Alan Towe - A Look Back In Time - 1st August 2004
On the local league scene the singles knockouts were on the fixture card for the South West Birmingham Clubs Summer League. In the men’s event the title went to 79 years old George Bird representing Stirchley United WMC. George beat Greenland Arrows man Andy Beagrie in the final.
Losing semi finalists were Mathew Reynolds (Shenley Lane), who lost to Bird and Dudley Smith from Bournbrook Arrows.
The ladies crown went to Brenda Bullock (Bournbrook Flights), with Kelly Cahill (Shenley Lane) the runner up. Going out to Brenda in the last four was Della Eaton (Tascos Flights) and in the other semi Kelly beat Tracey Gardner from Northfield Wanderers.
The league has also played off their annual John and Evelyn Leek Knockouts. The men’s John Leek event produced an all Greenlands final, with Mel Ellis claiming the trophy over his team mate Kevin Beard. In the Evelyn Leek ladies competition it was Tascos Flights who provided the two finalists, Della Eaton the winner and Maddie Mann the runner up.
All proceeds from the two competitions went to the St Mary’s Hospice.
At the South West Birmingham Clubs Winter League presentation, the annual “Victor Ludorum” trophies went to two very worthy recipients, both of them in their eightieth year. For the ladies Lou Stanley collected the trophy and for the men, it was that man again George Bird, who won the summer league’s singles title.
Well done to both players, good to hear we have some young up and coming talent on the oche!!!.
Many of the local summer league’s are now beginning to get into their rhythm and in some cases teams are already showing championship aspirations. In the first division of the Harborne and District League Midland Red are four points clear of the rest of the field after beating their nearest rivals, Smethwick Labour Club by a massive 7-2.
Three teams, Quinton Members Club, Quinborne and Coopers Arms are locked together at the top of division two each on twelve points. It’s also close in the third division, where Bartley Green Social Flights hold pole position on twelve points from seven games and W.C.WMC Ladies are second, two points adrift with a game in hand.
Robert Earl is the clear leader in the Brookmeadow Individual League. Currently he has chalked up 101 points from 23 fixtures and has lost just two games so far. However, Earl should keep an eye over his shoulder as second placed Gordon Clinton, who also has lost just two games, maybe ten points behind, but he does have the advantage of a game in hand, which could net him a further five points to halve the gap.
Congratulations to Mark Hollyoake (Birmingham Midland Red) and Clare Bywaters (Leamington Spa) who have won the respective men’s and women’s section’s of the Warwickshire County play off’s for the Gold Cup. Also to Tommy Ryan (Bedworth Cherry Tree) and Steve Dwyer (Birmingham Hall Green) for winning the doubles title and Birmingham Central duo Vickie Byrne and Lesley Newcombe who won the ladies county doubles title.
For some ten years now Tim Porter, Managing Director of Hollybush Aquatics and Garden Centre, Shareshill, near Wolverhampton, one of the largest and finest garden centres in the country, has sponsored me. Throughout that time Tim has been more of a friend than sponsor, he initially engaged Ken Simon of Pond and Pool Services to build me a pond some 16 feet by 12 feet. He supplied all of the equipment required including filters, electric pump, ultra violet filters and even the fish for what turned out to be the main feature of my garden.
Around three years ago Tim authorised further improvements and renovations to upgrade the pond, this time supplying a new external pump and a gravity filter system, but it was in June of this year that Tim really answered my call for help.
During the few days that we encountered tropical weather, at some time during the night the water intake filter got clogged up with blanket weed (a nightmare for anyone with a pond). As a result the pump stopped and there was no oxygen for the fish.
The outcome was that I lost around twenty Koi carp, worth somewhere in the region of £1,000. I was distraught. Some of the fish I had reared for in excess of twelve years.
Obviously Tim could not do anything about the dead fish but he immediately got one of his staff to come over to my house and make amendments to the water system so that a similar problem could never happen again. He has also stated that once I have the pond up and running and in good order again he will help me to restock it.
I feel very privileged that such an organisation as Hollybush, one that stocks absolutely everything anyone could ever wish to purchase for their garden, have catered for my every need over the length of my sponsorship. All I can say is a big thank you to Tim and Hollybush Aquatics and also thank my lucky stars that so many years ago I took up playing darts, because at the end of the day that is how Tim and I first got acquainted and for me it has been a relationship that has not only grown over the years, but is one that I personally would have been the poorer for should it not have happened. Once again many thanks Tim and long may our association continue to blossom, just like the flowers in your garden centre.
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