Highgate Win A Thrilling Boughton Bowl

Highgate Win A Thrilling Boughton Bowl

Elana Osen reports:

18/10/22: 9th October 2022 saw the sun glinting off the Boughton Bowl, finally getting its time to shine in the fresh air after spending time in Noah Caplin’s growing collection of silverware.

A bijou entry of five teams of three pairs - which nevertheless made this the largest mixed tournament this calendar year - ended up being ideal for the tournament’s change of venue to Highgate School (mandated by toilet- and personnel-related issues at our sport’s larger venues).

The format was a 2-games-to-12-no-setting round robin, making for 60 quality games of mixed fives, the Wiseman rule in force throughout to test the cut returns and top-step play of the female players. From the first, team captains’ pair choices produced games that teetered on a knife-edge - North Oxford vs Highgate’s second pair a particular >1-hour thriller - and every single game was a positive advertisement for mixed fives. Although there was early North Oxford chatter about a multi-way tie that could not be decided either by head-to-head victory or even individual points scored, welcome newcomers Berkhamsted seemed to have quashed such hopes by winning 10 of their opening 12 games; only veteran Boughton Bowler Charlotta Cooley and Will Woods in the Old Ipswichian first pair were able to make a dent in the Berko armour. Meanwhile, Ipswich School - easily the youngest side - impressed with simultaneously wily and aggressive play and as the day wore on began to convert more and more of this attacking spirit into points. Nowhere was this on better display than in their first-pair match against North Oxford’s Rachel Wood and Nathan Turnbull, with Natasha Gregory and Elliot Caldwell battling their way to 10-3 in game 2 - after a swift loss of their first game - only to lose this step-all thriller at the last (Nathan Turnbull’s off-the-opposition’s-head shot possibly proving decisive).

Steadily accumulating points throughout the rounds of competition, though, were the Old Cholmeleians (and friends), who had confirmed their entry last-minute through Emily Scoones’ superhuman efforts in recruitment. They had played well throughout the day, and in the penultimate round a frisson of excitement percolated through those gathered as the OCs vs Berkhamsted match ended at 3 games to 3, Emily and Abs (suitably hungover as for all major Sunday competitions) just about pegged level by Freya Butler and Ryan Perrie. Various calculations were performed: if Berkhamsted could get a clean sweep of the final round against North Oxford, they would win the competition; if North Oxford won 4-2, they would be victorious. All Highgate could do was watch as their last-round bye left them (Emily especially) on shpilkes, pacing the backs of the courts with heads in hands as Berkhamsted won all three opening games to put the competition within their grasp.

As always with team competitions, though, strength in depth is key. Berkhamsted were facing a North Oxford side that had fielded three separate teams in last year’s tournament, and so it was that in the last game of the last round, tournament victory was settled on the third-pair court when North Oxford wrestled back a game. The resultant 5-1 win for Berkhamsted left them with 18 games won throughout the competition, equal with the Old Cholmeleians. More number-crunching ensued as the OC-Berkhamsted head to head points tally was examined. Two points were the difference, with the OCs having scored 54 against Berkhamsted’s 52, and at 5 o’clock exactly, the Old Cholmeleians & co were presented with the Boughton Bowl by the tournament organiser (the trophy’s namesake having already started the trek back to Ipswich with a minibus full of exhausted schoolchildren).

Thank you to all the team captains, Charlotta Cooley, Peter Boughton, Emily Scoones, Gareth Hoskins, and Anthony Theodossi; to all those who played; to Gareth for invaluable assistance in organising; to Jack Flowers and Highgate School for stepping in as a venue; to Advanta Wealth for their sponsorship and to Peter Boughton once again for the magnificent bowl trophy.

Results

Highgate drew with North Oxford 3-3

Berkhamsted beat Old Ipswichians 4-2

North Oxford beat Old Ipswichians 5-1

Highgate beat Ipswich School 6-0

Highgate beat Old Ipswichians 6-0

Berkhamsted beat Ipswich School 6-0

Highgate drew with Berkhamsted 3-3

North Oxford beat Ipswich School 6-0

Berkhamsted beat North Oxford 5-1

Ipswich School beat Old Ipswichians 4-2

1. Highgate 18 points