Stamford Indoor Bowls Club beat Grantham to progress in the national Top Club competition
Delivering a crucial bowl can sometimes produce the football equivalent of scoring a dramatic winning goal in the dying seconds of extra time.
And so it proved for Stamford's Neil Wright when his team took part in the national Top Club competition at Grantham for the first time in five years.
The match on Sunday morning was balanced on a knife edge with Stamford three shots up in the mixed fours discipline and skip Wright on the mat but four down and with his last bowl in his hand.
It didn’t look promising but the club singles champion composed himself, puffed out his cheeks, took an deep breath and produced the perfect response - a bowl delivered within centimetres of the jack to claim victory for his rink and his team.
It meant Stamford finished equal on points - eight apiece - from winning both singles matches and the mixed fours - despite losing pairs and triples. It was enough to win the match 86-79 on vital shots difference.
Earlier Martyn Dolby and Yvonne Monaghan had won two closely fought two-bowl singles, while Grantham held the upper hand in pairs and triples.
It needed Wright’s dramatic intervention to separate the two clubs and earn a second round place at home to current holders Spalding Lightning on November 10.
Top Club: Grantham 79 (8 pts) lost to Stamford 86 (8). Stamford names only: Martyn Dolby bt J Meakins 21-12; Yvonne Monaghan bt H Kitchen 21-19; Michelle Smith & Tom Newman- Borret lost to L Appleyard and M Pulling 13-18; Rita Downs, Wayne Morris and Jon Earl lost to V Wendon, C Gent & T Berridge 14-17; Elizabeth Wallace, Chris Ford, Bob Warters & Neil Wright beat A Robinson, P Tomkins, N Osborn & J Lewis 17-13.
Stamford indoor bowls club’s two teams temporarily topped the table in the Lincs Men’s League (South) after the third round of fixtures on Saturday.
The A team secured first place with their third successive 12-pointer while the B team claimed an identical points tally in a 75-62 home defeat of Sleaford.
With 36 points, following a 75-54 win at Grantham, Stamford A are 18 points ahead of their club-mates though Spalding are expected to be their nearest challengers in their bid to retain the southern section title despite dropping two points at home to Boston B.
At Grantham, Stamford A took their time coming to terms with the tricky home surface but eventually turned the tide.
The new combination of Tom Newman-Borret, Mike Ramsden, David Oakey and Trevor Collins took the rink honours 25-11, racing into a 24-8 lead and conceding only five shots in the last 11 ends.
Rinks skips by Martyn Dolby and Roger Martin won 19-11 and 17-14 respectively after both trailed in the early stages.
Against Sleaford, the B team result was rarely in doubt, though the quartet of John Suffling, Bill Orme, Maurice Dye and Derek King only took the rink honours by claiming five shots in the last two ends.
Elsewhere four shots on the 19th end put Dean Wilkinson’s rink out of reach with Martin Hewitt’s four adding 13 vital shots in the closing stages.
Lincs Men’s League (South): Grantham 54 (2 pts) Stamford A 75 (12).Stamford names only. T Newman-Borret, M Ramsden, D Oakey, T Collins won 25-11; TSmith, M Mitchell, N Wright, A Warrington lost 14-17; D Heffernan, B Warters, M Linnell, R Martin won 17-14; O Aspinall, J Travis, M Anderson, M Dolby won 19-11.
Stamford B 75 (12) Sleaford 62. Stamford names only: C Jones, D Edwards, Ian Smith, D Wilkinson won18-13; S Christie, J Hare, G Patrickson, M Hewitt won 24-18; J Suffling, B Orme, M Dye, D King won20-13; R Blake, D Morgan, N Crees, D Henshaw lost 13-18.
Stamford Seniors start their Over 65 Double Rink campaign when their B team face Sleaford on November 5 (10am) needing an winning aggregate with rinks playing home and away simultaneously.
Stamford A play the winners of the Spalding against Boston tie on November 26 (10am).
Stamford B: Home - P Linnell, P Burt, P Smith, M Hewitt; away - J Bourne, G Patrickson, D Oakey, K Vinter.
Stamford A: Home - T Barwell, J Holroyd, T Scarr, T Collins; away - M Dolby, M Linnell, B Warters, R Martin.
For the third time in a week, Stamford play local rivals Grantham on Saturday (10am) in the prestigious Denny Cup, the national inter-club competition.
Two rinks will play home and away simultaneously with the winners facing either Spalding or Sleaford. Losers join the Denny Plate draw.
Home: W Aspinall, M Mitchell, M Anderson, M Dolby; T Barwell, T Collins, T Scarr, R Martin. Away: M Humphreys, W Morris, N Wright, A Warrington; C Ballard, M Linnell, T Newman- Borret, J Earl. Res: J Travis, A McNaughton, I Smith, D Oakey.
Sleaford are the opponents for Stamford women’s bid to reach the next round of the inter-club Yetton Trophy on Saturday (10am).
Team: home - R.Roberts, J Lonslow, R Downs, S Suffling; M King, P Birch, E Wallace, M Holroyd; away - A White, V Du’Kett, M Smith, C Ford; J Clarke, J Hynes, R March, D Mackie.
In the national Egham Trophy on Sunday (10am), Stamford play Boston in this mixed event with two rinks at home and two playing away simultaneously.
Stamford: Home - S Suffling, M Smith, C Ballard, T Newman-Borret; R Downs, D Mackie, N Wright, A Warrington. Away - M Humphreys, S Moir, C Ford, J Earl; E Wallace, M Holroyd, M Linnell, M Dolby.
Keen to follow up on their latest win in the Lincs Mixed League (South), Stamford entertain Skegness on November 10 (2pm).
Team: J Hynes,C Warters, A March, I Smith; R Roberts, R March, A Hynes, N Crees; R Blake, J Lonslow, S Suffling, B Warters; J Allen, J Suffling, S Moir, M Ramsden.