Welcome to The Delivery! This is our daily feature that brings you a round-up of the action from the Aviva National Finals 2023 at Victoria Park, plus a preview for the following day.
Day 13 Round Up – Tuesday 22nd August
We’re on the home straight of the Aviva National Finals, with only 5 days to go. Day 13 did not disappoint, with two outstanding Finals taking place on our streamed rink, seeing the end of the Men’s Fours and Women’s Singles Championships. Elsewhere, the Men’s Senior Fours continued, whilst the Men’s Junior Singles kicked off and the Women’s Senior Fours Quarter-Finals were confirmed.
Men’s Fours
Day Thirteen kicked off in style with the Men’s Fours Final. Steve Hill, Harry Mycock, Dominic McVittie and Martin Spencer (Royal Mail Cart BC, Lincolnshire) faced Nick Wardle, Jonathan Green, Chris Moore, Joe Dawson (Kingscroft BC, Leicestershire) following sterling performances along the way to secure their place in the coveted Final. Lincolnshire’s 2017 Men’s Pairs Champions Steve Hill and Martin Spencer and Leicestershire’s current Men’s Pairs Champions, Nick Wardle and Joe Dawson, brought the title experience to the fold.
The match was a game of two halves, with the Leicestershire crew edging ahead early doors but the Lincolnshire lads dug deep to win the game 18 – 13.
Watch the full match replay here.
Women’s Singles
It was a busy day in the Women’s Singles, with the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final taking place over the course of the day.
Stef Branfield (Clevedon BC, Somerset) had a rollercoaster journey to the Final, with a tight Quarter-Final match against Pa Walker (Birstall BC, Leicestershire), concluding 21-18. But she made sure she got that place in the Final, with an outstanding 21-7 Semi-Final win against Margaret Holden (Alton Social BC, Hampshire).
Meanwhile, Jayne Christie soared through the Quarter-Final, bringing Tina Broderick’s (Wellingborough BC, Northamptonshire) run to an end with a 21-12 win. But it was a tougher challenge in the Semi-Final, with a head to head against title holder Rebecca Moorbey (Brampton BC, Huntingdonshire). After an intense battle, it was Jayne who made her way to the Final, with another tough opponent ahead.
2021 winner, Stef Branfield, was looking for her second Singles title, with Jayne hoping to secure her first win in the Women’s Singles, having been runner-up twice previously. Both were putting up consistent scores with the lead changing hands several times. A count of 4 from Jayne bought her well and truly back in the match after being 5 down, bringing the score to 13-14 in the 16th end, and edging ahead by one shot in the following ends. But, it wasn’t enough to stop Stef as she scored 6 shots without reply to to win with a final score of 21-16. It was a joyous occasion, with both players embracing one another to celebrate Stef’s win before Jayne hopped over to C Green for the Women’s Seniors Fours.
Other Quarter-Final results:
Margaret Holden (Alton Social BC, Hampshire) beat Elaine Score (Essex County BC, Essex B), 21 – 17
Rebecca Moorbey (Brampton BC, Huntingdonshire) beat Cathy Taylor (Cambridge Park BC, Middlesex), 21 – 17
You can view all the Women’s Singles results here and rewatch the Final here.
Men’s Senior Fours
Round Two got underway in the Men’s Senior Fours across 4 of our 5 Greens here at Victoria Park, with a mix of close encounters and some runaways victories in Round Two. Yorkshire, Isle of Wight, Lincolnshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Wiltshire, Surrey and Cornwall all made it through to the Quarter-Finals, which take place tomorrow (Wednesday 23rd August). The Round Two results were:
Gus Whitwell, John Tyreman, Alan Crossman, Karl Tyreman (Brotton BC, Yorkshire) beat Paul Cousins, John Bloomfield, Ken Grayburn, Steve Prentice (Margaret Catchpole BC, Suffolk), 20-11 in 18 ends.
Mike Cox, Ian Ball, John Crews, Martin Butchers (Plessey BC, Isle of Wight) beat Bernie May, Paul Comley, Ray Gaskins, Howard Watts (Headington BC, Oxfordshire), 20 – 6 in 15 ends.
