The 2019 ECBA Champion of Champions was held at Stanley, County Durham over 1st-2nd June.

RINKS
Paul & Mike Daniels, John Hayward & Keith Jolly
Suffolk began with a tough game against Sunderland and started well but the game fell away from them in the middle and they lost 12-6.

The Hertfordshire game started off with a fortunate end which landed Suffolk 3 shots, unfortunately 5 dropped on the 4th end put them behind. After that it was close but a 2 shot lead for Herts going into the last end gave them a buffer which saw them home to a 10-7 win.

Next up were Northumberland who were leading having won both their games so far. It started close, 3-3 after 5 ends, but Suffolk then started to edge away, winning the remaining ends to record a 9-3 win to get off the mark.

Having won the first end against Durham, Suffolk proceeded to lose the next 4, putting them 6-2 down. However they chipped a couple back on the next and then turned the game on it’s head as Durham struggled and Suffolk picked up a 5 to retake the lead. Two on the next end gave them a healthy 5 shot buffer, allowing them to drop 2 on the last and win the game 11-8. That left them on 4 points at the finish of Saturday, tied for 4th, 3 points behind leaders Sunderland.

Sunday began with a game against Norfolk which was as much a fight against the carpet as their opponents, and at 7-3 down after 5 ends it was drifting away. But they grabbed 3 back on the next end after which it was a matter of getting one in and blocking up (or at least trying to), it was nervy stuff but it got them to a 9-7 win, tying for second but with Sunderland 3 points ahead.

Finally Suffolk had a decent start to a game, picking up 5 on the 3rd end against Essex which gave them a buffer for the remaining ends which they saw out to win 11-6 and move into second place while Sunderland won their game to secure the trophy witha game to spare.

Although there was no chance of taking the title second place was still up for grabs with Suffolk playing Cambridgeshire, the only team who could realistically take it off them. It was a game that was as close as expected and sat at 6-6 after 6 ends but the next 2 ends saw Suffolk pull a gap on their opponents, giving them a 4 shot advantage going into the last end, that allowed them to do what was necessary to win the game, if not the end. The final score was 10-8 to Suffolk leaving them comfortably in the runners-up spot.

Weekend record: L-L-W-W-W-W-W

TRIPLES
Tom Runnacles and Clint & Emma Watling
The first 3 ends of their opening game against Sunderland was close, Suffolk 2-1 down. But the 4th end pretty much settled the game as Suffolk took all 6. Another 3 on the 7th definitely put the game beyond their opponents’ reach and they finished 12-6 winners.

It was a topsy turvy game against Hertfordshire, 4-0 down then back to 6-4 up, but the last 3 ends didn’t go well and Suffolk fell to an 11-6 loss.

Suffolk made a good start against Northumberland and were 4-1 up after 4 ends, but that wasa s good as it got as they lost the remaining ends to go down 10-4.

At 5-2 up after 4 ends against Durham, Suffolk were off to a good start but the 5th end was a disaster as they dropped 5 followed by another 2 on the next to trail 9-5 with 3 ends to go, however they pulled back 3 on the next, drew level on the 8th and another 2 on the last to record a brilliant comeback, winning 11-9. That left them tied for 4th overnight, 3 points behind leaders Norfolk.

And it was Norfolk they took on first thing Sunday, and it started well, picking up all 6 on the second end and leading 11-1 with 3 to go. They lost those 3 but held on to win 11-7 and go to within a point of the leaders.

After being 5-5 after 5 against Essex, the game fell away from Suffolk and they finished up losing 10-5, finally putting them out of contention.

Although the title was out of reach Suffolk went on to record their best result of the weekend, a crushing 14-3 win over Cambridgeshire which saw them finish in 4th place overall, only 2 points off winners Norfolk.

Weekend record: W-L-L-W-W-L-W

PAIRS
Rita & Pete Runnacles
Suffolk opened against Durham and after dropping 1 on the first end soon took a comfortable lead, 7-1 after 5 ends, it was a comfortable lead, enabling them to drop 3 on the last and still come home for a 9-5 win.

The second game was much closer but they generally had their noses in front of Norfolk and finished winners 7-4.

Against Essex they were off to a great start and led 7-0 after 4 ends, after that it was much closer but they always had a comfortable lead, finally winning 9-4 to take a clear 2 point lead over the rest of the field.

The first stumble of the day came late, against Cambridgeshire, 6-0 down after 4 ends they fought back, but left it a little bit late, running out of ends and finishing 7-6 down. However they ended Saturday very much in contention as one of three teams, on 6 points at the top of the standings, the others being Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

It was a very bad start against Sunderland to open Sunday’s play, 8-0 down after 4 ends but they chipped back and played a perfect end of bowls on the 9th to take 3 and cap a remarkable comeback to win 9-8 and go top by a point.

After a good start against Hertfordshire, Suffolk fell behind, losing the game 8-6. That left them on 8 points, the same as Essex and Cambridgeshire and a point behind leaders Hertfordshire.

Their final game against Northumberland saw the first of all fall 4-0 behind only to pull back and head into the final couple of ends 7-4 ahead, but the game game didn't finish well for them as they dropped first 3 and then 2 to lose 9-7, leaving them in 4th place overall, 3 points behind champions Hertfordshire.

Weekend record: W-W-W-L-W-L-L

SINGLES
Sam Runnacles
After a slow start against Durham Sam was level on the 6th but 2 down on the next, however he got back to 7-7 with one end to go and with the jack pushed to the corner he got to it first and hung on to win 8-7.

Sam’s second game was against Norfolk and it was a result which was never in doubt right from the start as he romped away to an 18-1 win.

And it was a strong start against Essex, 10-0 up after 4 ends, enough to resist a comeback by the opposition as the game finished 11-7 to Sam, continuing to lead the way along with Hertfordshire.

After a sticky start against Cambridgeshire - Sam was 4-2 down after 4 ends - he took each of the last 5 ends to win 10-4 which kept him sharing top spot with Hertfordshire at the close of play on Saturday with a big showdown to come on Sunday.

Unfortunately for Sam Sunday didn’t start so well, a close game against Sunderland fell away from him in the last few ends as he lost 8-4 to fall 2 points behind the still unbeaten Hertfordshire.

Sam’s next game would get him back in the running if he could get a win, but dropping all 4 on the 2nd end was the killer from which he never recovered, losing 8-7 while Hertfordshire secured the title with that win.

It was now all about making sure that he secured second place with his final game against Northumberland. And he did just that, despite dropping all 4 on the 3rd end, running away to a 13-1 win to get second on shots ahead of Sunderland.

Weekend record: W-W-W-W-L-L-W

TEAM
With five sessions completed it was extremely close, only 5 points covered the whole field but Suffolk were sharing the lead with Hertfordshire, on 12 points.

A couple more sessions in the field had spread out somewhat but it was still Hertfordshire and Suffolk leading the way on 20 points, with Sunderland third on 18.

Saturday came to a close with Suffolk just falling back from the lead but still very much in contention. Herts led the way on 24 points, Suffolk had 22 and Sunderland and Northumberland were next best back on 18 points.

With a session to go Suffolk had fallen 3 points behind Hertfordshire and were going to need a bit of a miracle to beat them. It didn't happen.

A strong final session saw them secure 6 points but it wasn't quite enough as they finished on 36 points, exactly the same as the year before, one point behind winners Hertfordshire, also exactly the same as the year before.

You can find a full copy of the weekend's results here.