Page 40 - Spring 2018 Final

Jason McClean 2:Layout 1 02-Apr-18 5:17 PM Page 1

Two Dicks & Dom only allowed one end to get 40
away in a 15-4 demolition of Southern Goon-
ers, and PEP eased past Bursledon 11-7.
Morello Boys (last year’s losing Plate semi-fi-
nalists) cruised past Lavington 11-2.
Southampton SMBC (the winners of last
year’s Plate competition) however needed an
extra end to remain in the competition against
Portsmouth team “MVS” picking up one addi-
tional shot.
Matches in the knockout round of the
Plate competition, were only being played Plate winners Wokingham B
over 6 ends and became almost sudden death Colin Devereaux, Teresa Johnson,
affairs. This saw Wokingham “A” and “B”, Peter Brook
Clive’s Crowd, Two Men & A Lady, and No
Hopers, safely through to the next round. Two Men etc, Wokingham B, No Hopers, and No
Ideas then negotiated their way through to the semi-finals.
The Quarter Finals of the Main competition threw up more great games with “Two Men &
A Baby” completely outclassing “Ethics” 10-2, PEP crushed Two Dicks & Dom 12-6, picking up
a Hot Shot 6 along the way, Morello Boys winning 8-4 and Southampton beating more club
team-mates “Hairy Potter” 10-4.
The semi-finals of both competitions ran along-
side each other. The Plate saw No Hopers & No
Ideas contest a thrilling match with Hopers run-
ning out 10-5 winners, whilst Wokingham B eased
more gently to a 7-3 win over Two Men & A Lady.
The Main event found the Morello Boys con-
tinuing in dominant form until halfway when they
took their foot off the pedal a little going from 10-
2 to 10-6 up.
It proved to be only a temporary lapse as
they pushed away to a 13-9 victory to put them
Plate Finalists No Hopers into the final. Southampton were 11-1 up with two
Chris Batty Sally Hurst Ken Balchen ends to go against Two Men & A Baby, dropped a
4 on the penultimate end but finished with a 12-5 victory. Two Southampton based SM teams
in the final. Who would have bragging rights at the end of the day?
Both finals ran side by side, with the Plate destined to finish earlier being played over 6
ends rather than the 9 ends for the Main competition. It was a close game, with only 9 shots
being scored overall, but Wokingham “B” (Teresa Johnson, Colin Devereaux & Peter Brooks)
emerged victorious over Meon Valley’s No Hopers Ken Balchen, Chris Batty & Sally Hurst) 6-
3. The Main competition was a very closely contested affair as was to be expected seeing the
calibre of all 6 players and all from the same Club.
After the 3rd end, Southampton was 3-0 down, and every end had seen changeovers of
shots but the Morello Boys (George, Martin & Ben Cherry) held a slender advantage each time.
However by the completion of the 8th and penultimate end, the scores were level at 4-4.
A thrilling final end was thus set up which would decide who was to win the match, and with
every bowl played the possession of the head changed. The end swung to and fro. Excellent
drawing skills were displayed by every member.
Holding a slender single shot to win the match, Jason played down with his final bowl to
safely play away the opposition’s best back wood, and indeed the only wood behind the jack,
which removed Ben’s option of playing into the head and moving the jack to their own wood at
the back.