Suffolk
Carpet Bowls Association |
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» SUFFOLK COUNTY TEAM 2022/23 |
Suffolk v Hertfordshire
Sunday 26th June see the Suffolk team finally play their final
match of the season, at home to Hertfordshire,3 months after
it was postponed owing to illness. Herts had players missing
as a result of pre-booked holidays and were 4 players short,
and while the same was true of Suffolk, they were able to field
a full team, with a couple of players making their debut. The
team consisted of;
S1 Frank Wilkin, Rita Runnacles, Ellen Grube, Sam
Runnacles
S2 Tony Stephenson, Steve Isles, Mick Watkins,
Andy Pooley
S3 Sue Isles, Bruce Miller, Oscar Mew, Paul Daniels
S4 Karen Hubbard, A Hemsby, Andy Gilder, Neil Jolly
S5 Pete Runnacles, Sally Goodrich, Peter Fellingham,
Adam Hubbard
S6 Sue Davey, Jim Goodrich, Ally Hobbs, Tom Runnacles
Suffolk went into the game
with a 16 point lead over Hertfodrshire, knowing that just 11
of the 36 points on offer would secure them the league title
for a 10th consecutive time.
On paper that should have been
an easy enough take, in practice it turned out to be less so.
The first session saw only
S3 able to win their game, which they did comfortably 15-3. The
other two games were close, but in both cases Suffolk were edged
out, S1 lost 7-9, while S5 lost by just a single shot, 9-10.
Overall score: Suffolk 2 Herts 4.
It had been a nervous start,
and it didn't get any better in the second session. S2 fell to
a 7-14 loss, while S4 suffered a narrow 8-9 loss. Thankfully
S6 held the Suffolk end up, but only just, as they won 7-6. Overall
score: Suffolk 4 Herts 8.
The third session saw a good
win for S1, 11-4, but it was an all too familiar story for the
other two, S3 lost out by the odd shot, 7-8, while S5 went down
4-8. Overall score at the halfway point: Suffolk 6 Herts 12.
Two points per session would be enough to get the job done, but
only just.
The second half began much
better for Suffolk, two good wins, with S6 winning 13-6, S2 winning
15-4, and S4 only just missing out, losing 7-8. Overall score
10-14, and with Suffolk holding a comfortable shot advantage
going into the match, and being up on the day, only a catastrophic
final 2 sessions would see the title slip out of their grasp.
The penultimate session was
another improvement, two more wins, 12-4 for S5, and 10-4 for
S1, while S3 missed out 8-10. Overall score: Suffolk 14 Herts
16. That meant that the title was secured, the task now was to
secure the victory on the day.
The final three games were
close, but they all went Suffolk's way, S6 won 9-8, S2 7-6, and
S4 8-5.
It had been a long, hot day,
and one that had started out badly, but finished much better
for Suffolk, in what was a classic game of two halves, Herts
picking up 12 of the 18 points on offer in the first half, while
Suffolk secured 14 out of 18 in the second half.
Congratulations to Suffolk
for showing such resiliance in the face of strong opposition,
and to Hertfordshire who secured the league runner-up spot.
|
|
Pl |
W |
D |
L |
For |
Agst |
Pts |
1 |
Suffolk |
4 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
691 |
485 |
98 |
2 |
Hertfordshire |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
599 |
543 |
78 |
3 |
Essex |
4 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
518 |
572 |
63 |
4 |
Norfolk |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
502 |
622 |
62 |
5 |
Cambridgeshire |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
536 |
624 |
59 |
|
 |
ECCBA Six Counties
On April 17th Suffolk would travel to Littleport in Cambridgeshire
to play the annual six counties event.
The first session would see rinks 1-4 to take on Norfolk. It
was a good session, and one where Suffolk would take 7 points
from the 8 available. Only S4 would drop a point in a well earned
draw.
The next session would see S5 and S6 take on their respective
numbers from Norfolk, they continued where the first rinks left
off and won both games. The other 2 games would see S1 and S2
beat their opposition from Hertfordshire.
The third session would be a bad one for Suffolk losing 3 of
the 4 games played vs Hertfordshire. The only win would come
from S3, beating their opposition 10-6.
