Blows had to dig deep to get into the game. At 7-7, the Onley took advantage of poor pointing, coupled with some bad bounces from the terrain, to take five points from two ends, just failing to take the winning point. However, that point came at the next end to give it to the Onley, 13-7.
In the pairs, Morgan teamed up with Lazlo Szilagyi, a pair that had some good wins before the snow break. They took the lead over Tracey Austin and D. Blows but the Onley came back to lead 4-6. The home side then levelled at 10 -10. Two tight ends were edged by the Bird to put them 12-11 up but at the final end, their pointing skills deserted them and Onley scored two for game.
In the singles, Ridehalgh took a 5-0 lead over T. Blows who hit back but Ridehalgh led 9-5 before a revival brought it back to 10-10. Blows scored one but at the next end Ridehalgh had a chance to win the game but only scored one. A point took Blows to 12-11. At the final end, with his last boule, he pointed on to the coche. Ridehalgh failed with two shots leaving Blows the winner, 13-11 and the Onley with a hard fought 3-0 win.

Rayne Swan are hard on Onley’s heels after defeating Bocking 3-0. Beryl Gibson, Keith Flack and Lorne Gibson were too strong for Malcolm Smith, Pam Adams and Ian Ruffle. B. Gibson pointed well to give the Swan the opening advantage and they went on to win 13-2. Adam Buxton teamed up with L. Gibson for the doubles and were untroubled against Dave Adams and Ruffle winning 13-4. Malcolm Smith put up a good fight in the singles and led 5-3 against Flack, but Flack then took control and eventually won 13-7. The 3-0 win puts them in second place just 2 points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

29/01/12
Despite losing for the second week running, Onley Arms from Stisted, remain top of the Essex Petanque League.
In the triples the home side of Bill Eve, Lloyd Herman and Paul Brown were always ahead of the Onley trio. Tracey Austin, Daniel Blows and Trevor Blows played well but the positional play of Herman proved the difference as the Chequers ran out 13-6 winners.
In the pairs, Herman and Eve carried on from last week as they beat Austin and Daniel Blows 13-5. Blows deserved more than two defeats on the day.
In the singles, John Perfect played Trevor Blows for the second week running. The early ends were shared but Perfect produced a couple of ‘own goals’ to put Blows into a 5-7 lead. Perfect got back into the game and at 9-9 it was Blows who gifted three points to Perfect. Blows dug deep to point in for two at the next end. At 12-11 Perfect had two boule to move out Blows holding shot but failed. At 12-12, both players first boule were not within a meter of the head. Blows just made it to within half a meter but Perfect fell short to give the game 13-12 to Blows. A 2-1 win for Chequers but they still dropped down one place to fourth.

Rayne Swan stay second after a 3-0 win over bottom team Blackwater U3A from Maldon. The Swan team was too strong for the Maldon newcomers. Jack Vietch put up a good display in the singles to reach 7all against Lorne Gibson before losing out 13-8 but otherwise it was a comfortable win for the Rayne side.

Bird in Hand from Earls Colne move up into 3rd spot after two wins over Feering Sun. Playing a double header the Bird won both matches 2-1. Wendy Ridehalgh had two good singles wins 13-9 over Dick Youngs and 13-5 over Tom Winter. Lazlo Szilágyi and Ian Morgan scored 5 and 4 in two ends and romped away in their doubles match against Youngs and Russell Bingham. Best performances for the Sun were a 13-3 triples win for Tom Winter, Bingham and Andy Winter. The father and son Winter team also had a 13-5 doubles win.

22/01/12
Leaders of the Essex Petanque League, Onley Arms from Stisted finally lost their unbeaten run. Despite having home advantage they lost out 2-1 to Chequers PC from Gt Tey.
Keith Brandon, John Perfect and Lloyd Herman started well taking an 8-0 lead in the triples. Onley played well to get back and win 13-8. The turning point was a long hard 5 which got it back to 6-8, before going on to take the game.
Bill Eve joined Herman for the doubles and outplayed Dan Blows and Tracey Austin, winning 13-3.
John Perfect was at the top of his game in the singles against Trevor Blows. Even if Blows did get close, Perfect shot well to remove the opposition’s boule and ran out the 13-7 winner.

Onley stay top but Rayne Swan move into second after defeating Blackwater U3A from Maldon 3-0 with Chequers taking third.

Thorley from Bishops Stortford continue their seesaw season with a 2-1 win over Bocking.

