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MATCH REPORTs |
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HARTSTOPPERS |
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Merda Satis |
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Tue 23rd February V Supertramps @ Conservative Club Score : 417 - 397 (Won by 20)
Ric puts Supertramps to the sword
Ric came back to haunt his old team with a brilliant 65 – a new alley record for a Hartstopper at the Conservative Club.
In the early stages the Supertramps hit 57 for 3 consecutive hands but we just could not get going at all After we shaded the 4th by 1, with Juan getting a stick-up, we were still 6 behind.
The 5th hand was pivotal to the match. Throwing first they got 47. It was now that Ric hit top gear. He left himself one pin to get a stick-up. His second ball took an age to reach the other end, weaving down the alley as it went – will it hit or will it miss????
It hit!!!! – we sang the song with great gusto! He converted his stick-up to 17. We hit 70 to go into a 17 pin lead. Ric’s throw turned the whole momentum of the game on it’s head.
In the 6th we held off a good response from the Supertramps thanks to another Ric stick-up (and he was sober!). Their challenge faltered when they hit 50 on the last hand, meaning we only wanted 36 to win – for once we did it without too many scares.
Decent beer – good food – and 2 points – a good night out!!
Top Score:- Ric 65 (Alley Record)
Champagne Moment :- Ric’s second ball trundler on his way to 17 Best Quote :- Bruce’s comment that, after that performance, perhaps Ric should drive every week and Flash’s agreement!
Thu 18th February V Villains @ Home Score : 427 - 425 (Won by 2)
A close call but revenge is sweet!
This was always going to be a close game, with Villains just 1 place behind us in the league table. The game earlier in the season had seen us behind all game, pulled back to 1 behind then crumble with a paltry 45 on the final hand.
This time, Hartstoppers stormed in to a lead of 22 on the first hand with stickups from Hartley and Juan, playing as the anchor pair in El Cid’s absence. This was extended further over the next couple of hands and we ended up going into the last hand 26 ahead.
Villains proceeded to hit 73 to set us a target of 48 to win. Surely lightning couldn’t strike twice? The top half managed just 23 between them, prompting Villains captain to comment “that will make it interesting”. This fortunately made us more determined than ever to win. Hartley and Juan needed 14 between them. Hartley managed a really good 8 after a difficult split which set Juan up with 6 to win. As many in the crowd predicted, Juan got his “SEVEN” and we won by 2.
Top Score:- Hartley / Juan 62
Champagne Moment :- Hartley’s 8 on the last hand when we needed it most
Best Quote :- “that will make it interesting” from the Villains which proved to be just the inspiration we needed.
Thu 11th February V Alocotops @ The Gurkha Score : 382 - 423 (Lost by 41)
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
This was the coldest ever Hartstopper match – even the old alley at the White Hart had a few heaters in it. Thermals, hats and gloves would have been useful for this one (and a winter warmer beer!)
We can’t blame the conditions for our defeat at the Gurkha. We were soundly beaten by a very good Alcotops side.
We drew the first hand, and took a 2 pin lead after the second hand. This hand was Hartstopper skittles in it’s purest form. PA got 3 to lead us off and muttered that he and Flash would not be dancing tonight as he left the alley. This inspired Flash to get a stick-up, getting 15 on his own!! Derek then backed this up with an OXO. We started 3 – 15 – 0. The bottom half managed to bring some consistency (in terms of pins anyway) to shade it.
After that it was one-way traffic – a hand of 68 for Alcotops and then a 60, combined with a hand in the 40’s for us saw them pull well clear. In the end they won by 40+
The legend that is Dreamon Morey was recognised by one of his disciples – he knew that he was the skittler once known as Demon. He’ll be in OK next – mark my words!
Top Score:- Flash 57
Champagne Moment :- Flash’s stick up Best Quote :- Joint Award – “Wasn’t he called Demon last time?”
Thu 4th February V Hotshots @ Home Score : 422 - 413 (Won by 9)
Hotshots Victory
Over the years we have played the Hotshots numerous times, and the teams have been quite evenly matched. However, this was a fairly comfortable victory.
We won each of the first 5 hands, though not by big margins. This was achieved with the help of stick ups from Bomber, Dreamon and El Cid.
Rafa was amazingly consistent in the middle order, and Flash ensured the “Spirit of Ric” was at the game in his absence with great flair.
They came back towards the end, but we got home without too many scares.
Top Score:- Bomber / Dreamon 59
Champagne Moment :- Any one of the stick-ups Best Quote :- Joint Award – Dreamon for “He would fart as a comment” when talking about what Ric would say. Also Dreamon (again) with Hartley for “Grasshopper – Hartstopper”
Thu 21st January V Old Spice Yokels @ Home Score : 411 - 438 (Lost by 27)
Yokels too good
Sometimes a team simply plays better than you, and this was one of those occasions. We played quite well, but on the night Yokels were excellent.
The first 4 hands were quite tight, with Rafa (or Dirk) getting 2 stick-ups in the first 2 hands. But a hand of 78 in the 5th saw the visitors take a 21 pin lead.
We hit 67 on the last hand, but it was not enough and the Yokels cruised home.
Top Score:- Josh / Jose / Rafa / DK 63
Champagne Moment :- DK’s 2 stick-ups Best Quote :- Derek’s bottom commenting on El Zim’s bolter
Fri 15th January V Colliton Spares @ Colliton 1 Score : 439 - 413 (Won by 26)
Relaxed Ric
This was a comfortable victory over Colliton Spares on the Colliton 1 alley.
