Saturday the 21st January saw Hertfordshire’s ICC squad travel to March to play Cambridgeshire in our last two rounds of the first stage of this year’s ICC competition. Yes you did read correctly we played two matches on the same day. The first two sessions of the morning was our ‘Away’ game played on eight mats. Following a late lunch our ‘Home’ game was then played, again on eight mats over 2 sessions.
Away Game Session 1
Darren Brown was our first singles player. Darren got started with a single. Cambridge then held the mat for four ends. Taking a triple, two doubles and a single they had an 8 – 1 lead after five ends. Darren then held the next two ends for singles. With the following two end going for a single each Cambridgeshire’s lead was 9 – 4 after nine ends. The game now was much closer. Ends ten and eleven went for a single apiece as did ends twelve and thirteen. Darren held end fifteen for a single only to see Cambridge finish with a triple and the win at 14 – 7.
Mark Spalding played the second singles. Mark held the first two ends for singles. Cambridge took the lead on end three for a triple. Mark came back for two more singles and had the lead at 4 – 3 after five ends. He followed this with a double to extend his lead. Cambridge came back for a double, following this with a single it was six all after eight ends. Mark then took the lead with a double only to see Cambridge take the lead back with a triple. Mark came back in front with a double, Cambridge replied again this time with a triple and a lead of 12 – 10 with three ends to play. The following two ends went for a single apiece. Mark held the final end for a single, but in this close match Cambridge had the win at 13 – 12.
Jeff Branch and Dennis Mack played the first pairs. Starting well with two singles they then saw Cambridge take the lead with a hotshot four. Coming straight back for a single and following this with a triple our pair had the lead back at 6 – 4 after five ends. Cambridge then started a run, taking three singles they went back in the lead at 7 – 6. Dennis and Jeff held end nine for a single and it was all square at seven all. Cambridge then took the lead with a triple. Our pair then took it straight back with their own Hotshot four. They followed this with two singles to be 13 – 10 up with two ends to play. The last two ends went Cambridge’s way for singles however Dennis and Jeff had our first win at 13 – 12.
Neil Rixon and Martin Nash played the second pairs. Cambridge started with a double to which our pair replied by taking a single and a double. Cambridge came back for a further single and it was three all after four ends. Our pair then took the lead with a single and a double. Cambridge now reduced the deficit taking a single, they followed this with a hotshot four and the lead at 8 – 6 after eight ends. Taking two singles our pair bought it back level at eight all after ten ends. Cambridge then held two ends for doubles giving them a four shot lead with three ends to play. Holding a single and a double Neil and Martin went into the last end only one shot behind. Cambridge held the last end for a double giving them the win at 14 – 11.
Alan Spicer, Julia Bruce and Brian McGivern got the triples going by taking a triple on the first end. Cambridge then pulled back with a double, following this with a five they had a 7 – 3 lead after three ends. With the following two ends going for a single each Cambridge maintained their four shot lead. Our three then took two singles to half their deficit. Cambridge held end eight for a triple to extend their lead to five shots. End nine saw Alan, Julia and Brian hold on for a tremendous five and it was all square at eleven all. Following this with a double our three regained the lead at 13 – 11. With end eleven being a tied end our three took a further double to go 15 – 11 up with one end to play. Cambridge held the last end for a single but Alan, Julia and Brian had another win for Hertfordshire at 15 – 12
Audrey Fowler, Toni Gearing and Brian Fowler played the second triples. Starting with two singles our three had the lead. Cambridge then made it all square with a double. Our three took a further single only to see Cambridge take the lead with a double to go 4 – 3 up after five ends. Audrey, Toni and Brian then took a four, following this with a triple they then had a 10 – 4 lead after seven ends. With the following two ends going for a single each our three maintained their six shot lead. Again the following ends went for a single apiece and our three were 12 – 6 up with two ends to play. Audrey, Toni and Brian held the penultimate end for a triple and a nine shot lead. Cambridge held on to the last end for a single but our three had the win at 15 – 7.
Mick Thrush, Trevor Knight, Margaret Eccleston and Alan Hare played the first fours. Cambridgeshire started strongly taking three singles, a double and a triple they were 8 – 0 up after five ends. Our four now started to pill it back, taking a double and two singles they had reduced Cambridge’s lead to 8 – 4 after eight ends. Cambridge then took a four and followed it with a triple to take an eleven shot lead with one end remaining. Mick, Trevor, Margaret and Alan held the last end for a single but Cambridge had the win at 15 – 5.
