Gunton VII - December 2018

FOURS
There were a total of 12 teams taking part in the evening Fours, with two games each on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Four teams won both games on the opening night. They were Sutton-Debattista (22 shots), McNeil-Edmead (21 shots), Fellingham-Davey (18 shots) and Jordan-Richardson-Sheen (16 shots). Interestingly all four teams would be playing one another in Saturday’s final session.

However, before that could happen the first round of games on Saturday saw each one of the leaders lose, with the exception of Fellingham-Davey, putting them 2 points clear of 7 teams. All they would need was a draw.

And going into the last end of their game against Sutton-Debattista, they had their noses in front, 4-3 ahead. But the last end went against them, they lost 5-4 to enable their opponents to leapfrog them.

But what of the others? Well, in the end there were 5 teams who all finished on 6 points, Kittle-Cook-Barker (25 shots), McNeil-Edmead (31), Fellingham-Davey (32), Sutton-Debattista (34), but beating the lot of them Cousins-Woods-Lines, who overnight had been 7th, finished on 39 shots to beat the lot of them.

PAIRS
There were 41 pairs who would be playing for 16 places in the Knockout Rounds on Sunday afternoon.

Game 1
There were plenty of comfortable wins for a number of teams to start off the weekend, chief amongst them Colin & Sheila Fellingham (15-0), Alan & Josie Long (13-3) and Wal Kittle & Chris Cook (12-1), with 4 other teams making it into double figures.

Game 2
Only 8 teams managed to record a second win, they were Wal Kittle & Chris Cook who had a total of 20 shots, David Clemmet & Angela Newling and Paul & Sue Cousins (both 19 shots), Shirley Mansfield & Chris Tilbrook and Phyllis & Gerald Sutton (both 18 shots), Jane Evans & Sylvia Vaughan and Joe & Jane Debattista (both 17 shots) and finally Mike Walker & Dorothy Chambers (12 shots).

Game 3
And we were down to just 4 teams with perfect records after the third set of games had been played.

Paul & Sue Cousins led the way after another big win, they had amassed 36 shots, Wal Kittle & Chris Cook had 30 shots, Jane Evans & Sylvia Vaughan had 27 and Mike Walker & Dorothy Chambers had 19.

One other team was still undefeated, David Clemmet & Angela Newling were on 5 points.

Game 4
Only 3 teams saw it through to the end of the day undefeated. As they so often do here Paul & Sue had raced away and ended the day on 8 points and 48 shots. Jane & Sylvia were 15 shots back in second and Mike & Dorothy were on 29 shots. All those teams had probably done enough to make it through to play on Sunday afternoon.

Behind them there was a whole host of teams who had won 3 and lost 1, a total of 7, all waiting to pounce.

Game 5
Come Sunday morning all of the leaders slipped up one way or the other.

Paul & Sue and Jane & Sylvia both drew, but were now on 9 points, which was enough to be sure of qualification.

Mike & Dorothy lost and were now part of a group of 6 teams, all on 8 points, which would probably going to be good enough. The rest of those teams were Graham & Sue Davey, Stuart McNeil & Lisa Edmead, Wal Kittle & Chris Cook, Joe & Jane Debattista and Arthue Holland & Paul Daniels.

Having said that there were 18 teams who could all finish on 8 points or better and maybe there was a chance for someone else to sneak in.

Game 6
The two unbeaten teams remained so with Paul & Sue and Jane & Sylvia finished on 11 points.

On 10 points were Stuart & Lisa, Wal & Chris, Mike & Dorothy, Joe & Jane.

David Clemmet & Angela Newling, Shirley Mansfield & Chris Tilbrook, Bill & Carole Reeve and Roy & Jackie Harden finished on 9 points.

Then on 8 points were Graham & Sue Davey, Colin & Sheila Fellingham, Laurence & Sarah Pullar and Arthur Holland & Paul Daniels.

And finally, on 7 points, the final qualifiers were Paul & Jackie Harris and Keith Gunnell & Pam Karcha.

Knockout Rounds
Round 1
Paul & Sue Cousins eased their way to an 8-2 win over Keith Gunnell & Pam Karcha. Bill & Carole Reeve needed an extra end to beat Shirley Mansfield & Chris Tilbrook 6-5. Mike Walker & Dorothy Chambers came from behind to beat Colin & Sheila Fellingham 7-6. Laurence & Sarah Pullar needed a measure on the last end to beat Wal Kittle & Chris Cook 6-5. Jane Evans & Sylvia Vaughan thrashed Paul & Jackie Harris 13-1.

A couple of good ends in the middle of their game helped David Clemmet & Angela Newling to an 8-5 win over Roy & Jackie Harden. Graham & Sue Davey took out reigning champions Joe & Jane Debattista with a 9-3 win and Arthur Holland & Paul Daniels saw off Stuart McNeil & Lisa Edmead 8-4.

Quarter Finals
It was another close match for Mike & Dorothy who again had to take the last 2 ends to just edge out Laurence & Sarah Pullar.

Bill & Carole were 4 up against Paul & Sue who then took 8 shots in 2 ends to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish, winning 10-5.

Graham & Sue also went 4 up, against Arthur & Paul, who came back to lead, but Graham held his nerve to take shot on the 6th end and a measure on the last gave the Daveys one more to win 6-5.

Jane & Sylvia finally ran out of steam, falling behind to David & Angela early on and losing 9-2

Semi-Finals
The game between Paul & Sue and Mike & Dorothy was somewhat topsey-turvey. Paul & Sue went from 5-0 up to 7-5 down and then back again to win 13-7.

It was allsquare between David & Angela & Graham & Sue after 3 ends, but David & Angela took 3 on the next end and never looked back, doing exactly what was needed to ensure the win. The final result was 8-4.

Final
Paul & Sue Cousins v David Clemmet & Angela Newling
A little bit of background first. Paul & Sue are the king and queen of Gunton, in the last 5 years they have made the final 4 times and won it twice, so far. And this weekend they had won every game bar one, which was a draw.

Clearly they were starting as favourites and the first end would have done nothing to dissuade anyone with that opinion, as Paul & Sue took 4 shots. And the next end they nearly matched that as they took 3. Two ends in and 7-0 up. Game over.

Well, not quite. David & Angela grabbed one back on the third end, and then another on the 4th and another on the 5th. 7-3 and 2 ends to go, at least it wasn't going to be the complete whitewash it seemed like it was going to be. But there was still a long way to get back to make a real game of it.

But the 6th end changed that. David kept drawing in, not so easy for Paul who had to try and push into the head, he couldn't and 4 shots were lost and suddenly it was all square, 7-7, final end. Someone was going to get their heart broken.

And with a couple of woods to go it was anyone's game. David put his last wood in for shot, but the game was still there to be taken. Paul was on exactly the right line, through the gap he needed to make and past where he needed to shot, not by much but by enough.

David & Angela took the one they needed, winning 8-7 and game us the most remarkable comeback we have ever seen in a final, making for a great spectacle for the spectators and a salutory lesson to all of us to never given up on what seems like a lost cause.

Many thanks to everyone for another great weekend and for helping us to raise £289 for St Elizabeth Hospice.

The weekend's full set of results can be found here.

tanddcarpetbowls@gmail.com
4th December 2018

Our next event will be Lakeside, June 2019