Session 4 would see S1-S3 take on Cambridgeshire. The session
would be tight and this was reflected in the scores. S1 would
draw vs their opponents 6-6, S2 would earn a well earned 8-5
win and S3 would go down 11-6 to their opposition.
Session 5 could see Suffolk turn the screw if they could win
two games from the next three. S4s game was never in doubt
winding up 25-4 winners. S5 couldnt quite get on top of
their game losing a tight game 8-6. S6 would do enough vs their
opponents winning 10-6.
Session 6 would see Suffolk take on the current leaders of the
competition, Essex. We would need to play well to beat them.
S1 and S3 couldnt do enough in their games eventually losing
9-5 and 12-2 respectively. S2 and S4 did better in their games
winning 9-7 and 9-5. A split session would need S5 and S6 to
win their games to apply some pressure to Essex.
Session 7 would see Suffolk apply the necessary pressure to Essex
beating both of their remaining two rinks. S5 winning 8-6, S6
winning 12-4. S1 and S2 would play their last game of the day
vs Bedfordshire. S1 would take a point and S2 would take two
beating their opponents 10-5.
The last session of the day would see S3-S6 take on Bedfordshire.
No slip ups and we would win the competition. S3, S4 and S6 would
all win their games comfortably allowing S5 to draw and take
a point from their last game.
Suffolk were the overall winners again, beating their nearest
competition Cambridgeshire by just 3 points. A special well done
to S3 who won all their games on the day.
Tom Runnacles (County Captain)
|
|
Pts |
For |
Agst |
1 |
Suffolk |
42 |
292 |
186 |
2 |
Cambridgeshire |
39 |
259 |
213 |
3 |
Essex |
32 |
225 |
235 |
4 |
Hertfordshire |
29 |
255 |
215 |
5 |
Bedfordshire |
21 |
189 |
283 |
6 |
Norfolk |
17 |
185 |
273 |
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A full copy
of all the day's results can be found here. |
Cambridgeshire v Suffolk
Sunday 19th February would see the Suffolk team play their 2nd
away fixture season and travel to Littleport to face Cambridgeshire,
the team consisted of;
S1 Sue Isles, Jim Goodrich, Peter Fellingham, Clint
Watling
S2 Frank Wilkin, Andy Gilder, Mick Watkins, Sam
Runnacles
S3 Karen Hubbard, Steve Isles, Andy Pooley, Paul
Daniels
S4 Sue Davey, Rita Runnacles,Colin Fellingham,
Neil Jolly
S5 Pete Runnacles, Ellen Grube, Adam Hubbard, Sue
Gilder
S6 Emma Watling, Sally Goodrich, Ally Hobbs, Tom
Runnacles
The first session would see
rinks 1, 3 and 5 play. Rinks 3 and 5 started well and controlled
their games well winning 12-3 and 10-5 respectively. S1 couldnt
quite do enough losing 13-11.
Session two would see the even numbered rinks take to the mats
for the first time today. They started well and ended up winning
all 3 games, S2 won a close fought match 7-6, S4 wound up 10-8
winners and S6 with 2 big ends won 15-10 vs their opponents.
Suffolk up 10-2 after the first two sessions.
The third session would see Suffolk press their lead even further
still with all three teams playing well and winning two games
on the last end. S1 would see themselves to a well earned 10-6
win. S3 kept their opposition at bay winning 14-8 but the closest
match was the one that S5 went on to win with the last bowl,
7-6 to Suffolk. Suffolk now lead 16-2.
Session 4 would see Suffolk extend their lead slightly but it
wouldnt be 3 wins for Suffolk this session. S2 and S6 both
won their games with relative ease 12-1 and 10-4 respectively.
It wasnt plain sailing for S4 though who never really got
a foot hold in their game eventually going down 11-6 vs their
opponents. Suffolk had now guaranteed the win having reached
20 points.
Session 5 saw the odd numbered rinks take to the mats for the
last time today, could they press home Suffolks advantage
further? Unfortunately for Suffolk this was to be our worst session
of the day winning only one game from the three. S5 managed to
do what they needed to in a slightly scrappy game winning 11-5.
S3 were unlucky not to win their game losing a few key ends eventually
would lose 10-7. S1 despite looking completely down and out made
the score respectable in the end taking a large count last end
to lose 13-10.
