This year’s event saw a substantial increase in numbers, with 44 entries. The 9 groups would see the winners advancing straight to Round 2, where they would be joined by the winners of the First Round, which would consist of the Runners-Up and 5 best Third Placed players.

Group Stages
Oscar Mew (Belstead) won Group 1 by going undefeated, dropping just 1 point in doing so, Andy Pooley (Claydon) didn’t lose a game, but drew twice, coming on second, while Ralph Sadgrove (Hundon) lost badly in his first game, but recovered well for 2 wins and a draw in his remaining games, to qualify in third.

Mark Ashman (Barrow) won all 4 games to top Group 2 very comfortably. The next best was John Nunn (Chelmondiston), who 2 wins and 26 points were enough to see him through

Nick Wood (Hundon) took maximum points to win Group 3, while the remaining 3 players in the group all finished on 4 points, the best of those, on shots, was Adam Hubbard (Chelmondiston).

It was a close run thing in Group 4, as Tony Stephenson (Belstead) and Pam Crawford (Barrow) both finished with 3 wins and a loss. Pam took the group win by 3 shots.

In Group 5 Karen Hubbard (Chelmondiston) dropped just one point, in winning the group, while Paul Leach’s (Stanningfield) 6 points was more than enough to see him through in second.

The top 3 in Group 6 all won 3 games and lost once. Sally Goodrich (Claydon) won with 30 shots, Paul Daniels (Belstead) was second on 25 shots, and Paul Cousins (Elmsett), with 21 shots was through in third.

Steven Cain (Great Blakenham) comfortably won Group 7, finishing on maximum points, ahead of Pete Runnacles (Barking), who lost once, and Sue Cousins (Elmsett), on 4 points, who had done enough to progress.

Group 8 was won by Sam Runnacles (Barking), who won all 4 games, with Neil Jolly (Brockley) comfortably in second place, having recorded 3 wins and a loss. John Gillies (Elmsett), with 4 points, was through in third.

Two players finished undefeated in Group 9, both on 7 points, with Rita Runnacles (Barking) edging out Frank Wilkin (Hintlesham) for the group win, on shots, while Colin Fellingham (Cockfield) came in as the last third placed qualifier.

Knockout Rounds
First Round (Runners-up & Third Places)
Andy Pooley had his game against Frank Wilkin pretty much wrapped up in the first 3 ends, going on to win 12-1.

John Nunn and Paul Cousins needed an extra end to settle their game. John had picked up a three on the 7th end, to force an eighth, which he then went on to win. The final score 8-7 to John.

Adam Hubbard had to come from behind against Sue Cousins, winning the last 2 ends to take an 8-6 win.

Tony Stephenson was ahead of John Gillies from the start, going on to win 10-5.

Paul Leach snatched a 7-6 victory over Ralph Sadgrove, with 2 on the last end.

Colin Fellingham started out well against Paul Daniels, but dropped a 4 and a 3 on ends 3 and 4, and never recovered, Paul winning 10-4.

Pete Runnacles got his nose in front of Neil Jolly after end 2, and never let go, finally winning 8-3.

Second Round
Seven Cain was 7-0 up over John Nunn after just 2 ends, strolling to a 12-3 win.

After 7 ends between Sam Runnacles and Adam Hubbard it was all square at 4-4. An extra end settled it in Adam’s favour.

Rita Runnacles and Tony Stevenson were at 6-6 with an end to go, and Rita made the best of having last wood, picking up 2, to advance.

Paul Leach was off to a great start against Oscar Mew, 6-0 up after 3, but on a tricky carpet, Oscar pulled it back, to win on the last end, 7-6.

Paul Daniels and Mark Ashman’s game was settled with 2 ends still to go, with Mark calling an end to it, having fallen 10-1 behind.

Having led most of the way, Nick Wood had to win the final end against Pete Runnacles, to force an extra one, which he then won, to take the game 6-5.

Pam Crawford fell behind Karen Hubbard early on, but won the last 5 ends, to take a 6-3 win.

It was a high scoring all Claydon match between Sally Goodrich and Andy Pooley, with the lead swinging back and forth. Sally picked up all 4 on the 6th end to jump into a 9-7 lead, only for Andy to snatch the game with a 3 on the final end.

Quarter Finals
Rita Runnacles was in charge against Paul Daniels right from the start, running out to a 10-0 lead after only 4 ends, and was 11-1 up when the white flag was waved.

Oscar Mew also had a good start, he was 7-0 up after 4 ends against Nick Wood, and won 9-2 with an end to spare.

Pam Crawford didn’t get much of a look in either, against Steven Cain, he too won with an end to spare, 9-1.

The only close game of the round was between Adam Hubbard and Andy Pooley, 4-4 with an end to go, which Andy won to progress.

