The 2019 Eastern Counties Champion
of Champions was hosted by Cambridgeshire on 12th May.
FOURS - Neil & Keith Jolly and Paul & Mike
Daniels
It was a nervous start for Suffolk but they just came out on
top of their game against Norfolk 8-7. The second game was against
Norfolk and was altogether more convincing as they ran away to
a 15-2 win, putting them a point clear of Cambs and Essex.
Next up were Hertfordshire
and that was a game which went from bad to worse. With 2 ends
to go it was close, Suffolk were 5-3 down but still in the game,
however things unravelled pretty quickly thereafter. On the following
end there was plenty of room to play with but no one could get
close and they ended up dropping 5 shots and worse was to come.
The final end saw them go from 2 up to 7 down in the space of
a couple of woods. it wasn't just that it was a loss but the
17 shots they had conceded were bound to be problematic at the
end of the day. As it was the result dropped them to third but
only a point off the lead.
Now up against leaders Cambridgeshire
nothing less than a win would do and for most of the game that
looked unlikely as the opposition were constantly rescued by
their skip. They went in to the last end a shot down but finally
pulled themselves together the final Cambridgeshire wood was
good but only enough for third as Suffolk took the game 8-7.
Just as importantly Herts had been held to their thrid draw of
the day so Suffolk were leading again, by 1 point but with a
shot disadvantage which meant that a win was essential in their
final game.
Their opponents Essex had started
the day well but faded and here they weren't far off but Suffolk
started better and began to slowly build a lead which by the
end of the game had grown to 18-0, handing them the title by
1 point ahead of Hertfordshire.
TRIPLES - Tom
Runnacles and Clint & Emma Watling
Suffolk started the day with
a win, 8-4 over Bedfordshire which left them just a couple of
shots behind Norfolk and that was who they would meet in their
next game.
Unfortunately it was a game
in which Suffolk struggled against a Norfolk team who were on
top form, ending with a 12-3 loss. However they were back to
their winning ways against Hertfordshire, 11-4 kept them in the
running, 1 point behind Cambs and still two behind leaders Norfolk.
Better still they produced
the kind of performance normally expected of them as they romped
away to a 15-0 victory over Cambridgeshire, bringing them up
to second behind a still undefeated Norfolk.
However just before the final
games were about to begin one of the Bedfordshire players became
unwell and the team had to withdraw with all their results being
scrubbed. It made no difference overall, Suffolk needed to win
and Norfolk would have to lose.
And with Norfolk 7-0 up that
looked unlikely until they let Cambridgeshire in to take an unlikely
8-7 win, unfortunately Suffolk could not capitalise on that result.
Against Essex they never got going, losing 8-5 to leave them
with a third place finish.
PAIRS - Rita & Pete Runnacles
It was a difficult start for
Suffolk, down from early on they recorded a 12-5 loss to Hertfordshire.
Sadly their second game was no better, another loss, this time
12-4 against Cambridgeshire.
Next up were Essex who had
also started off with two losses and it was a nervy game, only
one shot scored per end but Suffolk came out on top to get off
the mark with a 7-2 victory.
Unhappily things didn't continue
that way as they lost a tight game to Bedfordshire 7-5 but they
did finish the day with their best result of the day, a 9-5 win
over Norfolk.
That result lifted them to
a third place finish, although with 4 points they were some way
adrift of Hertfordshire who finished on 8 points and the winners
Cambridgeshire who were the only team on the day to win all their
games.
SINGLES - Sam Runnacles
Sam was off to a good start
with an 11-4 win over Hertfordshire and was leading the way.
Unfortunately he was to just miss out against Cambridgeshire
in his second game, losing 10-9.
Against Essex it was a different
story, an emphatic 20-2 win which kept him in the running as
Cambridgeshire won their third. He needed to keep winning and
for the leader to slip up and that is just what happened. Sam
took a comfortable 11-2 win over Bedfordshire while Cambridgeshire
lost by exactly the same score.
That result put Sam top, tied
on points but with a 21 shot advantage. All he needed was a win
and yet again he did so in some style with a 13-3 victory over
Norfolk and with Cambridgeshire losing again Sam took the title
by a clear 2 point margin.
TEAM
Right from the very start Cambridgeshire were the team to beat
and 3 sessions in they already has a 7 point gap over closest
rivals Hertfordshire with Suffolk one point further back. However
Suffolk cut that gap to 4 points in the next set of games, rising
to second, which was where they finished, on 24 points with Cambridgeshire
taking the title with 26 points.
Full Set of Results |