In the last session of the day it was important Suffolk didnt
lose focus and lose a second session on the bounce. Another disappointing
result for S4 would see them lose 10-5, once again never really
getting a foothold in the game. S2 would earn a well earned point
in a very close game drawing 6-6. Only 1 point from 4 would need
to see S6 win their game to tie the session.
In a very close game S6 had to come from behind in their last
3 ends to overcome their opposition. S6 lead by 2 going into
the last end so could afford to drop a single shot only. This
was what they did and found themselves 9-8 winners.
Suffolk had won the match 25-11,
a good scoreline but one they will slightly disappointed with
having once lead 16-2 at the midway stage. Sharing 9 points each
in the second half with a Cambridgeshire team that rallied well.
Well done to Frank Wilkin who played his first game for Suffolk,
he settled in extremely well and made a good account of himself.
Also well done to S2, S5 and S6 who didnt lose a game all
day. S5 and S6 winning all theirs.
Suffolks last game will be at Needham Market on Sunday
19th March where they will host Hertfordshire.
Tom Runnacles (County Captain)
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|
Pl |
W |
D |
L |
For |
Agst |
Pts |
1 |
Suffolk |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
527 |
359 |
78 |
2 |
Cambridgeshire |
4 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
536 |
624 |
59 |
3 |
Essex |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
391 |
443 |
47 |
4 |
Hertfordshire |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
300 |
249 |
43 |
5 |
Norfolk |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
243 |
322 |
25 |
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Norfolk v Suffolk
Sunday 15th January saw Suffolk making the trip to Norfolk for
their second match of the new season, the team consisted of;
S1 Ralph Sadgrove, Rita Runnacles, Mick Watkins,
Sam Runnacles
S2 Sue Isles, Jim Goodrich, Peter Fellingham, Clint
Watling
S3 Tony Stevenson, Steve Isles, Colin Fellingham,
Paul Daniels
S4 Sue Davey, Oscar Mew, Andy Gilder, Neil Jolly
S5 Pete Runnacles, Ellen Grube, Adam Hubbard, Sue
Gilder
S6 Karen Hubbard, Sally Goodrich, Ally Hobbs, Tom
Runnacles
Coming of the back of a good
opening win Suffolk were in high spirits travelling to their
first away match in several years. They would face Norfolk who
would be playing in the usual venue, Wortwell. The mats are tricky
and this would prove evident from the off.
The first session Norfolk proved they were not going to lay down
against us as they would share the points 3-3. Each team winning
a game and drawing one. S1 would be edged out on the last end
by a shot, S5 winning comfortably and S3 with a well earned point
sharing 6 shots a piece.
Session 2 would see a slightly better Suffolk performance, S2
and S4 both controlling their games well to win 9-6 and 10-5
respectively. S6 started poorly dropping a 5 on their first end
and never got a food hold in the game eventually losing 13-5.
Session 3 would see the first win for S1 beating their opponents
10-7, a second win for S5 cruising to an 11-5 win. Unfortunately
S3 couldnt better their first game and wound up losing
11-5 in a game they were always chasing. Another winning session
for Suffolk though edging us 11-7 after the half way stage.
Session 4 would see S6 win their first game of the day, a very
tight game that wasnt over until the last end which was
closed out to a 7-5 win. S4 came out of the blocks fast and eased
their way to a convincing 17-3 win. S2 started well but were
slowly pegged back by a dogged Norfolk rink who eventually caught
and overtook them. S2 going down 8-4 in the end.
Session 5 would see Suffolk start to turn the screw winning all
3 games in convincing fashion. The first win of the day for S3
taking their game 13-8. S1 would close their game nicely 9-3.
More impressively though would be S5 who would thrash their opposition
17-2 closing out all 3 of their games with wins.
The last session would S2 control their game well and runout
12-6 winners. S4 would lose their first game of the day 8-5 to
their opposition (who won all their games). S6 were cruising
7-1 only to go into the last end all square. An important last
bowl of the match turned potential loss into a win nicking a
2 to close the game 9-7.
A very resilient Norfolk made
life very difficult for a Suffolk team who were a little slow
out of the blocks. We dug in though and did what we do best and
ground out the result to win 25-11. A flattering scoreline which
on another day could have been very very different indeed. Well
played to both teams and thank you again to Suffolks supporters.
