The annual Norfolk Memorial Charity Pairs, played in memory of all the bowlers who have passed away over the years, took place at Hingham Sports & Social Club. Bowlers from twenty-one different Norfolk clubs entered playing a total of four games each in the first part of the competition with the eventual winners able to choose the charity for which all profits are donated to. The first four pairs then took part in the semi-finals. Six pairs had scored maximum points on the day with shot difference used to determine the semi-finalists. The unlucky pairs who won all their games but were eliminated on shot difference were last years winners Terry & Karl Newby of Carleton Rode and Roger Steele & Steve Easter of Wymondham. Kerry Greenacre & Keith Cooke of Halvergate were in super form in the semi-finals and stormed to a 14-0 win against Gillian & Robin Amos of Deaf Sports who conceded after six ends. In the other semi-final Robbie Lamb of Halvergate & Bob Carter’s Jason Woods had a much stiffer test against Jenny Walker of Thorpe Marriott and Marjorie Hall of Hevingham but eventually won by 7-4. The final proved to be an excellent match. The first end provided some subtle bowls from both pairs, but despite Kerry Greenacre drawing in a nice bowl about a foot behind the jack, skip Keith Cooke was unable to move the jack back and Robbie Lamb & Jason Woods picked up three shots. On the second end loose bowls by the leads, attempting to find the lines of the repositioned mat, left the skips to decide the issue. When Cooke stepped up to play the last bowl of the end his pair looked as though they would drop further behind but a perfect drawn wood took shot and drew applause from the bowlers watching. On the next end a good forcing wood by Keith Cooke took shot but a slight wick enabled Jason Woods to take shot with his next bowl. Woods final bowl paid dividends and his pair collected another three shots for a 6-1 lead. Greenacre and Cooke knew that the next end was vital. Both bowlers put together a careful and tactically perfect end to take three shots and reduce the deficit to 6-4. On the fifth end Kerry Greenacre played three excellent woods while Robbie Lamb ran into the ditch with his first wood and was short of the jack with his next two. An excellent first bowl by Keith Cooke piled the pressure on Jason Woods and he elected to attack and took shot. Cooke immediately took shot back with his second bowl and consolidated with a great last wood to hold two. Jason Woods failed to change the head and the score was level at 6-6. Kerry Greenacre won the battle of the leads on the penultimate end but Jason Woods drew in for shot. After Keith Cooke had failed to take the jack back Woods drew in for two shots and took an 8-6 lead into the final end. Kerry Greenacre started well drawing in her first two woods, but Robbie Lamb then attacked the head and killed the end. On the replayed end both leads drew in good woods but after Jason Woods pushed a bowl up to the jack and near the ditch, with a Kerry Greenacre bowl sitting next to the jack, it was hard to see how Cooke could score the two shots he needed to force an extra end. And so it proved to be with Robbie Lamb & Jason Woods taking a single to win the final 9-6. At the presentation ceremony the winners announced that they had decided that MacMillan Nurses would receive the profits from the competition this year so a cheque for £450 will be winging its way to them from the NCSMBA.
Robbie Lamb & Jason Woods - Winners of Memorial Pairs
Keith Cooke & Kerry Greenacre - Runners-up