KGV claim their 2nd BCGBA Team title in a thriller

The first finals day in the men’s calendar proved to be a wonderful day. Bathed in glorious sunshine and wallowing in wonderful bowling drama, the Meole Brace Club in Shropshire proved one of the bests venues in the game.

Where, after qualifying from four venues, eight teams battled to become the best team in the game. Oh my thanks to the BCGBA and Meole Brace for a brilliantly organised day / competition.

In the quarter finals:

Gladstone 144 beat Castle Sports 128, Gladstone reliant on Jamie Smith’s 21-04 win to win by 16 points.

Fenton Private 150 beat Woodlands Park Social 139, Gary Owen 21-10 the key for the Potteries men.

King George V 153 beat Windle 142, Chris Bergin winning 21-10 in a game Windle could needed to go their way.

Pudsey 153 beat Boldmere Sports 140,Stuart King leading off with a 21-13 win as the Yorkshire flew out of the starting blocks.

Semi-finals

These games were close!

King George V 141 beat Pudsey 140, there was nothing to separate the teams in each game, it ebbed and flowed one way then the other. People watching didn’t know who to choose as the winner. Jason Galvin (for KGV) was really good in the first game, as was Stuart King (Pudsey) and Chris Bergin (KGV). There couldn’t have been a finer margin between the teams.

Gladstone 141 beat Fenton Private 137, Gladstone launched themselves towards the final with Gareth P Hughes winning 21-05 and they looked to be cruising as they led by over 20 at the half-way stage. Fenton chipped away with Steve Morrey impressive, but it was too much of a lead for the Merseyside men.

Final

The quarters and Semis were tense; the final dialled the tension up to 11!

KGV won 3 of the first 4 games but only led by 4 points. Jason Glavin again for KGV and John Finch for Gladstone were dominant in their games. Mike Riley (Gladstone) looked in trouble at 7-0 down but he was on the green where he won the 2011 British Senior Merit, so he rapidly turned the game on its head and won 21-08. This swung the match back towards Gladstone, but Paul Ward helped steady the KGC ship.

The championship came down to the last few ends of the game between KGV’s Chris Bergin and Gladstone’s Nick Burridge. Gladstone were three behind, but Nick was almost there, only the odd point needed.

Nick lay game on a three-quarter corner mark away from the car park, Chris last bowl looked too low but it wasn’t then it looked like it was going to be too far, but the bowl gripped on the grass, turned another 6 inches towards the jack and then fell another few inches closer. The referee’s were asked to settle who was closest. It was Chris by not much at all, another single for Chris at next end, on a mark where the bowls on a knife edge and playing without a risk meant you did not finish close to the jack, meant the match & championship came down to the next end.

The previous end saw the bowls fighting against a ridge, this time the jack pegged over the ridge. This meant that the extra weight of the bowls might force the bowls to peg more than the jack, both Chris’s and Nick’s first bowls whipped to the inside, Chris’s twice as close to the jack as Nick’s but Nick’s was passed the jack.

Chris’s second bowl looked to be perfect before almost turning square to finish a few inches to the side of the jack. It was so inviting target, if it finished in front of the jack then Nick could only strike, with that he could play for game though. A running bowl could make contact with either jack or bowl to win it, it looked on target until the extra pace on the bowl negated the influence off the slop and took it too wide and the match went to KGV. The last end was won by Nick with a 4-foot bowl as the two teams shook hands like two sweat stained heavyweight boxers who’ve been punching themselves to a standstill.

Results

Quarter finals

Semi-finals

Final