The British Bowls Para Series descended on to the prestigious greens at Victoria Park from 27th to 29th June, with the four nations of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales competing for the first time in Para Home Nations history.
Belief was high in the Para England Squad, who came together for a practice session the day before the event kicked off. On Friday 27th, the sun shone down over the two greens for the start of an incredible Series, where the colours of the four nations lit up the park for the three days of fierce competition.
DAY ONE – England’s time to shine
Day One was England’s day, with them topping the table after two sessions of competition. The Singles players stormed ahead in the first Session of the day against Wales, picking up plenty of critical shots which would no doubt prove vital in the coming days.
Session Two was another strong showing for England. Five of the six rinks secured wins against their Irish opponents, with one VI/PD Triples match going to a draw but still picking up a crucial match point in the process.
Captain Kieran Rollings had a standout day competing in the PD Singles, securing a 21-9 and 21-5 win and four match points, clearly roused by his own pre match team speech and support from the squad.
Session One – England v Wales, 104-58 (Match Points – 11-1)
Session Two – England v Ireland, 121-54 (Match Points – 11-1)
VI/PD Triples
Session One – 11-10, 18-5, 12-12
Session Two – 27-9, 18-5, 13-13
PD Singles
Session One – 21-13, 21-9
Session Two – 21-5, 21-9
VI Singles
Session One – 21-9
Session Two – 21-13
Scotland also started their campaign with a strong showing, gaining 112 shots to Ireland’s 68, and securing 10-2 on match points.
It was a tighter showing on the other green, but Scotland edged ahead of Wales across five of their six rinks.
DAY TWO – Captain Kieran pulls it out the bag
Day Two was a scorcher, with the sun beaming down on the greens and creating some challenging conditions throughout the day. It was a showdown between first and second in the table, with England facing Scotland in the morning session.
It was a tough few hours for England in tricky conditions. Alison Yearling, Jennie Sandford and Mike McDonagh stormed ahead to a 20-7 win in their VI/PD Triples match, but it was a different tale across the other five greens. It came down to the wire for Kieran Rollings, who was trailing behind for most of the game before bringing it back to 20-20. With one final bowl, he managed to hold one and win a crucial two match points for his side. Fynn Kyser also had a tricky match but showed grace on the green in a narrow defeat.
Session Three – England v Scotland, 94-107 (Match Points – 5-7)
Session Four – England v Ireland, 89-75 (Match Points – 6-6)
VI/PD Triples
Session Three – 17-17, 20-7, 7-21
PD Singles
Session Three – 21-20, 18-21
VI Singles
Session Three – 11-21
PD Pairs
Session Four – 11-14, 7-25, 22-6
VI Pairs
Session Four – 11-12, 16-13, 22-5
Ireland and Wales went head-to-head in Session Three for a very close battle on the green. With three convincing wins for Wales and two strong wins for Ireland, its was the PD Singles match that could have seen Ireland back on level playing field, but a hard 17-19 defeat saw Wales edge ahead with 8 match points to 4.
Following a critical win against England in the morning session, Scotland went on to face Wales in Session Four, and with some clinical wins under the belt, they came away with 10 match points to Wales’ 2, clinching their pole position on the table at the end of Day Two.
DAY THREE – Silver secured for our England team
Tensions and excitement were high going in the Day Three, with all to play for. England’s disappointment following Session Four on Day Two was soon dismissed, with rallying talks from Team Manager, Mo Monkton and Captain Kieran Rollings and belief instilled going into the big day.
England started with high hopes against Wales, but a strong showing from the squad in red saw England narrowly miss out on the win in a few of their matches. Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall and Stephen Hartley, alongside their respective directors of Elizabeth Shipley and Jeremy Miller, produced a fine performance in the VI Pairs, to secure the only win of the session for our Para England Squad.
Session Five saw Scotland secure the gold, but it was still all to play for for England as they looked to go out on a high against top of the table, Scotland.
Our PD Pairs of Fynn Kyser and Jonathan Stokes, and Craig Bowler and Kieran Rollings, each had strong outings, but the high standard of Scotland continued with England securing two wins across the six rinks. The final scores saw England sitting comfortably in second place on the table and taking home a well-deserved silver medal for their efforts.
Session Five – England v Wales – 67-78 (Match Points – 2-10)
Session Six – England v Scotland – 82-90 (Match Points – 4-8)
VI Pairs
Session Five – 12-13, 19-13
Session Six – 7-19, 9-21
PD Pairs
Session Five – 9-12, 9-12, 8-14, 10-14
Session Six – 7-20, 32-7, 18-7, 9-16
Scotland faced Ireland in Session Five, knowing that a strong performance would secure them the gold. Scotland went on to win all six rinks in a comfortable fashion and solidified their position at the top of the table.
Ireland and Wales met in their final match of the Series, and it was a battle to the end. Ireland had some comfortable wins, but Wales fought hard to secure two wins, but narrowly missed out on the 3rd win with a 13-15 loss.
Sally-Ann Lewis-Wall and Kieran Rollings received player of the series medals, nominated by the Performance Team and Scouts, for their incredible performances over the three days.
Team Manager for the Series, Mo Monkton, said,
“It might not have been the colour medal we were hoping for, but I am incredibly proud of this team and the display they put on, on and off the greens. In very difficult conditions, they rallied around one another after defeat and celebrated each other’s successes. I am so excited for the future of Para Bowls and the continued growth of disability bowls.”
If you would like to find out more about bowling with a disability, go to our dedicated page to find out about the support available, future events and more.
Come and support our Para players at the Aviva National Bowls Finals this August. With two Para competitions taking place from Sunday 17th to Wednesday 20th August, there’s plenty of action for you to enjoy. Tickets start from just £5.50 per person – get your now: