Over the weekend of 1 and 2 August, the SCBA hosted the visit of the Durham county team at Needham Market.

On the Saturday afternoon there was a pairs competition with every Durham bowler being paired with a bowler from Suffolk. During the afternoon, there were some friendly, yet competitive and high quality group and knockout games.

In two close semi-finals Linda Cooke (Suff) and David Storey edged out Ann Hathaway (Suff) and Steven Walker 6-4, whilst Rita Runnacles (Suff) and Bill Smith beat Andy Gilder (Suff) and Joyce Woodward 7-2.

The final was as tight and after some excellent bowls from all four players, it was Linda and David who came out on top, winning 6-3.

On Saturday evening many of the Suffolk bowlers and supporters joined the Durham team at their hotel for an enjoyable meal.

On the Sunday the two counties returned to Needham Market for the county match. Both counties were represented by six rinks (fours),each rink playing four nine end games. The Durham team contained many experienced bowlers and they would provide tough opposition.

In the first session all of the games were close and by halfway the Durham rinks were winning all of them. However the Suffolk rinks managed to turn things around to win three of the games on the last end, 7-6, 8-5 and 7-5. The other game was lost 10-5.

The second session started better for the Suffolk team and this time by halfway they were up in all four games. Those early leads were maintained and the session ended with a clean sweep of Suffolk wins, 13-7, 9-3, 12-7 and 12-5.

In the third session the Suffolk rinks again performed well and in three of the games early advantages were secured. These games finished with Suffolk wins of 16-7, 12-10 and 9-3. The other game was disappointingly lost 21-5.

At the halfway stage of the match Suffolk held a very healthy 20-4 overall lead. However the Durham team had played well and the Suffolk rinks would have to sustain their performance level during the afternoon to secure victory in the match.

In the fourth session the Durham rinks fought back. This time it was the away team that took early leads and held on to them, winning three games and drawing the other. The Suffolk rinks lost 6-9, 10-12 and 5-11, with the drawn game finishing 6-6.

In the penultimate session Suffolk responded well, but as with many of the previous games the outcome was in doubt until the final ends. However Suffolk were able to gain five points by edging two wins 10-9 and 8-7 and getting another draw 8-8. The other game was lost 5-13.

The final session proved to be the closest of the day and reflected the bowls that had been played during the match. Each of the four games was decided on the last end, with Suffolk only securing one win 7-6 and a draw 8-8. The other games were lost 5-6 and 7-8.

After a competitive and friendly days bowling Suffolk had won the match 29-19, winning the Raymond White Challenge Shield for the sixth consecutive time. However the final score did not reflect how close many of the games had been. Suffolk's win was mainly due to a great start in the morning, but Durham had fought back strongly in the afternoon.

Both counties are now looking forward to Suffolk's return visit to Durham in August 2010.

Neil Jolly (County Captain)

Suffolk County Team: Supported by Portmak Joinery