Last year in the Bure League Hevingham scored just 28 shots at East Tuddenham and conceded 80 shots so approached this season’s visit with some trepidation. Despite their visit on Tuesday night resulting in a 6-4 points loss they will probably be happier than their title chasing opponents. Tuddenham will likely see this result as four points lost on their own mats as Hevingham scored 56 shots against Tuddenham’s 55 in a dramatic finish. The first half saw Hevingham’s Billie Barker, Pat Williamson & Melvyn Barker score a stunning 25-3 win against Trevor Brown’s home triple with the visitors winning fourteen of the fifteen ends. It could even have been better for Hevingham but for a stunning recovery shot by England’s Chris Willies on the penultimate end of his game against Hevingham’s Selwyn Goldsmith. With the game level at 12-12, and the Hevingham triple holding four shots drawn in by Joan Costello & Teresa Goldsmith, Willies elected to attack with a tremendous fire shot that slammed a short wood into the head and sent the jack flying off the mat. Willies’ triple then took a single on the replayed end and another single on the final end to win a hotly contested game by 14-12. This left Hevingham 20 shots up at the interval but in the second half this lead was gradually eroded as Simon Willies and Robin Amos put the pressure on the visitors. With two ends left on both mats the shots total was level at 53 shots apiece and the home side looked on course for an 8-2 home win. But Hevingham skip David Sharpe had other ideas as he produced some excellent bowls on the last two ends of his game to score three valuable shots that, despite him losing by 20-14, left Hevingham holding on to a two shot overall lead. On the other mat the last end was still in play between Simon Willies’ triple and Jane James’ triple with the East Tuddenham triple realizing they needed to score three shots to earn the match points or two shots to share the match points. But the visiting triple restricted them to just one shot on the final end as an entertaining match finished in a 6-4 points win for East Tuddenham as Hevingham earned the two match points by scoring 56 shots against 55. South Norfolk League giants Hempnall began their season with a resounding 10-0 home win against Mulbarton with Kerry Greenacre, David Blundell & Keith Cooke chalking up a big 27-5 win. Jack Gray’s triple weighed in with a 23-3 win, Paul Baker’s triple won by 24-9 and Charlie Archer’s triple won 20-10. In the Waveney League Ilketshall, playing their first match of the campaign, won 5-4 at home to second placed Broome.
Hevingham's Melvyn Barker, Pat Williamson & Billie Barker stormed to a 25-3 win at East Tuddenham