There were extra challenges to holding the GG 7+ level play tournament at BCC on the last Saturday in June. The Travellers’s five handsome caravans had rolled onto Tickers Folly Field with unstoppable right of passage three days earlier. On Friday night, the automatic irrigation system proved too tempting during the heatwave. Padlocks were cut off, giving youths the pleasure of frolicking among the sprinklers in the dark watches of the night.
An enigmatic champion – Bruce holding his first trophy
None of which stopped the Jamieson machine from delivering another impeccable event. It was primarily a Blewburian affair, with Bruce, Chris and the Freunds, eliminating the two visitors, Phyllis Court’s Steven Moreton and Basingstoke’s Liz Rhodes , from mainstream contention during the morning block play. While the travellers’s washing dried on the fence, the Freunds took on each other in the first semi final, with Chris against Bruce in the second. When all was done, Bruce stepped up to receive his first engraved Blewbury glass trophy – and a handicap improvement of 8 to 7. His victory path included four wins against serious contenders, his only loss coming against the ‘making up the numbers’ rank outsider. Funny old game…..