THE HDA club was the venue for the conclusion of the Swan Studley Skittles League Triples Knockout Cup and history was made as the Maudslay B team of captain Keith Fryer, Tim Greenaway and Stuart Griffiths became the first trio to retain the cup.
Eight teams were in attendance to contest this annual competition on a night which saw some consistently good scoring.
In the first quarter-final Engineers C edged out Swan in a consistently close game by the narrow margin of just two pins, mainly due to Ian Greenway making an excellent 46 (12-stack).
The second quarter-final saw the only ladies’ team – Well Developed A – unable to find their brilliant round one form as they collapsed to a heavy loss against Jumbo Jet Set A for whom Dave Marriott top scored with 35 pins.
Maudslay B, thanks to a 37-pin score from Greenaway, beat outsiders Swingers A after being adrift after two legs in the third quarter-final.
In the last quarter-final Lodge Farmers C and Well Developed B were level after three legs before the latter pulled away to win comfortably thanks to a good score of 36 from Dave Bevan.
The first semi-final pitched Engineers C against Jumbos A which ended with only a single pin separating the teams. Jumbos were grateful to an excellent 41 (14-stack) from Mick Stanton for their win, but they had to survive a big scare when Engineers’ Greenway – wanting just three pins with the last ball to win the game – managed just the one.
It was an even contest for two legs in the other semi-final before the winners Maudslay B pulled away to progress comfortably to the final in beating Well Developed B. Fryer top scored with 40 pins for the winners, whilst for Well Developed B Bevan again top scored in making 33 pins.
It was perhaps fitting the two most consistent teams throughout the competition should meet in the final and there was little to choose between the two finalists for three legs.
However, the fourth leg scores effectively ended the contest as Maudslay B opened a seven-pin advantage over Jumbos A. Greenaway scored 39 pins for the winners, but spare a thought for Jumbos’ Stanton whose heroic 44 (16-stack) could not inspire his team-mates to greater things.
So Maudslay B, with the same three players who won in 2013, deservedly retained the Triples trophy.
Results: Quarter-finals – Engineers C 102 pins Swan A 100; Well Developed A 76 Jumbo Jet Set A 100; Maudslay B 98 Swingers A 94; Lodge Farmers C 91 Well Developed B 100.
Semi-finals – Jumbo Jet Set A 100 Engineers C 99; Maudslay B 108 Well Developed B 95.
Final – Maudslay B 109 Jumbo Jet Set A 101.
