County bowls round-up by Jenny Corn and Alan Jackson

COUNTY LADIES (Pictures by Carol Norton)

The second round of the Middle England League was played against Gloucestershire at Stoke Bowling Club with Warwickshire winning 140-102, writes Jenny Corn.

Highest winning rink went to Janice White (RLS) with Zoe Barnard-Rowland (Welford), Liz Crowther and Donna Kerr (both Lillington) who were trailing 2-7 at 5 ends but started to steam ahead during the second half of the game to finish 36-13.

Debbie Bloxham with Linda Linney (both Stratford), Liz Wooding (Avenue Coventry) and Joy Cooke (Blossomfield) were 6 all at 8 ends but 5 shots on the 9th followed by 4 on the 11th gave them the encouragement they needed and they went on to win 28-12.

Chris Cooke (Southam) with Lynne Innes (Stratford), Jayne Henfrey (Lillington) and Yvonne Bromfield (Rugby Thornfield) started strongly and kept the pressure on as they picked up 10 shots over the 7th and 8th ends eventually winning 27-12.

Moira Parsons with Wendy Holloway (both Welford), Dawn Horne (RLS) and Heather Mills (Grange Ladies) started well but their opponents managed to pull back over the last few ends to win by just one shot 16-17.

Jenny Corn (Lillington) with Sharon Keal (Snitterfield), Mary Wheildon (Warwick Boat Club) and Elaine Taylor (Stoke) were fairly evenly matched until the last few ends losing 18-24.

Maureen Edwards (Rugby Thornfield) with Margaret Grosvenor (Lillington), Di Medhurst (Stoke) and Trish Jarvis (Wolvey) were under the cosh from the start and despite a determined effort over the last few ends they finished 15-24.

COUNTY MEN

Warwickshire made the long trek east to Connaught BC to face Norfolk, where a good afternoon of bowls and a good result made the journey home more enjoyable, the Bears winning 127-117, writes Alan Jackson.

Barry Sheasby (Oakfield), Neil Duxbury (Home Guard), Denis Ward (Southam) and Mike Harrison (Home Guard) scored a five on both the sixth and eleventh ends to lead by eleven at the midway point. Norfolk pulled back, cutting the deficit to three with three ends to play, it was Harrison and co who finished strong finishing with a 29-19 win. Competition Secretary Sam Bridges, David Knee (Grange), Pat Sweeney (Matrix) and Ray White (Royal Leamington Spa) looked to be cruising away until a ninth end five levelled the scores. The Bears again pulled away, leading by six after fifteen ends and extending that to ten by the end, final score 26-16 for White’s rink.

John Moore, Peter Litchfield (both Grange), Barry Connolly (Avenue Leamington) and Bernard Kendry (Bidford) went from a shot down after five ends to six down at the halfway mark. A good spell took Kendry and co level heading into the final six ends, which they dominated to win 22-15. Mike Tansey (Three Spires), Match Secretary Mike Hall, Tom Duggins (Executive) and Bruce Truman (Rugby Rail) led by three after four ends but failed to score in the next nine ends, trailing by twelve. An impressive finish saw Truman and co limit Norfolk to just two more shots as they pipped the hosts 19-18.

Steve Martin (Grange), David Burrows (Wellesbourne), Chris Gitsham (Matrix) and County President Peter Vale Humphreys scored a six on the eleventh end to trail by three shots. A good run took Norfolk seven shots ahead but the President’s rink cut that in half, losing 18-21. Fred Bannister (Lillington), Bill O’Gara (Wolvey), Junior Vice President David Wigman and Past President Brian Mace Humphries scored on the first end but went the next six ends not scoring, reaching midway ten down. With five ends left the deficit had been cut to three but the hosts shut out Mace Humphries and co to complete a 28-13 win.

Rugby Thornfield hosted the annual encounter between the County President and the Warwickshire VPs, a sweltering afternoon limited the game to 18 ends as the President’s men won 101-88.

Matt Swift, Tony Cowley, Tom Head and Richard Weare (all Royal Leamington Spa) had a slow start, trailing by three after seven ends. A six end scoring spree without reply took Weare and co ten shots ahead with five ends to play. A balanced finish meant the Bears won 20-10. David Farmer, Henry Neal, Paul Sharpe and Colin Hall (all Rugby Thornfield) also trailed by three but after six end, they then pulled ahead to lead by four after ten ends. The VPs levelled the scores with five ends to play, Hall and co dominated the final ends to win 18-9.

Past President Graham O’Donohue, John Douglas, Dan Hampson (both Bilton) and Assistant Secretary Bob Allcock made a strong start, dropping just a shot to reach the eighth end nine shots up. With two ends to play Allcock’s rink led by twelve but the VPs took a five to reduce the deficit, final score 20-12 to the Bears. Fred Bannister (Lillington), Past President Aubrey Brookhouse, Mark Sinclair (Kineton) and President Peter Vale Humphries took an early four and seven on their way to a sixth end ten shot lead. Four shots later the lead had been cut to two. A good run took the VPs two shots clear with one end left but the President’s rink snatched a win with a treble, final score 20-19.

Keith Austin, George Matthews, Colin Sheldon and Keith Hornsby (all Three Spires) went four up after six ends but they dropped twelve shots over the next nine ends. The best Hornsby and co could do is cut the deficit to five, final score 15-10 to the VPs. Chris Dickens (Norgren), Vic Mortimer (Tamworth), Phil Jones (Sherwood Park) and Raymond Patterson Morton (Royal Leamington Spa) turned six down after five to four up after ten ends. The VPs limited the Bears to just two shots in the last eight ends whilst trebling their own tally to win 23-13.