After a dose of manthrax found its way into the Hustlers team, our big squad didn’t seem so big any more and the team selected itself as last men standing.
Even the sticker didn’t show up. Poorly Clive volunteered to open the batting against the cricketers as he was expecting a run out at any moment, but he held his nerve, and his ring, and signalled our intent early by opening with a 13 spare on his way to our top score of the night. Well supported by Brian, with another 40, and John with all 3 beating their man we posted 121, our highest first leg total of the season and led by 14.
Second leg suffered mixed fortunes with Lewis sniffing and shivering his way to another 40, but Dave and Jim-Bob found it tougher and we lost our lead and trailed by a single pin at the half way point. With the team diminished by illness our 2 non-playing reserves argued over who was least unfit to play, and Stu stepped up for his first appearance of the season supported by Steve and an unusually consistent Swayner we pulled 5 pins to allow our anchor leg a narrow lead of 4.
After a shaky start when we were poor and they were worse, Hustlers maintained 20+ hands to slowly increase the lead. With Rob and Neil both hitting spares on their way to 40’s, and then showing mercy on the stand in stickers that earned Rob a 10 and Neil a meerkat, all 3 Hustlers beat their men, despite a spare from the cricket club’s last man, and Hustlers declared 19 pins to the good making 5 wins from the last 7.
| Home vs Shurdington 6 February 17 – Won by 19 | |||||||||
| Place | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total | V man! |
| 1 | Clive | 13 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 46 | 6 |
| 2 | Brian | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 40 | 3 |
| 3 | John | 4 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 35 | 5 |
| Leg | 24 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 121 | 14 | |
| 4 | Lewis | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 40 | 4 |
| 5 | Dave | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 21 | -17 |
| 6 | Jim-Bob | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 31 | -2 |
| Leg | 14 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 92 | -15 | |
| 7 | Steve | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 35 | 2 |
| 8 | Swayner | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 41 | 4 |
| 9 | Stu | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 29 | -1 |
| Leg | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 13 | 15 | 105 | 5 | |
| 10 | Neil | 5 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 9 |
| 11 | Pete | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 36 | 3 |
| 12 | Rob | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 3 |
| Leg | 15 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 21 | 122 | 15 | |
| Hustlers 440 v 421 Shurdington | |||||||||