Several teams struggle to field full strength teams and pay price
IT SEEMS to be a feature of this season’s Hinckley Air Rifle League that some teams are struggling for numbers. After a brief pause for the half-term, the league got back under way but in three of this week’s four matches one of the teams involved had to struggle through with five positions unfilled from the maximum eleven.
The league’s rules do give teams a chance to post a competitive total under such circumstances, but it certainly doesn’t make it easy to win.
The only match where neither team faced this problem was at the Barwell Constitutional Club where Smallshaws played host to the shooters of the New Plough Inn.
The visitors won the toss and decided to go first, a decision justified by a strong first half performance that included 27s from Nigel Hill and Glen Foxon, and Daniel Lakin’s 29. The Smallshaws response came close to matching this thanks to Bob Wainwright’s 28, and the 27s of Robert Good and Michael Stephens, but the Plough’s second half continued their good form with 28s from Tom Bray and John Bray allowing them to set a challenging 188 target score. The home side matched those with their own 28s courtesy of Tom Williams and Jackie West; a subsequent 26 from Bob West guaranteed at least a draw; and Chris Rose’s closing 27 was more than enough to maintain their one hundred percent start to the season, taking their team total to 191.
Ashby Road ‘B’ went into their match against the “visiting” Ashby Road knowing that victory was unlikely, their six shooters facing the 11 of the visitors. The home side started well with a Jon Storer 28, but their next best score was Mike Sansome’s 26, and they finished on just 172. This proved too small to seriously test the visitors who, between the opening and closing 28s of Alison Finney 28 and Pete Finney 28, counted 26s from Lorraine White, David White, Innes Droomer, and Seamus Moore; and a 29 from Richard White.
The Sporting Lions continue to hold the top spot in the league table thanks to a comprehensive victory at the home of the Hounds.
The start from the Lions could hardly be bettered; Glen Dainter’s opening 30 being matched by the same score from Jeanette Mulkeirins; whilst Todd Astill and Karl Bunting did only slightly worse with 29s apiece. The 28s of Claire Barnes and Paul Griffin were the highlights of the Hounds’ first half, but with just six shooters on the night they also had to count scores as low as 23 so the result was never in doubt. The Lions maintained their form with a second half made up of Jackie Bend’s 26; the 28s of Alison Smith and Melanie Jenkins; and Bill Bend’s 30, and they won the match by 204-181, as the Hounds closed the match with a 30 from Paul Huddlestone.
The Trojans emphasised their own title credentials with an easy win at the home of Hinckley Phoenix. With a full team roster the visitors were able to discard Ellen Horsler’s 26, and the 27s of Richard Sanders, Nigel Jackson, and Mark Horsler, in favour of Leigh Hall’s 30; the 29s of Phil Hood and Chris Sills; and the 28s of Dave Brown, Rob Forman, Mark Smith, and Roger Sills. The resulting 200 total was far too much for the Phoenix team whose best individual score in their 162 total was Ian Ratheram’s closing 27.