Page 13 - SMI Spring 2017 Revised

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McNicholl makes it seven singles wins for Ireland 13
McNicholl makes it seven singles wins for Ireland
Martin McNicholl quickly nailed his colours to the mast and opened with a 21 - 12 blast
against Wales Osian Elias (easily the best name at the Championships). For England Callum
Beale led 13 - 3 after ten of the 18 ends and 16 - 4 two ends later but Robert Lenza for Scotland
managed to step up his game and scored 9 shots conceding just 3 over the next six ends to lose
by a respectable 13 - 19.
Callum Beale’s next game was against Wales’ Osian Elias and with three ends to go the
game was all-square at 11 all but the Welshman then conjured up a stunning 4 - 3 - 3 finish for a
21 - 11 victory. Ireland’s Martin McNicoll was just 11 - 9 up after 13 ends but then scored four
successive singles to lead 15 - 9 with just the last end to and once again Scotland’s Robert Lenza
added respectability to the score with a last end full house for to go down 13 - 15.
In the third and final round Martin McNicol just needed a win to take the singles title but was
pushed all the way by Callum Beale but couldn’t prevent the Irishman winning 17 - 16 to take the
singles title. Osian Elias meanwhile wrapped up second spot, scoring a full-house four on the last
end to take a 19 - 16 victory.

England’s Thomas & Studden take the Pairs
England’s Thomas & Studden take the Pairs
The pairs was the kind of event were
BRITISH ISLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
BRITISH ISLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
everybody was beating everybody else,
a real open event, with England only
having won once, in 2001.
Things did not start well for Eng-
land’s Emily Thomas & Dave Studden in
their opening game against Wales. At
one point after 12 of the 18 ends they
were 10 all but then dropped successive
fours and a single to go 10 - 19 with just
three ends to go and eventually lost 21
- 13.
Ireland’s Stephen & Graham
Kennedy were made to work hard by
Scotland’s Dave Harrigan & Tom Hamil-
ton. The Irish put in a run from ends
seven to ten, taking eight shots over the
four ends to lead 11 - 5. Thereafter the
ends were mostly singles as the Irish
pair won 16 - 10.
In the next round the Scots pushed
“A” Pairs winners Emily Thomas and
Dave Studden,with Bromsgrove DC Vice the English hard and over the closing 6
Chairman Councillor Malcolm Glass, ends scored five singles to England’s
ESMBA President George Clark and one, which left the English pair scraping
Runners-up Graham & Stephen Kennedy a win 11 - 10. The Welsh pair the in-
flicted a 21 - 18 defeat on the Irish duo
in a high scoring game.
In the third and final round everything was in the hands of the Welsh Pair, with a win securing
them the title. However, their Irish opponents had other ideas and from 8 - 5 ahead the Irish then
scored five successive single to lead 13 - 5 and eventually won 20 - 10.
This left everything in the hands of the English pair who then battered the Scots, taking
eleven ends in a row to lead 26 - 1 and then winning 31 - 3. This result left four teams equal on
points but by virtue of their stunning final game England took the title with a shots plus of 23
against runner-up Ireland with 13.