THE SWAN Studley Skittles League fixtures took a back seat as the first round of the annual singles knockout competition got under way.
There were eight groups of seven or eight players from which only the top three scorers in each group would qualify for the following week’s finals.
Surprisingly, only two previous winners of the competition – Alan Cummings (Nomads) with three successes and the very first winner Mick Stanton – qualified for the finals as three other previous winners – Glyn Morley (Lodge Farmers), Mark Ganderton (Engineers) and last year’s champion Ian Greenway (Engineers) – failed to get through the first round.
In a game largely dominated by men, it was great to see three – and it could easily have been four – ladies progress to the final rounds with some good bowling.
Group A saw Dennis Compton (Maudslay) easily qualify, making the highest score of the first round – 37 pins (14-stack) – over four legs, followed by Liz Rowberry (Jumbo Jets) with 29.
The third spot went to Neil Harrison (Alley Cats) with 27 but only after winning a play-off with two other players.
In Group B, two ladies led the way as Cassie Holmes (Team BG) and Sally Racki (Swan) made 29 and 26 respectively. However, Holmes’ subsequent unavailability for the finals meant Pete Clewlow (Engineers) who finished fourth will take her place. Eddie Upright (Nomads) with 25 pins and initially ending in third spot was promoted to second place.
Nomads had four players in Group C and three – Alan Spreckley, Alan Cummings (12-stack) and Geoff Loat – dominated and went through with each scoring 30.
Alan Cummings produced a very rare event when, having sent the kingpin gambolling, saw it stand back up so not register as a score towards his final total – but the setback did not faze him on his way to qualification.
Andy Clewlow (Engineers) eased through in Group D with 27 pins to leave three players scoring 25 to endure a play-off for the remaining two qualification spots which went to Ray Cartwright (Team BG) and Tim Jones (Lodge Farmers).
Nomads had two more players progress to the finals from Group E when Margaret Povey and Bob Browning (13-stack) ended with 28 pins each and they were closely followed by Engineers’ Maurice Wroe making 27.
Paul Clifton (Swingers) had a 14-pin stack in a total of 34 to comfortably top Group F and he was joined in the finals by Bob Haycock (Swan) with 28.
No less than four players finished with 24 pins which required a play-off for the third place. The first three bowlers then each scored six and, with a further sudden-death bowl looming, Gary Marsh (Swingers) held his nerve to make a qualifying seven pins.
Another play-off was needed in Group G from which Len Quartly (Jumbo Jets, 26 pins) squeezed through in third place after Tony O’Connor had very comfortably topped the group with 34 (11-stack), followed by Nomads’ Graham Hanley with 27.
Two Engineers players – Craig Sears and Craig Ellis – eased through in the final group with 31 and 30 pins respectively, but yet one further play-off was needed and from it Mick Stanton, with 27 pins, emerged to grab the last place in the finals.