15/01/12
In the Essex Petanque League top of the table Onley Arms from Stisted remain unbeaten after defeating bottom club Balckwater U3A 3-0.
The home triple of Nikki Parrish, Tracey Austin and Daniel Blows failed to take advantage of the early ends. However, their overall play was too good for Blackwater U3A. Terri Hardcastle, Sylvia Rivers and Brian Butcher showed glimpses of form but the lack of a shooter cost them dearly with the Onley winning, with five at the last end, 13-4.
In the doubles and singles, Blackwater took the first end but won little else in the next thirty minutes as the Onley dominated both games.
In the doubles, Blows and Austin were never troubled by Hardcastle and Rivers, taking the game 13-3. Butcher put up a good display against Trevor Blows. He led 4-3 with some excellent pointing but gave Blows too many chances in the match. At 5-4, Blows took a maximum six from two ends. Butcher took another point but Blows finished the game at 13-5 for the 3-0 win.

Bird in Hand from Earls Colne move into second place after a 3-0 away win over Bocking.
The away team were untroubled in the triples winning 13-1. Ian Morgan and Lazlo Szilagyi got off to a flying start in the doubles with five on the first end. Good pointing by Pam Adams saw Bocking back into the game but the Bird pair kept ahead to win 13-7.
Malcom Smith started well in the singles going into a 6-0 lead. Bird's Wendy Ridehalgh stayed calm and worked her way into the game gaining 1 point at a time until she reached 6all. Smith managed another 2 points but Ridehalgh ran out a deserved 13-8 winner.

Rayne Swan brought out their big guns in their attempt to catch Onley at the top.
Keith Flack, Lorne Gibson and Adam Buxton defeated Bill Eve, Keith Brandon and Paul Brown from Chequers (Gt. Tey) 13-5. Then in just 4 ends Buxton and Gibson won 13-0 against Brown and Eve. Flack finished the game off with a 13-5 win over John Perfect. They now sit in third place with a game in hand.

Feering Sun gained their first win of the season when they defeated Thorley from Bishops Stortford 2-1.
The triples was a close run affair with the first four ends taking the score to 3-3. Doreen Butcher, Bob Jennings and Jon Sellar went on a run for Thorley to lead 8-3. Two ends later it was 9-8 to Feering Sun as Dick Youngs, Russ Bingham and Andy Winter picked up 5 on one end, but that was the end of their scoring as Thorley took the next five points to win 13-9.
In the singles, Youngs always had the better of Jennings who could not outpoint him, leading to a 13-0 defeat. The doubles was a much more even affair with both sides taking it in turns to lead. Feering went ahead 8-3, before Thorley fought back. Thorley had a chance to win it on the penultimate end, but could only make it 12-12 before a long distance point from Winter could not be bettered and meant the home side took the win 2-1.

08/01/12
The second half of the season got under way in the Essex Petanque League and Thorley from Bishops Stortford enjoyed an impressive 2-1 win over second placed Chequers from Great Tey.
It didn’t start well though with Martin Flintoff, Bob Jennings and Mike Smith unable to get into the game. The Chequers trio of Paul Brown, Keith Brandon and Lloyd Herman outpointing the home side and good shooting from Brown
saw them to a 13-1 win.
In the singles Brown started well, but Flintoff held on and came back strongly with his pointing to win 13-6.
The doubles started off evenly, both teams exchanging points until the Thorley pair picked up five in one end. Jennings and Jon Sellar advanced to twelve but Bill Eve and Herman kept fighting away to make it 12-8 before Thorley crossed the line to make it 2-1 to the home team.

League leaders Onley from Stisted remain at the top after a 3-0 win over Bocking. In the triples, Nikki Parrish played her first game of the season, partnering Trevor Blows and Tracey Austin. Parrish pointed well as the Onley overcame the Bocking newcomers, Ian Ruffle, Richard Tite and Christina Knights 13-2.
In the pairs, Daniel Blows and Austin started strongly and quickly built a 9-2 lead. Pam and David Adams clawed back points to 6-9. The Onley then stepped up a gear to take the next two ends and the game, 13-6.
In the singles, Malcolm Smith started the scoring against T. Blows. The pair traded points to 5-5 when Smith moved the coche with his last boule to gift three to Blows. Smith got it back to 8-8 but a good mixture of pointing and shooting took Blows to a 13-8 win.

