The weekend of 21st/22nd March saw the traditional HSMBA competition double-header season finale, as the County Fours and Triples Championships took place at Leominster and Ross Bowling Club respectively.
Kicking things off on the Saturday was the County Fours Championship, which saw ten teams entered and split into two groups of five. The highly competitive group stage saw several games live-streamed on the HSMBA Facebook page, representing a great step forward for the association and engagement with the sport. Defending champions Shirley & Dawn Cox, Bryan Watkins & John Mills finished top of Group One to book their place in the semi-final, with the Ross side of Dave Andrews, Rob George, Peter Wright & Ian Roe taking second place by just four shots ahead of St Martin’s in third. Meanwhile, Group Two saw an incredibly close finish, as places 1–3 were decided on shot difference, with three teams finishing on six points. Coming out on top were the Ross team of Sue Dix, Elaine George, Les Williams & Dave Watkins, whilst the Gorsley side of Dean Rudman, Anthony Chesterton, Sophie Heather-Warner & Joe Loveys finished second, as Gary Peachey’s Ross rink just lost out on a place in the semi-finals on shot difference.
The first semi-final saw Woolhope taking on Gorsley. Following a tight opening couple of ends, Woolhope put themselves in a commanding position as they secured a six on the fourth end to take a 7–2 lead overall. However, a fightback from Gorsley saw them push to a 9–8 deficit before securing a single on the final end to take the game to an extra end. A good start for Woolhope saw them holding shot before a measured fire from Loveys removed their bowl to wrestle the lead back ahead of Mills’ final wood. Although initially looking wide of the target, Mills’ bowl found a gap and sprang the jack to a waiting Woolhope wood to book their place in the final by the barest of margins. The second semi-final saw a less close affair in an all-Ross battle between Watkins’ and Roe’s respective rinks. Unable to get a foothold in the game, a single on the fifth end was all Roe’s rink could manage, whilst also limiting their opponents to low scores as Dix, George, Williams & Watkins ran out 8–1 winners.
The final, available to watch at the bottom of this page, saw Woolhope once again fly out of the blocks, picking up seven shots in the opening two ends. A two on the third end looked to get Ross back in the game, but Woolhope responded with two successive threes, with some clinical shot play making the most of the opportunities given. Whilst a four for Ross on the sixth end put them back in mathematical contention, Woolhope reasserted control in the seventh-and what turned out to be the final-end, as they finished 14–6 winners to become only the second rink to successfully defend the title (many have done so individually, but not with exactly the same team).
Sunday 22nd March saw an incredible entry of 21 teams pose significant organisational challenges for Competition Secretary Becci Cox. A huge thank you goes to all teams for accommodating the staggered sign-ins and for squeezing into Ross Bowling Club. The day had a fantastic atmosphere throughout, which was matched by the high quality of bowling on show. The morning group stage gave way to the afternoon knockouts, and by the semi-final stage, two teams from Ross remained, joined by Gorsley and Tarrington.
The first semi-final saw the Ross team of Tony Vitale, Luke Rawlings & Kate Williams taking on the Tarrington team of Allan Nash & Tim Horton-Smith, joined by Woolhope’s John Mills as a last-minute replacement for Wendy Solieux. Both teams had been in electric form all day, and that was reflected in an incredibly close and low-scoring game. Ultimately, it was team Tarrington that came out on top, booking their place in their first-ever County Championship final with a 7–5 win. The second semi-final saw Gorsley’s 2023 County Triples Champions Dean Rudman, Sophie Heather-Warner & Joe Loveys taking on Ross’ 2025 champions Dave Watkins, Dave Andrews & Ian Roe. As with the other semi-final, an incredibly close match saw very little between the two teams. A dropped five for Gorsley in the middle of the match looked to give Ross the advantage, but a comeback from the Gorsley trio, including a well calculated final end, saw them take the game 10–9.
The final promised to be a competitive match-up and certainly lived up to expectations, with both teams contributing to a high-quality final. By the seventh and final end, Gorsley were 6–4 up on the board as they looked to see out the match. However, a close final end saw Woolhope holding ahead of both skips’ final bowls. A missed attempt at a wide draw from Loveys opened the door for Horton-Smith, who fired, looking to promote his own bowl. A good hit from the Tarrington skip saw Gorsley concede two, as Tarrington brought in the umpire for a hopeful measure at three. Ultimately, the measure didn’t stretch far enough, as the final finished 6–6, going to a nail-biting extra end. A strong start to the extra end from both leads ultimately saw Mills tap the jack into open ground as Tarrington held two. A fire from Heather-Warner just caught more of the bowl than the jack, opening up the head and leaving the jack alive. A short bowl from Nash was followed by a slightly longer attempt from the Gorsley two, as Heather-Warner brushed the jack as her wood went into the ditch, putting Gorsley two up but leaving plenty of room for both skips to draw in. A perfect draw from Loveys followed, sitting behind the jack, and in spite of two incredibly close efforts from Horton-Smith, this proved to be enough as Gorsley claimed the County Triples Championship 10–6 following the extra end.
The Association’s thanks go to HSMBA Competition Secretary Becci Cox and her team for all of their hard work, as well as all those who entered across the weekend, contributing to a wonderful atmosphere across both days.
This brings the HSMBA’s competitions to a close for this season. We now look forward to County Trials this coming Sunday, Nationals in early April, and ICC Finals Day, where Herefordshire take on Oxford at Melton Mowbray in mid-April.
HSMBA County Fours Final:
HSMBA County Triples Final (Due to signal, this is available from End 4):