Worthing Pavilion Bears show champion form to retain West Sussex Bowls League title

Fittingly after a soggy summer, conditions were cool and grey at East Preston on August 31 when play started in the 16th match of the Bears' season.

They needed a maximum of two points to lift consecutive titles, regardless of Southbourne's last result. Three hours later the Bears had secured eight of the 10 points, winning on three rinks and losing on the fourth by a single shot.

Top rink went to Tommy Walker, Dave Thomas, Francis Fahey and skip Kevin Yeo, who dominated from the off. They took 15 of the 21 ends and won 25-11.

Andy Peters, Barrie Evans, Mick Patching and Mark Strong were four shots down after 10 ends but hit back hard to win 24-20.

Colin Davey, Russ Doherty, Jamie Dunk and Simon Davey also led from start to finish, though they needed a single on the last end to ensure a 17-14 victory. Jeremy Simpson, Nour Dissem, Jon Smith and Paul Ward were four shots clear with four to play. They dropped a three and two singles to trail by one playing the last, which was tied, giving East Preston a 19-18 win.

In all, the Bears won 14 league matches in Francis Fahey's first season as team captain and finished on 113 points, 11 clear of Southbourne, with Pavilion Bulls on 96 points in third place.

Thirty bowlers appeared for the Bears, with Yeo ever-present and six others missing only one match: Doherty, Dissem, Fahey, Peters, Simpson and Ward. Fahey thanked everyone who had contributed to the success and expressed the wish that they would all be back to try for three-in-a-row in 2025.

The final of the Edward Rowland Memorial Trophy offered Pavilion the chance of further silverware only 24 hours after the Division One triumph. Simpson, Doherty, Ward and skip Alan Vidler faced a team from Southwick at Burgess Hill to defend the title won by four Pavilion clubmates 12 months ago.

They started slowly and were 6-2 down after five of the 21 ends. Southwick led 16-3 after 10 but Pavilion took the next five to trail by only four.

Showing the grit that had seen them battle through five rounds of the Sussex-wide knockout tournament, they kept in contention until the last end. Although they were 19-15 down, Pavilion held four shots and had hopes of a fifth.

What would have been an epic comeback was thwarted when Vidler, with his final wood, dragged the jack away from the holding shots, allowing Southwick to lift the trophy.

With only one of their 16 matches left to play in the Brodie Tray this season, Pavilion can no longer catch Southwick, the league leaders. But they gave themselves a good chance of finishing as runners-up by taking eight of the 10 points from their home match against Worthing on August 31.

The 71-61 victory was tightly contested throughout. Barry Ledger's rink of Alan Crowter, Roger Dutton and Ken Chapman made sure of the spoils in their game with a six on the 16th end as they won 19-12.

Pam Duffield and Bryan Bodicoat won the pairs game 19-16 despite trailing by a shot after 16 of the 18 ends. Simon Ritter, Phil Carter and Richard Krupa were behind twice in their triples game before doing just enough to win 16-13.

Alan Fryar, Bill Muir and David Berry scored two early fives in their triples but immediately dropped a four and a five to trail at halfway. The four singles they scored over the last nine ends were not enough to turn the tables in a 20-17 defeat.

Away from the league and cup action, Pavilion held a fun competition on bank holiday Monday, superbly organised by Jamie Dunk. Thirty-six bowlers each played four rounds of randomly drawn triples, with Linda Carter taking the honours by winning all four games and amassing 30 shots. Colin Davey was runner-up on 15, with Barry Balchin third on 12.

The event was such a success that it will be repeated indoors on Sunday, December 15, when Christmas jumpers will be to the fore.