Sixteen players from Gloucestershire enjoyed another splendid week of bowls at the Langstone Cliff Hotel in Dawlish Warren, South Devon, competing across all disciplines — Singles, Pairs, Triples and the ever-popular “Get to Know You” drive.
Monday evening brought early success as Chris Evans was part of the winning trio in the “Get to Know You” competition, teaming up with Glynn Perry (Hereford) and Mike Weston (Oxford) to take the honours and set the tone for the week.
By Thursday evening, Gloucestershire interest was guaranteed in the Triples semi-finals, with six county players involved. Angela and Tony Slim alongside Sandra Teale faced fellow Gloucestershire bowlers Chris Evans, Graham Ewers and Monica Carter for a place in Friday’s final. It proved to be a tight and absorbing contest, eventually ending 7–5 in favour of the Ripple/Kingsway combination.
Friday morning’s final saw the Gloucestershire trio take on Anne and Nigel Fox from Hampshire with Roy Best from Devon. After four ends of the ten-end match, the Gloucestershire side found themselves 5–2 down, and by seven ends the deficit had stretched to 9–2 as their opponents applied steady pressure.
But bowls so often writes its own script.
Showing great resolve, the Gloucestershire team claimed the final three ends to draw level at 9–9 after ten ends, forcing an extra end decider. The Hampshire/Devon trio won the toss and asked Ripple/Kingsway to lead the final end. In a fittingly dramatic conclusion, Nigel Fox produced the decisive bowl, drawing to the jack to secure victory by a single shot.
A thrilling finish that entertained the onlookers and brought another memorable week in Dawlish to a close.
Monica
