Rivals left flat by Beere's last wood

THE final end of the final match decided the top prizes at a successful GIBA Easter Three-Bowl Pairs Tournament. England under-25 international Lucy Beere and local outdoor bowls supremo Garry Collins joined forces for the first time and deservedly took first place and £300 in prize money.

However, with just two bowls to be played in their final encounter with Kris Bichard and Gwen de la Mare, winning looked a long way from being a possibility. Second or even third place seemed much more likely.

Events unfolded in dramatic fashion as the match between Gary Pitschou and John Wallis and Neal Mollet and Matt Le Ber came to a conclusion.

This fifth match in the second-phase round-robin series was nip and tuck all the way, with the Mollet-Le Ber Mariners' Inn side going into the game with one loss and a significantly better shot difference than anyone else.

Pitschou's Sliders had also lost only once and it appeared that whoever won this game would win the tournament.

Mollet and Wallis enjoyed an epic tussle at lead and Le Ber and Pitschou matched each other bowl for bowl and there was still all to play for on the 18th and final end of their encounter.

Pitschou's second delivery made shot and when Le Ber failed to rescue the situation Pitschou elected not to play his final bowl and accepted the win by 16 shots to 13.

Meanwhile, the Beere-Collins Beauty and the Beast combination were battling it out with The MI5 pairing of Bichard and de la Mare.

Collins had been in exceptional form all weekend, but Bichard matched him bowl for bowl and with de la Mare also finding a rich vein of form they turned in a performance that belied the fact that they had not won a game so far in the final series.

After 17 of the 18 ends, Beauty and the Beast led by two, but as the Mariners' Inn v. Sliders game came to a conclusion, it became obvious that if Beauty and the Beast won by five, they would take the title and the top prize on shot difference.

The shot lay against de la Mare, but she played an excellent second delivery to turn up one of Bichard's yellow bowls to lie shot.

Beere played with weight hoping to kill the end, but missed everything and The MI5 still lay shot with a bowl each to play.

As the head stood, The MI5 were losing by one and if de la Mare could draw another counter within a foot or so of the jack, she could lie two to draw the match with a Beere delivery to come.

De la Mare bravely elected to go for the win and attempted to turn up another short bowl to make a count of three.

However, things did not work out as she wanted and the jack moved back a yard or so.

As the dust settled, it was obvious to all concerned that Beere and Collins lay two.

Beere was then put under pressure as Collins told her that she had to draw within 18 inches of the jack to win the tournament. She stepped onto the mat and cast her delivery out wide, as the jack had been displaced, and the large crowd agonised as it went past it, but then came to rest some 17 inches behind.

As Collins indicated that she had in fact made the three required, the diminutive Beere ran down the rink and leapt into his arms, before leaping over the bank and into the arms of fellow Isle of Wight bowler Paul Attrill.

An unlikely-looking 18-13 victory a few moments before had given them the tournament spoils.

So Beere and Collins took the first prize, a stunned Pitschou and Wallis took second, while Mollet and Le Ber took third.

Steve Desperques, Richard Hill and Dean Dyke took fourth spot as Lu Lisp, Special Olympics bowler Paul Le Maitre excelled himself to take fifth with Paul Ingrouille and de la Mare and Bichard were in sixth spot.

The consolation groups were won by Michael Le Page, who joined forces with Alderney's Will Ceillam and the Isle of Wight's Kati Allen, and The Bean ASBOs from Jersey in the form of Michael Rive and Scott Ruderham.

The large crowd were treated to top-quality bowls by some of the island's best players and a good number of visitors.

Particularly pleasing were the terrific performances of a number of the youngest GIBA members who excelled themselves against good opposition.