TK competition day

Saturday 30th November was the day of the 2019 Open Pairs and Eddie Ellery Rose Bowl triples competition.

Twelve players entered, and the event began with the drawn pairs competition in the morning.

The players were split into two groups, with three pairs in each. Group 1 was won by Sally Burton and Daphne West, with Del Way and Lorraine King as runners-up. Group 2 was won by John Beckford and Ella Smith, who finished ahead of Peter Hawkins and Pat Griffin.

The semi-finals saw the two group winners face the runners-up from the other group. Sally and Daphne secured a place in the final with an 11-5 win against Peter and Pat. On the other mat John and Ella took on Del and Lorraine, but it was the Group 1 runners-up who progressed with a 6-3 victory.

This meant an all ladies final, and a rematch of the earlier group game, which Sally and Daphne had won 6-4. This time Del and Lorraine opened up a lead, and they went on to win 12-3, although the final score was a little harsh on Sally and Daphne as they had to play some riskier shots when they had fallen behind.

John Beckford presented DEL and LORRAINE with the Pairs Shield.

After lunch the Eddie Ellery Rose Bowl was contested. This was played as a round robin, with the four drawn triples all playing each other once.

After two rounds the only team with two wins was Sally Burton, Robin Evans and Denis West. With a shot difference of +6, they faced Del Way, Daphne West and Francis Dennett in their last match. With Del’s triple holding a shot difference of +5 the mathematics were simple – a draw would be enough to secure the title for Sally’s team, but a win by any margin for Del’s three would put them ahead, and only a large win by John Beckford, Pat Griffin and Lorraine King (who had a shot difference of +1) could challenge them.

As events unfolded, John’s team were beaten, so dropped out of contention. Del’s triple took the lead they needed, and went into the eighth end leading 5-2. Sally’s team held the three they required to get the draw and win the Rose Bowl, but Del’s last bowl of the day took the shot. This left Sally with only one option; to fire to remove Del’s bowl. Sally didn’t make contact, and Del picked up the single to win 6-2 and take the title on shot difference.

Peter Hawkins presented the Rose Bowl to DEL, DAPHNE and FRANCIS.

Thanks to Denis West for the photos