West Sussex bowlers are in knockout form

The Premier team entertained East Sussex looking for a good result to put them top of the table and set a target for Kent in their final match.

They started slowly, winning two games in the first session and two in the second to be level at 8-8 at lunch. In the afternoon they could only manage one win in the third session but did take the bonus points in the pairs to trail 16-12 with one session remaining.

As they had done in their previous game they stepped up the standard in the final session, winning three games and taking both sets of bonus points for a final win of 22-18 to remain unbeaten in the round-robin games.

This has left Kent with a very achievable target to win the group but West Sussex will finish runners-up and go on to the KO stages of the competition.

In the singles The Martlets’ Mel Lillywhite lost 18-10 and 17-13 while club-mate Marc Lancaster lost 18-12 and 20-14. In the pairs Infinity’s Chris Page and Dan Blackman won 15-9 and 24-7 and Southbourne’s Robin Armstrong and The Martlets’ Chris Blackman won 15-10 and lost 17-10.

In the triples Lavant’s Peter Winter and Peter Whale with Crablands Joyce Abel lost 10-9 and won 16-6. In the fours the Southbourne combination of Karen Alner, Rodney Bull, Dave Alner and Antony Bull lost 15-13 and won 18-5.

The A team, already comfortable leaders in their group, needed a good result against Surrey to put them in an uncatchable position.

They started strongly, winning three games in the first session and winning three and drawing one in the second session to lead 13-3 at lunch. They continued this form in the afternoon, winning three games in the third session and all four in the final session.

With the bonus points in all four disciplines this gave them an excellent win by 35-5 and confirmed them as group winners, whatever the result of the remaining game.

In the singles Bognor’s Brian Mills won 14-8 and 22-7. In the pairs Southbourne’s Audrey Bull lost 14-12 and won 18-8.

In the triples Bognor’s Eric and Brenda Jones won 14-4 and 18-3. In the fours Lavant’s John Simms with Crablands Martin Hunt won 16-5 and 11-8 while Southbourne’s John Hardy and Dave Walter with Bognor’s Roger Brown drew 9-9 and won 10-9.

ARUN

Arun 133 London Civil Service BA 107

Arun IBC entertained London CSBA, who found it difficult to find the weight of Arun’s rinks and struggled to gain an edge, but as the game went on they gradually managed to get some points. One away rink managed a good win but Arun won by 26 shots.

Scores: C Chester, Ann Millet, D Adams won 26-14; B Smith, Resi, J Adams, S Payne lost 19-15; J Sparrow, D Goodenough, A Hunt, J Davis won 34-11; R Lincoln, C Hillier, B Sales, E Hall won 23-16; A Payne, P Davenport, B Sanford, C Burnard won 25-12; E Reywood, P Eaterbrook, B Williams, T Dade lost 35-10.

Arun 143 Egerton Park 131

Arun beat Egerton Park and claimed seven county league points out of 11.

Egerton Park hadn’t lost a game this season and they looked a strong team as they edged in front on some rinks.

Arun stayed in front on the scoreboard for most of the game, until about three quarters of the way through when Egerton nudged in front by just a few points.

Arun’s rink four played exceptionally well with Peter Hamnett and Ricky Corkett smashing the front end and the back two Colin Spicer and skip Brian Butler completing a great win. Arun pulled back to win the day.

Scores: P Green, M Campbell, R Hobbs, T Sayers lost 29-21; D Jackson, F Taylor, G Leaman, P Hannam lost 28-16; T Arnold, V May, A Anderson, M Bonnar won 26-20; P Hamnett, R Corkett, C Spicer, B Butler won 42-9; C Gilham, A Brown, E West, L Corne lost 22-19; B Rebbeck, P Pillips, J Davis, E Pidgeon lost 23-19.

Arun’s ladies played the club’s men as an extra to their annual Osbourne Trophy battle, which begins later this month. They put up a great ‘fight’ but came away losers by 145-96 shots.

Scores: E Keywood, C Gurden, B Arnell & C Dunham lost 21-18, F Downing, M Brand, V Foyle & M Bateman lost 21-17, D Hogg, S Booker, L Carthew lost 26-20, B McGovern, B Lawson, C Preston & J C Taylor lost 36-9, D Green, B Highams, S Simmonds, E Hall lost 21-14.

In the next round of the Egham Trophy, the national mixed fours contest, Arun lost to Victory IBC by eight shots after a very close game.

In the latest game in the county league against Worthing Pavilion IBC the ladies won ten of the 11 points available – a very good result away from home.