Tom Runnacles (County Captain)
|
|
Pl |
W |
D |
L |
For |
Agst |
Pts |
1 |
Suffolk |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
354 |
225 |
53 |
2 |
Cambridgeshire |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
402 |
451 |
48 |
3 |
Essex |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
391 |
443 |
47 |
4 |
Hertfordshire |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
300 |
249 |
43 |
5 |
Norfolk |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
243 |
322 |
25 |
|
|
Suffolk v Essex
Sunday 11th December saw the long awaited return of the Eastern
Counties intercounty league for Suffolk. Due to the withdrawal
of Bedfordshire from this years league Suffolk missed the
first round of games in November. Suffolk were in high spirits
returning to their first competitive league match in just under
3 years, the team consisted of;
S1 Ralph Sadgrove, Rita Runnacles, Mick Watkins,
Sam Runnacles
S2 Sue Isles, Jim Goodrich, Peter Fellingham, Clint
Watling
S3 Tony Stevenson, Steve Isles, Andy Pooley, Paul
Daniels
S4 Sue Davey, Andy Gilder, Colin Fellingham, Neil
Jolly
S5 Pete Runnacles, Ellen Grube, Adam Hubbard, Sue
Gilder
S6 Karen Hubbard, Sally Goodrich, Ally Hobbs, Tom
Runnacles
The first round of games saw
S1, S3 and S5 all play their respective number from Essex. S1
started well taking 4 shots from the first three ends only to
lose a 5 and a 2 the next 2 ends. They would need to sharpen
up if they wanted a result from this game, they did just that
leading by two shots, 9-7 going into the last end which they
closed out by dropping a single to win 9-8. A poor start from
S3 meant they were always chasing this game, they finished strongly
picking up 7 shots in the last three ends but it wasnt
enough losing 10-8. S5 started well and controlled the game well
only dropping four singles in their game for a comfortable 9-5
win.
S2 asserted themselves early in their opener leading 7-3 by end
4. This was a lead that was build on further winning 11-5 by
end 9. S4 vs E4 was to be probably the closest game of the entire
day, both rinks playing some excellent bowls. After 5 ends the
score was tied at only 3 shots apiece, three ends later the teams
still could not be separated at 6 shots each. On the crucial
last end the holding bowl changed back and forth with the Suffolk
skip shot down with last wood to play, the shot hit the target
but the jack didnt move quite enough and would see S4 lose
their first game. S6 came straight out of the blocks tearing
to a 6-0 lead after 3 ends, a lead that would extend further
as the game went on, finally closing out their game 12-4.
Session 3 was a very comfortable one for S1 as they eased to
a 10-3 win over their opponents winning 6 of the 9 ends. A very
similar story for S5 as they cruised their way to a 12-4 win
in their game. Unfortunately the same couldnt be said for
S3 in their game. 4-4 after 5 ends the game was finely poised
only for S3 to lose a 4 on the 6th end. They made a valiant attempt
to recover but could only get a 2 on the last end to lose by
one shot; 10-9.
At the halfway stage Suffolk were leading 12-6, a lead that we
would hope to capitalise on further still in session 4. S2 were
in a very close, back and forward game until the 7th end saw
them take a 3 followed by a subsequent 5 shots over the next
2 ends to win 13-5. S4 would have another very frustrating game,
never truly getting any kind of momentum going and would eventually
go down 9 shots to 3. In the other game in this session would
see a very dominant performance from S6 winning all but the last
2 ends to wind up 12-4 winners.
In session 5 S1 would see themselves to another win in their
final game. Some high scoring ends would see 24 shots scored
over 9 ends. S1 having the lions share of them winning
15-9. S3 would see an improved performance in their last game
with a very convincing 16-4 win vs their opposition. S5 would
also join S1 in a clean sweep of their games today controlling
their last game well to win 9-6.
After a clean sweep of games in session 5 Suffolk had a chance
to really put some pressure on in the last session of games.
