TAFF ELY BOWLS CLUB
THE open pairs club competitions continued at the Goods Yard Stadium for the Taff Ely bowlers over the weekend where four matches were played with one of the encounters providing a battle that went to an extra end whilst there were keen performances from the other games.
Paul Bailey and Mark Saunders took control of their game after finding themselves dropping a double on the first end against Luke Hobbs and Reg Rand, midway, Bailey and Saunders leading 15-8 increased their score line to 20 shots with Hobbs and Rand reaching 13 shots enabling Bailey and Saunders to progress into the next round. Two matches providing the end result of 11 shots advantage went in favour firstly to James Wason and Howard Pullin whose opponents were Colin Jones and Lee Bridge. For the first 8 ends both sets of pairs evenly matched sharing at 7 apiece, Wason and Pullin increased their score to 15 shots where Jones and Bridge reached 11 shots, when Wason and Pullin destroyed Jones and Bridge into the run in of the final ends by adding two counts of 4 shots and a single in reply to their opponents’ lone double.
Tommy Cannon and Peter Andrei taking a single on the first end of their match against Ken Jones and Gareth Davies who at the 5th end led 6-1. During the next 8 ends Jones and Davies managed just a single to add to their 6 shots whilst Cannon and Andrei added 3 doubles, 2 triples and 3 singles to lead 16-7. Added to Jones and Davies score was a count of 4 shots and a single which was not sufficient enough to compete against another count of 4 shots, a double and a single from Cannon and Andrei for them to enter the next round.
The final scheduled pairs encounter provided a lengthy battle between Bryn Jones and Rob Williams who faced Alan Malkin and Brian Stock where the latter after 3 ends trailed by 5 shots. As the game progressed with the score line at 6 apiece after 7 ends, Roberts and Williams held their lead up to the 18th end, by this time with the score at 15-13. Malkin and Stock collecting a double and a single to take the lead with one end to play when a dramatic final end saw a superb delivery from Williams to save the match after their opponents were about to celebrate at the head of bowls in favour to them. An extra end to this exciting game saw fellow bowlers witnessing this keen encounter on the bank of the stadium with a flavoured cup fever atmosphere climax, Malkin and Stock holding two shots at the head held their breath as Williams came close to pulling off another dramatic last bowl delivery only to find agonizingly just clipping his target with the end result in favour to Malkin and Stock.
With the indoor season approaching the ending weeks, the Taff Ely club competitions are reaching the final stages where once again the successful competitors will be keen to achieve their goal, whilst their fellow members be keen to support their success, and are reminded to view the schedule placed on the notice boards.