East Tuddenham pulled off a sensational result at Halvergate last night to take a 16-8 points lead in the first leg of their Bure Cup Final clash. This leaves Halvergate with a mountain to climb in the second leg at Tuddenham on Tuesday 12th March if they are to retain the cup. The result was one not many would have predicted as Halvergate have made their home venue a fortress where they have not suffered defeat in years. The visitors put Halvergate under pressure from the start as they won both opening first session games. Sheila Hook, Mike Smail & Robert Howlett beat Ray Lamb, Simon Warnes & Keith Cooke 6-3 while Jean Woods, Melvin Woods & Nigel Hurn beat Donna Lamb, Steve Hall & Ryan Fox by one shot. Normal service appeared to be resumed in the second session as Halvergate hit back with a vengeance. Jackie Smith, Steven Lamb & Jason Woods romped to a 10-1 win against Gillian Amos, Gerald Potter & Robin Amos and Keith Baker, David Crosby & David Lamb chalked up a 9-2 win against Jan Smail, John Turner & Chris Willies to level the match on points and lead 25-13 on shots. But those defeats only stung East Tuddenham back onto the offensive as they strung together four straight wins in sessions five and six. Rob Howlett beat Ryan Fox 8-3, Nigel Hurn beat Keith Cooke 8-7, Chris Willies beat Jason Woods 11-6 and Robin Amos beat David Lamb 7-2 to leave the home side shell shocked at 12-4 down on points. East Tuddenham maintained their eight point advantage over the last four games as both sessions were shared. In those sessions Rob Howlett beat Jason Woods 9-5 and Nigel Hurn beat David Lamb 7-2 for East Tuddenham’s wins while Halvergate’s wins were a 6-2 victory for Keith Cooke against Robin Amos and a 9-2 win for Ryan Fox against England international Chris Willies. It was certainly a night to remember as two East Tuddenham triples, Sheila Hook, Mike Smail & Robert Howlett and Jean Woods, Melvin Woods & Nigel Hurn, each won all their three games to gain a maximum six points each.
Maximum points gained by Nigel Hurn of East Tuddenham