S2 were in a very tight game up to end 6 where they only lead
by a mere 2 shots, end 7 however would put the game beyond Essex
as a 6 was scored. The final score was a rather overwhelming
16-4 to Suffolk. S4 would be involved in a very scrappy game
that would go to the last end. Suffolk would just about hold
on losing a 1 on the last end to win 7-6. A much needed win for
S4 that didnt have the best of days. S6 scored would only
score 2 shots in the first 6 ends and really found themselves
up against it vs a very competent Essex team. Ends 7 and 8 gave
them a glimmer of hope however and saw them bring the score back
to 7-5 down with one end to play. The Suffolk skip needed to
draw both his bowls close to the jack without reply from the
Essex skip if they would salvage a win. The Suffolk skip did
draw both near enough to lay the 3 shots needed, they could only
stand and watch as the fate of the game was out of their hands
now. The Essex skip was short with his last bowl and an unlikely
win was complete. A tenacious performance from S6 would see them
win all their games and complete a 2nd clean sweep of games bringing
the final match score 28-8 to Suffolk. A very good win from Suffolk
in their opening game, one which we hope to build on in our next
game away to Norfolk.
Well done to Tony Stevenson in his first match for Suffolk. Also
well done to S1, S2, S5 and S6 for winning all their games.
Tom Runnacles (County Captain) |
2022/23 Suffolk Squad
On Saturday 12th November the Suffolk squad trials took place
at Needham Market Community Centre.
After a very tough selectors
meeting earlier this week the other selectors and I have reached
a decision on the squad for the next year. The squad will consist
of 26 players with 24 needed for league matches. The squad is
as follows;
Tom Runnacles (Barking) - Captain
Karen Hubbard (Chelmondiston) - Selector
Ally Hobbs (Claydon) - Selector
Ralph Sadgrove (Hundon) - Selector
Paul Daniels (Belstead)
Sue Davey (Cockfield)
Colin Fellingham (Cockfield)
David Ford (Claydon)
Andy Gilder (Barking)
Sue Gilder (Barking)
Jim Goodrich (Claydon)
Sally Goodrich (Claydon)
Ellen Grube (Hundon)
Adam Hubbard (Chelmondiston)
Sue Isles (Claydon)
Steve Isles (Claydon)
Neil Jolly (Brockley)
Oscar Mew (Belstead)
Andy Pooley (Claydon)
Pete Runnacles (Barking)
Rita Runnacles (Barking)
Sam Runnacles (Barking)
Tony Stevenson (Belstead)
Mick Watkins (Barking)
Clint Watling (Claydon)
Frank Wilkin (Hintlesham)
The first league match for
the new squad will be the home match against Essex at Needham
Market, on 11th December.
Tom Runnacles |
2022 National Championships
This years event saw a reduction in the number of teams
to 8, with Bedfordshire absent owing to the fact their league
has only just restarted, and they currently have no squad.
Suffolk would be going for
their 8th consecutive Nationals win.
The team were as follows:
A - Ralph Sadgrove, Ellen Grube, Adam Hubbard, Sam Runnacles
B - Emma Watling, Sally Goodrich, Paul Daniels, Sue Gilder
C - Sue Isles, Jim Goodrich, Peter Fellingham, Clint Watling
D - Pete Runnacles, Steve Isles, Andy Pooley, David Ford
E - Sue Davey, Andy Gilder, Colin Fellingham, Neil Jolly
F - Karen Hubbard, Rita Runnacles, Ally Hobbs, Tom Runnacles
Saturday
It was a good start for Suffolk in the first session against
Norfolk. A were 6 up in 3 ends, but by 8 ends it was back to
7-6, but they rallied at the end to take the game 12-6. Bs
game was close too, 7-6 up going into the last end, but they
picked up 4 on the 11th to win 11-6. For C it was a case of once
they were ahead, the game was not in doubt, they led from the
4th end onwards, winning 11-8. A full house, although they were
all hard fought for. Overall Suffolk were one point ahead of
Cambridgeshire.
Against Northumberland there
were two huge wins, D went from 5-3 up after 5 ends to 20-4 by
the end. For F it was even more emphatic, they picked up a 7,
and two 6s on their way to a huge 34-3 win. And E looked to be
going the same way, 10-3 up after 7 looked very comfortable,
but Northumberland came back, and kept coming back, and in the
end got back to a 10-10 draw. One dropped point, but Suffolk
had extended their lead over Cambridgeshire to 3 points.
