Happy memories of club’s fine Denny Cup run in ‘96
As the indoor season gets underway its time for us to take a look back at 1996.
The Denny Cup is often referred to as the FA Cup of indoor bowls; in 1996 the Crowtree-based Sunderland indoor club had managed to progress to the last eight for the first time since 1982 when they lost to Boston.
Unlike then the quarterfinals were all played over a weekend in March at Lawson Park in Bedford. The last eight consisted of the pre-favourites the five times winners Cyphers, Teignbridge, Desborough, Acle, East Dorset, Tye Green and Cumbria.
On the morning session Su n d e rl a n d we re h a n d - ed a tough tie quarter final against a strong Teignbridge outfit who were at this stage for the third year running and had three England internationalists within their ranks.
Unnerved by this the Sunderland lads flew out of the traps and at the five end mark they raced into a 26-10 lead, that start actually won them the game as it finished 85-73.
Across the green Sunderland won on three of the four rinks, Russell Bewick steered Billy Ferry, Dave Morgan and Ian Lambert to a tremendous 28-16 win over England star Danny Dennison.
That win covered Jimmy Humphrey’s 25-15 loss to another England star John Whickham while Gary Smith’s quartet had to settle for a narrow 18-17 win against Bob Johnson this after leading 14-4.
The remaining rink of Mal Peach, Billy Bewick, Harry Barker and Jim Thompson picked up 11 shots over the last six ends to defeat Teignbridge’s third England star John Evans 24-15.
A jubilant Wearside outfit then tackled Acle in the afternoon who had a surprise win over East Dorset in the morning quarter-finals, the Acle club had only been formed three years earlier.
In the semi final again the Sunderland lads were quickest off the mark leading 24-17 at the five end mark, by the half way mark the lead was 19 shots with Gary Smith’s quar
tet of Alan Thurlbeck, Norman Routledge and Jimmy Lambert looking set for a big win as they led 14-2, across the green both Bewick and Humphrey led with only Jim Thompson’s rink looking in trouble trailing 12-4.
At the 15 end mark Sunderland led by 21 shots and despite a late Acle comeback the winning margin was still 12 shots.
S m i t h e n d e d u p b e ating Dennis Goodley 22-12, Humphrey got home by four and the Thompson quartet turned it around to get home by three, the only loss saw Bewick let slip that 18-10 lead to go down 26-21 however a first ever final appearance was secured.
During the 1990s Cumbria had become Sunderland’s bogey team so it was somewhat ironic that the Cumbrians were to be the opponents in the final, both teams were looking for a first-ever Denny Cup win.
Fo l l o w i n g t h e t r a g i c events at Dunblane prior to the final both teams held an
emotional minute’s silence.
Unlike the previous two rounds the Sunderland lads were held over the first five ends as it was 19-19, at the 10 end mark Sunderland led on three of the four rinks although the alarm bells were ringing as Bewick had slumped to 14-3 down against Andrew Baxter as the Cumbrians opened up a 38-33 lead.
Hopes of a first Denny title sadly were ultimately lost over the next set of five ends as Cumbria got a 21-10 return to lead 59-43, Bewick was still10 shots adrift, Thompson was 17-9 down and Jimmy Humphrey’s rink of Frankie Adams, Stevie Cairns and Kev i n D o n k i n we re o n l y three down against Stuart Airey, with Smith only 15-10 up the deficit was 16 overall.
With heads starting to drop a comeback was never on the cards and only Smith’s 20-13 win over Neil Currie was the only Wearsiders winning card. Bewick finished 23-11 down against Baxter, Humphrey went down 23-14 against Airey and Thompson finished 20-13 down against Hug h T h o m p s o n l eav i n g Cumbria 79-58 up.
Despite the disappointing end it was a weekend that will linger long in many of the players and spectators memories.
That Cumbria squad went onto win another two Denny Cups before the turn of the millennium while the Sunderland squad sadly failed to fore fill its potential and eventually broke up.
The other members of the squad were Matty Kilty, John Godfrey, Alan Ganley, Ken Briscoe and Tommy Smith.
Sadly the years have been hard on that team the playing side Frankie Adams, Norman Routledge, Billy Bewick, Harry Barker and Tommy Smith are no longer with us.
For all of the great bowlers the north east has produced the last time the Denny Cup came north was 37 years ago when Hartlepool beat Cyphers.
The great Stanley team of the 1990s finished runners up on three separate occasions and again in the 2013/14 season.
The season before Hartlepool missed out when they lost in the final to Wey Valley and of course two years ago South Shields were agonizingly beaten in the final by Exonia.
Fo l l ow i n g th e G ove r nment’s announcement that from Monday there will be restrictions on social gatherings the English Indoor Bowling Association have confirmed all affiliated Indoor Bowls Clubs who have implemented COVID-19 secure protocols, based on the EIBA’s ‘Returning to Indoor Bowls’ guidance (version five) can continue to provide organised bowls sessions for members and visitors.
Returning briefly to outdoors, Sunderland & District have confirmed that this year’s AGM will not take place, clubs will be posted league enrolment forms in early November in anticipation of the return to competitive bowls in 2021.