BOWLS: Westlecot open in best possible way
7:00am Saturday 12th January 2013 in Latest News
WESTLECOT men opened the new year in the Wessex League in fine style with an emphatic 45 shots victory over Rivermead.
They thrashed the Reading side 101-56 in their fourth east region match of the season to maintain their unbeaten record, with the home rink of Kevin Embling, Keith Williamson, Mike Shawyer and skipped by Chris Cheesley securing a magnificent 40-shot win in their game.
In fact, the other three matches were tight affairs with Westlecot taking the honours in two of them but missing out in the other.
They therefore took 14 points out of a possible 16 to move above West Berks (Newbury) into second spot in the east region table, eight points behind Carterton but with a game in hand.
Cheesley, a late replacement at skip for the sick John Thomas with Mike Shawyer stepping into his number three spot off the reserve’s bench, had a remarkable match at home and could do no wrong.
His rink opened the match with a count of five and led 12-0 after five ends.
They just continued to pile-up the shots with two sixes to go 28-1 up at 10 ends and 34-3 at 15, before adding another 10 shots and only conceding a single to record a massive 44-4 victory.
Elsewhere at home, the rink skipped by Tom Pittuck led 8-2 at five ends and 9-6 at 10 but had been pegged back to 10-10 at 14. They won the next four ends to move 18-10 up at 18 ends and finally won 18-14.
Away at the Rivermead Leisure Centre in Reading honours were even with one win for Westlecot and one for the hosts.
Tom Walkley’s rink were 5-4 down at five ends but led 12-5 at 10 and 15-8 at 15. However, they then dropped seven shots to be pegged back all square at 15-15 at 17 ends.
They recovered in the last four ends to eventually win 20-17.
Alongside it was a different tale for Kyle Anderson’s rink who led 7-2 at five ends but trailed 10-8 at 10 and 16-12 at 15.
They managed to get back to all square at 19-19 after 19 ends but then dropped two singles to lose their match 21-19.
The win takes them second in the Wessex League East Division, while Rivermead remain rock bottom of the table.
Elsewhere, the trio of Ellen Bolland, Sylvia Wells and Doris Woodley have qualified for the final stages of the Ladies Over 50 Two Wood Triples at Northampton on February 14.
They booked their place in the last 16 with Woodley, skipping in place of the unavailable Wendy Anderson, with a last end 16-15 win over Area winners Welford-on-Avon in the inter-area final last Sunday at Bromsgrove.
Meanwhile, Neil Smith and his daughter Lucy were due to play in the Area 10 mixed pairs final at Cotswold last night against a team from Malvern Hills, while several other Westlecot ladies compete next week in area finals in the ladies singles, pairs, triples, fours and over 60s pairs.
