White Rose

Back Row - Suffolk 'B' with Assistant Manager Mark Euston

Front Row - Suffolk 'A' with Player/Manager Joe Sims

Hadleigh Bowls Club provided the venue for the East section of the White Rose Regional Finals. The winner of this event would go to the National Finals at Leamington

On Saturday, Suffolk 'A' started well with a maximum win over compatriots Suffolk 'B' who put up a good fight but were unable to produce any shocks.

In the second match Suffolk 'A' were one point shy of a maximum against Norfolk 'B' while, on the other rinks Suffolk 'B' helped the cause by taking points off Norfolk's first team with a win in the Pairs and draws in the Triples and Fours. They were only denied a famous victory by shot difference.

Unfortunately, Suffolk 'B' couldn't repeat the magic against Essex 'A', losing heavily against a much more experienced team. Meanwhile Suffolk 'A' were racking up another win, this time against Norfolk 'A'.

So, at the end of the first day, Essex 'A' lead the group by a single point over Suffolk 'A'

The first game on Sunday was the big one - Suffolk 'A' against Essex 'A'. This was a very close game with three draws to Suffolk and three draws and a win to Essex giving Essex a 6-3 match points advantage but the additional 12 points for overall match shots also went to Essex by the smallest of margins 42 - 40 which was the killer blow.

On the nearby rink, Suffolk 'B' were suffering the same fate against Essex 'B' - losing 7 - 4 on match points and losing the overall points bonus by three shots 43 - 40. So close!

With the results securing the win for Essex 'A', the final matches were played in a more relaxed atmosphere with Suffolk 'A' beating Essex 'B' and Suffolk 'B' getting a well deserved first win against Norfolk 'B' 20 - 2

So Essex 'A' got a deserved win and qualified for Leamington. Suffolk 'A' got the runners-up slot and Suffolk 'B' came out top of the 'B' teams which is a good sign for the future

Well done to all those who took part in what was an unfamiliar format, thanks to all the umpires and officials for making it all happen, to Hadleigh BC for hosting the venue and providing a good playing surface and finally to all the spectators for coming along to support the players.

For those interested in seeing the full match statistics, they can be found here