2011 ECBA Champion of Champions
Over the weekend of 11 and
12 June the ECBA Champion of Champions event took place at the
Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool.
Ten counties took part, Cambridgeshire,
Durham, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Northumberland, North
Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Suffolk.
Suffolk were represented by:
Singles: Tom Runnacles (Barking)
Pairs: Keith and Neil Jolly (Brockley)
Triples: Mike, Rita and Paul Daniels (Kelsale)
Rinks: Don Allum, Heather, Trevor and Steven Cain (Great Blakenham)
Tom got off to a great start
on Saturday morning with a comfortable 10-2 win against South
Tyneside. Unfortunately he was not able to follow that up in
his second game, losing 12-6 to his opponent from Cambridgeshire.
However he then bounced straight back with a convincing 14-1
win over North Tyneside. Next up was the Hertfordshire player,
who had won the recent Eastern Counties event but Tom played
his best game so far, winning 12-6. The last game of the day
against his experienced Durham opponent would be a tough one
and disappointingly Tom lost out in a low scoring game 9-4.
With Rita and Paul Daniels
winning both the Suffolk triples and pairs, they chose to play
in the ECBA triples event. This gave Keith and Neil Jolly (Suffolk
Pairs runner-up) an opportunity to defend the ECBA pairs event
they'd won last year.
However the defence of the
trophy started badly in their first game against Norfolk, an
inconsistent performance resulting in an 8-6 loss. The next game
was better though as they edged out the Northumberland pair,
10-5. Their third game was far more comfortable, as an early
lead was extended against Essex, winning comfortably 16-4. The
good Hertfordshire pair were next, but unfortunately the Brockley
pair could not repeat their previous performance, losing a close
game 9-4. Last up was another father and son pair from Cambridgeshire.
This was a tight game which went to the last bowl, with Keith
and Neil a little fortunate to snatch a 7-5 win.
The Kelsale triple faced an
experienced Durham triple in their first game. It was close,
low scoring and went to the last bowl. Unfortunately it finished
with a 7-6 loss. Their next game against Norfolk proved to be
a lot easier and the outcome was never in doubt, a 19-2 win.
Another tight game followed against Cambridgeshire, which like
their first game went right to the final bowl. Scoring two shots
on the last end secured the Kelsale triple a creditable 8-8 draw.
Next up were an experienced triple from Northumberland and the
Kelsale triple just couldn't get into the game, losing 12-4.
However things improved in their final game of the day, when
they raced away to a 14-3 win against Sunderland.
In the rinks event the Great
Blakenham four got off to a flying start. In a great all round
performance they edged away from a very competent Cambridgeshire
rink to win comfortably 10-2. Unfortunately they could not follow
that up in their second game, slipping to a 13-4 loss to Essex.
Things didn't improve in their next game against Hertfordshire,
as they suffered another defeat, 9-4. The next opposition were
Northumberland and whilst the performance was better the outcome
was the same, in a close game an 8-5 loss. To finish the day,
the Blakenham four bounced back well and did not concede a shot
in a 10-0 win against South Tyneside.
The first day had been a mixed
one for the Suffolk bowlers, but all had played well in most
of their games. They would all be looking to be more consistent
on Sunday.
In the singles Sunday started
disastrously for Tom as he crashed to a heavy 13-2 defeat to
his Norfolk opponent. However he then bounced back well in his
next game, beating his experienced Essex opponent 9-3. He then
turned in another fine performance in his penultimate game to
secure another win, this time against Northumberland, 12-5. Tom's
final game was against Sunderland and whilst winning the event
wasn't possible, third position was up for grabs. Tom played
well to take an early lead and held on to win 10-5.
Sunday started better for Keith
and Neil, beating their North Tyneside opponents 9-7. Their next
game against Durham was just as close. In a see-saw game which
went to the last bowl they couldn't do enough to earn a win,
finishing with an 8-8 draw. South Tyneside were next and an improved
display secured an early advantage which was protected, resulting
in an 11-6 win. With the Hertfordshire pair having won the event,
the Brockley pair were looking to finish as high as possible
if they could win their final game against Sunderland. A tough
game finished with a pleasing 9-7 win against difficult opposition.
Sunday also started well for
the Kelsale triple, in a one sided game they eased to a comfortable
11-3 win over South Tyneside. The Hertfordshire triple were next
and this game followed the pattern of the previous one and finished
with a 12-3 win. With confidence high and their bowls reflecting
that, the Kelsale triple cruised to another win in their third
game, this time 12-2 against Essex. Whilst first place was beyond
them, the Kelsale triple didn't ease up in their final game.
Their fourth consecutive win of the day followed, 9-3 against
North Tyneside.
The Great Blakenham four got
off to a terrible start on Sunday. In a game where they just
didn't get a look in, they lost 14-1 against Norfolk. However
they reacted in a positive manner in their next game with an
improved performance to beat the experienced Durham rink 13-2.
