The Knock Out Cup for 2009

First Round Draw

Plough B   v   Air Hostess 6

Nutbrook 2   v   Killarney Park 1

Red Lion Tree   v   3 Crowns            Air Hostess 5   v   Air Hostess 3  

Nag's Head   2   v   Plough T/Acre           Nutbrook 1   v   Cap & Stocking    

Plough A   v   Nag's Head 1             Killarney Park 2   v   Red Lion Too

(Games  played on 2nd. July 2009)

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       Quarter Finals Cup Draw                                                               Plate Draw

Nutbrook 1       v       Red Lion Too                    Air Hostess 3     v     Nag's Head 1 (withdrawn) 

Red Lion Tree  4 - 0    Air Hostess 6

Plough T/Acre   v       Nutbrook 2

Air Hostess 5    v       Plough A  (withdrawn)

(Ties played on Thursday 27th August 2009)

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Semi-Finals Knock-out Cup

                                                    Air Hostess 5 .........3 - 1.........Plough Thorpe Acre                                           (venue Plough Normanton)

Red Lion Tree.....v.....Nutbrook 1

Plate Semi-Final

                                 3 Crowns (Hathern)........3 - 1........Air Hostess 3                                                               (venue Plough T/Acre)                                  

Ties played 3rd September @ neutral venues

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Knock-out Cup Final

                                               Red Lion Tree...........3 - 2...........Air Hostess 5                                                         (after extra time)

Final played at Thorpe Acre on 10th September. 

Read on for results and match reports........

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Match Report - Semi-final     Air Hostess 5  ..... 3 - 1 .....  Plough T/Acre 

The full moon rose in a clear sky over an initially crowded piste at Normanton's Plough Inn on the cool evening of Thursday 3rd.September. Air Hostess 5 pairings of Rob & Malcolm and Mike & Peter  took on the Plough at Thorpe Acre's pairings of Mike Webb & John A.  and Dave with John Edmundson. Little between these teams during the League season both finishing on top of the Division One table with equal number of games won but the Plough shading it on a points difference count back.

All set for a bit of a tussle then... but not really, Dave & John winning their first game against Mike & Peter at a bit of a canter 13-2 whereas Rob & Malcolm turned the tables on the other side of the piste winning 13-3 against Mike Webb & John.

Égalité at the half way stage. Having won the toss, the Plough had elected to be the "away" team and consequently had the advantage of choosing to stay on the same pistes for the second encounter.

Undeterred by the change of piste and buoyed up by their initial success, Rob & Malcolm continued in the same vein for Air Hostess 5, the soft piste favouring Malcolm's pointing style. Anything threatening in the head was immediately dispatched by Rob including the cochonette on numerous occasions. Dave and John found it difficult to stay in touch and the Air Hostess pair ran out winners 13-2.

Meanwhile on the other side, a monumental tussle was in progress. All the points were hard fought and singly accrued. At 8-6 in Peter & Mike's favour, the other players (having completed) gathered to watch the ensueing battle. This seemed to work in favour of the Plough and they pulled a point back at the next two ends to draw level. It looked as though they were in for a couple more at the next end but Mike Webb's boule dragged the coche towards Air Hostess 5's two back boules....10-8.  Some great long range pointing by Mike W. over the next few ends and with Peter's firing boule disappearing toward the Melton Road, the Plough crept infront at 12-11. Mike Webb and John again put pressure on with some great long pointing, but this time Peter's shooting under real 'game on the ground' pressure paid off and after a measuring session on the second boule, the game belonged to the Air Hostess 13-12.

This clinched the tie, the Air Hostess 5 team winning 3-1 and a place in next week's final against Red Lion Tree or Nutbrook 1. Well done guys!

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Match Report  Round 1:-  Air Hostess 5 v Air Hostess 3  (4 - 0)

The AH5 team pairings of Malcolm & Andrew  and Will & John proved too strong for AH3 and the Division One leaders ran out comfortable winners 4-0 on a warm balmy evening. The dry terrain made the piste unpredictable giving some uncharacteristic direction deviations to which Jules and Mike seemed quick to adapt in the early stages. Some accurate pointing by the AH5 pair hauled them infront and a couple of ends reaping 4 boules apiece sealed the game for AH5. This was uncannily mirrored in the other game with Will & John against Ann & Ian. The score on one piste was reflected moments later on the other, with the AH3 pair finishing on the wrong side of a 13-4 scoreline.

The second games pitched Ann & Ian against Andrew & Malcolm, the latter pair getting a great advantage with a maximum on the first end and not really looking back after that. An unfortunate final boule ricochet from AH3 sent the cochonnet into the carpark with AH5 holding 4 unplayed boules. A stoic stance at the next end nearly put AH3 on the scoreboard but Andrew sealed the game with some excellent pointing. The final game was not so straight forward with Jules & Mike matching Will & John point for point on the first half of the scoreboard. Then aggressive tactics by John & Will paid off and put some difference between the scoreboard pegs and the AH5 pair ran out winners 13-6 

Match Report Round 1 :-  Plough B   v   Air Hostess 6  (2-3 aet)

An ideal evening for a Petanque match; dry, warm and with a slight breeze. The Plough's garden was busy with eaters and drinkers, adding to the sense of occasion.

The night saw AH6 pairings of Richard & Kevin alongside David & Dennis take on the Plough B team fronted by their club captain Norman. Kevin and Richard took their first game 13-5 in convincing style, whilst Dennis and David conceded by the same amount, so all square after the first games.

Round 2, this time David and Dennis comfortably won their game 13-4, by which time Richard and Kevin were 7-7 and needing a win to clinch the match. However rattling the hidden manhole cover did little to improve their accuracy. Norman's shooting and his partner Dave's pointing were a good combination. The piste was starting roughen up, introducing a random element that the Plough seemed to benefit from, or maybe they could read their piste a little better. After a lengthy game the Plough pulled out a 13-11 win, levelling the match 2-2.

Norman and his erstwhile partner Dave had won both their games, so inevitably they would go into the play off. AH6 captain Richard chose Kevin and himself to face them, having already nearly beaten them.

But first the food was served indoors.

Returning outside and assisted by floodlights now, the play off was to be played over the full piste. After two ends AH6 were 7-0 down. Slowly the AH6 adjusted their play and point by point started to close the gap to 9-4, then after a few more ends levelled it at 11-11. The next end saw AH6 holding one, the Plough with their last boule managed to nudge a second AH6 boule into a scoring position giving AH6 a hard fought 13-11 victory.