CRABLANDS

Crablands Bitterns played Bognor Green at home but lost 44-26.

Scores: Jean Tolhurst, Iris Brown, Geoff Brown and Roy Tolhurst (capt) lost 22-12; Meg Pocock, Brian Berry, Jim Saunders and Peter Blackman lost 21-14; (friendly): Doe Berry, Sheila Plaistow, Eddie Willcocks and Trevor Wilson lost 22-15.

Bitterns also played away to Midhurst Eagles and won 37-33 to take all six league points.

Scores: Jean Tolhurst, Ted Murrell, Roy Tolhurst (capt) and Jim Saunders won 19-17; Doe Berry, Meg Pocock, Brian Berry and Peter Blackman won 18-16; (friendly): Jan Obermayer, Sheila Plaistow, Martin Hunt and Trevor Plaistow won 29-9.

SOUTHBOURNE

Congratulations to Rodney Bull from Southbourne Bowls Club for being awarded his West Sussex Short Mat Bowls Association (WSCSMBA) badge.

These are awarded on completion of eight matches for any of the county representative teams. Bull currently plays for the county premier team.

Robin Armstrong recently played in his first short mat players’ tour event, the European Masters, in Belgium. He earned 13 world ranking points by virtue of a win and a draw during his group games followed by an excellent run through to the semi-finals of the knockout shield.

Southbourne Rovers 41 Lavant Green 33

Southbourne Rovers had a good win at home in south-west zone division two of the West sussex Winter League against Lavant Green. Each team won on one mat and Rovers won by eight shots overall to earn four points.

Scores: Mary Thornton, Joan Frost, Margaret Odell & Pete Jasinski (s) won 28-16; John Staker, Colin Bulbeck, Irene Jennings & Alan Williams (s) lost 17-13.

CHICHESTER

Chichester played the first of two indoor fixtures during the winter closed season against Worthing.

It was a very close match, with Chichester losing 102-93.

A dropped five and three on 19th & 20th end for Kevin Ball’s rink and a dropped four on the 20th end on Brian Talmage’s rink pretty much sealed Chichester’s fate but it a great afternoon all round, especially considering half of the squad weren’t regular indoor bowlers.

Scores: Chris Hobbs, Bernard Money, Simon Tooley, Betty Spicer lost 16-15; Trevor Jennings, John Walters, Tony Hardgrove, Brian Talmage won 25-19; Kevin Ball, Debbie Hogg, Sue Miles, Clive Benham won 21-18; Nigel Dearman, Les Etherington, Steph Baverstock, Jeff Pickard lost 23-18; Mike Davis, Sandra Pickard, Alan Stewart, Peter White lost 21-13.

FITTLEWORTH

Fittleworth 84 Wisborough Green 44

Scores: Pauline Gilpin, Alvar Etherington, Tess Clegg, Gina Barnfield won 27-9; Simon Herbert, Colin Long, Arthur Ellcome, Bernard Adsett won 33-19; Audrey Hodgson, Muriel Cook, Charlie Martin, Sue Judd won 24-16

Norfolk 53 Fittleworth 24

Scores: Pauline Gilpin, Colin Long, Jane Adsett, Gina Barnfield lost 33-12; Audrey Hodgson, Muriel Cook, Marc Wood, Sue Judd lost 20-12.

DONNINGTON

Donnington played triples at Chilgrove and won on both mats. Donnington enjoyed the match and thanked Chilgrove for their hospitality.

Representing Donnington were L Brooks, S Baverstock, P Whale, facing Chilgrove’s M Petter, N Gunning, S Wingate; and M Maggs, P Skinner, T Haigh, who had a comfortable win against J Wingate, M Kennedy and P Phillips.

Donnington played Aldingbourne at home and won on one mat but lost on the other. Aldingbourne won overall by four points.

For Donnington Janine Bartlett, Chris White, Colin Hulbert, Brian Taylor faced David Stanmore, Marjorie Taylor, Norman Bexall, Derek Meakins and Innes Taylor, Steph Baverstock, Maggie Maggs and Peter Skinner played David Hill, Alan Stiles, Derek Wilgoss, Jim Cordingley.

MIDHURST

Midhurst Eagles are mourning the death of one of their dearest and special members, ‘Lally’ Mercer ,who was well known with the short mat and long mat scene at the Grange Centre in Midhurst and among outdoor bowlers.

Lally was playing bowls until late October before a short spell in the cottage hospital and then St Richard’s Hospital.

She will be sadly missed for the friendly, bubbly but very competitive outlook she had inall the sport she took part in.

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