Men’s Championship
Andrew Croft beat Neville Dalton 21-14

The top men’s contest was finally played nine days late – and in contrast to the cold of the first day of the finals and heat of the second, the twice-postponed match was played largely in rain and cloud.

Reigning champion Andrew followed his Terry Gasson triumph with an ultimately comfortable victory over yours truly, who was appearing in the Men’s Championship final for the first time.

After falling 4-0 behind after three ends, Andrew kept his cool and hit back impressively to deservedly retain his crown.

Ladies’ Championship
Elsie Wilding beat Nicola Coles 21-8

Ladies champion Nicola was unable to emulate Andrew’s achievement and was forced to surrender her title to the player she beat in last year’s final.

Despite Nicola’s promising start, Elsie had wiped out the deficit by the fourth end and never looked back.

Handicap
Marge Breading beat Bill Mann 24-17

Marge continued the impressive form she has shown throughout the season but was given a run for her money in a keenly fought contest, in which her opponent had a four-shot starting advantage.

Veterans
Elsie Wilding beat Marge Breading 15-12

Marge suffered her only defeat of the weekend against the player who was to go on to regain her Ladies’ Championship title later in the day. Elsie survived a late scare, when Marge overtook her for the first time on the 16th of the 21 ends, holding her nerve to triumph by three shots.

Sam Farmer Trophy
Marge Breading beat Adie White 22-10

Marge started the weekend with a storming performance in the Sam Farmer Trophy, which was contested by players knocked out in the first round of the singles championships and the Handicap competition.

After an engrossing opening, in which Adie matched her almost end for end, Marge pulled away, showing her opponent little mercy.

John Martin Shield
Mike McQuillin beat Peter Huntley 21-16

In arguably the best final of the weekend, there was a first trophy for Mike, a finals-day debutant, who beat his friend and neighbour in decidedly chilly conditions. The pair were neck-and-neck over the first 14 ends of a match that featured an exceptional number of touchers and top-quality bowls from both players.

But Mike maintained an air of calm during the run-in, eventually gliding serenely to a 21-16 win in a match lasting 27 ends.

Drawn Pairs
Basil Larkins and Mark Howell beat Nicola Coles and Stephen Banks 17-13

On a weekend of comebacks, there was a particularly impressive one in the Drawn Pairs, where Basil and Mark recovered from 2-11 down to triumph 17-13, taking the lead for the first time on the 19th of the 21 ends.

It was Basil’s second success in the competition in three seasons but was one of two weekend defeats for Nicola, who also lost her Women’s Championship crown.

Mixed Pairs
Marge Breading and Tony Jarvis beat Anne Bosman and Tony Ashby 24-21

There was an equally spectacular fightback in the other pairs final, where Marge, fresh from victory over Adie, and her partner Tony Jarvis found themselves stranded behind reigning champions Anne Bosman and Tony Ashby, who raced into a 9-1 lead after just four ends and were still six shots clear at the midway point.

However, in a remarkable second half the former St Francis pair picked up regular points to erode their opponents’ lead, overtaking them on the 16th end and holding on for an exciting victory in a match notable for astonishing opening and final ends, on both of which the losing pair scored five shots.

Terry Gasson Trophy
Andrew Croft and Ken Starnes beat John Milsom and Stephen Banks 16-6

The 15-end Australian Pairs event went ahead four days late and provided Andrew with the first of his two trophies. He and partner Ken Starnes cruised to a convincing victory over John Milsom and Stephen Banks, who suffered his second pairs finals defeat of the “weekend”.