SULLY Indoor Championship Team played their first game last Saturday when welcoming Newport I B C to Sully Stadium. Sully once again was expecting a good season especially with a number of new players available as well as some previous team players who had not played for a number of years.

The numbers making themselves available for the team this season will create a headache for selection as there were six reserves for this first game and another eight players unavailable for various reasons.

Newport is always a strong side and another close game was expected and Saturday’s game proved to be no exception and proved to be another hard fought affair with the result dependant on the final bowl.

The game began with Sully taking an early lead and after five ends held a slender four shot advantage with three rinks up and three down. The difference by end ten was still a five shot lead to Sully who were now losing on four rinks but the rinks of Brian Foscolo and Martin Clarke were ahead by four shots and sixteen shots respectively and Clarkes rink of John Best, Mat Gershenson and Dave Curtis were on top form with their opponents failing to pick up a single shot.

As the game continued the overall score remained close but the rinks skipped by Fred Phillips and Mat Woodcock suffered major reverses dropping 16 shots and eight shots respectively between ends 11 and 15, fortunately Sully’s other rinks collectively recovered ten shots.

The score after 15 ends was 79 – 86 in favour of Newport, leaving Sully still close enough to fight back and with two ends to play the Sully had recovered to lead by a single shot. The 20th end saw Sully pick up three shots over the six rinks leaving them one ahead playing the final end.

The first rink to finish was Dave Snellings rink who scored a three leaving Sully four ahead, then the rinks of McLeod and Phillips each dropped a shot reducing the lead to two, then Woodcock’s rink lost a three giving Newport a one shot advantage.

The game was on knife edge with rinks of Foscolo and Clarke remaining on the green, Foscolo’s rink finished holding three shots which left Clarkes rink affording to drop one shot and with all the players from the finished rinks becoming spectators the excitement was unbearable.

With Newport holding shot Sully were desperate to stop their opponents attempting to make the two shots to win the game and were bowling lines to stop the Newport back players making the shots needed, this they achieved and although dropping the one shot Sully were winners by just one shot 111 – 110 taking 16 of the 22 points on offer.

Rink Scores Sully First:-

M Clarke 28 v 6 A Bradford

F Phillips 12 v 32 P Williams

K McLeod 21 v 14 B Howard

M Woodcock 14 v 28 M Dick

B Foscolo 20 v 12 R Ford

D Snelling 16 v 18 T Nicholls

Next game is away to Ogwr (Bridgend) on Saturday, October 18.