Everyone a winner

The second leg of a memorial match between Holt and West Runton bowls clubs ended with a win for the former and a generous donation for charity.

The event, at Holt, was held to celebrate the life of John Cooke, who was captain at West Runton and also a keen player at
Holt.

The two clubs have enjoyed a friendly rivalry for many years, and John’s friends harnessed this competitiveness to organise the two-leg contest to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in his memory.

John died suddenly from a MND-related illness.

The day of the match started out windy and sunny, with rain forecast – but that didn’t put off the 36 players who gathered for the fiercely-contested friendly.

West Runton held a slender lead from the first game, meaning that Holt had to emulate England’s Lionesses and come from behind to win.

A heavy shower as the game was about to start threatened to stop play, but as soon as it dried out the players – cheered on by their supporters – got on with the game, which was played “with much good humour and camaraderie, and an eye on the score boards”.

Home green advantage soon became clear and Holt went on to become the first winners of the John Cooke Trophy which was adorned in the colours of John’s beloved West Ham United FC.

His widow Marion presented it to Ray Carter, captain of Holt.

West Runton accepted defeat gracefully and threw down the challenge to try to win it next year – a  challenge accepted by Holt.

And while Holt might have won the trophy, the big winner was MNDA, with £1,100 raised over the two games thanks to the generosity of the members of both clubs and John’s family and friends.