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The fourth running of the
Hemsby Pairs took place over the weekend of 16th to 19th April.
As is usually the case for
our April event, this tournament, unlike our other ones, is run
on a
group basis.
There were a total of 8 groups,
two of which had 7 teams, while the remaining groups had 6. However,
to ensure that everyone had at least 6 games over the weekend,
those in the groups of just 6 teams would play not only the other
5 teams in their group, but also a 6th 'wild card' game, against
a team from another group.
The winners and runners-up
from each group would qualify for Sunday's Knockout Stages.
ROUND ROBIN STAGE
Group 1
Early leaders in the group, each having won their first games,
were Margaret Horwood & Peter Masters, Betty &
Lewis Claxton, David & Sylvia Cask and Ken
& Doris Dainty. Although by the time everyone had played
2 games only David & Sylvia and Ken & Doris were the
only one to retain their perfect records.
However, with three games gone
the they too had also lost a game. And so we were back to a four-way
tie with Margaret Horwood & Peter Masters, Betty
& Lewis Claxton, David & Sylvia Cask and Ken
& Doris Dainty all on 4 points.
Saturday's final games, though,
saw yet more change as two of the leading four lost and we were
back to where we were after 2 games. David & Sylvia Cask
and Ken & Doris Dainty both won to move on to 6 points.
However there were now 3 teams just behind, on 4 points, all
of whom could still come through to qualify.
This was turning out to the
far and away the closest fought group. With 5 games played there
were no less than 4 teams all on 6 points, David & Sylvia
Cask, Ken & Doris Dainty, Alan & Ann Blundell
and Betty & Lewis Claxton, all fighting for just 2
qualification spots.
As it was 3 of those 4 teams
won their final games, so it came down to shots. And it was Alan
& Ann Blundell that won out, 1 shot better than Betty
& Lewis Claxton. The unfortunate ones missing out were
Ken & Doris Dainty who would have needed only 4 more
shots to get through.
Group 2
Jane Evans & Roberta Adolph,
Les & Kay Buckton and Trevor & Anita Swann
started off with a win apeice. However the Swanns lost their
second game while the other 2 pairs won theirs, leaving them
both a point clear, at the top of the group.
At the halfway point a clear
leader emerged as Les & Kay Buckton won their third
game to go a point clear of Patricia Ball & Shirley Tilbrook.
The Buckton's lead did not
last for long, however, as they lost their next game. Patricia
& Shirley won again to move on to 7 points, with the Buckton's
a point behind, along with Trevor & Anita Swann.
Patricia Ball & Shirley
Tilbrook still led
the way with a game to go, but they would not be able to afford
any slip-ups as Les & Kay Buckton and Trevor &
Anita Swann were still 1 point behind.
And slip up they did. Patricia
& Shirley failed to pick up the single point they needed,
while the Bucktons and Swanns both won to leapfrog the erstwhile
leaders and qualify.
Group 3
Alan & Josie Long, Owen Allcock & Daphne Leggatt and John & Sylvia Disley
all had winning starts. But only the Longs and Disleys were left
undefeated once everyone had played twice.
The third round of games saw
the top 2 teams playing one another and it was a decisive win
for Alan & Josie Long which saw them take a clear
2 point lead of the group.
Alan & Josie Long continued with their winning ways
in Saturday's final game and were still 2 points clear, although
John & Sylvia Disley now held a clear second spot.
Alan & Josie Long's
fifth win secured their
place in the next round. Behind them three pairs, Owen Allcock
& Daphne Leggatt, John & Sylvia Disley and
Leslie & Shelagh Ridgeon were all on 6 points and
would be fighting it out for the runners-up spot.
Despite losing their final
game the Longs still finished top of the group by a 3 point margin,
ahead of the Leslie & Shelagh Ridgeon whose draw in
their final game was enough to take them through.
Group 4
Michael Cooper & Neil Tuckey,
Toni Botting & Peter Cousins and Rob & Jean
Cook all began their weekends with wins. However the Cooks
lost their second game while the other 2 pairs both won to leave
them clear at the top of the group.
The halfway point of the groups
games saw further wins for Michael Cooper & Neil Tuckey
and Toni Botting & Peter Cousins, taking them each
on to 6 points. And with the wins having come at the expense
of the next best teams, there was now a 4 point gap between the
top 2 and the rest. Already it was clear that it would take a
remarkable turn around for these two to not qualify.
