Day Eight Drama, Silver Success, and Blue Riband Battles!
By the Green-side Insider
Wednesday at Leamington Spa marked the official start of our blue riband events, bringing an absolute thriller of a day filled with intense fours action, a magnificent national medal, and incredible grit right down to the final bowl!
Day Eight Round-UpWomen’s Fours Championship (Morning Session – Rink D4):
M. Green, H. Lashley, S. Stothard, and G. Chapman (Newbiggin) got their blue riband campaign underway against Middlesex’s E. Putnam, J. Tsamplakos, V. Smith, and L. Wolstenholme (Ashford). Our Newbiggin quartet put on a strong, determined performance and held the advantage for much of the contest, before Middlesex mounted a late charge in the closing few ends to edge out an 18–13 win. A valiant effort on the national stage!
Women’s Fours Championship (Afternoon Session – Rink B3):
K. Sultman, G. Garbutt, A. Murray, and A. Dunton (Forest Hall) took to the green against Buckinghamshire’s J. Squires, N. Moffat, D. Brookes, and J. Murphy (Bletchley Town). Displaying fantastic form, our Forest Hall ladies led virtually all the way through a controlled performance, establishing a brilliant 5-shot cushion heading into the final end before closing out a superb 16–12 victory to advance!
Para Pairs National Final (12:45 – Rink A1):
Massive congratulations are in order for C. McGready, who served brilliantly as Vision Impaired (VI) Director for player R. Lewis in the Para Pairs National Final! In an absolute nail-biter that kept everyone on the edge of their seats, the match went all the way to an extra end before Lewis and McGready narrowly missed out 20–19. Securing a national silver medal on an extra end in a final this close is an extraordinary achievement. Northumberland is bursting with pride for Chris and his wonderful contribution to the sport! 🥈🏴
Women’s Fours Championship (Late Afternoon Session – Rink C1):
Straight back into action for the next round, K. Sultman, G. Garbutt, A. Murray, and A. Dunton faced a powerhouse Dorset four from Poole Park (K. Hofen, J. Leake, M. Tuck, and B. Hodder). In a fiercely contested battle, the score was locked level at 9–9 after 10 ends. Dorset managed to nudge ahead to 13–9 by the 13th end and 15–11 by the 16th, but our Forest Hall ladies fought like lions right to the wire—narrowly dropping the 17th and 18th ends to finish on a 16–12 scoreline. A brilliant run in the blue ribands!
Looking Ahead to Day 9 (Thursday 20th August): Men’s Fours Take Centre Stage!
Tomorrow brings another massive day at Leamington Spa as our men’s fours get their blue riband campaigns underway:
09:00 (Rink C5) – Men’s Fours Championship: P. Carr, S. Welsh, A. Johnson, and J. King (Benfield) kick off their championship quest against Durham’s J. Sutherland, I. Armstrong, J. McAdoo, and D. Oram (Houghton Dairy Lane).
12:45 (Rink C2) – Men’s Fours Championship: P. Proctor, A. Pomfrey, P. Brimer, and D. Ross (Benfield) take to the green to face Bedfordshire’s S. Mead, S. Dawkins, B. Shorter, and S. Muir (Houghton Regis).
Let’s get right behind our Benfield rinks tomorrow!