Bowls manager Maynard wins Kettle Open Singles
Post date: Sep 30, 2017 9:05:41 PM
Best of the bunch! Quarter-finalists, from the left: Paul Maynard (the eventual winner), John Holroyd, Ed Elmore, Andy Ware, Ron Flowers, Jordan Philpott, Jeff Pitt and Jason Norris.
AFTER a gruelling, non-stop, 14-hour bowling marathon, Paul Maynard - a bowls club manager from Aylesbury - emerged as the winner of the Nigel Kettle Memorial competition at Stamford IBC over the weekend, part of the lucrative Open Singles Circuit.
Maynard (41), a right-hander who competes out of the Foxhill indoor club, and is familiarly known as 'Dodgy' to his circuit rivals (he even wears the name on the back of his bowls shirt!), used his dark green, size four Thomas Taylor Vector Vs to great effect throughout the day to see off a talented array of opposition.
Play started at 8.30am on Sunday -after three sessions of preliminary matches involving eight players from the host club on Saturday night - and it wasn't until just before 11pm that Maynard beat popular Boston senior Ron Flowers (71) in straight sets 8-3, 7-6 to claim the £700 first prize and maximum circuit points.
Earlier, Maynard had beaten Lee Blackham (Ipswich), Jack Bird (Scarborough), Lee Rowland (Ipswich), Stamford's John Holroyd and Andy Ware (City of Ely) to reach the final against retired farm manager Flowers, who earned his place in the final with outstanding victories over two of England's brightest stars, Jordan Philpott (Spalding) and Ed Elmore, a 22-year-old engineer from the City of Ely club.
For Holroyd the £75 cheque for reaching the quarter-finals was an unexpected bonus. He had merely come along to volunteer as a marker, but when one of the original entries failed to put in an appearance, he was pitched in against young England international Ryan Atkins (Malvern).
The 55-year-old self employed engineer showed his illustrious opponent his local knowledge of the slick Stamford conditions to win 10-3, 8-4 before going on to see off the challenges of Scotsman Stewart Douglas and Oxford's Carlos Lali. Somewhat fatigued, he was finally outgunned by the eventual winner.
Other top displays from the home contingent, included a first round win for Chris Ballard over Spalding's England regular Graham Smith - before going out to clubmate Stephen Harris.
There was also a first round victory for Christine Ford over Charnwood's, Sherod Winterton, after a three-end tie break. The only woman winner in the competition, she finally lost narrowly to Peterborough's Jeff Pitt, who went on to reach the last eight.
Stamford President Maggie Holden presented the winners' cheques and praised the Stamford members - especially Keith Rippin, Mike Ramsden and Carol Warters - for administering the event as well as the volunteer markers and scorers.
SATURDAY
First round (Stamford unless stated): Richard Allam beat Paul (Sleaford) 10-3, 4-5 (2-0); Bob Warters lost to Jeff Pitt (Peterborough) 2-7, 8-1 (1-2); Andy Speechley lost to Mike Ramsden 6-3, 4-8 (0-2); Alan Romaine lost to Rob Greenwood (Huntingdon) 3-6, 5-8; Richard Summer (Norfolk) beat Rod West (Boston) 8-2, 9-2; Christine Ford beat Sherod Winterton (Charnwood) 8-3, 3-6 (2-1); Tony Barwell lost to Ron Flowers (Boston) 3-9, 3-5; Shirley Suffling lost to David Bristow (Sleaford) 3-10, 4-6
First round: Pitt bt Ford 9-7, 8-9; Allam lost to Summers 6-8, 5-5; Greenwood lost to Bristow 2-9, 0-10; Ramsden lost to Flowers 0-10, 3-6.
SUNDAY
8.30am: Graham Smith (Spalding) lost to Chris Ballard 5-7, 9-3 (1-2); Jordan Philpott (Spalding) beat Jim Pullen (Lincoln) 10-6, 6-4; Kevin Rands (Lincoln) beat Howard Shipp (Huntingdon) 0-8, 12-3 (2-1); Jamie Walker (Kingsthorpe) beat Brenda Barlow (Lincoln) 7-3, 10-0; Paul Roberts (Sleaford) beat Jay Travis-Jenner 6-2, 9-3; Scott Whyers (Boston) beat Gary Morris (Skegness) 8-0, 7-1.
9.50am: Stephen Harris beat Wendy Brown (Scunthorpe) 8-3,8-3; Gordon Wood (Lincoln) lost to Simon Reeson (Louth) 0-9, 7-7; Malcolm Jacobs (Bromley) beat Geoff Moore (Christie Miller) 11-2, 8-7; Jacqueline Henderson (Erewash) lost to Martin Shepherd (Chipping Norton) 1-10,2-7; Owen Aspinall lost to Keith Wall (Shrewsbury) 2-7,1-10; Adam Meade (Whte Oak) lost to Ed Elmore (Ely) 7-2, 1-7, (0-2).
11.10am: Paul Maynard (Foxhill) Lea Blackham (Ipswich); Paul Sharman (Carterton) lost to Michael Knight (Whiteknights) 7-2, 3-8 (0-2); Carlos Lali (Oxford) beat Adrian Bird (Scarborough) 7-3, 12-2; Ryan Atkins (Malvern) lost to John Holroyd 3-10,4-8; Scott Edwards (Oxford) beat Malcolm Wright (Durham) 5-4, 8-2; Martin Heitzman ( Ipswich) lost to Jason Norris (Blackpool) 5-8, 9-4 (0-2).
12.30pm: Nik Elphick (West Berks) lost to Jack Bird (Scarborough) 1-8, 1-10; Lee Rowland (Ipswich) beat Donna Wright (Whiteknights) 9-3, 8-2; Jordan Moore (Christie Miller) lost to Paul Reynolds (Herga) 3-8, 1-11; Stewart Douglas (East Lothian) beat Emma Cooper (Adur) 5-5, 5-5 (2-1); Ballard lost to Harris 4-4, 3-8; Philpott beat Reeson 7-0, 10-1.
13.50: Andy Ware (Ely) beat Edwards 9-7, 7-7; Rands beat Jacobs 10-1, 9-4; Steve Farrant (Huntingdon) lost to Norris 3-6, 3-4; Roberts lost to Wall 1-13, 8-3 (1-2); Whyers lost to Elmore 3-4, 1-13; Walker lost to Shepherd 2-6, 6-3 (1-2).
3.10pm: Knight lost to Rowland 4-8,7-8; Maynard beat J Bird 6-7, 10-0 (2-1); Holroyd beat Douglas 9-2, 8-6; Lali beat Reynolds 8-3, 8-6; Pitt beat Summers 6-4, 7-3; Bristow lost to Flowers 4-6, 3-7.
4.30pm: Elmore beat Shepherd 10-2, 10-1; Harris lost to Philpott 6-7, 1-7; Holroyd bear Lali 9-3, 6-5; Ware bear Rands 8-3, 5-4; Rowland v Maynard; Norris beat Wall 11-6, 4-3.
Quarter-finals: Jeff Pitt lost to Andy Ware 5-5, 2-8;Jordan Philpott lost to Ron Flowers 5-8, 3-7; John Holroyd lost to Paul Maynard 2-7, 1-10; Ed Elmore beat Jason Norris 8-2, 4-7 (2-0).
Semi-finals (8.20pm): Elmore lost to Flowers 0-7, 3-6; Ware lost to Maynard 2-8, 6-8.
Final: Flowers lost to Maynard 3-8, 6-7.