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After taking a one year
sabbatical we were back on the the Isle of Wight in 2014.
We are usually very lucky with
the weather for our Isle of Wight visits, but the forecast for
the week looked rather unpromising. And judging from the trip
down and the somewhat rocky sea trip, it looked like the weatherman
was on the money.
However things calmed down
a bit and Monday afternoon gave us a sunny start to the week.
The other pleasant surprise
was to discover that the bowls room floor had been replaced so
that we were playing on a wooden floor, rather than carpet, something
which greatly improved the bowling experience.
Fours
No knockout stages for the Fours, since nearly everyone had chosen
to bowl in the evening. So everyone would get 2 games per night
and the team at the top after their 6 games would be the winners.
Only 2 teams won both games
on Monday night. The Swan/Pullar and Spriggs/Alston/Richell teams
were at the top of the standings. But there were 3 teams just
a point behind and plenty of time for the rest to catch up.
However Tuesday saw both of
the leaders win one and lose one to drop back, while the three
teams which had dropped a point on Monday each won both of their
games.
So the leaders, all on 7 points,
were now Bennet/Orrin, Drane/Game/Vaughan/Tilbrook and Savage/Palmer/Wilson.
And being separated by just 4 shots it was all to play for on
the final evening.
In the end no one ran away
with it, in fact the top 4 teams were covered by just one point.
Both of the previous day's leaders stumbled, and it left it open
for the team of Graham & Gaye Swan and Laurence &
Sarah Pullar to sneak through an win it by 11 shots.
Pairs
Game 1
Fourteen of the thirty pairs started the week with a win. Those
who set themselves apart from the rest by hitting double figures
on shots were Michael & Judy Easy, James & Margaret Stewart,
James & Sonia Boggis and Bryan & Andrea Edwards.
Game 2
Exactly half of those that won their first game also won their
second. For the record they were Jim & Jan Squares, Bryan
& Andrea Edwards, Michael & Judy Easy, Margaret Turner
& Paul Daniels, Roy & Jackie Harden, James & Sonia
Boggis and Martin & Marilyn Bennet.
That brought us to the end
of Tuesday's games, but everyone still had 4 games left to make
it into the top 12 and make it through to Thursday afternoon's
play.
Game 3
Four teams carried their winning streaks into Wednesday morning.
They were Margaret Turner &
Paul Daniels, Bryan & Andrea Edwards (those two teams would
be playing one another later in the day), Roy & Jackie Harden
and Martin & Marilyn Bennet.
Meanwhile Jim & Jan Squares
and Mike & Judy Easy were within striking distance, just
a point behind.
At the halfway point it looked
as if 8 points would be needed to be in with a chance of a top
12 finish and qualification for Thursday afternoon.
Game 4
The top of the table clash went the way of Margaret & Paul,
leaving them on top. And while the Edwards' were knocked down,
the other two teams, the Hardens and the Bennets took their fourth
wins to stay second and third.
Also undefeated and in the
mix were Jim & Janet Squares who had dropped just a point.
And after them a clutch of 7 teams on 6 points.
Game 5
Roy & Jackie Harden and Martin & Marilyn Bennet made
it 5 wins out of 5 and made sure of qualification in Thursday's
first round of games. And although Margaret Turner and Paul Daniels
could only manage a draw, that too was enough for them to guarantee
a spot in the knockout rounds.
Behind them there were 4 teams
on 8 points, all of whom were on the verge, but not quite mathematically
there yet.
Game 6
The top 12 teams in the standings were to make it through to
the Knockout Stages, with the top 4 progressing straight to the
Quarter Finals and the teams finishing 5th to 12th playing off
to decide who would join them.
That top 4 consisted of Martin
& Marilyn Bennet on 11 points, the only team not to have
lost a game, and Roy & Jackie Harden, James & Margaret
Stewart and Peter & Kay Masters, all of whom finished on
10 points.
Also finishing on 10 points,
but just missing out on the top 4 by the odd shot or two, where
Margaret Horwood & Chris Tilbrook and Val Game & Ken
Drane. Finishing on 9 points were Margaret Turner & Paul
Daniels and George & Susan Savage. On 8 points were Peter
& Diane Orrin and Mike Walker & Jane Evans.
And the final pair of teams
to make it through, on 7 points, were Bryan & Andrea Edwards
and Jim & Jan Squares.
Knockout Stages
Round 1
Mike Walker & Jane Evans swept past Margaret Turner &
Paul Daniels 10-2. Peter & Diane Orrin took a comfortable
lead and brought home a controlled 8-5 win. The closest game
was between Val Game & Ken Drane and Bryan & Andrea Edwards.
There was never more than a shot in it all the way through and
with the final wood, rather than take one shot to move the game
into a final end Bryan played his wood, moving the jack back
to hold 2 and win 6-5.
Sadly the final game was a
walkover as Jim & Jan Squares, the final qualifiers, were
unaware that they had made it through and were not there for
the game, allowing Margaret Horwood & Chris Tilbrook through
without a wood being bowled.
Quarter Finals
Roy & Jackie Harden took their game against Mike Walker &
Jane Evans 11-3, largely thanks to a five scored on the fourth
end. Peter & Diane Orrin and Martin & Marilyn Bennet
were, as might be expected, neck and neck most of the way through
their game, but the Orrins finished with two stong ends to take
the game 9-4.
And it was much the same for
Peter & Kay Masters and Margaret Horwood & Chris Tilbrook.
It was 4-4 going into the last end, so the 5 that the Master's
took on that end made the game look more one-sided than it actually
was.
It looked as if Bryan &
Andrea Edwards were going to romp away in their game with James
& Margaret Stewart. Three ends in they were 7-0 up. But the
Stewart's brought it back to 7-6 2 ends later and on the last
took 2 to draw level and take the game to an extra end which
they won. 9-8, the final score.
Semi Finals
Peter & Kay Masters edged their way ahead of Peter &
Diane Orrin, but it was only 5-3 in their favour after 5 ends.
However the next end was crucial, it could have gone either way,
but it was the Masters that took it with their final wood, and
it was 3 shots which pretty much ended the game. They finished
up 9-3 winners, but that was hardly a reflection of the closeness
of the game.
Roy & Jackie Harden pretty
much had the best of their game against James & Margaret
Stewart, but it was only 6-5 in their favour after end 5. The
penultimate end however, gave them 2 more and left them 3 ahead
with one to go. They finished 9-5 winners, making it into the
final on their first holiday with us.
Final
A slick mat that had an uphill and a downhill made for an interesting
final, and a close one. The Masters took a shot on each of the
first 2 ends, but the Hardens were level on the next. Then it
was the Masters' back in front by two, followed by the Hardens
bringing it back to 3-4. The sixth end was again just a one shot
end, and inevitably crucial. It went to the Masters, taking them
to a 2 shot lead with an end to go. The Masters took the early
advantage on that last end and the shot wood proved impossible
to move. In the end they took 2 and Peter & Kay took the
win 7-3.
In the end we were incredibly
lucky with the weather. It was a bit blustery and there was some
rain, but the goos weather more than outweighed the back and
it didn't come even close to the forecast.
You can find the full set of
results here.
tanddcarpetbowls@gmail.com
11
October 2014 |
