Citizens battle back to hold champions
BANGOR City enjoyed a huge morale boost by snatching a dramatic 6-6 draw with highflying Rhos Park A in a North Wales Coast Bowls League nerve-testing thriller that went to the wire.
The Garth Road hosts trailed 4-6 in the games to the Division A secondfrom-top visitors but City secured the bonus by just two points, 166-164.
Defeat had been threatened, though, when Bangor went into the last two games trailing by seven points, but that was when Gwerydd Buckland and Kevin Bebbington responded to the challenge superbly.
Buckland sparkled again as a 21-8 winner, whereas Bebbington finished just 17-21 down, after having been seemingly in trouble at 5-15 behind - and the duo’s combined net return of plus nine points proved decisive.
Earlier, John Short had posted the day’s best score of 21-5 towards City’s subsequent welcome result that ended a run of three straight defeats.
Beaumaris A’s visit to Blaenau Ffestiniog was postponed, because of a waterlogged green.
In Division B, second-placed Llanfairpwll improved their promotion prospects by outperforming Conwy B 8-4 on their own green, their best cards coming from Glyn Roberts at 21-5 and captain Geraint Booth 21-9.
Llanfairpwll, who have notched seven wins in nine outings, including three successes on the road, trail the division’s unbeaten leaders, Llandudno A, by eight points.
Beaumaris B and Bethesda got entangled in a 6-6 draw, after the games had ended at 4-6 against the Castle hosts, who then took the bonus thanks to the 181-161 points’ totals.
For Beaumaris, Dave Mathias won 21-4, Allan Caughter 21-7 and Ken Thomas 21-8, while Bethesda’s best was Derek Roberts on 21-12.
Abergele 10 Benllech 2 (Will Jones 21-11). Eirias Park 8 Holyhead 4 (David Wyn Jones 21-12).
Beaumaris and Llanfairpwll again experienced bleak away assignments in the Welsh Counties’ Bowls League.
It was 9-1 against Beaumaris at Broughton, where Keith Bailey was their solitary solo success, with 21-18, while Llanfairpwll suffered a 10-0 wipe-out at Cunliffe in Wrexham.
Prolonged rain, resulting in greens being waterlogged, brought about the postponement of last week’s entire fixtures’ list in the Anglesey/Bangor and District League Monday Division.
One of those casualties, Bangor City v Menai Bridge, was rearranged for Friday, when the Garth Road hosts dominated 9-1 and featured four single-figure efforts.
Ryan Short led for Bangor at 21-5, followed by Paul Redmond at 21-7, Gwerydd Buckland 21-8 and Alan Johnson 21-9, while Menai Bridge’s Dave Lydford was their only success on 21-10.
Also called off was Gwynedd’s match against the Clwydians in the North Wales Inter-County Veterans’ Championship, which would have been played at Benllech and Trefnant greens.