DENNY CUP
Dorchester Bowls Club
Denny Cup Quarter Final
Dorchester into history making semi final
Dorchester 74 Swindon Westlecot 68
Dorchester have proved to be the surprise package of this season’s Denny Cup campaign, and the 3rd round ousting of the current champions Exeter Exonia provided a platform for a chance to make Club history.
In the past thirty-two years the Club top performance in this major inter club competition, was a quarter final appearance against Cumbria two decades ago.
The previous win this year against Exonia posed the suggestion that the team may have been punching above its weight, but the latest result in a thrilling quarter final win against Swindon club Westlecot proved that they are a force be taken seriously this year.
In an intriguing and highly competitive match the two rinks at Dorchester battled to stay in contention while the two rinks at Westlecot were putting on royal levelling performances.
The overall score at the midpoint of the game was four shots in Westlecot’s favour but after fifteen ends Dorchester had taken the lead for the first time in the match at 51-50.
Hopes of another famous victory then began to fade as Westlecot regained a lead of six shots, with only three ends remaining.
In a nail biting run in at Swindon Dorchester Team Manger and skip Martin Puckett won all his final ends, taking singles against the Westlecot rink skipped by Mike Titman, Darren Nutman scored four shots on his final two ends, against previously unbeaten skip Neil Smith, and the away rinks had achieved a massively important and match winning 44-32 result.
At the Sandringham Centre George Spracklen and co kept the game tight to finish six shots down against Westlecot skip Tom Pittuck, and Nick Voss who was nine shots down at one time, stormed back to rock World Bowls qualifier Scott Edwards, to earn a brilliant 17all draw.
Dorchester had managed to convert a six-shot deficit to gain a once unlikely looking, winning advantage of six shots.
Dorchester and now take their place in an history making first time appearance in the National semi-final later this month, where they will take on the Norwich based club, Norfolk Indoor Bowls
Team Manager, Martin Puckett, was full of praise for the players after the Westlecot performance.
“The lads were great and the comeback over those last few vital ends was heroic and game changing” he said “and if we can keep that determination and play our “A” game, we can win the semi and go on to the Nottingham Final”
The Norfolk side will be led by England International Wayne Willgress who was the outstanding personality of the recent televised Word Bowls Singles finals, losing his semi-final match in a dramatic last end shoot out.
However, the Dorchester Ladies Vivienne team of 2016, amongst others will hope that this can be payback time for the Norfolk Club’s controversial inclusion of England International Rebecca Field in their Final side against Dorchester having not played in any previous round. Rebecca of course is now Mrs Wayne Willgress!
The game is to be played at the neutral venue of Desborough Bowls Club (Maidenhead), and Dorchester hope to have great support for the game as the Club strive to reach an historic Denny Cup National Final for the first time.
Frank Gwatkin
Find Dorchester Bowls Club
Sandringham Sports Centre, Armada Way, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2TN