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Hustlers in a bit of a pickle

For their last game of the year (and the decade), the Hustlers returned to the Double Barrel to take on the Celery Boys with 5 changes in the team.  Could they give Cap’n Clive an early Christmas present?

Setting, AU began in good form, his spare helping him to top score.  Jimbo made an impression on his debut, snatching Barry the Brasilian out of Rob’s loving grasp.  So 1st leg handed over 15 pins down.  2nd leg put nin the performance of the night to pull back 5 pins, with Rich getting his second consecutive 40.

3rd leg struggled, but only lost a further 2 pins as they handed the anchor a 12 pin deficit to make up.  An up-and-down leg ensued, with nobody shining in a very consistent set of totals, dropping 11 pins in the process, handing the Celery Boys an early Christmas present.

Stu now leaves us to carry out his annual spell of missionary work in the colonies and has probably played his last game of the season.  Next time we’re away AGAIN – Tuesday 5 Jan 2010 at the robins Club.

15/12/09  v Celery Boys @ Double Barrel

AU 6 7 13 7 8 5 46
Jimbob 3 0 5 7 6 6 27
Pete 7 5 6 7 5 8 38

1st leg total 111 v 126

Mart 7 6 6 7 6 7 39
Rich 6 7 6 6 8 7 40
Steve 7 6 4 6 6 4 33

2nd leg total 112 v 117

Mark 7 6 7 6 5 5 36

Jim

7 2 3 4 6 7 29
Stu 6 3 5 7 6 6 33

3rd leg total 98 v 100

Clive 4 6 6 9 6 4 35
Rob 3 8 4 5 6 8 34
Neil 4 7 6 6 4 6 33

4th leg total 102v 113

Grand total 423 v 446

WIN by -23

Hustlers shoot it out

Playing back at the Suffolk, how would the Hustlers cope without the services of Cap’n Clive (dropped) and the poorly Lofty?  Would it be the start of a very Happy Christmas?

The first surprise of the night came when our skipper put us in to set.  First leg put in a very credible performance, with Mark continuing his good form with another 40, handing over 4 pins ahead.  2nd leg then put in the highest scoring performance of the night, with Steve’s 47 (our highest of the night) and Jim’s exceptional 39 helping extend the lead by a further 5 pins.

Then came the 3rd leg.  And what a shock that turned out to be.  By far the lowest scoring leg of the whole night, all 3 will fail to trouble the scorecard next week and dropped a total of 29 pins in the leg to leave the anchors needing to win by 20 just to draw the game.  A brave attempt followed, with Neil getting our only spare of the night ably backed up by a re-emergent Rob.  But it all proved in vain as the Elite’s anchor held on to scrape a win by a single pin.

We end 2009 against the Celery Boys at the Double Barrel next Tuesday – Mike Vonk has threatened to turn up and cheer us on!

7/12/09  v Cannonballs Elite @ Suffolk

AU 4 7 5 7 8 5 36
Mark 8 9 3 8 8 7 43
Pete 5 3 7 7 7 9 38

1st leg total 117 v 113

Gary 8 8 3 6 5 6 36
Jim 6 4 7 5 8 9 39
Steve 9 7 8 8 7 8 47

2nd leg total 122 v 117

TC 5 7 4 4 5 3 28

Lewis

7 5 5 6 6 5 34
AS 4 6 5 8 3 5 31

3rd leg total 93 v 122

Neil 6 7 8 4 12 8 45
Rob 8 8 5 9 8 5 43
JT 6 6 5 6 6 3 33

4th leg total 121 v 102

Grand total 453 v 454

WIN by -1