Andover Sport
Bowls club line up a cup double
4:44pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012
Andover Bowls Club are still in the hunt for silverware in both indoor competitions this winter.
In the Salisbury mixed team knock out played at Salisbury’s Five Rivers Centre, Andover took on Wilton in the semi-finals. The team’s star turns were the rink of Diane Timms, Ken Eaton, Peter Merritt and Sinden Fowler. At the eight end mark they had stormed to a 13-1 lead, which was important as the other two rinks had fallen behind by nine shots. The overall match score stayed close throughout, but Andover always had the edge. Fowler’s rink ran out emphatic winners by a well deserved 32-10, while the next rink to finish, Ann Eaton, Bill Rawlinson, Bob Wood and Peter Anthony had a topsy turvy game in and out of form but were level 14-all by end 15 thanks to good play from Anthony saving shots.
Sadly they faded over the final third and lost 15-23. In the final game Sue Milton, Jim Catchpole, Jim Timms and captain Jim Horne, although not playing as well as they should, kept the score down. At end 20 they stood 16-18 down after scoring seven shots over the previous three ends. The overall score stood in Andover’s favour by 63-51 and takes them into the final, six years since their last appearance. The final is on March 25 at 6 30pm at Five Rivers.
In the Morton Cup, played at Longmeadow, Andover took on the big club of Cove in the quarter-finals. They are enjoying their winning ways and were not daunted at the prospect. At half way the rink of Robin Kingston, Peter Merritt, Bob Wood and Peter Anthony trailed 6-9, but a very rare score in bowls of a maximum eight shots on one end took them ahead, and from that point they never looked back, with their opponents a little shell shocked. Their match finished with a great win by 27-14. Andover’s other rink of Roy Turner, Jim Timms, John Ash and Jim Horne were involved in a great match that saw them 10-8 up at halfway. In particular Ash and Horne played some excellent shots in the middle section which kept the score ticking over. With Cove too far behind on the overall tally this game finished on end 19 with Andover 20-14 up, and overall an Andover win by 47-28. Andover will play Basingstoke in the semi-final on March 11 at 10am.
This Sunday Andover will hold their spring meeting at the Vigo Road clubhouse, starting at noon. It is a chance for members to pay their annual fees, and to learn what has been happening with all the improvements to the club, and to also find out about the fast approaching outdoor season.