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 16 Round Up – Friday 25th August
It was the start of the Men’s and Women’s Top Club competitions on Day 16 of the Aviva National Finals whilst the Men’s and Women’s Two Bowl Singles reached their climax at Victoria Park.
Women’s Two Bowl Singles
In this morning’s Quarter-Finals, Buckinghamshire’s Shannon Maughan (Bletchley Town BC) edged past Sian Honnor (Appleyard BC, Kent) 15-12. Rebecca Willgress (Norfolk BC, Norfolk) was taken to an extra end but sealed a 16-15 win over Oxfordshire’s Katherine Hawes-Watts (Oxford City and County).
Also progressing into the Semi-Finals was Laura Holden (Clevedon BC, Somerset), who won 13-12 against Linda Rose (Whitehaven BC, Cumbria). 2022 champion, Rhianna Russell (Welwyn & District BC, Hertfordshire) beat Durham’s Susan Forster (Houghton Dairy Lane BC) 16-9.
Russell’s hopes of claiming back-to-back Two-Bowl Singles titles came to an end in the Semi-Finals as she was beaten 18-9 by Laura Holden.
In the other semi-final, Shannon Maughan raced to a 15 – 6 victory over Rebecca Willgress.
Supporters were set as Buckinghamshire’s Maughan and Somerset’s Holden went head-to-head in the grand final. Keeping herself composed throughout, it was Laura Holden who clinched the Women’s Two Bowl Singles title courtesy of a 17-10 triumph over Maughan.
For all results in the Women’s Two Bowl Singles, please click here.
Men’s Two Bowl Singles
Into the business end of the Men’s Two Bowl Singles which some fantastic matches spectators were treated to. It was a close game with high quality bowls action on display between Harry Goodwin (Appleyard BC, Kent B) and Kyle Anderson (Royal Wootton Bassett BC, Wiltshire). After 21 ends it was Kyle Anderson who managed to secure a 16-13 win and push on through the competition. Alan Geary (Boscombe Cliff BC, Hampshire) booked his place in the Semi-Final with a 16 – 13 win over Peter Ward (Ringwood BC, Hampshire). Mark Ireland (Avenue BC (Coventry), Warwickshire) fought his way past Mark Bishopp (Egham BC, Surrey) with a 4 shot win, with the score finishing 16-12 to Mark. Mark Nullmeyers (Romford BC, Essex) continued his charge for the title with a brilliant 16-13 win over Stuart Holland (Spartan & Lakeside BC, Sussex).
Onto the Semi-Finals and we were left with four battling it out for the Men’s Two Bowl Singles title. Mark Ireland and Kyle Anderson faced off for a place in the Final. Ireland showed his class playing some fantastic shots and beating Kyle Anderson 17-6 for a chance of glory in the Final. Who would he be facing? The man from Hampshire or the man from Essex? It a game hard to call and spectators at Victoria Park on the edge of their seat. After 13 ends it was Mark Nullmeyers who led 10-6 against Alan Geary. As the game closed out and we reached an extra end, it was Geary who was victorious winning 15-14 and setting up a mouth watering clash against Mark Ireland.
Heading into the final, Ireland and Geary battled it out in the early stages but Ireland took control at the halfway stage to give himself a cushion. Despite Geary’s best efforts to bring himself back into the game, Ireland sealed a magnificent 16-10 win. His supporters cheered as Ireland punched the air in celebration.
For all results from the Men’s Two Bowl Singles, please click here.
Men’s Top Club
It was the start of the Men’s Top Club competition and after a fantastic fairy tale story last year with Cheltenham BC (Gloucestershire) winning the Men’s Top Club trophy, was there to be another fairy tale story in this year’s Aviva National Finals? We started the day with Quarter-Final action and it was Appleyard (Kent) up against Reading (Berkshire) on our first live stream game of the day. It was a strong Appleyard line-up who were victorious with a 3-2 victory over Reading. Other results saw Darlington Railway Athletic (Durham) beat Headington (Oxfordshire) 3-2 to progress to the Semi-Final. It was an emphatic win for Shaldon (Devon) as they won 4-1 against Sandy Conservative (Bedfordshire). The last Quarter-Final saw Shanklin (Isle of Wight) trip to Leamington worthwhile with a 3 – 2 victory over Brampton (Huntingdonshire).
For all results from the Men’s Top Club, please click here.
Women’s Top Club
It was the Women’s Top Club which spectators were treated to in the afternoon at Victoria Park with the Quarter-Final stage played out on A green.
It was a convincing win for Appleyard (Kent) with a 4-0 win over Oxford City & County (Oxfordshire). Egham (Surrey) beat Kingscroft (Leicestershire) 3-1 to advance to the Semi-Final. After finishing level across the four mats Royston (Hertfordshire) went through with a 69-67 aggregate score against Wigton (Cumbria).
Kings (Devon) beat Norfolk BC (Norfolk) 3-1 but it went down to the final rink to secure the victory. You can watch this match back here.
The Semi-Final and Final will be played out on our third Super Saturday of the Aviva National Finals.
For all results from the Women’s Top Club, please click here.
Day 17 Preview – Sunday 26th August
Two more winners will be crowned on the third Super Saturday of the National Finals. We will discover the Top Club Champions for 2023, could we see Kings BC, Devon break their own, current record and claim a fifth straight Women’s Top Club title?
Last year we saw Cheltenham BC, Gloucestershire burst into elation as they sealed the Men’s Top Club title, Darlington Railway Athletic, Appleyard, Shaldon and Shanklin will be hoping for the same tomorrow.
Elsewhere, the Men’s and Women’s Senior Singles commence.
Bowls England is pleased to announce that all 18 days of the Aviva National Finals (10 – 27 August) will be streamed online, and available for everyone to view free of charge. Visit our official streaming platform here.
Social media coverage is available on Bowls England’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites.
Tickets to the National Finals start at just £4 for adults and £1 for Under 18s offer a full day of top-class sporting action. Event passes are available and all tickets are cheaper in advance.
Please note: Under 3s enter free of charge.