The top 2 teams both continued
their winning streaks with their 4th wins from 4 games and were
4 points clear of the Rob & Jean Cook who were now
the only team left in the group with a mathematical chance of
qualifying.
The crunch game in the group
saw Michael Cooper & Neil Tuckey beat Toni Botting
& Peter Cousins and their secure qualification. However,
a 2 point gap and superior shots meant that Toni & Peter
were still in a comfortable position.
Michael & Neil won their
final game to finish top and be one of only two teams to have
a perfect record through the round robin stage. Meanwhile Toni
& Peter also won to secure the runner-up spot.
Group 5
Joe & Irene Woodward,
Peter & Marion Colvill and Keith Cockings &
Mike Rogers started out with wins. However, with 2 games
played only the Colvills and Keith and Mike were left on maximum
points.
Keith Cockings & Mike
Rogers managed to (just)
win their third game and with the Colvills losing theirs, Keith
and Mike were now 2 points ahead of the battle between the Colvills
and Woodwards for second.
With 4 games played Keith
Cockings & Mike Rogers were all but assured of qualification
as they moved on to a maximum 8 points, fully 4 points clear
of what looked likely to be an almighty battle between 4 teams
who all sat on 4 points with 2 games remaining.
Keith Cockings & Mike
Rogers won the group
with their fifth win and still one game to spare. Behind them
Joe & Irene Woodward and Peter & Diane Orrin
were both on 6 points and would be fighting it out for the
runner-up spot.
Keith Cockings & Mike
Rogers were unable
to maintain their perfect record, but even so they were able
to finish top by an impressive 4 points. The eventual runners-up,
one of 3 teams in the group who finished on 6 points, were Joe
& Irene Woodward who edged out Joy Kitchen & Joy
Spriggs by a single shot.
Group 6
Valerie Game & Mike Walker,
Dot & Syd Tanner and Aubrey & Sheila Mann
were all winners in the first round of games. After 2 games,
however, the Manns had suffered a loss, while the other 2 pairs
won again.
Valerie Game & Mike
Walker, moved clear
with their 3rd win out of 3. The Tanners lost but were still
second while the other 4 teams in the group were all on 2 points.
Valerie Game & Mike
Walker made it 4 wins
from 4 to maintain their 2 point lead over Dot & Syd Tanner
who also finished Saturday off with a win.
The next round of games saw
Valerie & Mike lose for the first time during the weekend.
Meanwhile the Tanners won to take them level on 8 points.
Both the front running teams
won again in the final round to secure the top 2 spots. Dot
& Syd Tanner finished on top, just 2 shots clear of Valerie
Game & Mike Walker.
Group 7
Gordon Bloomfield & John Whiting, Colin & Jean Love and Betty Johnson
& Mike Daniels were all on 2 points with one game played.
And it was the same 3 teams that won in the next round of games,
leaving them all on 4 points, while the other 3 teams in the
group had yet to get off the mark.
Colin & Jean Love and Betty Johnson & Mike Daniels
carried on their winning ways into their third games, but Gordon
and John lost, to leave them 2 points adrift as the group stages
reached the halfway point.
Colin & Jean Love and Betty Johnson & Mike Daniels
both took their fourth wins as Saturday closed. They were now
4 points clear of the next best team.
Colin & Jean Love beat Betty Johnson & Mike Daniels
in the penultimate round of games, but with the next best team
only able to manage a draw, both teams had done enough to secure
qualification.
Colin & Jean Love won their final game to finish as
one of only 2 teams not to have dropped a point through the group
stage, finishing 2 points ahead of Betty Johnson & Mike
Daniels.
Group 8
Doug & Eileen Adamson,
George Kitchen & Joyce Wilson and Tony & Lin
Cooke all started with wins. But with 2 games gone, only
the Adamsons and Cookes were still on maximum points.
And it was the Adamsons and
Cookes that continued with their unbeaten records with their
third games. In doing so they both moved 4 points clear of the
chasing pack, meaning that qualification would just be a matter
of not making any silly mistakes.
Doug & Eileen Adamson won their fourth straight game to
finish Saturday on 8 points, however the Cookes lost, although
they remained in a clear second place.
The top 2 teams took one another
on in Sunday's first game and it was the Cookes that came out
on top to bring them level with the Adamsons. But with a 2 point
gap back to the next best team in the group, they would each
need a maximum of 1 point from their last games to see their
way through.