Rayne Swan stormed off to a 3-0 triples win against Feering Sun with Keith Flack, Beryl and Lorne Gibson not giving any quarter. Tom Winter and Dick Youngs evened the match with an impressive 13-7 win over Adam Buxton and L. Gibson, but Flack was too strong for Bingham in the singles winning 13-3 to claim the match 2-1 for the Swan.

11/12/11
The Onley Arms remain unbeaten and at the top of the Essex Petanque league while bottom club Blackwater U3A also celebrated by gaining their first point of the season.
Stisted club Onley hosted Thorley from Bishop’s Stortford and it was the home triple of Tracey Austin, Daniel and Trevor Blows who started with six from the first three ends. Ken Kilbey, Jon Sellar and Bob Jennings then scored at the next two ends but that was their only success as the home side ran out 13-4 winners.
In the doubles, Austin and D. Blows continued the good form as they built a 7-1 lead. Sellar and Kilbey produced some good shots to make it 7-7. This spurred on the Onley pair and they dominated the remaining ends to win 13-7.
In the singles Jennings pointed well early on but the shooting of Trevor Blows restricted him to just two points, taking the game for the Onley 13-2.

Second placed Bird in Hand (Earls Colne) dropped to third despite winning 2-1 at home to Blackwater U3A from Maldon. Viv Sams, Wendy Ridehalgh and Ian Morgan looked comfortable at 6-2 up in the opening triples when they had a very poor end. The Maldon trio of Brian Butcher, Peter Holmes and Doreen Linton took full advantage claiming five to lead 7-6. The Swan then regained control and went on to win 13-8.
In the doubles Linton and Holmes raced into a 9-2 lead against Colin and Viv Sams and although the Swan pair got back into the game with some good shooting, Holmes trailed the coche with his last boule to claim their first point of the season, winning 13-9.
Ridehalgh showed her good singles play with a confident 13-3 win over Butcher to claim the match 2-1.

Chequers move into second spot with a comprehensive 3-0 over Bocking. The home side of Christina Knights, Richard Tite and Dave Adams played well but Paul Brown’s shooting proved decisive in the 13-3 win for the Great Tey team. Ian Ruffle and Pam Adams also lost out with the same score to Bill Eve and Lloyd Herman. Brown was too strong for Malcolm Smith in the singles winning 13-5.

4/12/11
Thorley bounced back from their EPA KO defeat with an excellent 3-0 win in the Essex Petanque League. The triples started off evenly with Barbara and Ken Kilbey and Jon Sellar holding the home side at 5all. The inexperienced Blackwater U3A from Maldon then made a tactical error to let the away team forge ahead with Thorley running out 13-6 winners.
The Kilbeys had an untroubled 13-0 doubles win against Carol Gowers and Terri Hardcastle. Maldon’s Brian Butcher put up a good fight in the singles leading 5-4, but a little bit of luck went Sellar’s way and he took the game 13-5 for a good 3-0 win for the away team.

Onley move to the top of the league with a 3-0 win over Feering Sun. The Stisted team of Tracey Austin, Trevor and Daniel Blows hosted Tom Winter, Russell Bingham and Dick Youngs in the opening triples. The first two ends gave the home side eight points and they maintained great form to win 13-1 in just five ends.
In the doubles, Austin and D.Blows shared the first few ends with Youngs and Bingham. Austin continued her excellent pointing and with Blows producing good shots when needed, they pulled away to win 13-3.
In the singles, it again looked to be a runaway win for the home captain, T. Blows. At 10-1, Winter clawed his way back with four from three ends. Blows took two but Winter with three, made it 12-8. At the final end, Blows pointed on to the coche and it proved too good for Winter. A 13-8 win for the home side and a 3-0 match win to take them to the top of the league.

Rayne Swan move menacingly up the table after a 3-0 win over Bocking. Adam Buxton, Lorne Gibson and Dennis Smith showed no mercy to Christina Knights and Richard Tite, playing their first league game for Bocking, who along with Malcolm Smith lost out 13-3. Buxton and Beryl Gibson took the doubles 13-6 before L. Gibson showed some good form to defeat Smith in the singles 13-4.

Despite defeating Chequers 2-1, the Bird in Hand stay one place behind them in third with a points difference of 2 separating them. Wendy Ridehalgh, Viv Sams and Ian Morgan won the opening triples 13-8 against Lloyd Herman, John Perfect and Keith Brandon. Morgan, playing his first game of the season pointed well to keep the home side in front. Morgan kept his form in the doubles where he and Sams again outpointed the opposition of Herman and Bill Eve to win 13-4.
John perfect saved a point for Chequers with a 13-9 singles win where he led throughout against Bird’s Colin Sam’s to keep his side one place above in second.

