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WRINKLIES RINK GUIDE MIDDLESEX CBA TO VICTORY OVER BERKSHIRE CBA.
David Pitt (Masonian BC), David Crudington (Bush Hill Park BC), Tommy Lawford (Broomfield BC) and Ernie Rudston (Bush Hill Park BC), average age slightly over 21, showed that age itself is no barrier in the world of competitive bowls as they led from the front to guide Middlesex CBA to a 115 shots to 104 win over the Royal County of Berkshire CBA in the Home Counties League.
The experienced Quartets 6 shot (20 shots to 14) win was only robbed of top rink honours by David Smith & Frank Oliver (both Century BC), Tony Howard (Wealdstone BC) and Tony Waller (Ladygate BC) who scored 3 shots on their last end to also win by 6 (25 shots to 19) and sneak home on ends won 12 ends to 11!.
The overall match was a tight affair throughout. In contrast to recent evenings the game, at Finchley BC, began in bright sunshine and by 5 ends Middlesex had opened up a 29 shot to 22 lead. At ten ends that lead had been stretched to 11 shots (54 shots to 43). By 15 ends the weather had reverted to type and players were rushing to don their over used waterproofs at the heavens opened, but the conditions did not seem to change the pattern of play as Middlesex led 84 shots to 72. Middlesex slightly stretched the lead to 17 shots (102 shots to 85) at 18 ends before Berkshire launched a late and ultimately doomed fight back to narrow the gap to 11 shots at the close, 115 shots to 104.
Victory on 4 rinks saw Middlesex gain 18 points to Berkshires 4 points, which put them in a strong position ahead of their next League game away to Kent on the 26th July.
For the record Middlesex's other winning rinks were Richard Southgate (Harrow BC), Les Massey (Pymmes Park BC), Paul Fuller (Century BC) and Perry Cook (Poplar BC) who won 17 shots to 15 and Ray Fortune (Poplar BC), Gary Dear (Uxbridge BC), Dave Parrott (Rosedale BC) and Ron Le Leux (Uxbridge BC) who won 22 shots to 20. The rink of Roger Watkinson (Bush Hill Park BC), Rod Smith (Holtwhites BC), Ian Ellis (Finchley BC) and Kenny Allen (Broomfield BC) almost got Middlesex a 19th point, holding the 2 shots required for a draw they saw opposing skip, Alan Price, remove one of the bowls with the last wood of their game to scrape home 15 shots to 14.
After the
match Ian Ellis (Finchley BC) received his Colts badge for playing in his
first County game and he now has the opportunity to convert a colts badge
into a full badge in under a fortnight when he contests the Quarter Finals
of the unbadged singles. |