EIBA National Finals at Melton: Ipswich ladies win again

Christine Rednall, Anna Chalk and Katherine Rednall found themselves 11-2 adrift after five ends and were 14-5 in arrears after nine, but staged a magnificent recovery to beat Sue Kearsley, Lesley Waddington and Janice Gower (Blackpool Newton Hall) 15-14 after the allocated 16 ends.

WBT Women’s World Matchplay champion Katherine said: “Now that the number of ends has been reduced from 18 to 16, making a comeback is that much more difficult, but we stuck at it, and it all came good in the end.

“But we left it late, and took the lead for the first time on the very last end.”

All four of the skips involved in the semi-finals were current or former England players, and much interest was shown in the Norfolk v Suffolk clash between the North Walsham team, skipped by 69-year-old Jayne Roylance, and the Ipswich trio skipped by Katherine Rednall, who is only 21.

It was a cat-and- mouse game, in which shots were hard to come by, but Ipswich struck a telling blow when they picked up a sensational six on the seventh end, followed by a double to lead 13-8.

Although Ipswich were able to score only two more singles, but Roylance’s North Walsham trio, with Jane Paris at lead and Sharon Rickman playing in the middle, conceded after 15 ends, when the score was 15-8.

Sue Kearsley and Janice Gower won the national pairs title in 2015, the same year Ipswich won the triples.

The Blackpool Newton Hall duo, partnered by clubmate Lesley Waddington, looked as if they were heading for an easy victory when they opened up an 8-1 lead over Karen Chapman, Liz Munro and Jeannie Baker, from South Forest, in the other semi-final.

A six count for South Forest on the seventh end changed all that, as Baker’s trio took the lead for the first time on the 13th end, but the Blackpool team steadied the ship, and were relieved to get home by the narrowest of margins, 15-14.

Today’s order of play at Melton Indoor Bowls Club:

9.30am – Women’s Pairs last 16: Dolphin v Honiton; Blackpool NH v Taunton Deane; Tye Green v Hornsea; Acle v Banbury; Clevedon v Bromsgrove; Wellingborough v Swale; King George v Nottingham; Ipswich v Egerton Park.

1.30pm - Men’s Pairs last 16: Bournemouth v Acle; Blackpool NH v Falcon; Exonia v Bounds Green; Hartlepool v Adur; Barwell v Whiteknights; Huntingdon v Lincoln; Angel v Moonfleet 2000; Hounslow v Malvern Hills.

5.45pm - Men’s and Women’s Pairs quarter-finals.