There was plenty of action down at Vigo Park on Saturday 8 June as the George Hacking Trophy returned in a refreshed format. The popular bowls competition was revamped from a 2-wood triples to a 3-wood triples format this year – and the change brought an exciting day of competition.
Ten randomly drawn triples took part, split into two groups of five. Each team played four six-end games within their group, with the top two teams from each advancing straight into the final.
Group A saw tight scoring across the board, but it was the trio of Les Reeves, Dave Clipsom and Jon Gibson who topped the table with three wins and a loss. Group B was more decisive, as Sue Milton, Evan Lewens and Liz Lewens stormed through unbeaten with four wins from four.
In a tense final, Sue’s team – with Sue on lead, Liz at No. 2, and Evan skipping – edged ahead to lead 5–3 going into the final end. Les’s side – with Jon at lead, Dave at No. 2 and Les as skip – managed to claw back a point, but it wasn’t enough. The final score: 5–4 to Sue, Evan and Liz.
The winners and runners-up each received wine prizes, with an additional bottle going to Diane Timms for winning the traditional “spider” challenge.
Competition Secretary Cynthia Hamilton said:
“Another very enjoyable day and the weather held for us, despite a few spots of rain at one point. It was especially lovely to see some of our newer bowlers taking part.”
The George Hacking Trophy will be formally presented to the winning team during the club’s annual Presentation Evening later in the year.
For photos from the event, go to the Andover Bowling Club website.