Ilford Indoor Bowls Club served up another cracker on Tuesday night as the second final of the week went right down to the wire in a nail-biting 18-end thriller that lasted over three hours and had the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout.
Two evenly matched triples sides brought their A-game under the bright lights, and the decibels inside the club rose steadily as things got tighter. On paper, Bob Smith’s team — featuring national singles finalist Karl Bunyan at two and the always-reliable Mark Bleach leading — looked like the favourites. But Glenn Stephens’ all-Buckhurst Hill trio, with the ever-cool Julie Watkins and the determined Jackie Stephens, weren’t going down without a fight.
From the off, Bob’s team were on fire — three shots on the first end set the tone, and they were 5-0 up before Glenn’s squad even got on the board. End 4 looked like the turning point, but still the scoreboard ticked slowly in Bob’s favour. However, a cheeky switch to a minimum jack on end 6 sparked a revival, with Glenn’s side picking up 2 thanks to some fine work from Jackie.
That sparked a string of brilliant bowls — end 8 saw Julie and Jackie pile on the pressure again, but Bob somehow found his draw to steal shot. It became a pattern: Glenn’s side holding, only for Karl or Bob to conjure something magical. By end 10, Bob’s team were 13-3 up and cruising. Or so we thought…
Cue the drama! End 11 saw Glenn quite literally knock the jack into the next postcode with a powerful firing shot — a dead end. On the replay, Glenn’s crew roared back with 4 shots to narrow the gap to 13-7. Game on.
But just as momentum looked like shifting, Karl entered his purple patch, turning the screw on ends 12 and 13 with precision draws that left Glenn chasing shadows. At 17-7 it looked done and dusted.
Yet Julie wasn’t finished. A stunning display on end 14, followed by a brilliant short-jack strategy in end 15, helped claw it back to 19-8. Jackie then held firm on a long jack to sneak another shot on end 16 — 19-9.
Could they do it? With two ends to go, the tension was palpable. Glenn’s side needed something huge, and on end 17, they took two more — 19-11. One end left. Eight shots needed.
Sadly for the underdogs, the miracle wasn’t to be. They went for broke, but the final end saw Bob’s team close it out sensibly, sealing a hard-earned and richly deserved victory.
Final score: 23-11 to Bob Smith’s team, and that’s Bob’s second win of the week!
A huge shoutout to both teams for the entertainment, skill, and spirit on display — and to the crowd, who brought the atmosphere all night long. Indoor bowls at its absolute best!