Hartlepool’s Bewick and Smith win National Pairs title in Nottingham
Hartlepool celebrated a second national title as Russell Bewick and Gary R Smith lifted the Pairs title at the National Championships, held in Nottingham.
A hard-fought last-16 opening 16-15 win over Exonia’s ex-England international Ian Bond was then followed by another narrow 17-15 win over Westlecot’s Mike Titcombe.
A semi-final 16-12 win over Eastbourne’s Robert Morphett secured a final against Riverain’s Tony Webb.
In the final, the Hartlepool duo got off to a flier, counting five on the first end, and from then on they were always comfortable and got home 18-10.
Bewick continued to turn back the clock to his early days in his career and was brimming with confidence following the Easter win in the Hartlepool Masters’ Pairs.
As for Smith, the win writes him into the record books as he joins a select band of players that have won Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours career Indoor National titles. From his first title back in 1991, and some 33 years later to still manage to knock out a national title is testament to the talent the former Sunderland player still has.
The Women’s Pairs title went to Barwell’s Jamie Lee Marshall, who beat Exonia’s Nicole Rogers 17-11 in the final.
Bewick and Smith also qualified in the Triples, with Mark Higgins in the middle, they navigated the last 16 when beating Richmond’s Tom Rolfe 20-11 before succumbing to Riverain’s Lloyd Sabatini 17-11 in the quarter-finals.
The title went to Torquay’s Sam Tolchard, where in the final against Huntingdon’s Nicky Brett, the Torquay trio looked down and out trailing 13-7 with the prospect of only getting two more ends in.
With all the back play, Tolchard played a timer to bury the jack and on the follow through removed Brett’s only bowl to hold a remarkable eight shots. When Brett’s final bowl failed to lock on to any of the Torquay bowls, Tolchard drew in for a full house count of nine to lead 16-13.
Tolchard again saved the day on the next end the 15th and final end due to the time limit and only dropped a double to get home 16-15.
In the Women’s Triples, Hartlepool’s Sam Richardson, Dani Martinson and Lauren Mosley were beaten 19-16 in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners Spalding’s Annalisa Dunham.
After losing in last year’s National Singles final, it was a case of Groundhog Day for the Vipers’ Paul Hartley as he suffered back-to-back agony.
Hartley opened up with an impressive 21-9 win over Exonia’s Scott Eveleigh, then a hard-fought 21-19 win over Westlecote’s Mike Titcombe set up a semi-final clash against Hornsea’s Jack Bird.
In a quality semi-final, Hartley got home 21-19 to book a consecutive National Singles final appearance, this time Spalding’s Dominic McVitte would provide the opposition.
In the final, McVittie was outstanding from the word go and raced into a 11-0 lead, this despite Hartley actually playing well, but the Spalding lad was on a different planet in the opening six ends.
Credit to the Viper as Hartley stuck to the task, but the nearest he got it back to was 15-8, but in the end, McVittie deservingly ran out a 21-12 winner, but Hartley will play worse and win.
The Women’s Singles title went to Norfolk’s Katherine Rednall, where in the final, Rednall beat Solihull’s Emily Kernick 21-7.
The Denny Cup title went to Spalding, where in the final they beat the favourites Torquay 92-65.
The Women’s Yetton Trophy went to St Neots who beat Dolphin 77-65 in the final.
There’s been a change in the entry process for next year’s EIBA competitions, as competitors need to enter via the EIBA competition portal.
The Inter-club Play-off final was a repeat of last year’s, as the north group winners Houghton looked a avenge last year’s loss at the hands of the south group winners Hartlepool, at Ferryhill.
It was always a big ask for the Houghton lads and so it proved as Hartlepool retained their title 68-38.
Across the green, Houghton only had one winning rink as Joe Sutherland, Tony Grimes, Stevie Tindale and Peter
Brickle had a cracking 14-8 win over Andrew Kirtland.
Frankie Froud went down 15-8 against Mark Jones and Ian Whorlton lost 16-8 against Steve Slaughter.
It was a tough morning for Jimmy McAdoo’s rink, who were left to rue back to back sixes in a 24-8 loss to Matthew Ray.
Two more PBA qualifier spots into the Scottish International Open were confirmed at the weekend. In the Glasgow event, the Vipers’ Paul Hartley made the trip up north.
An opening straight-sets win over Cumbria’s Steven Richardson was followed by a 6-6, 9-0 win over Robert Sloan.
A straight sets win over Scottish Internationalist
Ailsa Robertson set up a quarter-final tie against the host club’s David Elliot.
Trailing 6-3 in the first set, Hartley snatched it away from Elliot with a last end four to take it 7-6. The second set was more straight as the Viper got home 7-3.
In the semi-final, another host player Steven Scott provided the opposition and played some big conversion shots to take the first set 8-5.
With the final bowl in the second set and Hartley trailing 5-3, an attempted trail for the required three only just failed to drag the third bowl in on an agonising measure. Another Viper made the trip, but Chris McGready narrowly lost his opener against Lennon Hamilton 9-7, 6-6.
In the final, Scott beat fellow Scot Darren Weir 7-2, 4-4. At the Leicester qualifier, Norfolk’s Aaron Johnson beat Hornsea’s Jack Bird.