Barry Thorogood, Carol Still Jan Rogers and Darren Stanford played the final game in the first session. Cambridge took the first two ends for singles. Our four held end three for a single. Cambridge then started a run of six ends. Taking a single, a double, three triples and a four they had an 18 – 1 lead with two ends to play. Barry, Carol, Jan and Darren held the penultimate end for a double. With Cambridge holding the last end for a single they had a good win at 19 – 3.
With the first session of the day over we were halfway through the Away game. Having lost both singles gave four points to Cambridge and they had an eight shot advantage for the bonus points. Wining one and losing one the points for the pairs were shared and Cambridge only had a two shot advantage for the bonus points. The triples gave us four points from two wins and we were eleven shots up for the bonus points. The fours losing both games saw all four points go to Cambridge and they had a twenty six shot advantage for the bonus points. Going into the final session of our Away game it was Hertfordshire 6 Cambridgeshire 10.
Away Game Session two
Following a short break Session two got under way with a couple of team changes.
Mark Spalding played his second singles of the Away game. Cambridge started well with two doubles. Mark then started a short run taking three singles and a double he head a 5 – 4 lead after six ends. With Cambridge holding a double followed by Mark taking a single it was all square at six all after eight ends. End nine and Cambridge held a single, end ten was a tied end and Mark followed this with a single and it was still al square at seven all with four ends to play. Cambridge then pulled out a lead taking a triple. With the following two ends going for a single each Cambridge maintained their three shot lead. Mark held the last end for a single shot to reduce Cambridge’s win to 11 – 9.
Darren Brown played the last singles of the Away game. Cambridge started with a double; Darren came back to make it all square with two singles. Cambridge then took a double and a single to be 5 – 2 up after five ends. Darren pulled back with a single and Cambridge replied with a double. Darren held end eight for another single. Cambridge then took two singles and had a 9 – 4lead after ten ends. Darren then held a triple, following this with a single he had reduced Cambridge’s lead to one shot. Cambridge then extended their lead taking a triple on end thirteen. Darren pulled back taking a double on the penultimate end and a single on the last end, Cambridge just took the win at 12 – 11.
Martin Nash and Neil Rixon played their second pairs of the Away game. Starting well they took a single and a double. Cambridge replied taking a single on end three. Our pair then started a run, taking three singles, a triple and a double they had an 11 – 1 lead after eight ends. Cambridge then took end nine for a double only to see Martin and Neil take a triple. Following this with a double our pair had a 16 – 3 lead after eleven ends. Cambridge then got back into the game. They took the last four ends for two singles, a double and a triple. Those early ends ensured Hertfordshire took the win at 16 – 10.
Jeff Branch and Dennis Mack played the last pairs of the Away game. Our pair started with a double which Cambridge matched on the second end. Jeff and Dennis then took a triple and followed it with a further triple to go 8 – 2 up after four ends. Cambridge then improved their position by taking two singles. With Jeff and Dennis taking end seven for a single they had a 9 – 4 lead after seven ends. Cambridge then held end eight for a double. Our pair came back taking a single followed by a triple to be 13 – 6 up after ten ends. Cambridge held end twelve for a single but with Dennis and Jeff coming straight back for a triple and a Hotshot four they had a 20 – 7 lead with two ends to play. Cambridge held the last two ends for a single and a double but Jeff and Dennis had a substantial win at 20 – 10.
Alan Spicer, Julia Bruce and Brian McGivern played their second triples game. Cambridge got of to a good start taking the first six ends for four singles and two doubles they had an 8 – 0 lead. Our three then started a short run taking a double followed by a wonderful five they had reduced Cambridge’s lead to 8 – 7 in two ends. They followed this with a triple and took the lead at 10 – 8. Cambridge then took the lead back with a triple and following it with a single they were 12 – 10 up with two ends to play. Alan, Julia and Brian pulled back taking the penultimate end for a single. They followed this with a further single to hold on for a draw at 12 all.
