Suffolk Youngsters Impress at Amy Rose Regional Qualifiers

Suffolk’s bright young female bowlers travelled to Dunmow, Essex, today for the Amy Rose Regional Qualifiers and produced a series of outstanding performances, narrowly missing out on qualification for the national finals at Leamington by just six shots.

The competition suffered two late withdrawals. Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire were unable to field a team of five and withdrew earlier in the week, while Norfolk pulled out late on Friday evening due to illness and player unavailability.

Suffolk’s opening match at 9:30am saw them take on the East Anglians, last year’s Amy Rose runners-up, in what was always expected to be a challenging encounter.

In the pairs, Bronwyn and Nayara, with a combined average age of just 12, produced an excellent performance to defeat a strong East Anglian pairing 10-8. The triples rink involving Georgia, Rebecca and Denaya was closely contested, with Suffolk leading 6-4 at the halfway stage. However, the East Anglians finished strongly to take the rink 14-7.

The overall result was a 4-2 victory for the East Anglians, with shots finishing 22-17 in their favour.

Following a two-and-a-half-hour break to rest, regroup and enjoy lunch, Suffolk prepared for their second and final match of the day. During the interval, the East Anglians faced Essex. Although each side won one rink, a dominant triples performance gave the East Anglians a 4-2 victory and a valuable 16-shot advantage in the standings.

Suffolk’s afternoon match against Essex looked a daunting prospect on paper, with the hosts fielding several regular England internationals.However, Suffolk rose magnificently to the challenge.

The triples of Rebecca, Bronwyn and Denaya delivered a superb 13-6 victory, controlling the game from start to finish. In the pairs, Georgia and Nayara were locked level at 8-8 with just two ends remaining. A crucial count of two on the penultimate end moved Suffolk into a 10-8 lead before the bell signalled the end of the timed match, securing the rink win.

The result was a remarkable 6-0 victory for Suffolk, with the shot count ending 23-14 in Suffolk’s favour.

Despite the impressive win, Suffolk ultimately fell just six shots short of earning a place at Leamington. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic day for the county’s young bowlers, who demonstrated tremendous skill, determination and team spirit throughout the competition.

Team Manager Andy was delighted with both the individual and collective performances and thanked all of the players for their tremendous effort.

Special thanks also go to the travelling supporters and county executives, whose enthusiastic backing created an electric atmosphere around the green. Their vocal support ensured that Essex certainly knew they were in a match, as Suffolk’s supporters out-cheered the host county throughout the day.