Pitcher and Le Quesne Open 2025 – Sun Bowls Club
Now in its 5th successful year, the Pitcher and Le Quesne Open took place recently at the Sun Bowls Club at First Tower. The original aim of the event was to do something a little different and to showcase bowls in a different light. The competition is based on the highly successful Australian Bowls Premier League. Each game consisted of 2 sets of 5 ends and in the event of a draw, a tie-break end was played. The format for the sets was 3 wood pairs, which became 2 wood triples in the tie-break. During the sets play, a team member could be substituted meaning that all 3 team members played a part in each game. Added to that was the chance to nominate a ‘powerplay’ end where the shots scored – if any – were doubled.
24 teams of 3 players drawn in to 4 groups of 6 teams competed over the round-robin group stage, with the top 2 teams in each group going through to the quarterfinals and the knock-out stage.
Spot prizes were available over the 2 days of competition, including one for the best team outfit. Other spot prizes were on offer for scoring a ‘hot-shot’ (all 6 woods counting) and also a ‘powerplay’ score of 8 shots or more. Team outfits were many and varied – as were the team names – and certainly added to the carnival atmosphere on the green, as did the music being played in the background.
The competition got under way on Saturday morning. Teams had embraced the spirit of ‘fancy dress’ in different ways and so the green was a wash of colour and fancy outfits as the group stages got under way.
By the end of the final group games on Sunday morning, the top 2 teams in each group had been decided and they progressed through to the quarter-finals and the knockout stages. The draw was as follows: ‘101 Dalmations’ v ‘Cowboy and his Indians’, ‘2 Bros and their Ho’ v ‘H20 Heroes’, ‘Not so Great Gatsby’ v ‘Where the Wally are we?’ and ‘The Bumblebees’ v ‘Brelades Marauders’.
After 4 close games, the semi-final line-up saw ‘101 Dalmations’ winning against ‘2 Bros and their Ho’ in 2 straight sets, whilst ‘The Bumblebees’ needed a tie-break end to overcome ‘Not so Great Gatsby’.
In spite of the ‘carnival’ atmosphere on the green over the course of the weekend, the bowls was very serious and keenly contested and there was some outstanding play to enthral and entertain the spectators, many of whom stayed to the very end in spite of the later than expected finish on the Sunday. The final was no exception and it was a very close contest from the outset.
In the end, it was ‘The Bumblebees’ (Brian Bisson, Ann Bisson and Rab Brown) who took the honours on a tie-break against ‘101 Dalmations’ (Greg Davis, Cathy Le Sueur and Jamie Lawson – the defending champions). The 3rd and 4th place play-off was not played with both teams agreeing to share the spoils in equal 3rd place.
The prize for the best fancy dress, voted for by the players themselves, was almost unanimously awarded to ‘Dia de Muertos’ (Rob Clive, Sandra and Ian Black).
At the presentation ceremony, Sun Bowls President Peter Davis thanked all those who had contributed in any way towards a successful weekend. Special mention was paid to the organising committee for masterminding another enjoyable event and also to those who had helped in any way with the catering, the bar, the BBQ on the Saturday evening, and preparing the green. The players and spectators also got recognition for the part that they had played. Peter also acknowledged the generous sponsorship of Pitcher and Le Quesne Funeral Services, without whom, the Sun Open would not be possible.
Sun Bowls Club, Jersey 