VI PAIRS COMPETITION BASINGSTOKE TOWN B.C.
Sundays 6th JUNE 2021
Five pairs, of varying degrees of sight loss but with a combined maximum of B5, came together for a wonderful day of bowls, hosted by Basingstoke Town B.C. Our hosts couldn’t do enough for us and we were royally treated to tea and biscuits on arrival, a great value lunch and liquid refreshments throughout the day.
This was Basingstoke’s first time hosting a DBE event and they would be eager to host this event again (and others) in future years and, based on everything we experienced, I would recommend returning in the future.
The five pairs played a full, round-robin competition, which allowed each pair one ‘session off’ out of the five sessions of play. Games were contested over 7 ends or 1 hour, whichever came first, with a ‘handicap’ system in place, giving a 2-shot start for every pair including a B1 (totally blind) player. This gave one pair a 4-shot advantage in most games – a not inconsiderable advantage in such a short game.
After four rounds out of the five had been completed, one pair (Jeanette Maisey and Stephen Hartley) had finished their games, with 4 points from their 2 wins and a -1 shot difference. The ‘crunch’ match in Session 5 was that between Eric Gallacher (B1) and Gareth Harwood (B4) versus Alison Yearling (B3) and Geoff Wherry (B2). Eric and Gareth scored a resounding victory to take the title with 6 points and a shot difference of +20, with Alison & Geoff finishing in ‘joint’ third place with Maurice Williams and Sam Dickson (4pts and -7), leaving Jeanette and Stephen as runners-up.
Many thanks to President Margaret at Basingstoke – and to all her team for their wonderful support. A fantastic day!!
David Stott
VI Coach and Board Member – DBE