The final Herefordshire Short Mat Bowling Association County Competition took place at the Larruperz Centre, Ross-on-Wye on 24th April. The morning session saw 17 pairs competing in four fiercely competitive groups for a place in the afternoon knockouts.
By the Semi-Final stage, Woolhope had a guaranteed chance of having a team in the final, with the mother and daughter combination of Shirley and Becci Cox facing off against Bryan Watkins and Dawn Cox (the respective daughter and sister of the opposing team)! Shirley and Becci went into an early lead and were able to fight their way to a 12-6 victory, claiming their place in the final. The second Semi-Final saw defending champions John Mills and Joe Loveys of Woolhope and Gorsley Chapel clubs respectively looking to complete a hat trick of victories in the pairs competition against the Ross team of Claire Herbert and Peter Wright, who was fresh from his victory in the County Triples just weeks earlier. A close game required Mills and Loveys to use all of their experience to edge past the Ross duo and secure their place in the final.
The final proved to be a nip and tuck affair, with neither team able to achieve a significant lead. As the ends started to run out, it was Mills and Loveys who were able to fight their way in front, eventually achieving an 8-5 victory and securing their third pairs title in a row.