Mike Stray, David Lewis, Roy Elkington, David Brammer (Branston BC, Lincolnshire) beat Marcus Smith, Huw Burton, Shaun Bonney, Neil Smith (Bromyard BC, Herefordshire), 17 – 16 in 18 ends.
Mark Brocklebank, Steve Van Wyk, Derrick Fulker, Peter Ward (Ringwood BC, Hampshire) beat Andy Laslett, Gary Wood, Mick Homersham, Gordon Charlton (Sandwich BC, Kent), 17-12 in 18 ends.
Charles Wright, Graham Lavender, Alec Martin, Shaun Godfrey (White Rock BC, Sussex) beat Dave Love, John Greaves, Bryn Walker, Paul Broderick (Wellingborough BC, Northamptonshire) 19-7 in 16 ends.
Robbie Ferguson, Brian Whittingham, Kevin Carter, Neil Smith (Westlecot BC, Wiltshire) beat Mike Blizzard, Bob Harris, Andy Piper, Trevor Broad (Thatcham BC, Berkshire), 17-14 in 18 ends.
Gary Clark, Martin Sampson, Simon Greenwood, David McCallum (Camberley BC, Surrey) beat Andy Prickett, Phil Green, Mick Hawkins, Martin Timms (Welford on Avon BC, Warwickshire), 21 – 11 in 17 ends.
Trevor Bateson, Norman Coad, Steve Rowse, Neil Stephens (Stenalees BC, Cornwall) beat Kevin Dwyer, Brian Sheppard, Steve Skinner, Dave Clements (Ladygate BC, Middlesex), 24-10 in 15 ends.
For all results in the Men’s Senior Pairs, please click here.
Women’s Senior Fours
The Last 32 became the Last 8 today, with the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals both taking place.
Lesley Holmes, Di Wilson-Rogers, Barbara Heath, Lin Mountain (Dunholme St Giles BC, Lincolnshire) beat Julie Howell, Carol Cumino, Ali Foote, Alison Cartwright (Pershore BC, Worcestershire), 18-14 in 18 ends, in what was a close match up until the final end.
Another close encounter was Lancashire’s Clare Fletcher, Carol Saunders, Christine Travis, Eleanor Benvie (Bolton BC), who beat Gillian Young, Janice Welsh, Terri Keen, Denise Newport (Gerrards Cross BC, Buckinghamshire), 15-12 in 18 ends.
The action continues tomorrow for the Quarter-Finals.
For a full list of results, click here.
Men’s Junior Singles
The Men’s Junior Singles saw out Day Thirteen, with the action taking place as the sun came down over Victoria Park. 60 competitors took to the Greens, in a bid to make it to Round Two. Reigning Champion, Daniel Ellicott (Avenue BC, Warwickshire) faced Joe Sims (Ipswich BC, Suffolk) in a tense match, which came down to the wire. Daniel showed nerves of steel to win 21-17. 29 other matches took place. It was a narrow win for Joe Justin (Carterton BC, Oxfordshire), who beat Aaron Johnson (Norfolk BC, Norfolk) 21-18.
Harry Mycock (Royal Mail Cart BC, Lincolnshire) had a memorable day – following his win in the Men’s Fours Final, he went on to secure his place in Round Two of the Men’s Junior Singles, with a 21-12 win over Isaac Jenner (Appleyard BC, Kent).
For all Men’s Junior Singles results, click here.
Day 14 Preview – Wednesday 23rd August
The Juniors take over Victoria Park on Wednesday 23rd August, with both the Men’s and Women’s Juniors battling it out in various Rounds throughout the day. All competitors will be vying for a Quarter-Final spot, which will be decided by end of play. But it’s not just about the Juniors – the Men’s and Women’s Senior Fours Quarter-Finals kickoff.
Buy your tickets online for discounted tickets. Or you can purchase on the gate.
Watch Junior action throughout the day, with three sessions taking place on our streaming rink. Tune in at bowlsengland.com/bowlstv.
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