Next up were an unbeaten Sunderland rink and again the Blakenham
four bowled well. However this time it wasn't enough as they
were beaten 9-3. North Tyneside were the opposition in the last
game, another good display and in a high scoring game they won
22-7, including an incredible maximum eight shots on the third
end.
Throughout the weekend there
had been some good bowling by all of the bowlers from Suffolk
and they could be proud of their efforts.
Tom Runnacles had won six games
from nine, playing some steady and skilful bowls. He had finished
third overall in a really high quality singles event.
The Brockley pair also had
a good weekend, with six wins and a draw from their nine games.
Whilst disappointed not to retain the ECBA pairs title, they
had finished in a very credible runners up position.
The Kelsale triple had played consistently all weekend, the highlight
being their unbeaten run of games on Sunday. They also gained
six wins and a draw, finishing in an excellent third place.
The Great Blakenham four were
involved in a tough rinks competition, winning four games. Their
performances across the weekend merited more than their finishing
seventh position.
Finally there was a team event
and Suffolk finished in a fantastic second place, edging out
third place Northumberland by scoring just one shot more.
Click here for the full results |
2010 ECBA Champion of Champions
Over the weekend of 12 and
13 June 2010 the ECBA Champion of Champions event took place
at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool.
Ten counties took part, Cambridgeshire,
Durham, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Northumberland, North
Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland and Suffolk.
Suffolk were represented by
all of their SCBA event winners:
Singles: John Varden (Old Felixstowe)
Pairs: Keith and Neil Jolly (Brockley)
Triples: Keith Armes, Jane and Richard Sago (Burstall)
Rinks: Don Allum, Heather, Trevor and Steven Cain (Great Blakenham)
John's first game in the singles
was against South Tyneside and after a slow start he raced away
to a convincing 16-3 win. He followed that with a far closer
and hard earned 10-8 win against the Cambridgeshire single, who
had won the recent Eastern Counties Champions event. John then
had a relatively comfortable 12-7 win against North Tyneside.
Next up was the Hertfordshire player, who like John had won his
first three games. It was a close game that went to the last
end, John found himself in trouble and the game was lost 8-5.
However John then bounced back in spectacular fashion to beat
his Durham opponent 16-2 in his final game on Saturday, his best
performance of the day.
In the pairs Keith and Neil
started badly in their first game against Norfolk, finding themselves
behind early. However two four shot maximums on the final ends
snatched an unlikely 12-7 win. The next game started better,
but an early lead was clawed back and the Brockley pair just
held on to beat the Northumberland pair 8-7. Their third game
was more comfortable, as an early lead was maintained against
Essex, winning 11-6. Hertfordshire were next, a tight scrappy
game ending in a disappointing 8-6 defeat. However they ended
the day well, finding their form to beat the Cambridgeshire pair
11-4.
The Burstall triple got their
competition off to a fantastic start, picking up the carpet quickly
to thrash an experienced Durham triple 15-2. Their next game
against Norfolk proved to be more difficult, whilst the Burstall
triple kept in touch they ended up losing 11-7. Their third game
against the Eastern Counties champions Cambridgeshire was a tight
affair. The game went to the last end and finished in a creditable
8-8 draw. Next up were another experienced triple from Northumberland,
who just continued to edge away in the game, the Burstall triple
losing 9-2. Unfortunately it got worse in the last game of the
day with a heavy 20-2 defeat to a skilful Sunderland triple.
Like the triple, the Great
Blakenham four got off to a great start. With all of them playing
well, they inflicted a convincing 14-1 defeat on the Cambridgeshire
rink. Their second game was a lot closer and they could consider
themselves unfortunate to slip to a last end 8-7 loss against
Essex. They reacted well to that defeat though to comfortably
beat the Hertfordshire rink 14-3. Next up were their first northern
opponents, a rink from Northumberland. An early lead was secured
and maintained and they eased to an 11-4 win. It then got better
in their last game of the day, in a one-sided encounter the Great
Blakenham rink strolled to a 17-1 win over South Tyneside.
So with day one over, the Suffolk
single, pair and four were all placed well, having each only
lost one game of the five played. The triple had found the day
difficult against more experienced opposition but had done well
to get a win and a draw from their games. Overall Suffolk were
also nicely placed in the team competition.
In the singles Sunday didn't
start well for John as he slipped to a disappointing 9-4 defeat
to the Norfolk bowler. However as he had done the day before,
he reacted well to a loss. Hitting straight back with a win in
his next game, beating his Essex opponent 11-5. He then put on
another competent performance in his penultimate game to secure
another win, this time against Northumberland, 12-5. John's final
game was against Sunderland, and the winner would secure second
place overall, with Hertfordshire having already won the singles
event. John took an early lead, but was unable to hold onto it,
losing on the final end 10-8.