And it was Cambriudgeshire
who Suffolk would face in the third session of the day. Block
A were never behind, although it was close up to end 8, but they
pulled away at the end for an 11-4 win. It was the same for C,
6-3 at 7 ends, they picked up a couple of 4s on their way to
a 15-5. B were 5-0 down after 3, but pulled it back to be all
square at 7-7 with 2 ends to go, however those last 2 ends didnt
go their way, and they lost 7-10. It was still a winning session
for Suffolk, but Hertfordshire had taken the opportunity to close
on them, and were now in second, 2 points behind.
Durham were next up, and Suffolk
won them all in comfortable fashion. D picked up 4 on the first
end, and although their opponents came back from 8-1 down to
9-6 down with an end to go, Suffolk took the game 11-6. E picked
upa 6 on the 6th end, giving them a 12-1 lead, and finished 17-5
winners. And F were never in danger, finishing with an 11-2 win.
That extended Suffolks lead out to 6 points over Herts,
with Cambridgeshire one further back.
The fifth session saw Suffolk
taking on Essex. The first half of As game was close, but
from 5-4 up, they pulled away to win 14-5. For B it was a case
of grinding out a win, just 12 shots were scored over the 11
ends, but it was 9-3 in Suffolks favour. And for C it was
a game of two halves, Suffolk were 5-0 up after 4 ends, but 7-8
down with an end to go, but C picked up a 3 to snatch the win
10-8. Overall Suffolks lead was now 7 points, with Cambridgeshire
moving just ahead of Herts.
The penultimate session was
a big one, Hertfordshire could close the gap considerably with
3 wins. It was close at the halfway mark for D, 5-4 up after
6 ends, but they pulled away in the second half to win 14-7.
For E it was a different story, 10-0 ahead after only 4 ends,
finishing 13-6 winners. And after picking up a 5 on the first
end, Found themselves only one shot ahead after 7 ends, and the
game was only really settled on the last, with Suffolk picking
up 3 to win 12-7. Cambridgeshire matched Suffolks 6 points
in that session, so the 7 point lead stayed the same, but Herts
were now a further 7 points back, so only Cambridgeshire looked
like they had a chance to challenge Suffolk for the win.
The day finished with a Sunderland
match up. C kept their noses in front after the second end, and
won 15-8. B never got into their stride, it was close halfway
through, but their opponents won the final 5 ends to take the
game 13-4. The final game, for A, was a little different, though
Sunderland led early on, it was all square at 6-6 after 8 ends,
but with one end to go, Sunderland were 10-6 up which ought to
be easily defendable, or so youd think. But on that final
end Suffolk had the upper hand, albeit with woods which werent
all that close, and in front of the jack. All Sunderland needed
to do was cut them down, but sometimes its not quite so
easy, and amazingly Suffolk held on to 7 shots, to win 13-10.
That mean that they finished the day with that same 7 point gap
over Cambridgeshire, and 14 points over third placed Hertfordshire.
Sunday
Norfolk were the days first opponents. Block D ran out
to a big lead quickly, big enough to allow the opposition to
take 5 on the last end, and still win 15-8. It was close all
the way for E, but they were better over the final few ends,
winning 9-6, while F were all square with 2 ends to go, but made
the most of them to win 14-8. With Cambridgeshire also getting
maximum points, the gap at the top was still 7 points.
Northumberland turned out to
be not quite so easy to turn over, as might have been expected.
Having said that, A comfortably won their game 23-3, B only really
got their noses in front on the 10th end, they won 11-6, and
while C were always ahead, it was never by much, they finished
12-9 up. Once again Cambridgeshire matched Suffolks points,
but further behind, Herts were now 20 points off the lead.
The real crunch time for Suffolk
was in the days third session, playing Cambridgeshire,
who would be able to reduce the gap to just a point if they took
all 3 games. As it was they were only able to win one, that was
against D, who never really got going, losing the game 6-14.
Meanwhile E ran out to a 9-1 lead, before taking the game 11-6,
and F, who picked up a 4 on the 5th end, which helped keep their
noses in front as they won 10-5. That inched Suffolks lead
out to 9 points, and short of a massive slip-up they should retain
the title.
