After the latest round of matches in the ICC Qualifying Group it is very much "as you were" with the top two teams both winning 25-15. Buckinghamshire won away on Saturday at Oxford and Hertfordshire beat Northamptonshire at Elm Court by the same score.
In Session 1 the singles players delivered maximum points again with ever-steady Michael West winning 17-9 and Alan Spicer, after a slowish start, finishing 14-5 ahead. Pauline Taylor and Alan Hare were 10-0 up and went on to a 14-9 final score. The new pairs combination of Peter Griffiths and Jeanette Gayler started brightly and were level after ten ends but couldn't hold their opponents, eventually losing 8-18. A good first session yielded 6 points for Hertfordshire.
Session 2 was almost a mirror image of the first. Adrianne West, Mary Chadd and Brian McGivern were comfortably ahead at 9-3 but lost six ends on the trot and suffered a 9-13 defeat. Jill Oakes, Eileen Prior and Tony Gayler had a similar poor run of ends in their game and finished 6-18. Jeff Branch, John Taylor, Sam Salmon and Gordon Burrow were 0-8 down after four ends but very nearly clawed it back, finishing 7-9. Marion Cooper, Mike Eccleston, Sue Murray and Ken Murray were 3-10 behind before a 6 shot count put them right back in the game and they completed their comeback to win 13-10.
At the lunchtime break the match score was 8 points each.
In Session 3 Michael West completed a fine day's work with a comprehensive 22-7 win. Alan Spicer started slowly again and was 10 shots behind with six ends to play. He closed the gap but not quite enough to finish 13-18. The Herts singles players comfortably wrapped up their 2 bonus points. Peter Griffiths and Jeanette Gayler had a much better afternoon and led throughout their game, winning 17-9. Pauline Taylor and Alan Hare's game was closely contested with the Herts duo just 1 down with two ends left. They dropped two singles but, in keeping the score tight, they held on for a share of the pairs' bonus points.
The final session was a Bonfire Night cracker for Herts. Jill Oakes, Eileen Prior and Tony Gayler shot out to a 12-1 lead and finished 19-10 ahead. Adrianne West, Mary Chadd and Brian McGivern almost let their opposition back into the game from a winning position, holding on for a 10-9 win. Jeff Branch, John Taylor, Sam Salmon and Gordon Burrow won seven of their eleven ends, finishing 14-5 while Marion Cooper, Mike Eccleston, Sue Murray and Ken Murray limited their opponents to just three scoring ends in their 12-5 win. A clean sweep of the game points and the bonus points in the fours discipline meant the final result was a 25-15 victory for Herts.
The next qualifying group match for Hertfordshire is away against Oxfordshire next Sunday.