In the end the fight for top
honours was the closest of any group. Tony & Lin Cooke
finished on 8 points, as did Doug & Eileen Adamson.
And they each finished on 43 shots, so it came down to shots
against where Tony & Lin were a mere 3 shots better off.
KNOCKOUT STAGES
Round 1
Having already been
beaten soundly by Valerie Game & Mike Walker, Keith
Cockings & Mike Rogers were drawn against them once more
for the first round of the Knockout Stages. But this time the
tables were turned with Val & Mike not getting a look-in
as Keith & Mike ran out winners 11-0.
Tony & Lin Cooke were always out in front in their
game against Betty Johnson & Mike Daniels and they
went on to win 9-2.
Alan & Ann Blundell were 8-1 ahead of Les & Kay
Buckton after 4 ends, but although the Blundells didn't win
any further ends, they still finished 8-4 winners.
There was only one shot seperating
the teams in the game between Alan & Josie Long and
Toni Botting & Peter Cousins after 4 ends, but a pivotal
5 shots on the 5th end for Toni & Peter sealed the fate of
their opponents as the match finished 8-4 in their favour.
Having been 4 shots behind
Joe & Irene Woodward managed to level their game against
Dot & Syd Tanner, only for the Tanners to come right
back at them and finish 8-4 winners.
Betty & Lewis Claxton won the first end of their game against
Trevor & Anita Swann, but that was the only time they
led the game which eventually went 7-4 to the Swanns.
Leslie & Shelagh Ridgeon were level pegging with Michael
Cooper & Neil Tuckey with only 2 ends to go, but Michael
& Neil won both those ends to finish 6-3 ahead.
Probably the closest fought
game of the round came between Colin & Jean Love and
Doug and Eileen Adamson. The Loves had a 4-1 lead after
3 ends, but with one end to go the Adamsons were 6-4 ahead, however
4 shots on the last end brought the Loves back in front to take
the win 8-6.
Quarter Finals
Toni Botting & Peter Cousins
delivered a killer blow to Alan & Ann Blundell on
only the second end of their game, taking 5 shots to lead by
four. The Blundells struck back with 3 on the next end to get
within a single shot, but Toni & Peter won the next 3 ends
and finished 10-6 winners.
Keith Cockings & Mike
Rogers were 4-2 up
in their game against Colin & Jean Love with 3 ends
to go, but the Loves levelled the game with one end to go and
then took the last end to win 6-4.
Tony & Lin Cooke lost the first end to Dot &
Syd Tanner, but were ahead after 3 ends and never relinquished
the lead as they won 9-5.
The game between Michael
Cooper & Neil Tuckey and Trevor & Anita Swann
swung back and forth between the two teams and was tied going
into the final end, which finally went to Michael & Neil
who finished 7-5 winners.
Semi Finals
Toni Botting & Peter Cousins
and Colin & Jean Love played out a tightly fought
game in which only one end resulted in a score of more than one
shot. But it was the Loves who held the advantage all the way
through, winning all of the first 5 ends. Although Toni &
Peter won the last 2 ends they could only bring the score back
to 2-6.
Michael Cooper & Neil
Tuckey were 3-2 ahead
after 3 ends against Tony & Lin Cooke, but the Cookes
first tied the game and then edged ahead at a rate of a single
shot an end to to finally bring to an end Michael & Neil's
perfect record with a 6-3 win.
Final
It was first blood to Tony & Lin Cooke as they took
each of the first 2 ends, but it was only by a shot on each and
Colin & Jean Love were first level on the third end
and then 2 ahead on the next and then with another 3 shots on
the 5th end, leading 7-2 with 2 ends to go.
The Cookes were not yet down
and out though, as they came back to take 3 shots on the penultimate
end to go into the last with only a 2 shot deficit. However although
they also won that last end, Colin & Jean did enough to ensure
that it was only by a single shot as they finished 7-6 winners.
In doing so the Loves became
2-time winners with us while the Cookes received the dubious
honour of having lost 2 consecutive finals, having also been
runners-up at Christmas.
The closeness of the final
was a fitting end to an event which saw some excellent bowling,
particularly in the knockout rounds.
You can find all the results
here.
We would like to offer our
thanks to everyone for another hugely enjoyable event and not
least for helping us to raise a superb £325 for
East Anglia's Children's
Hospice.
tanddcarpetbowls@gmail.com
20th
April 2010 |
