Middleton Cup vs. Cambridgeshire Match Report

Suffolk off to perfect start in Middleton Cup

A maximum six rink win at Girton, Cambridgeshire, sees Suffolk top the group with 22 points and a plus sixty shot aggregate, writes Team Manager, John Rednall.

A good start is crucial in these matches and Suffolk got off to a flyer, scoring on five rinks on End 1 and taking a 7-1 lead. After five ends, Suffolk had unbelievably sprinted to a thirty-eight shot lead which was further extended to forty-seven after ten ends and sixty shots by the finish.

On Rink 1, Darren Mann, Adam Frost, Ryan Claxton and Shaun Cook played well to lead 13-1, a score that included a rare count of eight on the forth end. Their eventual 28-17 victory was well deserved.

Phil Last, with Mark Betts, Mark Todd and Jack Burch saw their early 12-4 lead eaten away and were level with four ends to go. Single shots were scored on each of these and so a 17-13 win was secured.

Joe Sims’ quartet of Adam Turner, Andrew Pulford and John Rednall had scored sixteen shots without conceding after just seven ends and piled on the pressure to score the largest rink victory of the day, by 30-7.

Dennis Andrews, Andrew Drummond, Mark Euston and Mark Royal had one of the closest tussles and led by a single shot with five ends left. They managed to dominate the final stages and won by eight shots.

The Ipswich Bowling Club quartet of Ryan Hard, George Ward, Kelvyn Earthroll and David Andrews made a wonderful start to lead 14-1 after seven ends and 18-2 after eleven. Ryan and David made impressive debuts and blended well with their experienced rink-mates, eventually winning 21-12.

The Felixstowe & Suffolk rink of Roger Adams, Steve Giles, Charlie Beeton and Elliot Last trailed 2-7 but scored eleven shots without reply, and eventually winning 17-12.

Debutants Adam Frost, Dennis Andrews, Ryan Hard, David Andrews and Steve Giles all made excellent starts to their Middleton Cup career.

The team responded well to John Rednall’s managerial team talk and the motivational support of new team captain, Clive Webb, while Spike Howlett, David Walker and Adrian Beecroft circulated to great effect, keeping the Suffolk players informed of overall scores and progress.

Thank you to the Suffolk squad members, supporters and officers who attended and enjoyed such an impressive victory. The next match is on Saturday 20th June at 11am, against last year’s group qualifiers, Essex, at Felixstowe & Suffolk Bowling Club. With Norfolk and Essex sharing the points 11-11, Suffolk top the group but need to win to have an outstanding chance of making the quarter-finals.

John Rednall

Player / Manager