By Your Green-Side Insider
The stakes were sky-high last night as the Men’s County Triples rolled into Round 3. With a coveted spot in the quarter-finals on the line, the remaining rinks threw everything they had onto the grass. We witnessed a nerve-shredding extra-end epic, brilliant tactical displays, and one completely merciless performance from the defending champion.
The Match of the Round: An Extra-End Heart-Stopper!
If you want drama, look no further than the colossal battle between M. Bennett (G) and P. Lawson (ST). These two heavyweights stood toe-to-toe, trading blow for blow in an absolute masterpiece of drawing bowls. Locked dead level at the end of the match, it all came down to a high-voltage extra end. With the tension on the bank at a breaking point, Bennett’s trio pulled off a sensational shot to squeeze home 19*–17, punching their ticket to the final 8 in unforgettable fashion.
The Heavyweight Statement
Yeomans in Cruise Mode: Defending champion C. Yeomans (G) and his rink aren’t just winning matches—they are sending seismic shockwaves through the competition. Up against L. Birch (NB), the holders put on an absolute masterclass. They completely locked out the jack from the opening end, firing on all cylinders to secure a staggering 32–2 blowout victory. Consider the warning shot officially fired.
Fantozzi Flying High: A. Fantozzi (C) also enjoyed a dominant night on the green, finding a lovely weight early doors to comfortably halt R. Donkin (RY) with an impressive 19–9 scoreline.
Grit, Guts, and Tight Finishes
Away from the blowout scores, several rinks had to show incredible resolve to book their spots in the quarter-finals:
Williams Holds on Tight: In a brilliantly tactical battle of wits, S. Williams (HS) managed to fend off a late charge from A. Johnson Jr (WK), keeping his composure over the final ends to cross the finish line with a gritty 17–15 win.
Armstrong Out-Muscles Wilson: N. Armstrong (G) successfully navigated a highly competitive tie against M. Wilson (AM). In a match defined by excellent front-end cover, Armstrong’s rink managed to find the crucial counts late on to secure a 15–11 victory.
King Tops Sivell: J. King (BD) put together a brilliant, disciplined performance to take down the highly fancied G. Sivell (ND) 18–14 in an absolute chess match of a game.
Quick Hits Around the Greens
Harvey Marches On: P. Harvey (G) added to Gosforth’s stellar night on the greens, producing a fine display to defeat G. Richardson (PD) 19–12.
Myerscough Mutes the Ray: Fresh off an extra-end thriller in the previous round, G. Myerscough (ST) proved he has ice in his veins yet again, holding off a fierce challenge from W. Ray (G) to win 17–14.
The pretenders have been weeded out, the contenders are officially battle-hardened, and the quarter-final bracket is locked and loaded. The road to the national stages is getting shorter, sharper, and a whole lot more exciting!