Ronnie & Alan Hart Pairs Competition – Another Fantastic Day at the Club

What a fantastic day we had for our annual Ronnie & Alan Hart Pairs Crown Green Bowling Competition!

The competition, which pairs bowlers with non-bowlers, has become a brilliant day in the club calendar, bringing people together for some friendly competition, plenty of laughs and, as the day progressed, some increasingly serious bowling!

We couldn’t have asked for much better weather. Plenty of warm sunshine was on offer throughout the day, with just the occasional patch of cloud passing through – perfect conditions for an afternoon on the green.

Bacon, sausage and then down to business!

The day got underway at 11am with bacon and sausage butties being served, and they certainly went down well. A big thank you to everyone involved in preparing, cooking and serving them.

At 12 noon it was time for the bowling to begin, with the teams split into four groups for the opening stage of the competition.

There was some excellent bowling throughout the groups, particularly from a few of our so-called “non-bowlers”, who perhaps won’t be allowed to use that description for much longer!

After some close matches, big wins and plenty of good-natured competition, the group stages were completed and we moved on to the semi-finals.

The semi-finals

The first semi-final saw Ben Markham & Mark Houlihan take on Jimmy Bolton & David Hodge.

It proved to be a very close contest, with Ben and Mark eventually edging their way into the final with a 15–13 victory.

The other semi-final saw Dennis Clayton & Tracy McMullan produce an excellent performance to book their place in the final, defeating Scott Taylor & Ellie Petrie 15–4.

That left us with our final:

Ben Markham & Mark Houlihan v Dennis Clayton & Tracy McMullan

Before that, though, everyone took a well-earned break at around 4.30pm for a buffet and a chance to recharge the batteries after a busy afternoon.

A competitive final!

Once everyone had been suitably fed, it was back out onto the green for the final – and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

It was a competitive match from start to finish, with some superb bowls being played by both pairs. Once again, the standard from the “non-bowlers” was particularly impressive and showed exactly what this competition is all about.

In the end, Ben Markham & Mark Houlihan came through to win the final 15–10 against Dennis Clayton & Tracy McMullan, becoming our 2026 Ronnie & Alan Hart Pairs Champions.

Congratulations to Ben and Mark, and also to Dennis and Tracy on an excellent run to the final.

Thank you to everyone involved

Most importantly, a huge thank you must go to everyone who helped make the day possible.

Events like this don’t simply happen. There is a lot of work involved behind the scenes – setting everything up, organising the competition, preparing and serving food, running the bar, looking after the green, tidying up and all the other jobs that need doing throughout the day.

There are simply too many people to mention individually, but you know who you are, and your help is very much appreciated. Without you, the day wouldn’t run anywhere near as smoothly as it does.

Thank you also to everyone who entered, supported the event and came along during the day. The atmosphere was excellent from beginning to end.

Another brilliant Ronnie & Alan Hart Pairs Competition in the books – congratulations again to our winners Ben Markham & Mark Houlihan, runners-up Dennis Clayton & Tracy McMullan, and everyone who took part.

See you all again next year!

Stuart Markham

Hon. Secretary