Ladywell Finals Day sees bowls club champions decided
Saturday 12th September was Finals Day at Ladywell, with three bowls trophies up for grabs. And the three final matches didn't disappoint the spectators, with some excellent play and tight finishes.
The first match was the Yard of the Jack final. This is a mixed competition for club members, with both players scoring points for any woods that are within a yard of the jack on each end. The match was played over 18 ends and the two finalists, Terrie Askew and Tracy Umney, both started strongly in what proved to be a very close match. Tracy took an early 3-2 advantage after two ends, but Terrie stayed in close contact, as both players scored consistently. Tracy retained the lead over the next few ends, but Terrie was right on her tail. And with a score of three on the ninth end followed by two shots on the 10th, to single shots for Tracy, Terrie tied the scores at 13-all. Both players scored a single shot on the 11th end, but Tracy regained a small advantage with a score of three on the 12th to Terrie's one. And Tracy extended her lead on the 13th, gaining another two shots while Terrie could only score another single. And it was the same story on the 14th end, with Tracy gaining two shots to Terrie's one. They each gained a single shot on the 15th end, but Tracy made the decisive move on the 16th, bowling three excellent woods to surround the jack. And although Terrie gained another single shot, Tracy's lead had stretched to 25-19. She consolidated this with single shots on the last two ends to finally win by 27-19.
The next match on the green was the Men's Singles final between Ian Bradford and Phil Welch, with the winner being the first to 21 points. Ian got off to a flying start with a score of three shots on the opening end. And although Phil got on the scoreboard with singles on the following two ends, Ian extended his advantage with two shots on the fourth and another on the fifth to take a 6-2 lead. Phil responded by gaining four shots over the following three ends to tie the scores at 6-6. But Ian had obviously got into his stride and he gained shots on each of the next six ends to move into a 14-6 lead. Phil gained a single to reduce the deficit, but Ian gained singles on the following two ends to move further ahead by 16-7. But Phil was beginning to find his form and he regained the mat by earning two shots on the following end to cut Ian's lead to 16-9. This was the start of a remarkable run of form for Phil, as he won the following six ends, gaining twelve shots in the process to take an 18-16 lead. Ian brought Phil's winning streak to an end by gaining three shots on the 25th end to retake the lead. But Phil tied the scores at 19-19 with a single on the following end. It was anybody's title at this stage, but the 27th end finally saw one of the players take the trophy as Phil gained three shots to take him over the finish line with a 21-19 victory.
The final match of the day was the Ladies' Singles final between Merlin Ramdawar and the newly crowned Yard of the Jack champion, Tracy Umney. Again, the winner would be the first to 21 points, and Tracy got off to a strong start, gaining two shots on the first two ends to take an early 4-0 lead. Merlin got onto the scoreboard with a single on the third end, but Tracy won the next four ends, all with singles, to extend her lead to 8-1. Merlin responded by gaining three shots over the following two ends to cut the deficit to 8-4. And the players then traded shots until Tracy extended her lead still further with two consecutive singles to go 11-5 up. Again, Merlin fought back, gaining a single on the 11th end, but Tracy pulled away with scores of two, two and one to take a dominant 16-6 lead. Merlin cut that lead to 16-7 on the 18th end, but Tracy immediately gained a single of her own to move within four shots of victory. Merlin responded strongly with two shots to close the gap, but with two shots on the 21st end and another two on the 22nd, Tracy proved too strong and won the title by 21-9.
After an great day of bowls in perfect weather, players and spectators enjoyed a delicious buffet, and the winners received their trophies.
Congratulations to Tracy and Phil for their excellent wins - it all starts again in May 2027!
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