Sunday started better for Keith
and Neil. On a tricky carpet which they were able to master better
than their North Tyneside opponents they did just enough to win
9-5. Next up were an experienced Durham pair, this turned out
to be the Brockley pair's best performance of the weekend as
they cruised to a comfortable 15-2 win which was never in doubt.
Their penultimate game against South Tyneside was far tougher
and the outcome was in doubt until the final bowl. However the
Brockley pair were relieved to escape with a 7-5 win. This result
secured them first place in the pairs event overall. With the
pressure off, a high quality final game against Sunderland finished
in a fair 6-6 draw.
Having had a tough Saturday,
the Burstall triple were delighted to again get off to a winning
start. In a close game against South Tyneside they battled well
to record a 9-7 win. Unfortunately this was their only win of
the day, despite them giving a 100% effort in every game. There
was no shame in their 12-5 loss to the eventual winners Hertfordshire
and they finished with closer 10-6 and 11-7 defeats to Essex
and North Tyneside respectively.
The Great Blakenham four were
involved in a difficult low scoring first game against Norfolk.
Disappointingly they ended up on the wrong side of the final
6-5 scoreline. The low shot count continued in their next game
against the Durham rink, but this time it was a positive outcome
of a 7-3 win. Their penultimate game was no easier, against a
strong Sunderland four. A tight game went to the final bowl,
but ended in a 7-5 defeat. However not for the first time during
the weekend Suffolk bowlers reacted superbly to a loss, the Great
Blakenham four winning their final game 16-5 against North Tyneside.
Throughout the weekend there
had been some great bowling by all of the bowlers from Suffolk.
John Varden had won six games
from nine, finished third overall and in doing so had played
some very consistent and skilful bowls.
The Burstall triple had a frustrating
weekend, gaining two wins and a draw. However at no time did
they give up and you couldn't fault their effort against some
very experienced opposition.
The Great Blakenham four all
played well across the weekend, finishing third, winning six
from nine. They scored more and conceded less shots than all
of the other rinks. Their losses were all tight and they could
consider themselves unlucky not to win the event.
The Brockley pair had played
consistently throughout the weekend and to lose only one game
was a great achievement. They had not expected to win the event,
but were delighted to be crowned pairs champions.
Finally the team event went
right down to the last set of games. In a three horse race it
was Sunderland who took the overall win, with Suffolk securing
an excellent second place on shots from the consistent Hertfordshire.
Click here for the full results |
2009 ECBA Champion of Champions
On the weekend of 13th-14 June,
the Suffolk County Champions joined the rest of carpet bowls
county champions, in Blackpool, for the ECBA Champion of Champions.
After their success in the
Eastern version, the Suffolk teams went with good expectations.
Playing nine games, over two days, the competition was going
to be difficult, in what is recognised as the top club event
in the country.
Colin Fellingham was the singles
player, in maybe the hardest event. At the end of the first days
play, Colin was in the fight, lying in joint second place, and
it wasnt until he was beaten by the eventual winner, on
Sunday afternoon, that he was put out of the running. He finished
in 7th position. A very close competition, that Colin did not
disgrace himself in.
In the pairs, Andy Gilder and
Mick Watkins represented Suffolk, with perhaps more expectation
than most. There were some strong pairs there, and nobody would
find it easy. At the end of the Saturday, they had only lost
one game, but had drawn two. One of these being the only point
that the Cambridgeshire pair had dropped. On the Sunday, after
some very good games all round, Andy and Mick went into the last
game knowing that any win would secure the championship. Unfortunately,
they were beaten by the Sunderland pair and finished in third
place, two points adrift.
The Daniels family, were our
representatives in the triples, and showed the never-say-die
attitude of all the Suffolk bowlers. At the end of play on the
Saturday, they had won two, lost two, and drawn one, making 5
points and sitting mid table. They never lost another game, and
by the end of play, their total was 13 points, and a finish of
second place, one point behind the winners. A very credible performance.
Rita and Peter Runnacles, Jim
Porter, and Don Allum, took part in the toughest competition,
the rinks. This discipline always contains a large number of
county bowlers, and plenty of determination. Although starting
strongly, the Suffolk rink could not keep up with the Hertfordshire
four, that more or less ran away with it, only losing when it
didnt really matter. They performed well and certainly
never disgraced themselves, finishing in 6th place.
In the team event, Suffolk
was in the mix, until the final games. It was won by a very strong
Sunderland team, that contained all county bowlers. Seven of
which once played for Durham. It must always be remembered that
not all these counties use the open tournament as a way of picking
their champions, so sometimes, it is not a level playing field,
and our representatives must be congratulated on their manner
and performance.
A very good weekend was enjoyed
by all that went, and the Suffolk bowlers would like to offer
a big thank-you to our supporters, namely Sheila, Sue, Shirley,
Margaret and Jim.
Click here for the full results |
|