Tuesday night’s Summer League final certainly lived up to the billing as Ross Rockers edged out their clubmates Ross Rollers 6-4 (30-39) in a fascinating contest!
Upton Bishop Village Hall played host to what promised to be a neck-and-neck battle between two strong Ross teams in the first Summer League final between two teams from the same club since 2014.
The first half kicked off with the singles and fours, with the former pitting Rocker Luke Rawlings against Roller Ian Roe in an incredible nip-and-tuck match featuring a consistently high level of play from both competitors. Heading into the final end, Roe led 11-10 on the board but a solid start from Rawlings and a missed final wood from Roe secured the one before the Rockers player held his nerve to draw the winning shot with his final bowl and take the match 12-11, giving the Rockers a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the fours was following a very similar story, as some great bowling from both teams eventually saw Rockers Linda Lewis, Gary Peachey, Dave Andrews & Peter Wright come out on top with a 9-7 victory over Rollers Andre Edwards, Phil Lear, Luke Waite & Dave Rush.
With the Rockers holding a 4-0 half-time lead, the Rollers knew they faced a challenge to win both of the remaining disciplines but were buoyed by the minimal three-shot deficit needed to overturn the shots bonus points and give them a chance at the title.
As the second half commenced, the pairs match saw Rollers Andre Edwards & Ian Roe fly out of the blocks against Rockers Dave Andrews & Peter Wright. Not letting their opponents settle, Edwards & Roe produced an impressive display to swing the match back into balance with a 16-3 overall victory, giving the Rollers 2 points for the win and effectively drawing the scores level at 4-4 having taken a provisional 10-shot lead for the bonus points.
As the momentum changed, all eyes fell on the triples where a low-scoring contest saw every outcome possible as Rockers Linda Lewis, Gary Peachey & Luke Rawlings entered their final end against Rollers Chris Green, Claire Hebert & Dave Rush. A strong start from the Rollers saw them holding the shots needed to take victory before an accurate weighted wood from Peachey reduced the deficit to just one shot, with two needed to secure the draw. In spite of Rush’s best efforts, the Rockers held out to take the game and the match with an overall 6-4 (30-39) win.
The HSMBA’s congratulations go to Ross Rockers, whilst thanks go to both teams on a fantastic final. Many thanks to League Secretary Ian Roe for organising the final and the Summer League as a whole. Thanks also go to Steve Kite for umpiring, as well as Peter Lewis, Joe Loveys & John Mills for refreshments and washing up!
We now look forward to Presentation Evening on Saturday 19th September, with tickets still available from Club Secretaries!