And that slip-up very nearly
happened in the next round, against Durham. C were 4-0 down after
4 ends, but were level after 6, and a couple of 4s on the 7th
and 8th ends finally put their noses in front, as they won 14-7.
It was close for A until the 8th end when they dropped a 5, to
fall 10-6 behind, and going into the last 2 ends they trailed
by 5, but they made those remaining ends count, and dragged it
back to draw 11-11. And B trailed pretty much throughout their
game, and headed into the last 2 ends trailing by 4, but 2 on
the 10th end, and 4 on the last, saw them turn the game around
to an 11-9 win out of nowhere. With Cambridgeshire only picking
up 2 points against Herts, Suffolks lead extended further,
to 12 points, giving them a full 2 sessions in hand over the
only team that could now catch them.
And having survived that, a
similar situation emerged against Essex. Of the 3 games, only
E had their noses in front all the way through, winning 11-6,
while F never recovered from a horrible start which saw them
9-0 down after only 4 ends, eventually losing 7-14. It was not
a great start from D either, 5-0 down after 3 ends, they were
still 7-4 behind with 2 ends to go, but like B, before them they
staged a very late comeback, also picking up a 2 and a 4 on the
final 2 ends to win 10-7. With Cambridgeshire also dropping 2
points, Suffolk still led by 12, with just 2 sessions to go.
Hertfordshire were always going
to be tough opposition, and so it proved. C had their noses just
in front most of the way through, but still needed one on the
last end to win 8-7. B trailed 6-2 after 4 ends, but won the
next 6, taking the game 12-7, while A pulled their game back
from 7-0 down to win 12-8, all of which sealed the overall win
for Suffolk with one session to spare.
That final session saw Suffolk
up against Sunderland. After a sticky start, D took 7 straight
ends, to win 15-3, on the other hand E never got going and fell
to a 4-13 loss, while F were absolutely rampant, trouncing their
opposition 28-2.
Suffolk finished the weekend
on 72 points (out of a possible 84), finishing 15 points clear
of Cambridgeshire, and 27 clear of third placed Hertfordshire,
for a resounding win, to keep their run of victories going.
While every block contributed
to the victory, particular congratulations should go to Clints
team, who were the only team across the event to win all their
games, and to Sams team who were the only other team to
go undefeated.
You can find a copy of the
full results here.

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2022 Inter-County Play-Off
Having won the Eastern Counties Championship, in the absence
of an Eastern Counties League for 2021-22, Suffolk would be representing
the East against the Northern League winners, Sunderland, in
Friday nights game, as a prelude to the Nationals.
Most of the Suffolk teams were
off to a decent start, and with 2 ends down, all but A were ahead.
Unfortunately, they were 5-0 down after 2 ends, and never got
going, with the game drifting away to a 4-15 loss.
After winning the first couple
of ends, B first lost their lead, and then drew back level, so
that with 2 ends to go it was all square at 7-7, but the last
two ends were lost, as was the game, 7-11.
It was a good start for C,
and they found themselves 6-2 up after 6 ends, but their opposition
pulled back to draw the game 7-7 on the final end. That said,
holding on for one point was going to crucial for Suffolk.
D had an even better start,
they worked their way to a 7-0 lead after 5 ends, but over the
next 5 proceeded to lose it, so that with one end to go it was
all square at 7-7. But they rallied to pick up one on the last
end, take one, and win 8-7. It was never in doubt.
according to Mr Ford.
There was another bright start
for E, 4-0 up after 2 ends, 8-2 up after 5, but 2 ends later
it was 8-7. However, that lead was restored 2 ends later, and
any hope of a Sunderland comeback was dashed as Suffolk picked
up 6 on the penultimate end, finally winning 19-8.
For F, the result of their
game was never really in doubt. By the 4th end they were 9-0
up, and although they managed to drop 8 shots over the last 4
ends, they still came home 14-10 winners.
The final result was a 7-5
win for Suffolk, taking the trophy for the 5th time on the trot,
but they only just edged the shots 59-58, showing what a difference
the two closest games might have made if the odd shot had gone
the other way. |
Eastern Counties Championship
On Sunday 26th September, Cambridgeshire hosted what was formerly
the Six Counties Championship, although this year, with Bedfordshire
not in a position to field a team, there were only 5 counties
present.