Semi-Finals
Again, both matches were halted with an end to spare, Steven Cain went 5-0 up after 2 ends against Rita Runnacles, winning 8-2, while a 4 for Andy Pooley against Oscar Mew, on the 4th end, sealed the game, which also finished 8-2 on the 6th end.

Final
Steven Cain (Gt Blakenham) v Andy Pooley (Claydon)
End 1 - Steven is on the jack with his second wood, but Andy plays it out with his third, to lay 2. Steven cuts it down to 1, and Andy is very cautious with his last. 1-0 to Andy.
End 2 - Steven draws shot with his second, and then pushes Andy’s best wood out. Andy is close with his last, but it gets wrecked, and it’s 2 to Steven who now leads 2-1.
End 3 - Steven goes with a short jack, and then proceeds to play it back for 2, and then a third, as Andy falls short, but at 3 down, Andy, despite his declaration of going for ‘shit or bust’, plays his best wood in for second with a nicely weighted shot. Steven leads 3-1.
End 4 - Steven is just in front with his first, just behind with his second. Andy is close, but still only third, which Steven then proceeds to play away. A weight shot from Andy fails to produce any results, but he draws his last in for second, and lives to fight another day. 4-1 to Steven.
End 5 - Steven again deploys the short jack to good effect, he’s there, but Andy is just that little bit short, but on his second attempt tips his best wood in to hold, and wins the end. 4-2 to Steven.
End 6 - A three quarter jack for Andy throws Steven off initially, until he plays Andy’s shot wood out, to which Andy returns to favour, and with his last wood Steven plays another of Andy’s in to square the game at 4-4.
Final End - A long jack for Andy, but he’s short with his first. Steven is on the jack, moving it back. Andy draws shot. Steven draws shot. Andy is just a few inches shy of the necessary weight, and with his penultimate wood, Steven is on the jack again, leaving Andy with little to go for. Unfortunately he overplays it very slightly, and the end, and the title goes to Steven, 6-4.

It is Steven’s third singles title, the last one having come exactly 10 years ago.

You can watch the final here, and all the day's results can be found here.

There was a pleasing improvement in the entries this year, with 26 teams taking part.

The winners of each of the 5 groups would automatically qualify for the Quarter Finals, and would be joined by the winners of the First Round, which would consist of the group runners-up and the best 3rd placed team.

Group Stages
Reigning champions Belstead/Brockley won all their games on the way to finishing top of Group 1. Behind them, Stanningfield A lost once, won their remaining games, to finish comfortably as runners-up.

Claydon/Belstead/Bustall also won all 4 games in Group 2, finishing well ahead of next best, who were Stanningfield C, qualifying on shots having won 2 and lost 2 games.

Claydon/Barking topped Group 3 on maximum points, while behind them, Hundon A were the best of 3 teams to finish on 4 points, and who were separated by just half a dozen shots.

Group 4 saw the closest fight for the top spot, as Belstead/Copdock and Chelmondiston B both finished on 7 points, with Chelmo ending up as winners, 3 shots to the better.

No one in Group 5 managed to get through their games undefeated. Best of the lot were Cockfield B and Chelmondiston A, who both won 3 games, with Cockfield’s superior shots score getting them the group win. The group also produced the best 3rd placed team, Knodishall A, whose 4 points and 29 shots, were a shot better than the best of the rest.

Knockout Rounds
Preliminary Round (Runners-up & Third Place)
Hundon A ran out to an early 6-0 lead over Belstead/Copdock, winning the game 7-2.

Knodishall A picked up consecutive 4s against Chelmondiston A, which sealed the game, as they finished 13-4 winners.

In the all-Stanningfield match, A scored 6 shots in the first 3 ends, and were never challenged after that, winning 7-4.

Quarter Finals
Belstead/Brockley picked up the first 2 ends against Knodishall A, and just about managed to keep their noses in front, as they won 6-4.

Barking/Claydon went into the last end against Stanningfield A already 8-3 up. Stanningfield would need an improbably big score to win, but it was Barking/Claydon who did that, picking up a 7 to finish 15-3 winners.

Claydon/Belstead/Burstall started with a 4 against Hundon A, and never looked back, taking a comfortable 10-5 win.

Easily the closest game was between Chelmondiston B and Cockfield B, although it looked far from that with 3 ends to go, with Chelmondiston 7-1 up. But Cockfield dragged it back, with a 2, a 3 and a 1, to level the game, and force an extra end, only for Chelmo to then win it.

Semi-Finals
Barking/Claydon started against Chelmondiston B with a 4, and were never in any danger, they slowly stretched the lead out, coming home 9-1 winners.

Claydon/Belstead/Burstall started with a couple of shots against Belstead/Brockley, and were still a shot up a couple of ends later. But Belstead/Brockley blitzed the next 3 ends, with a 2, a 2, and a 5 on the penultimate end, as they won 11-5.