Audrey Fowler, Toni Gearing and Brian Fowler played the last triples of the Away game. Cambridge started with two doubles. Our three then held a single only to see Cambridge start a short run. Taking a single, a four and a triple Cambridge increased their lead to 10 – 1. Audrey, Toni and Brian then took a single and followed this with a triple to reduce Cambridge’s lead to 10 – 5 after eight ends. With four of the last five ends going Cambridge’s way and one end being declared a tie Cambridge had secured the win at 16 – 5.
Trevor Knight, Margaret Eccleston, Margaret Hare and Alan Hare played the third fours game of this match. They started well with a double only to see Cambridge take a triple and follow it with a double to be 5 – 2 up after three ends. Our four then held a single but with Cambridge holding two doubles they had increased their lead to 9 -3 after six ends. Trevor, Margaret, Margaret and Alan then started a short run, Taking a double, a single and a triple they had pulled it back to a draw at nine all after nine ends. End ten and Cambridge regained the lead by taking a double. The final end saw our four hold on for a double of their own and the draw at eleven all.
Bill Durham, Carol Still, Jan Rogers and Darren Stanford played the last fours and the last mat of the Away game. Our four started well with a single followed by a triple. Cambridge then pulled back taking a single and a double. Bill, Carol, Jan and Darren then took a run of three singles to go 7 – 3 up after seven ends. Cambridge then had a run of three of their own. Starting with a single they followed it with two doubles and took the lead for the first time in the game at 8 – 7 with one end to play. Bill, Carol, Jan and Darren then took the last end for a double and the win at 9 – 8.
With the Away game finished it was time to calculate the final result. Losing both singles in the second session meant that Cambridgeshire gained a further four points and the two bonus points. With Hertfordshire winning both pairs not only did they gain the four points but had also secured the Bonus points. With one draw and one loss Hertfordshire took one point with three going to Cambridge. With the shots tied at 47 all it was one point apiece for the bonus. With one win and one draw in the fours Hertfordshire picked up a further three points with one going to Cambridge. With their large shot difference from the first session Cambridge had taken the fours bonus points.
Final result for our Away game was a win for Cambridgeshire at 23 – 17 with the total shots also in Cambridgeshire’s favour at 196 – 174. The question was, could Hertfordshire get our revenge with the afternoons ‘Home’ game at this away venue.
Following a break for lunch and a rest for all our bowlers our Home game got underway. As this was a separate game to the Away match your selectors made a few tweaks to the playing order.
Home Game Session one
Jeff Branch got us started by playing the first singles of the ‘Home’ Match. Jeff got on the scorecard first with a single. Cambridge replied by taking a Hotshot four, they followed this with four singles to go 8 – 1 up after six ends. With the following two ends going for a single apiece Cambridge maintained their seven shot lead. End nine and Jeff took a single. With Cambridge holding a double on end ten they had increased their lead to 11 – 3. Taking a further double Cambridge were 13 – 3 up with four ends to play. Jeff then held a Hotshot four. He followed this with three singles reducing Cambridge’s win to 13 – 10.
Dennis Mack played the second singles of the ‘Home’ match. The first two ends went for a single apiece. Dennis then held two singles to take the lead. Cambridge held the fifth end for a single. Dennis then took a double to increase his lead to 5 – 2.With the following two ends going for a single each Dennis maintained his three shot lead. Cambridge then reduced their deficit by taking a double. Dennis came back strongly taking a triple followed by a Hotshot four for a 13 – 5 lead after eleven ends. Cambridge now rallied taking a Hotshot four of their own. Dennis held end thirteen for a single. The penultimate end saw Cambridge take a double. Taking the final end for a single Dennis had the win at 15 – 11.
Darren Brown and Mark Spalding played pairs. They started this game well with a triple. The following two ends went for a single each. End four saw Cambridge hold a Hotshot four and take the lead at 5 – 4 after four ends. Darren and Mark then regained the lead taking a double and a single. Cambridge came back to within one shot with a single and then took the lead with their second Hotshot four making them 10 – 7 after eight ends. Our pair pulled back with a single and took a one shot lead with a triple. Cambridge held end eleven for a single and it was all square at eleven all. Darren and Mark then regained the lead with a triple, following this with a further triple and a double they were 19 – 11 up with one end to play. Cambridge came back on the last end to hold a single but Darren and Mark had the win at 19 – 12.
