Sarnian pair make history at Les Creux
IN ONE of the most dramatic finishes ever witnessed in the European Bowls Championships, Matt Solway and Matt Le Ber became the first players to retain the men’s pairs title at the Les Creux bowls club in Jersey yesterday.
With all eyes on what experts thought was the title-decider between Ireland and Scotland, the Guernsey duo scorched to a fantastic – and crucial – 11-4, 13-4 win over Holland’s Frank De Fries and Ralph De Rooij.
That put Solway and Le Ber on 23 points and, as luck would have it, Ireland and Scotland, who started the round on 21 points, tied, winning one set apiece, so suddenly there were three pairs sharing the top spot.
Guernsey’s prolific shots haul against the Dutch duo meant they now had a shots credit of +67, while Ireland’s Mark Wilson and Andy Kyle finished on +58 and young Scots Greg McLachlin and Jason Banks were two shots further adrift at +56.
‘Yes, there was an element of luck about it,’ said Guernsey skip Matt Le Ber.
‘The results in that last session went our way, but I think we deserved it and it’s a great feeling to have retained the title.’
More in Friday's Guernsey Press.