Before the game Ric informed Hartley that he would be relaxed tonight because he would have some wine with his dinner. No-one thought this would make any difference, but how wrong we were!!
2 stick-ups in the first 3 hands from Ric had everyone extolling the virtues of his wine sampling. “Pinot” was the chant everytime he threw. He ended the night with 70 – and that from a player who would have been dropped if Juan was available.
A consistent team performance with every hand in the 60’s – not like us at all!!
Top Score:- Ric 70
Champagne Moment :- Ric’s score of 70 Best Quote :- “Pinot”
Thu 5th November V Tinklers @ Home Score : 410 - 436 (Lost by 26)
Report to Follow
Quote of the night:
Magic (Champagne, Jack) moment: Bomber’s 18 - Flopper, 8 leaving the backer. Oh what it could have been!
Top Score – Bomber 60
Fri 18th September V Hotshots @ Conservative Club Score : 437 - 388 (Won by 49)
3 out of 3 as Hartstoppers hit the Perfect 8
This was a night of excess and extremes in many ways. Hartstoppers came into the game confident after a good start to Section B. Throwing first; we were caught out early on by a classic flair moment from Ric to get an early stickup. No jacks were called, but this is something we made up for later as the stickups followed.
We intially went 3 down, despite a stickup from Juan continuing his good form of the previous week, and this was held after 2 hands. A good third hand saw Rafa hit a flopper then finish with 18 (to nicely balance the oxo he got the previous week), to give us an 11 lead after 3 hands.
The lead grew steadily as different players got stick ups and the hand scores stayed high. Many calls for Jacks went up. PA got the classic Jack shot to earn many Jacks – unfortunately the excitement was too much as he bolted the third ball. The beer and Jacks flowed as the stickups came. For some reason there was what appeared to be a wig on the alley, and there were several Michael Jackson quotes.
Down to the 6th hand and Flash became the 7th player to get a stickup (and Jacks), just leaving Al-Z as the last man standing. He had been steadily improving all night after a slow start, and on the last hand made it 8 out of 8 as he hit a 13. Many High Fives and Jacks. We were well ahead by now, and eventually won the match by 49.
As far as we can remember this was the first time in Hartstoppers history that every player got a stick up in the same match. A perfect 8 and a great team performance!
Quote of the night: Flash - on the 6th hand after becoming the 7th player of the night to get a stick-up: “So, is it just the captain who hasn’t got a stick up tonight?”
Magic (Champagne, Jack) moment: Captains reply as he gets a stick up 13 on the last hand to make it a Perfect 8 for the team, to earn a full house of Jacks!
Top Score – Juan 60
Thu 11th September V Chimps @ Home Score : 418 - 405 (Won by 13)
Chimps go Bananas as Stopppers Swing to Victory
A fantastic performance from Alan ‘Juan’ Fowler on his birthday, hitting 80 to break the previous alley record of 76, gave Hartstoppers a 2 out of 2 winning start to the first season back in Section B.
The match started very close, with the lead swinging back and forth between Chimps and Hartstoppers. First we were down, and then up, then down, then back up, where we stayed. There wasn’t much in it to start with, single figure lead by Chimps. Then consecutive stick ups from Juan and Al-Z, of 14 then15, gave us a small lead after 2 hands. A poor 3rd saw us behind again, but back with a small lead after the 4th hand. This was slightly increased on the 5th, before a big score on the 6th saw us go into the last hand 20 ahead.
A low 48 from Chimps meant we only needed 29 to win. We struggled, with only 19 from the first 5 players (including an oxo). Hartley hit a 6, leaving Juan to take the match in style with his 4th stick up of the night, to give him a 14, and an alley record acore of 80!
Well done the birthday boy!
Quote of the night:
“It must be my birthday!” Juan after stick up number 2. “Dunno about Stevie G, more like Stevie W”, after the oxo!
Magic (Champagne, Jack) moment:
Juan’s final stick up of 14 to give him an alley record of 80.
Top Score – Juan 80
Wed 3rd September V Old Spice Yokels @ Colliton 1 Score : 435 - 421 (Won by 14)
Stoppers gain Away Win in First Section B game
We made a good start to life in Section B with a comfortable-ish away win against Yokels on Colliton Alley 1.
El Cid (a late replacement for Dreamon) lost the toss and we were put on first. We started well – PA got a good 9 (no second fronter’s!) and Bomber hit a stick up. A hand of 65 saw us lead by a couple after the first hand. A Hartley stick-up in the second hand saw us edge further in front.
A pattern was emerging, as although our hand score went down, so did their’s. We won each of the first 4 hands by small margins, and we led by 12. The fifth hand saw them peg our lead back to 10 pins.
The penultimate hand proved to be the important hand of the night. Flash got a stick-up and that was followed up by Hartley getting his second of the night. We hit a hand of 72. To their credit Yokels responded with 70 to see us leading by 12. In the last hand we set them 70 to win, but they never looked like getting them.
Hartley top scored with 65 and 2 stick-ups – that equalled his stick-up total in 24 games in 2008-09!!
Top Score:- Hartley 65
Champagne Moment :- Hartley’s Second Stick Up
Best Quote :- Enjoyed PA’s analogy linking Rafa’s throwing to the ability of various Liverpool players – Rafa to note more Stevie G and less Lucas please!! |