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Delivering a crucial bowl can sometimes produce the equivalent feeling of scoring a dramatic winning goal in the dying seconds of extra time in a football match. And so it proved for Stamford’s Neil Wright when Stamford returned to compete in the Top Club competition at Grantham for the first time in five years.
Delivering a crucial bowl can sometimes produce the equivalent feeling of scoring a dramatic winning goal in the dying seconds of extra time in a football match. And so it proved for Stamford’s Neil Wright when Stamford returned to compete in the Top Club competition at Grantham for the first time in five years.
The match on Sunday morning was balanced on a knife edge with Stamford - three shots up in the mixed fours discipline - and skip Wright on the mat facing four down and with his last bowl in his hand.
But he took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks and delivered the perfect response - a bowl slotted within centimetres of the jack to claim victory for his rink and his team.
Stamford finished equal on points - eight apiece - from two singles and the mixed fours and despite losing pairs and triples, did enough to win the match 86-79 merely on shots difference.
Earlier Martyn Dolby and Yvonne Monaghan had won two hard-fought two-bowl singles, while Grantham held the upper hand in pairs and triples.
It needed Wright’s dramatic intervention to separate the two clubs and earn a second round place at home to former winners Spalding Lightning on November 10.
Neil Wright in action
Top Club: Grantham 79 (8 pts) lost to Stamford 86 (8). Stamford names only: Martyn Dolby bt J Meakins 21-12; Yvonne Monaghan bt H Kitchen 21-19; Michelle Smith & Tom Newman- Borret lost to L Appleyard and M Pulling 13-18; Rita Downs, Wayne Morris and Jon Earl lost to V Wendon, C Gent & T Berridge 14-17; Elizabeth Wallace, Chris Ford, Bob Warters & Neil Wright beat A Robinson, P Tomkins, N Osborn & J Lewis 17-13.
OUR TEAMS SETTING THE PACE
OUR TEAMS SETTING THE PACE
Stamford indoor bowls club’s two teams temporarily topped the table in the Lincs Men’s League (South) after the third round of fixtures on Saturday.
The ‘A’ team secured first place with their third successive 12-pointer while the ‘B’ team claimed an identical points tally in a 75-62 home defeat of Sleaford.
With 36 points, following a 75-54 win at Grantham, Stamford ‘A’ are 18 points ahead of their clubmates though Spalding are expected to be their nearest challengers in their bid to retain the southern section title.
At Grantham, Stamford ‘A’ took their time coming to terms with the tricky home surface but eventually turned the tide. The new combination of Tom Newman-Borret, Mike Ramsden, David Oakey and Trevor Collins took the rink honours 25-11, racing into a 24-8 lead and conceding only 5 shots in the last 11 ends.
Rinks skips by Martyn Dolby and Roger Martin won 19-11 and 17-14 respectively after both trailed in the early stages.
Against Sleaford, the ‘B’ team result was rarely in doubt, though the quartet of John Suffling, Bill Orme, Maurice Dye and Derek King only took the rink honours by claiming five shots in the last two ends.
Elsewhere four shots on the 19th end put Dean Wilkinson’s rink out of reach with Martin Hewitt’s four adding 13 vital shots in the closing stages.
Lincs Men’s League (South): Grantham 54 (2 pts) Stamford ‘A’ 75 (12).Stamford names only. T Newman-Borret, M Ramsden, D Oakey, T Collins won 25-11; TSmith, M Mitchell, N Wright, A Warrington lost 14-17; D Heffernan, B Warters, M Linnell, R Martin won 17-14; O Aspinall, J Travis, M Anderson, M Dolby won 19-11.
Stamford ‘B’ 75 (12) Sleaford 62. Stamford names only: C Jones, D Edwards, Ian Smith, D Wilkinson won18-13; S Christie, J Hare, G Patrickson, M Hewitt won 24-18; J Suffling, B Orme, M Dye, D King won20-13; R Blake, D Morgan, N Crees, D Henshaw lost 13-18.
DOUBLE RINK LINE-UPS
DOUBLE RINK LINE-UPS
Stamford Seniors start their Over 65 Double Rink campaign when their ‘B’ team face Sleaford on November 5 (10 am) needing a winning aggregate with rinks playing home and away simultaneously.
Stamford A play the winners of the Spalding v Boston tie on November 26 (10 am).
Stamford B: Home - P Linnell, P Burt, P Smith, M Hewitt; away - J Bourne, G Patrickson, D Oakey, K Vinter.
Stamford A: Home - T Barwell, J Holroyd, T Scarr, T Collins; away - M Dolby, M Linnell, B Warters, R Martin.
DENNY
DENNY
For the third time in a week, Stamford play local rivals Grantham on Saturday in the prestigious Denny Cup, the national Inter-club competition . Two rinks will play home and away simultaneously with the winners facing either Spalding or Sleaford. Losers join the Denny Plate draw.
Home: W Aspinall, M Mitchell, M Anderson, M Dolby; T Barwell, T Collins, T Scarr, R Martin. Away: M Humphreys, W Morris, N Wright, A Warrington; C Ballard, M Linnell, T Newman- Borret, J Earl. Res: J Travis, A McNaughton, I Smith, D Oakey.
YETTON
Sleaford are the opponents for Stamford women’s bid to reach the next round of the inter-club Yetton Trophy on Saturday 10 am).
Team: home - R.Roberts, J Lonslow, R Downs, S Suffling; M King, P Birch, E Wallace, M Holroyd; away - A White, V Du’Kett, M Smith, C Ford; J Clarke, J Hynes, R March, D Mackie.
EGHAM
In the national Egham Trophy on Sunday (10 am), Stamford play Boston in this mixed event with two rinks at home and two playing away simultaneously.
Stamford: home - S Suffling, M Smith, C Ballard, T Newman-Borret; R Downs, D Mackie, N Wright, A Warrington. Away - M Humphreys, S Moir, C Ford, J Earl; E Wallace, M Holroyd, M Linnell, M Dolby.
MIXED COUNTY
Keen to follow up on their latest win in the Lincs Mixed League (South) Stamford entertain Skegness on November 10 (2pm).
Team: J Hynes,C Warters, A March, I Smith; R Roberts, R March, A Hynes, N Crees; R Blake, J Lonslow, S Suffling, B Warters; J Allen, J Suffling, S Moir, M Ramsden.
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