Bowls, with Mike Wakelam
Sep 16 2008 by Mark Woodward, Birmingham Mail
W&W Juniors gained revenge for their defeat by Shropshire in the final of the 2006 BCGBA Junior County Championships by beating the same opponents by 19 overall in this year’s final.
At the Forget Me Not BC, captain and man-of-the-match Lee Kington set the ball rolling with a 21/7 success, Mitchell Harvey was the second W&W winner in the first four – 21/18 – which meant that with deficits of 19/21 and 18/21 W&W held a home advantage of 12.
That plus was wiped out, Shropshire having the first four winners at the Prince of Wales BC, Shrewsbury, to lead at their home leg by 39, an overall plus of 27.
W&W had four winners in the middle four – Ben Harris 21/8, Tom Banting, Scott Follis and Ashley Hickman all 21/19 – increasing the home plus to 31. Wins from Luke Davis, 21/11, and Daniel Smith, 21/12, away reduced the deficit but Shropshire still held a one-shot advantage.
Single-figure wins for Ben Harris, 21/5, and Ryan Prosser, 21/8, ensured a home win by 44 for W&W.
Two wins in the back four away for W&W – Ashley Bracken 21/9, Lee Deakin 21/11 – meant Shropshire only managed to win their home leg by 25.
THERE were wins in W&W Premier Division One for Boldmere at Sutton Park by 26, John Evans 21/8, and for George, who beat King George V by 34, Martin McGuinness 21/3.
THE finals of the Midland Masters take place at the Meole Brace BC in Shrewsbury on Sunday (10am start).
W&W have 11 players in contention. John Evans and Paul Asson face North Midlands opposition in Shaun Morris and Stuart Nash.
Anthony Bracken, Carl Fielding and Craig Round have Staffordshire opponents in Glyn Storer, Jason Groom and Oliver Chard, while Malcom Hussey and Steve Wallace play Potteries pair Mark Melvin and Gary Owen.
Mark Denman and Paul Sheppard have Derbyshire opposition, Tim Norton and Stuart Smith.
Nigel Townsend takes on probable favourite Pete Farmer from Shropshire, whose county colleague Andy Duckett meets Craig Dugdale.
Also on Sunday, Warwickshire Ladies face Shropshire in the final of the BCGLBA County Championships at the Waterloo Hotel in Blackpool.
TEAM: Julie Gardner, Debbie Williams, Faye Montgomery, Chris Faulkner, Joan Ingram, Anne O’Loughlin, Michelle Chatwin, Mandy Cahill, Sue Dunkley, Kelly Martin, Chris Price, Lorraine Kirby, Susanne Green, Natalie Phipps, Anne Fisher, Maliza Herbert, Sarah Coleing, Michelle Meadowcroft, Kirsty Darling, Bev Pritchard, Jodie Faulkner, Maureen Simpson, Cath McComb, Tracey Baker.
