Norfolk Tigers start bowls season with a win
Norfolk Tigers followed in the footsteps of the Jaguars by winning their opening short mat league game, although their victory was at home.
The Tigers entertained Arundel Swallows in a WS Short Mat Division 2 game and emerged with a fairly comfortable 42:17 win to take maximum points. Keith Ireland, Elaine Montgomery, Andrea Turner, and Neil Gillingham won 22:7 and Barbara Wilkins, Peter Wilkins, Trevor Parker, and Carol Raggett won 20:10.
In the WS Short Mat KO Cup Norfolk Lions exited the competition at the first asking when Horsham Panthers defeated them 27:47, although Pauline Slade, Errol Moult, Denis Langham, and Bob Allen went down by a single point, 18:19. The other rink of Bee Edge, John Collins, Hugh Montgomery, and Peter Slade went down more comprehensively 9:28.
The other short mat games consisted of friendlies at Yapton and among new friends at Clapham & Patching.
The game at Yapton resulted in each team winning one triple and the other triple being drawn. Winning for Norfolk were June Collins, Mike Johnson, and John Collins 21:11. The drawing triple was Tony Borg, Nick Potter, and Neil Gillingham 15:25, whilst the losing triple was Malcolm Janman, Allison Hayyes, and Denny Roberts 7:21. So overall Yapton won 43:47.
It was a similar story in the other friendly at Clapham & Patching, being visited for the first time. One set managed to draw 18:18 while our other set lost 11:39. Drawing for Norfolk were Barbara Wilkins, Bernie Baker, Peter Wilkins, and John Collins. Hopefully this becomes a regular fixture with a return at Norfolk already scheduled.
Following their 100-point reverse at Worthing Indoors BB, Norfolk were hoping for an improvement with their next venture on the long mats of Worthing Pavilion. There was an improvement, the deficit over six triples being 70, and 37 of those were on one mat.
But saving the good until the end Norfolk actually won on one rink. Well done Mary Hignett, Bernie Baker, and Ted Jessup victors by 25:12.