Suffolk 1 (S1): Sally Goodrich, Emma Watling, Andy Gilder,
Sam Runnacles
Suffolk 2 (S2): Ralph Sadgrove, Ellen Grube, Sue Gilder,
Paul Daniels
Suffolk 3 (S3): Pete Runnacles, Steve Isles, Colin Fellingham,
David Ford
Suffolk 4 (S4): Sue Isles, Jim Goodrich, Adam Hubbard, Clint
Watling
Suffolk 5 (S5): Sue Davey, Tony Stevenson, Mick Watkins,
Neil Jolly
Suffolk 6 (S6): Karen Hubbard, Rita Runnacles, Ally Hobbs,
Tom Runnacles
Session 1
Suffolk had all their blocks playing while the other teams had
only 3 blocks competing.
Against Norfolk S1, S2, and
S3 all had very close games, but each was able to come home in
front, 6-3, 7-5, and 7-6 respectively. The other games were against
Suffolks most likely rivals for the win, Cambridgeshire, but
things didn't go quite so smoothly. S4 ran out to a 9-0 lead,
before dropping a 6, but came back to win 15-7, S5 were always
in touch, but never quite managed to get their noses in front,
losing 4-5, while S6 were in a similar position until they dropped
a 5 on end 7, losing the game 6-10.
Suffolk led the way on 8 points,
4 ahead of Essex and Cambridgeshire, but everyone else had games
in hand.
Session 2
Just 3 games this time, and it was against Hertfordshire, who
were missing some key players, and had been off to a slow start.
S4 were behind early on, but
got ahead in the second half, and took a 9-5 win. S5 were always
just in front, winning 7-3, and S6 started slowly, but grabbed
a 7-6 win on the last end.
Suffolk now led Cambridgeshire
by 8 points, but they had 3 games in hand.
Session 3
Essex were the oppostion this time, and S1 were struggling right
from the start, eventually falling to a 3-13 loss. It was better
for the other two, though, S2 took 5 on the first end and never
looked back, winning 14-3, while S3 had the luxury of being able
to drop a 4 on the last end, and still win 11-8.
That session saw Cambridgeshire
use up their games in hand, and close dramatically on Suffolk,
who now led by just one point.
Session 4
This time it was the other half of the Suffolk team who took
on their Essex counterparts. While S6 ended up 6-3 ahead in a
tight game, the other two results were resounding, as S4 won
18-5, and S5 won 18-0.
Maximum points for Suffolk,
but Cambridgeshire could only muster one win against Herts, and
had now falled 5 points behind.
Session 5
Norfolk were next up, and this time all the teams came home to
very comfortable wins, S4 won 14-3, S5 13-3, and S6 10-3. Another
maximum points haul, and another session in which Cambridgeshire
faltered, taking just 2 points.
With all the teams having just
6 games left to play, Suffolk now led on 30 points, while nearest
rivals Cambridgeshire were on 21.
Session 6
With Cambridgeshire sitting out the session, Suffolk could seal
the deal with one set of games still to play.
And they did just that, S3
were never in any trouble, winning 14-3, S2's game ended up closer
that they might have expected after being 7-0 up after 2 ends,
just edging the game 11-9, while S3 were never in their game,
quickly going 12-0 down, they rallied somewhat, but still lost
9-16.
That put Suffolk 13 points
clear, and with Cambridgeshire only having 12 points available
in the final session, the title was sealed.
Session 7
Suffolk's final game were against Cambridgeshire, and it was
a mixed bag. S1 fell to a 4-9 loss, S3 ended up drawing 6-6,
while S2 cruised to a 13-1 victory.
The final standings saw Suffolk
on 37 points, Cambs on 30, Norfolk on 22, Essex on 16, and Herts
on 15.
The key to the win was undoubtedly
Suffolk's performances against Norfolk, Essex and Herts, losing
just 2 of the 18 games, although it should be noted that they
were only able to take 5 out of the 12 available points off Cambridgeshire.
Special mention should go to
S4 who were the only team from any county to win all their games,
while S3 were the only other team, with 3 wins and a draw, not
to lose a game.
In the absense of an Eastern
League this last season, Suffolk will now go forward to represent
the East at Potters, in the East v North match, which is the
prelude to the Nationals.
You can view the full set of
results here.
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