Final
Barking/Claydon (Tom & Sam Runnacles and Clint & Emma Watling) v Belstead/Brockley (Neil & Keith Jolly, Oscar Mew and Paul Daniels)

The first couple of ends were shared, with each team picking up a shot, but the third end saw Barking/Claydon pick up a 3, which they followed with another 2, to lead 6-1. However, Belstead/Brockley responded with a 3, and then 1 more on the 6th end to close to within a shot. Crucially, though, they wouldn’t have last wood, and that proved to be decisive, as Barking/Claydon got the jack out into the open. Down by one, Neil did all he could with his last wood, pushing out the opposition to hold 2, but Tom responded perfectly, picked up the jack, and took 2, to take the title with an 8-5 win.

Thanks to all those who stayed on until the end of a very long day, and to the theatre company who very graciously allowed us to stay on and finish the final after the event had over run.

You can find all the day's results here.

There was a small uptick in entries for this year’s competition, with 28 teams competing.

They were divided into 5 groups, 2 of 5 teams, and 3 of 6, with the winner and runners-up and the best 3rd placed team qualifying for the knockout stages, which would be played all the way down to the final.

Group 1
Hundon/Barking won all their games to top the group, with Chelmondiston B the runners-up on 6 points.

Group 2
No one was able to win all their games, but Stanningfield A came closest, winning 3, while Claydon A’s two wins, and a draw, was good enough for second place.

Group 3
Belstead/Claydon and Knodishall A guaranteed themselves the two top spots, by winning their first three games, and then played one another to decide the final standings. That game went to Knodishall, as did the group win.

Group 4
Belstead/ Brockley and Claydon B both won 3 games, and drew with one another, so the final positions were decided on shots, with Belstead/Brockley just ahead by 4.

Group 5
Clear group winners were Barking/Claydon, who won all four games. Second place was close with Hundon A and Cockfield who both won 3 games, but Hundon were two shots better, taking second, while Cockfield were good enough to take the best 3rd place, and qualify.

Knockout Rounds
First Round (play-off between runners-up and best third place)
Claydon A had a healthy 6-1 lead over Chelmondiston B with 2 ends to go, and needed all of that as they held on to win 6-5.

Claydon B led Belstead/Claydon right from the start, never looked troubled, and came home comfortable 10-2 winners.

It was all square between Hundon A and Cockfield with 2 ends to go, but Cockfield came on strong at the end, winning the last 2 ends, to take an 8-4 victory.

Quarter Finals (group winners + Round 1 winners)
Claydon A were again off to a good start, 6-0 up over Knodishall A after 3 ends, and were never in danger, winning 10-3.

Barking/Claydon sealed their win over Belstead/Barking on the 3rd end, as they picked up a 5. The final score of 7-5 to Barking/Claydon made the game look closer than it was in reality.

Hundon/Barking won the first end against Cockfield, and just about kept their noses in front throughout the game, winning 6-4.

Claydon B had 7 on the board by the time Stanningfield got off the mark, and took a comfortable 10-1 win.

Semi-Finals
Claydon A v Barking/Claydon
The first couple of ends went Barking/Claydon's way, but only by one shot one each end. And from then on in, Claydon chipped back to level, and then past, holding a two shot lead going into the last end, which saw Claydon push the jack to the back of the mat, and ultimately leaving their opposition with no hope of levelling the game. Claydon won 6-2.

You can see footage of the final 3 ends here.

Hundon/Barking v Claydon B
Hundon/Barking won the first end, but the middle part of the game saw Claydon build a healthy 7-2 game. Hundon/Barking pulled a couple back on the penultimate end, but they were given little chance to pull that back, and Claydon took the game 8-4.

Final
Claydon A (Andy Pooley and Steve & Sue Isles) v Claydon B (Ally Hobbs and Jim & Sally Goodrich)

End 1 - With Andy holding 4, Ally comes into the head and clears the lot out, only for Andy to then clip hers away to pick up 2.
End 2 - A very good start from Sue, but Ally gets a result with her first wood to pick up one. 2-1 to Andy.
End 3 - Jim starts well, but Sue is just a little bit better, a little bit of shuffling about, but Andy picks up another one to lead 3-1.
End 4 - Again Sue starts well, and trying a bit too hard, Sally overplays her second wood, and runs the jack off the carpet. 5-1 to Andy.
End 5 - Sally forces her way into the head to take shot, and it’s still holding as Ally bowls her last, but in search of a second, she turns an opposition wood over, and gives it away. Andy leads 6-1.
End 6 - Sally is in for shot, and with her last Ally manages to get another one in to give her team a glimmer of hope. 6-3.
End 7 - Again Sue is in early, but Sally gives her team some hope by moving the jack out to the side of the carpet where they held 2. Ally brings another across to hold 3, but with his last Andy takes out the opposition's second and third woods to drop just one, and take the match 6-4.

Andy takes the title for the second year in succession, while it's a first Triples win for Steve and Sue.

You can see footage of the Final here.

You can find all the day's results here.