Match Report
Match Report - 24 Apr 2025, Tiverton Canal Bowling Club Friendly Triples beat Wellington 5 x 3
Wellington have often given our sides in the past, a run for their money whether it be an East of Exe or a friendly fixture and today was no exception. However, looking across the green early on, TCBC were more than holding their own, with just one of the five rinks falling behind and come the half time break, it remained 4 rinks to 1.
But, a change to a new Club does not mean a change in the laws of bowls as the "It all changes after Tea" rule subsequently kicked in. Interestingly, our only losing rink, skipped by Tony Burgess, secured sufficient shots to take 11 - 10 lead having been 4 - 9 down earlier on. Alas, it wasn't to last, as their opponents regained control to leave Tony's side, 14 - 18 at the end.
Brenda Tucker, on the other hand, would have been feeling reasonably comfortable at 13 - 5 after ten and even 15 - 9 after thirteen. But a run of three ends against, that included a '4', saw the lead change to Wellington, 15 - 16. The last few ends were close but Brenda's side, having levelled on the penultimate end with a single, just lost out on the last for a frustrating 16 - 17 final score.
Phil Saunders triple were also looking good, seemingly nicely in control, 8 - 6 after nine before moving on to a 11 - 6 lead just two ends later. But they too, were hit with a run of four ends that tellingly went against them that turned the match on it's head! 11 - 14 for a very happy opposing skip, Clive Manning, one would imagine. Phil's side battled hard over the last few ends to almost gain parity but just fell short by a single shot, 14 - 15.
Garfield Barnett enjoyed a decent start with a lead of 7 - 3 after seven ends but Wellington picked up enough halfway through to level at 7 - 7. It was fairly nip and tuck from then on except for a '4' for the home side on the fifteenth which proved crucial against a tenacious Wellington triple who fought hard but couldn't quite overcome that dropped '4'. Final score 16 - 13.
Finally, Kevin Parkin's side made the most of home advantage early on, picking up a '6' to go 9 - 0 up after just four played. Subsequent ends saw a Wellington side undaunted by the early challenge and they battled back to within four shots after fourteen ends. But that's as good as it got for them as KP's triple closed the match out for a much needed, 22 - 11 win.
So, three winning rinks to Wellington, reaffirms their reputation for being a strong side whenever we play them. That said, it's always a pleasure to meet them on and off the green and today was no exception.
TCBC = 2 Winning Rinks (82 Shots)
Wellington = 3 Winning Rinks (74 Shots)
Tiverton Canal Bowling Club Friendly Triples 82 - 74 Wellington 5 x 3