NATIONAL MIXED FOURS & OVER 55s PAIRS FINALS.

It was a disappointing weekend at the Melton Mowbray Bowls Centre for North Yorkshire, as our two representative teams in the competitions both failed to get into the knockout stages.

On the Saturday, our Mixed Fours team of James Clark, Pauline Dickinson and Lilly & Steve Duffin put up a good showing, beating Oxfordshire 1 10-7, drawing 6-6 to Cornwall 1, and narrowly losing out 5-7 to Wiltshire 2. With only the top two going through to the knockout stage, a third place finish meant a lunchtime exit, and the long drive home for our fours.

After a long, long day, the tense late evening final ending at 9:30, was a closely fought battle with a score line that didn’t reflect just how close the game was. Eventually it was the Herefordshire 2 team of Dawn & Rebecca Cox Bryan Watkins and John Mills who took the title from West Midlands 2, 7-3

 

The following day saw Jean Bridges & Pete Arthur in the Over 55s Pairs. Despite a good 11-3 win against Hampshire 3, losses against Gloucestershire 3 (5-14) and Essex 1 (3-9) saw them finish bottom in their group, with the consolation of a leisurely carvery lunch in the centres excellent restaurant.

The Final was won 12-8 by Surry’s Terry Osgood & Rob Edwards, against Kent’s Thomas Coles & Paul Hutson, making it the first ever win for a Surry team in a national final.