On a day of glory for Norfolk at Solihull IBC both Norfolk Premier and Norfolk “A” won their semi-final matches to qualify for the finals of their respective competitions on 24th March. Norfolk Premier swept Devon Premier aside by 22-6 with their opponents conceding the last session. Norfolk “A” were involved in a much tighter match but clinched victory in the last session to celebrate a narrow 21-19 win against Hampshire “A”. Player-Manager Jack Pye said afterwards that “Personally as Manager I could not be prouder of both teams. This shows the progression over the past two years which is brilliant. Still a job to do in the final.” These results now set up a mouthwatering showdown between Norfolk and the West Mids in both finals at Melton Mowbray on Sunday 24th March.
Game highlights – Norfolk Premier
Singles – Eight points out of ten was a great return in the singles against quality opposition. Two wins for Trevor Brown by 13-12 & 15-6, with the second one against an in-form Thomas Perris, made it a good outing for Wymondham’s former England Singles champion. His Wymondham team mate Chris Mann suffered a 17-7 defeat against Perris in his opening game but bounced back with a 14-11 win in his second game.
Pairs - Norfolk’s pairs did likewise also taking eight form ten points in their discipline. Neil Davidson & Gary Best collected maximum points with wins of 15-13 & 18-6. Debbie Sparham & Jack Pye earned a valuable 18-8 win in the first session and although they lost their second game by 13-10, a match that could have gone either way, they kept it tight to make sure of the bonus points.
With Devon Premier conceding the match with a session still to play the triples and fours only had one game each after their long trip to Solihull.
Triples - Jack Marshall, Morgan Warnes & AJ Brown won their game by 16-10 and remain unbeaten all season in the I.C.C. Kerry Greenacre, Jon Sparham & Chris Willies drew their game 14-14 after making a remarkable comeback from 9-1 down.
Fours - Karl Newby, Robbie Lamb, Ryan Fox & David Lamb won their game 12-7 while Brian Saunders, Jack Gray, Simon Warnes & Keith Cooke drew their game 12-12 after scoring four shots on the final end. The late withdrawal of England international Jason Woods from Norfolk’s line-up meant a surprise return to I.C.C action for Wymondham’s Brian Saunders who was a fine addition to a Keith Cooke skipped four.
Game highlights – Norfolk “A”
Singles - A less than ideal start saw both singles going down heavy. Sid Burton of Harling went down by 15-4 while Chloe Suffolk of Thetford lost by 23-8. Sid also lost his second game by 19-9 but Chloe fought back to force a 12-12 draw in her second game which earned a vital point. Both young Norfolk players are gaining valuable experience at this level and will learn much from this.
Pairs – There were four incredibly tight games in this discipline. In session one David Blundell of Wortwell and Kacy Suffolk of Thetford drew 11-11 while Forncett’s Mike Smail & Wymondham’s John Jeffery drew 13-13. In session three both pairs were involved in close games again but both emerged with vital wins to earn eight of the ten points. David & Kacy won their game by 10-8 while Mike & John won by 11-9.
Triples – Norfolk took eight out of ten points in the triples. Billie Barker, George Hume & Robin Amos had a great day winning their games by 14-11 & 17-7 while Clive Eke, Gavin Gray & Melvin Woods won their first game by 15-5 but suffered a narrow 11-9 loss in their second game.
Fours – Will Townsend, Joy Townsend, Steven Lamb & Ray Lamb won their games by 12-8 & 14-8. A change of playing order in their second game when they trailed 5-1 worked wonders with Steven Lamb moving to skip. Hayley Osborne, Jason Martin, Terry Newby & Melvyn Barker had “a tough day at the office” according to their manager as they went down by 10-7 & 18-8.
Norfolk Manager Jack Pye has plenty to smile about
A return to I.C.C action for Brian Saunders
Robin Amos - now a key player for Norfolk "A"