EnglishRound-up All the latest from the English bowls scene
The victorious quartet with Andy Thomson
Bristol bowlers bag Warner title L
akeside Coastal Village is becoming something of a bowling treasure trove for
Bristol IBC’s Gerry Coffield after an amazing final bowl helped his rink win the Warner Leisure Hotels ‘Champion of Champions’ title, and £3,000 prize, for the second successive year. At the culmination of three days of the annual competition, open to winners of bowls breaks held at Warner Leisure Hotels four indoor bowls centres, Nick Orrey’s Grantham - the winning rink in 2009 - looked certain to lift the title again, as they went into the final end one-up against the Bristolians.
Holding shot with a front
toucher, Orrey watched on as Coffield’s final delivery ran off the shoulder of a front bowl to push the shot bowl out sideways and fall in for a count of two to record an astonishing win.
It was a poignant return to Lakeside Coastal Village for the Bristol quartet following the death of David Bailey, the lead from Coffield’s winning rink last year. Susan Humphries, a previous semi-finalist in the national mixed pairs, was drafted in as a replacement with Bristol club- mate Chris Lowden moving to lead and Steve Andrews, from North Wilts IBC, at three. After a single-shot victory in the quarter-finals, Coffield had a comfortable semi win against a Kingsthorpe rink skipped by Ronald Everson-Watts, before their nail-biting final in front of a packed stadium. Orrey’s rink, made up of friends he had met on previous Warner bowls holidays, had played brilliantly to record a single-shot victory in the quarter-final. Their semi-final opposition, Brian and Alison Eastgate from Oxford C&C
must have been kicking themselves when, playing with friends Ray and Mary Brown from Five Rivers IBC, they lost eight shots over the last two ends to succumb to an 11-10 defeat. After their last-gasp defeat in the final, Orrey admitted the loss had been hard to swallow but that they would be back to compete in 2012.
“That was a terrible way to lose what is a great competition,” said Orrey. “We will certainly be doing our best to get back to the finals next year”.
Former world champion and current England captain Andy Thomson was on-hand to watch the final match and present the prizes.
With round-robin matches and knockout games from the quarter- final stage held over three days, this years event attracted a total of 29 rinks, all competing for the
Results Semi-Finals
Chris Lowden, Susan Humphries, Steve Andrews, Gerry Coffield (Bristol IBC) beat Janet Everson- Watts, Shirley Crighton, Philip Crighton, Ronald Everson-Watts (Kingsthorpe IBC) 13-5;
Stephen Dorrell, Les Adams (Jacks Lashingdon) Mike Rogacs (Turpins) Nick Orrey (Grantham) beat Mary and Ray Brown (Five Rivers) Alison and Brian Eastgate (Oxford C&C) 11-10
Final Coffield beat Nick Orrey 12-11 NationwideBowler 41
Coffield and Co. clinch climactic Champion of Champions crown, writes Richard West
£6,000 total prize-fund. Warner Leisure Hotels have confirmed the same prize-fund for the coming season. The finals will be open to winners of bowls breaks held between October 2011 and March 2012 at their four bowls centre Hotels or Villages.
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