Berkeley pulls off an inter-club hat trick!

The annual Meat Axe Challenge between Berkeley and Palo Alto has been played nearly every year since 1958.  It has always manifested the best of lawn bowls competition, with a combination of competitiveness, joviality, and good sportsmanship. This year’s edition was no exception. 

Palo Alto traveled north, keen to avenge last year’s loss on their home turf.  The schedule called for five 12-end triples games in the morning and afternoon sessions, with the trophy going to the side with the most game points … three for a win, one for a tie.

The unseasonably chilly, misty weather did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of both squads. Like liposuction, the contest was nip and tuck all the way. In the morning, the visitors captured three of the five matches, winning two of them quite handily.  It was nervous times for the Blue and Gold as Palo Alto seemed to have the upper hand.  They only had 15 bowlers, so their teams could remain the same.  We had 25, which demanded a juggling act to add 10 new bowlers in the afternoon. Only our five skips bowled both games.  

They had stability, we had depth. Ultimately, depth prevailed as we won four of the five afternoon matches to secure an 18-12 victory.  The Meat Axe remains where it seems happiest … in our clubhouse.

Once again, kudos to our greenskeepers for the beautiful and speedy green, and to our Hospitality Committee for the yummy snacks and barista-quality coffee.  And an extra shout out to our Tournament Committee for arranging and rearranging the team assignments. 

Moreover, we swept the season’s three inter-club matches for the second year in a row.