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A uniquely enjoyable day at Burridge on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25th, for the celebration of Cobbetts’ 50th Anniversary.
A glorious sunny day brought out members new and old, current members, past members and family members. An amazing 55 of them elected to play in the Anniversary Melee, while numerous others chose to watch or turned up during the day to join in the festivities.
When play finished we returned to the clubhouse for a welcome drink followed by the ‘formal’ toasts, firstly to absent friends and then to the future success of Cobbetts.
Dave Kilshaw then surprised us all by bringing out a huge 50th anniversary cake which he had decorated himself.
We then tucked into pulled-pork baps expertly cooked by Chris Barron and Graham Blake along with a wonderful variety of salads prepared using vegetables from Chris’ allotment.
Then came the prize-giving for the melee. After 4 rounds of 25 minutes, 6 players remained unbeaten.
6th place went to Glenn Floyd, a member since 1982, with 3 wins and 1 draw +16
After a stewards enquiry and a further recount today:
5th place went to Dave Stubbs, also a member since 1982, with 4 wins +23
4th place went to Ness Raynbird, a newer arrival from 2021, with 4 wins +25
3rd place went to Peter Dawson, an even newer arrival from 2022, with 4 wins +26
2nd Place went to Eileen Ashley, also a member from 2022, with 4 wins +29
The winner was Graham Blake , another member since 2021, with an impressive 4 wins+35
This was followed by some songs from the Cobbetts Crooners led by Jim Bardell and featuring Terri Cox, Viv Tilbury and Steve Brickell, while everyone was encouraged to sing along. The finale being a song written especially for the occasion to the tune of Sweet Caroline!
On display were many photographs, rolls of honour, press cuttings and a timeline covering the 50 years of the club. There was also a selection of trophies including the Meon Valley Cup, first played for by Cobbetts and Shedfield in 1976, and claimed to be the oldest pétanque challenge trophy in Britain.
A great big thank you to all those who worked hard for countless hours before and on the day to make this all possible, not forgetting those who helped with the final clearing up!
Maybe we should do it all again for our 60th?