BIBC Championships Day 2

The finals of the BIBC championships were contested yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately England were not represented in any finals. Ireland dominated by reaching 4 of the 6 finals.

Martin McHugh threw a small spanner in the works by qualifying for both the Pairs and Singles so the pairs were played first against Scotland with the Scottish pair running out the winners. The Singles followed straight after in which Martin played David Kingdon of Wales. It was an incredible game but unfortunately Martin was not able to overcome David’s amazing shotplay.

England’s Senior Fours players were very unlucky in the Semi-final losing to Wales 21-18. Wales fought back in the final two ends picking up 3 and 4 shots to see them through to the final.

So the winners of the respective championships are as follows:

Singles: Dave Kingdon, Wales

Junior Singles: Gary Kelly, Ireland

Pairs: Scotland

Triples: Scotland

Fours: Wales

Senior Fours: Wales

From an umpiring perspective all games proceeded without a hitch and I must pass on all my thanks to the team for giving up their time to officiate at these Championships.

This morning we kick off the International Series with England playing Ireland and Scotland playing Wales in the first session at 9:30am

BIBC Championships Day 2

Day 2 of the Championships and the programme may potentially be thrown into chaos today for two reasons. Martin McHugh from Ireland keeps winning! He has qualified through to the final of the Singles due to be played this afternoon but is also playing in the Pairs Semi-Final this morning and of course if he wins he will have another final to schedule, most likely this evening.

All of this is very dependent on the Weather. The forecast is dire and already we have had a couple of big downpours and a 30 minute delay to play when the green was awash. In this situation the BIBC impose a 4 hour rule. If there is a delay to play or suspension then a time limit of 4 hours will be imposed which includes the trial ends. I a game is not completed in that 4 hour period a minimum of 11 ends in the pairs and fours must be played to get a result.

Last night Martin McHugh played England’s Andrew Walters in a stunning singles match. It went right down to the wire with some amazing shots being played by both players. Martin eventually came out the winner with a 21-18 score line.

This morning we have the Pairs Semi-final featuring Martin McHugh and also the two semi-finals of the Senior Fours. This afternoon we should have the majority of the finals.

Lunch time at the BIBC Championships

British Isles Bowls Council Championships

This week I am the Chief Official at the B.I.B.C. Championships and Series being held at Leamington Spa.

My role at these championships is to coordinate the umpires and markers making sure they arrive on the correct rinks and greens and making sure they are fed and watered. I also act as the liaison between the governing body and the umpires should any issue arise or any schedule changes occur.

This annual tournament sees the winner of the Home Countries National Championships contest for the titles of British Isles Champions. Players from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Guernsey and Jersey compete in Fours, Senior Fours, Triples, Pairs, Singles and Junior Singles.

The competition actually started on Wednesday evening with two preliminaries in the Pairs and Senior Fours. In the Pairs, Ireland ran out the winners in a very close game against Jersey. The Senior Fours was a little one sided with Jersey dominated Guernsey all the way through to win 24 shots to 8 shots.

This morning I arrived at the venue for a 9:00am start. All matches were preliminary rounds with 3 singles ties together with a Pairs, 2 Triples and 2 Fours. All games are played to the traditional format of 21 shot singles, 21 end pairs and fours and 18 ends in triples.

Unfortunately this morning we had two sets of bowls rejected having out of date stamps. Thankfully, additional sets of bowls were found and the players could continue in the competition. 

The afternoon session commenced at 2pm and was dominated by Semi-final ties in all disciplines.

The final session of the day commenced at 6pm with 3 singles ties being contested.

Tomorrow is finals day at the championships. Let’s hope the weather does not spoil things.

During the week you can get live score updates and results on the B.I.B.C. Website

Angie Thompson Marking a Singles tie this morning

The scene during this mornings matches at Leamington Spa