LBIOM

Ladies Pairs – It has been a successful conclusion to the end of season for Dee Lewis in the Ladies Championships by winning both the Singles and Pairs titles. In the ladies’ pairs event her partner, Marilyn Ellison, had a magnificent game producing a solid performance of lead bowls that gave Dee almost the perfect armchair ride throughout the match but she still was able to pull out the vital shot when required. The gallant runners up, Marcia Pearson and Barbara Reed played their part in an excellent final but could not find that extra gear when called upon to match their opponents. The margin of victory at the end provided a comfortable scoreline for the winners and an enjoyable spectacle for crowd that turned out in support.

Mixed Pairs – With a record entry for the mixed pairs competition this season it was no mean feat for the finalists to win through to the title decider. However, with Kevin Quirk in such imperious form it would have been difficult for anyone to have challenged his lead ability on the day. Followed up by an impeccable display by skip, Pam Makin, they made the game of bowls look so easy on what was a tricky surface. The hapless pairing on the losing end were Win and John Kewley, who had been playing some fine bowls all season despite being set back with some health issues. Makin and Quirk were dominant from the outset and relentless in their ability to consistently build heads and take a significant number of counts. Despite the best efforts of John to limit the damage it was just one of those matches where the winners were too good on the day. A great performance by Pam and Kevin winning their first Mixed Pairs title together which should aid their confidence as they both represent the Island at the forthcoming European Championships.

Men’s Pairs – Having suffered defeat in last season’s final the McGreal pairing were determined to make amends against opponents Phil Connolly, who stepped in at the last moment to replace Ricky Dick who was unfortunately absent. Mark had defeated Phil a week earlier in the Men’s Singles final so it was an opportunity for Phil to have another attempt. Playing alongside Phil was Kyle Mayers making his debut in a national final in his first season of lawn bowls. Kyle has proved to be a formidable opponent in his league matches this year and promises to be a real talent for the future. The early exchanges were all in favour of the McGreal’s as they amassed a comfortable lead with the aid of some accurate drawing and conversion shots by Mark in particular. However, this did not daunt the spirits of Phil and Kyle who mounted a come back to take the match down to the wire and into the final end requiring the maximum 6 shots to force a draw and a tie break. Alas it was not to be and just a step too far as Mark and Clive closed out the match to regain the title and make it a record haul of national pairs titles for the pairing and also giving Mark the “double”, matching the earlier achievement by Dee.