The Pembroke Dock rink of Brian Dowling, Hugh Colley, Ken Edwards and Richard Jones (Skip) represented Pembrokeshire in the Senior Rinks competition at the recent 2015 National Championships held at Llandrindod Wells.
The finals are the highlight of the bowling year in Wales, over the past few months hundreds of players have competed to win the right to take part in the finals for this very prestigious event.
On a bright, sunny Wednesday morning they took on a Calsonic Wanderers (Llanelli) rink representing Carmarthenshire and the Dock four got off to a flying start. All four hit the pristine turf running, playing great bowls which led to a commanding lead at the half way stage. Although their opponents battled hard over the last five ends, it wasn’t enough and Richard’s quartet ran out worthy winners by 19 shots to 14.
Aber quartet in fine fettle
In the afternoon’s quarter final, The Dock four came up against a rink from Aberystwyth BC representing Ceredigion. The game was played in front of a large enthusiastic crowd watching from the surrounds and imposing balcony of the Mecca of Welsh Bowls.
The Aberystwyth four mastered the intricacies of the tricky end rink far quicker than The Dock four, who struggled to find their line and length. Hard as they tried, they were unable to mount a real challenge which allowed their opponents to progress to the semi-final, losing 23 shots to 9.
A valiant effort by all four, but unfortunately they were unable to replicate the form of the morning’s match and although both contests were highly competitive, they were contested in the right spirit. All four agreed that playing in the National Championships in front of a large crowd was a great experience and made them realise how competitive the game is at that level, with such small margins of error.