For all the indoor season has just got started there has been national success for the area. Melton Mowbray once the home of the EIBA Indoor National Championships held the latter stages of the EIBA Summer Nationals. In the pairs the South Shield’s Vipers duo of Paul Hartley and David Bolt had qualified and were carrying the areas hopes. The opening tie against defending champions Riverain’s Paul Maynard & James Rippey saw the Shields duo ground out a 15-6 win. The Riverain pairing somewhat surprisingly shook hands after only twelve of the eighteen ends played. Lincoln’s Sam Ashton stood in the way for a place in the final, again the Shield’s lads ground out another win 17-12. In the final they tackled Dolphin’s Martin Puckett – at one point the signs weren’t great as Bolt trailed 11-5 but a massive six turned the game around and the Shield’s lads ran out 21-14 winners.
Hartley then turned his attention to the singles looking to repeat James Rippey’s double feat last year. An opening 21-18 win over Colchester’s Shaun Cook was backed up with a 21-10 win over Mid Devon’s Gary Bucknell. Standing in the way of a Hartley double was former Hartlepool player and now playing out of Bristol Gavin Abraham. The latter had landed the other title on offer the Open Triples. Hartley was at his majestic best in the final, running out a 21-12 winner to complete a singles & pairs double. The Summer National’s may lack in quantity but makes up for it in quality.
The weekend saw the remaining PBA Scottish International Open qualifiers at Falkirk and West Lothian. In the Falkirk qualifier a field of fifty six competed for the place at the main event in October. The Cumbria trio of Trevor Taylor, Stu Irwin and Paul Wallace all made early exits. The final was an all Scottish affair as Daniel Gormley beat Gary Hutchison 2-7, 8-2 and 2-1 on a tie break. This is Gormley’s first PBA qualifier success and will now tackle the WBT fourteenth seed Mervyn King, it also puts him in with a chance of making the Top thirty two end of season PBA Tour Card event.
Next day saw West Lothian hold an in house qualifier; this much discussed event is part of the contract with the club as they hold the main event in October. An all West Lothian entry saw Cameron Greer attempt to qualify for the third year but Greer fell at the semi final stage. The winner was Nathan McKendrick and will play the WBT sixteenth seed last year’s runner up Aaron Johnson.
The Scottish International Open takes place on October 21-23 at West Lothian, the Vipers David Bolt will be flying the flag, in the first round he faces a three times winner Scotland’s Stewart Anderson.
South Shield’s Stevie Angus was beaten in the final of the EALABA – English Amputee & Les Autres Bowls Association singles final. In the final Angus lost 11-9 to Harrogate’s Gary Swift at Tamworth.
The GBB Family Pairs Grand Finals day took place on a rain sodden East Leake surface, the title went to Ashley Caress and Jordan Philpott, the winners collected £2200 out of a prize pot of £4600 which compared to some National Governing Bodies prize money payout is amazing.
There have still been a couple of outdoor international events taking place. At the Bowls Europe Mixed Pairs Championship in Jersey England’s Annalisa Dunham and Dominic McVitte took the title. After negotiating a round robin format losing just one set of the six games played the English pair beat Spain in the semi finals and then Israel in the final 8-5, 10-4. The win will have done no harm at all to McVittie’s hopes of landing a Glasgow Commonwealth Games place.
In the Under 25’s event England’s Lloyd Milligan lost in the semi finals to Ireland’s Daniel Spratt but won the bronze medal match against Scotland’s Megan Sproat 7-3, 6-5. England’s other hope Millie Tuck finished third in the round format stage so failed to qualify for the semi finals.
The Under 25 men’s and ladies British Bowls Home International series took place at the Ayr National Centre, rather than the traditional six rink format the series has moved to a more Top Ten format. In the ladies event going into the final session both England & Scotland were locked at the top of the table. So it was fitting the auld enemy clash would decided the title. Just to show how evenly matched both countries were, Scotland won one of the triples and the fours while England won the pairs with the other triples ending up a draw, England however won the overall score 72-65 to leave it level on match points 5-5. The series was therefore decided on shots difference to which England came out winners by thirteen shots.
There was revenge in the men’s series as Scotland finished top by eight points with the clash against England finishing 8-2 in Scotland’s favour.
It has been a tough seven days for the local bowls scene as it lost three good lads. Former Thorney Close, Hylton Colliery Welfare and Houghton Dairy Lane Alan J Dunn sadly passed away, although not seen on the green for a couple of seasons due to ill health. Alan was one of the games characters a keen competitor .
Whitburn’s 97 year old Gillie Matheson sadly passed away.
The third loss sadly was Usworth’s Brian Race, this bowls reporter has had the pleasure of playing alongside Brian for the last three years and it is fair to say a Gent on and off the green. The bowling fraternity pass on their condolences to all the families.