Martin Nash and Neil Rixon played pairs. They started with two singles, Cambridge then levelled it on end three with a double. Our two held a single only to see Cambridge take the lead with a double. Following this with a single Cambridge were 5 – 3 up after six ends. Martin and Neil took a single and then the lead with a double. They followed this with a Hotshot four to be 10 – 5 up after nine ends. Cambridge jumped in for a single but with Martin and Neil holding their first triple of the game they had a 13 – 6 lead after eleven ends. Cambridge then held end twelve for a double. Martin and Neil’s reply was to take a triple. Ending the game with two singles Hertfordshire had another win at 18 – 8.
Alan Spicer, Julia Bruce and Brian McGivern played triples. The game got off to a close start with a tied end. Cambridge took the second end for a double. Our three then took the lead by taking three singles to go 3 – 2 up after five ends. Cambridge then took the lead with a double. Alan, Julia and Brian then levelled the score with a single. They followed this with a further single and a double to go 7 – 4 up after nine ends. Cambridge now reduced their deficit taking a double, following this with a single it was all level at seven all after eleven ends. Alan, Julia and Brian took the last two ends for singles giving them the win at 9 – 7.
Our other triple of Audrey Fowler, Toni Gearing and Brian Fowler started with a single. Cambridge matched this with a single on end two. Our three then started a run of four ends. Taking three singles and a double they had a 7 – 1 lead after seven ends. With the following two ends going for a single each, our three maintained their six shot lead. Following this with a further single followed by a three, Audrey, Toni and Brian were 12 – 2 up with two ends to play. Cambridge got back into the game taking the last two ends for a double and a single giving Hertfordshire the win at 12 – 5.
Bill Durham, Carol Still, Jan Rogers and Darren Stanford played the fours. Cambridge started with a double which our four matched on end two. Cambridge then took a single which our four also matched on end four. Cambridge then held a single followed by a double for a 6 – 4 lead after seven ends. Cambridge then improved their position with a triple only to see Bill, Carol, Jan and Darren match it with their own triple. With the last two ends going for a single apiece, Cambridge had the win at 10 – 8.
Trevor Knight, Margaret Eggleston, Margaret Hare and Alan Hare played the last fours of this session. Cambridge started by taking a double. This was followed by a tied end following which Cambridge took a single. End four saw Trevor, Margaret, Margaret and Alan take the lead with a four. Cambridge came straight back regaining the lead with a double to go 5 – 4 up five ends. Our then started a short run. Taking a double followed by a triple and a further double they had an 11 – 5 lead after eight ends. Cambridge then pulled back, taking a single and a double they had reduced our fours lead to 11 – 8 with one end to play. Our four held the last end for a single giving Hertfordshire the win at 12 – 8.
At the end of the first session of the ‘Home’ game things were looking better for Hertfordshire. With one apiece in the singles, it was two all with a shot difference of one in Hertfordshire’s favour. With two wins in the pairs Hertfordshire had a further four points and a seventeen shot lead towards the bonus points. The triples also saw Hertfordshire with two wins and a nine shot lead towards these bonus points. With one win in the fours it was a further two points to Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire also had a two shot lead towards the bonus points. Points so far were Hertfordshire 12, Cambridgeshire 4.
The last session of the day started with forty tired bowlers playing hard for the win.
Home Game Session two
Jeff Branch played his last singles of the day seeing Cambridge start with a hotshot four. Jeff then got started, taking two singles followed by two doubles he was 6 – 4 up after five ends. Cambridge Came back for a double to level the game. They then took the lead taking two singles, a triple and two further singles to be 13 – 6 up after eleven ends. Jeff pulled back taking a triple on end twelve. Cambridge then extended their lead taking a single and a double with one end to play. Jeff held on to the last end for a single but Cambridge had the win at 16 – 10.
Dennis Mack played the last singles of the day. Cambridge started with a double and a triple. The following six ends were all held by Dennis for singles to take the lead at 6 – 5 after eight ends. End nine and Cambridge levelled the score with a single. With the following two ends going for a double each it was still level at eight all after eleven ends. With ends twelve and thirteen going for a single each it was still level at nine all with two ends to play. Cambridge then held the penultimate end for a triple. The last end saw Dennis hold on for a triple of his own drawing the game at 12 – 12.
