Four’s comeback sees Cheltenham win Top Club title
CHELTENHAM Bowling Club become National Top Club Champions at Royal Leamington Spa.
After seven rounds which eliminated over 600 clubs nationwide, Cheltenham Bowling Club reached the quarter-finals, and on Saturday they beat Romford BC 3-2 after an extra end with triples skip Matt Cuthbert drawing a pressure bowl for a place in the semifinal against Boscombe Cliff from Hampshire, which Cheltenham won 4-1.
In the final, against 2021 runners-up Culm Vale BC from Devon, Cheltenham got off to a good start with 15-yearold Finley Williamson winning the twowood singles 17-12 before dad Lee beat Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jamie Chestney 21-18 in the four-wood singles.
Cheltenham needed to win one of either the pairs (Nick Holliday and Nathan Kitchen) triples (Adam Smith, Jack Williams and Matt Cuthbert) or fours (Nick Charlwood, Alex White, James Fitzgerald and Stuart Hodges) matches - but were trailing in all matches.
Miraculously the fours showed the fighting spirit which has been a feature of Cheltenham’s play throughout the competition when they came from 18-14 down at 16th end to force an extra end which they won after the Culm Vale skip failed to draw with his final bowl.
Cheltenham’s victory to become England’s Top Club more than made up for the disappointment of losing in last year’s National Double Rink finals.