Match Report

Match Report - 05 Nov 2017, Hertfordshire County Short Mat Bowling Association Inter County Championship Premier 2 beat Northamptonshire

Following the latest round of Inter County Championship qualifying games, the group positions remain unchanged, with Hertfordshire staying in first place, after the top two teams both won by 25-15 score lines. Hertfordshire top their qualifying group with a home win over Northamptonshire.

Session 1 (singles and pairs)
Michael West was held by his opponent for the first six ends when their score was tied at 5-5. Michael then scored two 3s in three ends to open up 5 shot advantage. From there, he continued to outscore the opposition and finished with a comfortable 17-9 win. Similarly, Alan Spicer was level at 3-3 after five ends. In a low scoring game, Alan restricted the Northants singles player to just five singles. The 11th end was decisive as Alan recorded 3 shots in his 14-5 victory.
Peter Griffiths and Jeanette Gayler led for the first half of their game before their opponents levelled at 7-7 on the 8th end. The Herts pair were only able to score once more in the game, finishing 8-18 behind. Pauline Taylor and Alan Hare opened up with 10 shots without reply and maintained that margin until the 9th end. A mini fightback by the Northants duo reduced the gap but Pauline and Alan held on for a 14-9 win.

Session 1 result: Hertfordshire 6 points Northamptonshire 2 points

Session 2 (triples and fours)
Jill Oakes, Eileen Prior and Tony Gayler were level at 3-3 after four ends. They then endured a six end losing streak to fall 3-15 behind. The last three ends were shared and the final score was 6-18 in Northamptonshire’s favour. Adrianne West, Mary Chadd and Brian McGivern looked to be comfortably ahead at the halfway point of their game, leading 9-3. However, just like their team mates on the next mat, they suffered a six end bombardment and slipped to a 9-13 loss.
Marion Cooper, Mike Eccleston, Sue Murray and Ken Murray trailed for most of their game and were seemingly out of it when they dropped a 3 to go 3-10 down with three ends to play. But a big 6 shot count brought them within one shot of their opposition and they completed a remarkable comeback with two 2s and a 13-10 win. Jeff Branch, John Taylor, Sam Salmon and Gordon Burrow were 0-8 behind after just four ends. They fought back well but couldn’t quite close the gap, finishing two shots behind at 7-9.

Session 2 result: Hertfordshire 2 points Northamptonshire 6 points

After the two morning sessions, the match points were level at 8-8.

Session 3 (reverse singles and pairs)
Michael West went ahead on the 5th end of his game with a maximum 4 count. He built steadily on this 6-3 lead and, with one end to play was 18-7 in front. Another 4 shot haul on the last end completed a comprehensive 22-7 win. Alan Spicer trailed throughout his game. Quickly 5 down after just two ends he was unable to close the gap, although he did score a 4 on the 12th end. The final score was 13-18. The two Hertfordshire singles players had and aggregate win over their Northamptonshire counterparts and scored 2 bonus points.
Peter Griffiths and Jeanette Gayler responded well after their earlier setback. They were 5-2 up after four ends, scored a 4 on the 6th end and continued to dominate in a 17-9 win. Despite falling 4 shots behind in the first two ends, Pauline Taylor and Alan Hare stayed close to their opponents. They drew level at 5-5 on the 6th end before dropping back again to 8-13. With two ends to play, Pauline and Alan had recovered to just one behind. In a closely fought last two ends, they dropped singles and ended the game at 12-15. The overall aggregate score from all four pairs games was 51-51 which meant that both counties received 1 bonus point.

Session 3 result: Herts 6 game pts and 3 bonus pts Northamptonshire 2 game pts and 1 bonus pts

Session 4 (reverse triples and fours)
The final session of play was a Bonfire Night cracker with a clean sweep for Hertfordshire.
Jill Oakes, Eileen Prior and Tony Gayler started strongly, leading 7-0 after three ends. A 5 shot score on the 5th end took them further ahead at 12-1. They dropped a 5 on the 7th end but got most of that back with a 4 three ends later. They ended their game 19-10 winners. Adrianne West, Mary Chadd and Brian McGivern started strongly again, leading 8-2 after six ends. The game then looked to be following a similar pattern to their morning reverse as four ends were lost and the scores levelled at 8-8. The scores were still tied at 9-9 with the last end to play. The Herts trio managed to score the single they needed for a tight 10-9 win.
Marion Cooper, Mike Eccleston, Sue Murray and Ken Murray were 7-0 ahead after four ends. Their opponents had a brief scoring spell of three ends before the Herts quartet took all of the remaining ends to finish 12-5 in front. Jeff Branch, John Taylor, Sam Salmon and Gordon Burrow dropped a 2 on their first end but were not troubled again. 9-2 up after six ends, they continued to outscore the Northamptonshire foursome on their way to a 14-5 victory. With an overall aggregate win in the fours discipline, Hertfordshire scored another 2 bonus points.

Session 4 result: Herts 8 game pts and 2 bonus pts Northamptonshire 0 game pts and 2 bonus pts

Hertfordshire County Short Mat Bowling Association Inter County Championship Premier 2 25 - 15 Northamptonshire

	Name	Details
1	Michael West	17-9, 22-7
2	Alan Spicer	14-5, 13-18
3	Pauline Taylor	14-9, 12-15
4	Alan Hare	14-9, 12-15
5	Peter Griffiths	8-18, 17-9
6	Jeanette Gayler	8-18, 17-9
7	Adrianne West	9-13, 10-9
8	Mary Chadd	9-13, 10-9
9	Brian McGivern	9-13, 10-9
10	Jill Quarterman	6-18, 19-10
11	Eileen Prior	6-18, 19-10
12	Tony Gayler	6-18, 19-10
13	Jeff Branch	7-9, 14-5
14	John Taylor	7-9, 14-5
15	Scot Salmon	7-9, 14-5
16	Gordon Burrow	7-9, 14-5
17	Marion Cooper	13-10, 12-5
18	Mike Eccleston	13-10, 12-5
19	Sue Murray	13-10, 12-5
20	Ken Murray	13-10, 12-5
21	Margaret Eccleston
22	Barry Thorogood