20/11/11
The two unbeaten teams met this week in the Essex Petanque League and the Onley Arms, Stisted came out 2-1 winners over the Bird in Hand from Earls Colne.
In the triples, Tracey Austin, Daniel and Trevor Blows were always on top against Laszlo Szilágyi, Wendy Ridehalgh and Viv Middleton Sams. It was a good team effort from the home side, with Austin in good pointing form, and saw them to a 13-1 win.
In the doubles, Sams and Ridehalgh shared the early points with Austin and Daniel Blows. The away pairing then scored points at regular intervals to take the game 13-4.
The deciding singles saw Szilágyi take the first point after Trevor Blows promoted the opposing boule while trying to make three himself. Good pointing took Blows to an 11-1 lead. The next two ends gave the opposing player three points but at 11-4, Blows pointed in for the two points and the game 13-4 to move into second place.

Chequers from Great Tey remain at the top after defeating Feering Sun 2-1. Paul Brown, Lloyd Herman and Bill Eve won the triples 13-10.
Russell Bingham and Tom Winter leveled the match with a 13-7 doubles win.
John Perfect sealed the 2-1 win for the Chequers with a 13-6 singles win over Dick Youngs.

Newcomers Blackwater U3A remain rooted to the bottom after their third 3-0 defeat, this time at the hands of Bocking. Janet and David Mills and Malcolm Smith started well, with good shooting and pointing taking them into a 7-3 lead. Sylvia Rivers, Carol Gowers and Jack Vietch played well to get back to 7all before Bocking pulled away again for the 13-7 win.
Mills and Smith took a 6-0 lead in the doubles, then a 4 on the next end saw the score jump to 10-0 before the Blackwater pair of Rivers and Gowers scored a point. The winning scoreline of 13-1 belies some good play by the Maldon team.
Smith continued his good singles play with a 13-2 win over Vietch. Despite being at the bottom, Blackwater U3A are enjoying gaining the experience of league play and hope to improve as the season progresses.
Rayne Swan were untroubled in their match against Thorley from Bishops Stortford winning 3-0. After going 2-4 down in the triples against Ken Kilbey, Ian Groves and Mike Smith, Adam Buxton, Lorne and Beryl Gibson didn’t lose another point, winning 13-4.
The doubles and singles were also dominated by the Swan and both were won 13-1 to move them up the table into 5th place.

13/11/11
Chequers PC from Great Tey, move to the top of the Essex Petanque League after defeating Blackwater from Maldon 3-0. They are just ahead on points difference from Bird in Hand, Earls Colne, who gained a 2-1 home win over Thorley (Bishops Stortford).
Thorley had their first win of the season with a 3-0 scoreline against Feering Sun.
Onley PC from Stisted move into 3rd place with a good 2-1 away win over Rayne Swan.

6/11/11
In the Essex Petanque League Bocking got off to a good start taking an early 5-0 lead in the triples against Thorley from Bishops Stortford. Good pointing by Maitland Hunt and Malcolm Smith, with some excellent shooting by Dave Adams, kept the home team in front until Thorley staged a late comeback to take the game to 10 all. The next end Thorley gained two points to take the lead for the first time in the game. They should have gone on to seal the match but with one ball left, Adams weaved his magic to square the game 12all before claiming the final end to take the game.
The doubles and singles created no particular problems for each of the winning teams. Ken Kilbey and Ian Groves for Thorley were in sparkling form to take the doubles 13-1 against Pam and Dave Adams. Meanwhile good play by Bocking’s Smith established an early lead against Jon Sellar and he eventually won 13-5 to claim the match for Bocking 2-1.

Bird in Hand (Earls Colne) had a good 2-1 away win at Chequers to go top of the league. Viv Sams, Laszlo Szilágyi and Clare Courtney all contributed to a smooth 13-5 triples win over Keith Brandon, Bill Eve and Paul Brown. Chequers levelled the score when Eve and Herman took the doubles against Sams and Szilágyi. A four on one end helped them to a 13-7 win. It was left to Wendy Ridehalgh to secure the win for BIH and she took an early lead against John Perfect. The Chequer’s player gradually got his game in gear and in a tense and closely fought encounter, took the lead at 11-10. Ridehalgh held her nerve and scored three on the final end to claim the game and the match for the Bird in Hand.