THE HEREFORDSHORE Over 55 Pairs Championship bowls trophy will remain at the only home it has ever known.
Claire Herbert and Peter Wright made it five wins out of five for Ross duos, who have won each competition County Over-55 Pairs Championships since its inception in 2020.
Taking their third title together, Herbert and Wright fought hard to overcome intense competition to reclaim the trophy they last won in 2022.
Some 18 pairs travelled to Leominster Indoor Bowling Centre earlier this month, each looking to make their mark in what was a wide-open tournament.
A competitive group stage saw two groups of five and two groups of four battle it out with the top two teams from each heading through to the quarter-finals.
At this stage, defending champions Gary Peachey & David Millington Jones took victory to set up an all Ross clash with Herbert & Wright in the semis.
Meanwhile, the other side of the draw saw St Martin’s player Alan Link, this time teaming up with Woolhope’s newly eligible and recently crowned County Pairs Champion John Mills.
The in-form pair won their quarter-final to setup a showdown with Mills’ Woolhope teammates Shirley Cox and Bryan Watkins.
The clash of the Ross teams saw Herbert and Wright rush into an early 6-0 lead against the defending champions.
Two singles in the fourth and fifth ends looked to give Peachey and Millington Jones a chance before a combined five off the following two ends put Herbert & Wright into an 11-2 lead.
Despite the late comeback from their opponents, Herbert and Wright’s lead was enough to book their place in the final with an 11-8 victory.
The second semi-final followed a similar pattern as Link and Mills took an early lead to control the match 8-3 by the seventh end.
However, a single on the eighth end followed by twos on the ninth and tenth saw Cox and Watkins complete a comeback and force the game into an extra end at 8-8.
Their second extra end of the day following their narrow quarter-final victory.
However, the experience of the previous match helped Link and Mills resulted in them sneaking over the line, taking a two and booking their place in the final.
A final that promised so much lived up to and surpassed those expectations as only 11 shots were scored across the 10-end match.
With the score standing at 5-5 heading into the final end, Herbert and Wright showed the value of having played many matches together over the years to take a single with the final bowl and secure their third County Over 55 Pairs Championship as a pairing.
The title was also the experience pairs’ fourth County honour following their County Pairs Championship victory in 2023.
The Association’s thanks go to Becci Cox for running the day, all those who helped with the equipment and everyone who entered and made for such a competitive and enjoyable day of bowls.
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