Chancers outgun Les Filles

NICK DONALDSON's Chancers leapt to the top of the HSBC Bank Guernsey Open Fours first-phase league after an emphatic demolition of Les Filles on Wednesday afternoon. Chancers won the first seven ends without reply to open up an 18-0 lead.

However, to the credit of Wilma Le Feuvre's side of Marion Mumby, Barbara Martel and Lynn Small, they kept battling away, drawing bowls into the head only to see them removed by the men's firepower.

Steve Desperques, Dennis Mollet, Matt Le Ber and Donaldson ultimately proved too strong in the drawing department too and consistency won the day as they duly emerged with a host of shots to add to their shot difference in securing a 37-5 win.

Islanders dropped to second place after being soundly beaten by Lucy Beere's Tiger Sharks.

The Isle of Wight and Guernsey combination of Keith de la Mare at lead, Martyn Dorey at second, Peter Furmidge at third and Beere at skip started well to open a 9-0 lead courtesy of five consecutive singles and a four.

Paul Ingrouille at lead struggled to find any consistency for the bulk of the game and although his wife, Carol, played reasonably steadily and Ian and Paul Merrien produced a good number of telling bowls, Islanders showed their form only in faltering patches as they tried to stay in the match.

A five to the local side on the 12th end enabled them to close the gap to 11-8, but they could not maintain the impetus as Tiger Sharks took a three on the next.

The 14th looked promising for Islanders as Paul Merrien removed the nearest Tiger Sharks bowl to leave his side with five shots, only to see Beere trail the jack back two or three yards and add another for a count of two.

On the following end, Islanders held four within inches of the jack and a Beere weighted bowl removed all the enemy ones leaving her side with three - another seven-shot turnaround.

Although Islanders picked up a three and a single on the next two ends, Beere had the last laugh as she trailed the jack when one down on the last end to make three and a thoroughly deserved 22-12 winning margin capping, an excellent performance by the England under-25 captain and her team.

The visiting Alcopops side skipped by John Hagan with Dave McCullough, John Bartlett and Peter Axon led local side Scorpions 10-5 after 10 ends of their encounter, but a six on the 11th and a four on the next one saw Scorpions inch away.

Alcopops responded with a four and a single of their own to level at 15-all at 14 ends.

However, the last four ends saw the Scorpions side of John Wallis, Dave Lock, Richard Hill and Dave Mahy take all the shots with a three, five, single, single sequence to win the match 25-15 and rise into third.

Meanwhile Rat 'R' st were entertaining visiting side RSRB who had Ricky Brehaut playing at number two for them once again.

Skip Michael Merritt skilfully marshalled his side of Ray Vincent, Brehaut and Davey Nixon to a comfortable victory over Gary Pitschou's team.

Pitschou by his own admission struggled to find the weight in this match and Merritt's 'Braveheart' cries could be heard all over the stadium as he cajoled and encouraged his team (and himself) to deliver the perfect bowl.

Rat 'R' st lead Terry Boreham reflected after the game that Merritt and Nixon had been the key to the result of the game and had played superbly to enable their RSRB team to move up into fourth place in the table.