Martin Nash and Neil Rixon played the pairs. Starting well with a triple, Cambridge instantly replied by taking the lad with a Hotshot four. Our pair now levelled it with a single and took the lead with a double. Cambridge came back for two singles and it was all square at six all after six ends. Martin and Neil then took the lead with a double, following this with a Hotshot four and a further double they had a lead of 14 – 6 after nine ends. Cambridge then got a Hotshot four of their own. Our pair came back with a double and a single to be 17 – 10 up after twelve ends. With the following two ends going for a double each it was 19 – 12 going into the last end. Martin and Neil took the last end for a single and the win at 20 – 12.
Mark Spalding and Darren Brown played the last pairs of the day. Our pair got on the scorecard with a double, Cambridge replied by taking a single. Mark and Darren then started a short run. Taking a single, a triple and a double they had an 8 – 1 lead after five ends. Cambridge held the following two ends for singles. With ends eight and nine going for a single each our pair were 9 – 4 up. Darren and Mark then started another run of ends. Taking a single, two doubles and a triple they were 17 – 4 up with two ends to play. Cambridge held the penultimate end for a double. Finishing with a triple Mark and Darren had the win at 20 – 6.
Audrey Fowler, Toni Gearing and Brian Fowler played their forth triples of the day. They started by taking the first end for a double. Cambridge came back taking the lead with a single followed by a double. Our three then held a single and it was all square at three all after four ends. Cambridge now started a run of ends. Taking a single, two triples and a double they pulled out a lead of 12 – 3 after eight ends. With the following two ends going for a single each Cambridge maintained their nine shot lead. Audrey, Toni and Brian held the last three ends for singles however Cambridge had the win at 13 – 7.
Barry Thorogood, Julia Bruce and Brian McGivern played the last triples of the day. Cambridge got of to a good start by taking a four followed by two singles. Our three held end four for a single but with Cambridge coming back for a double and a single they had a 9 – 1 lead after six ends. Barry, Julia and Brian now started to comeback, in fact Cambridge failed to win any more ends. Taking a single, two triples and a double they took the lead at 10 – 9 after ten ends. Taking the final three ends for singles Barry, Julia and Brian had the win at 13 – 9.
Trevor Knight, Mick Thrush, Margaret Hare and Alan Hare played their last fours of the day. Cambridge started with a double and a single. Our four held end three for a single only to see Cambridge take the following two ends for singles. Our four then held end six for a triple reducing Cambridge’s lead to 5 – 4. Cambridge then held a double, Trevor, Mick, Margaret and Alan held end eight for another single. The last three ends all went Cambridge’s way giving them the win at 12 – 5.
Bill Durham, Carol Still, Jan Rogers and Darren Stanford played the last fours of the day. Our four got started with two singles. Cambridge then took a triple followed by a single. Bill, Carol, Jan and Darren then took two singles and it was four all after six ends. Cambridge held end seven for a triple, our four came straight back for a double to be only one shot down. Cambridge then took a triple on end nine. Our four replied with a single on the penultimate end. The last end went all Cambridges way, taking a six they had the win at 16 – 7.
Drawing one single and losing the other we held one point to Cambridges three, however with a shot difference of seven Cambridge took the two bonus points. Winning all the pairs in the Home match we took a further six points which includes the bonus points. With one win and one loss in the triples it was two points each and we also held onto the two Bonus points. With both the fours losing it was four points to Cambridge who also took the two bonus points. Giving Hertfordshire the win at 23 – 17 exactly reversing the Away game score. With the shots being 197 – 170 in Hertfordshire’s favour
Alan, Jan and Paul feel like we have won the Oscars, we don’t want to give too long an acceptance speech but would like to make a few special mentions. We would like to give special thanks to Mick Thrush and Margaret Eccleston who stepped in at short notice. We also would like to thank Andrew Miles for marking the singles and a special mention for all our supporters, who cheers of encouragement always give the players a boost. (Please remember your pom poms next time).
Our next match will be the first round of the knockouts. As yet our opponents have not been announced. This match will be played at either Solihull or Guilford on either Saturday the 11th or Sunday the 12th of February. As soon as your selection committee are given the information we will pass it on to all our players.
.