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30 This left the Halvergate pair needing a full house to force an extra end but losing an early
bowl off the mat left Cooke with the only option of trying to kill the end. Unfortunately for
the Halvergate pair he failed to achieve this and another single to the Goldsmiths saw them
record an 11-4 win to become Bure Pairs Champions.
Ryan Fox is Bure Singles Champion at first attempt
17-year-old Ryan Fox of Halvergate won the Bure Singles
Championship title at the first attempt in the final hosted by
Windows SMBC. Robert Howlett of East Tuddenham was
his opponent in the final but suffered the same fate as the
previous evening when he was defeated in the Bure Triples
Final.
Throughout the evening Ryan Fox, currently ESMBA
Under 18’s Champion, proved the most consistent bowler
in the hall putting his opponents under intense pressure.
In the final he took a single on the first end drawing in a
great last bowl to take a 1-0 lead. On the second end he
played a great forehand forcing bowl that left him holding
two shots and Robert Howlett could not retrieve the situa-
tion with his last bowl of the end.
Fox kept up the pressure on the next end, drawing a
toucher with his opening bowl, which held shot until the
Howlett’s last bowl of the end which was a good backhand
that took shot and got him on the scorecard with a single.
On the fourth end Howlett set a much longer jack than Fox had
been doing but dropped short with his first wood while Ryan Fox
drew in a good bowl just beyond the jack. With Fox in control of
the end Howlett elected to use weight with his final bowl but went
too wide and Fox increased his lead to 5-1.
Another single followed on the next end and on the sixth
end Howlett was in trouble again. Once more he resorted to
weight with his final wood of the end, and managed to cut Fox
down to another single, but the score was now 7-1 to the Halver-
gate bowler and Howlett faced a mountain to climb just as he had
faced the night before in the triples final. Robert Howlett raised
his game on the seventh end and made a much better start even-
tually taking two shots off Fox. Another single to Howlett followed
on the eighth end and Fox’s lead had now been reduced to 7-4
with two ends remaining.
Howlett opened the penultimate end with a nice forehand
draw, but Fox immediately countered with a toucher before
Bure Singles Finalist
Howlett retook shot with his second bowl of the end. It proved to Bure Singles Finalist
Robert Howlett
be a great end of bowls, with both players hitting top form, and Robert Howlett
Fox was forced to attack with his final bowl that cut Howlett to just a single. That left the score
at 7-5 to Ryan Fox with one end remaining.
Robert Howlett, perhaps trying too hard, was too wide with his first bowl and too tight with
his second while Ryan Fox drew in two bowls. Howlett then used weight to shoot the jack into
the ditch to hold shot.
Fox went too wide and off the side with his third wood leaving Howlett with the chance to
draw in a second wood to force an extra end. Unfortunately for Howlett he failed to reach with
his last wood leaving Fox in a championship holding position. Surprisingly he still elected to play
his last wood but did not alter the situation and he had won the final by 7-6.