Success for Horncastle IBC in national competitions

Chris Starsmeare, Paul Bark, Alan Kershaw, Darren Trapmore, Peter Ulyatt, Norman Burton, Keith Jackman, Richard Whittaker and umpire Les Smith are set for Denny Plate action.

By Lyn Ulyatt

It has been another busy few days for Horncastle and District Indoor Bowls Club with national competitions.

The men’s Over 60s played against Scunthorpe B in the first round of the national Double Rinks trophy.

With one team away and the other at home it was a close match from the start.

Eventually Horncastle came through, winning the match by 38 shots to 36, going through to the next round where they will play Louth on November 30.

The LIBA Men’s North League Team played Lincoln A on home soil.

This was a hard fought against a very strong team with Lincoln winning on three rinks and Horncastle managing to draw on one rink.

Lincoln won by 88 shots to Horncastle’s 55 and by 13 points to one.

Rink Scores: D. Walsh 11-20; M. Burn’s 9-26; L. Boucher 20-20 and K. Jackman 15-22.

The men’s over 60s County North League Team travelled to Scunthorpe for an away match following on from their Double Rinks win the previous week.

This was once again a very close match with Scunthorpe not being able to take full advantage of playing on their home ground.

Horncastle won on three rinks and lost on one and won by 12 points to 2, taking the six point aggregate, having won by 91 shots to 87.

Rink Scores: N. Rodgers 23-14; D. Ladlow 18-16; S. Bradley 17-26 and J. Scholey 23-21.

the men’s national 16 team played in the second round of the Denny Plate competition.

They came up against Louth 16 with two teams at home and two away at Louth.

From the start both the home teams at Louth and Horncastle took advantage of their home rinks.

This was a four-hour, 21-end match with only three shots separating the teams after 10 ends and Horncastle only one shot in front at 15 ends.

Both of Horncastle’s away teams of T. Nunn (skip), D. Walsh, N. Rodgers, P. Boulton and K. Taplin (skip), R. Benjamin, D. Anderson, D. Ladlow piled on the pressure to put Horncastle 85 shots to 69 up at 18 ends.

Louth took up the challenge but with only three ends left they ran out of time.

Rink scores: (home) P. Bark 27-12; K. Jackman 34-8; (away) T. Nunn 12-26 and K. Taplin 18-41.

With all the home teams winning Horncastle won by 91 shots to 87 and now progress to the third round where the meet Gedling, from Nottinghamshire, on December 11.