Bowdon beat Surbiton to meet Cheltenham next Sunday in the final 4-3

[<<] [>>] by Stephen Mulliner
29th September 2003 (AC - Inter-Club)

Bowdon beat Surbiton 4-3 in a close encounter of the typical Inter-Club kind

Colin Irwin & Jenny Williams lost to Stephen Mulliner & Chris Patmore -25tp (P)
Ian Lines lost to Samir Patel -16
Ailsa Lines beat Ian Plummer +26

Irwin beat Mulliner +6otp
Williams beat Patmore +11
A Lines lost to Patel -26tp
I Lines beat Plummer +4

Having made early progress as both the Lines dominated early proceedings against Patel and Plummer, Bowdon saw the tide turn strongly against them as Surbiton took the doubles with a Patmore TP and Patel won both his games with authority and speed.

At 3-1 down, the outlook seemed bleak as Mulliner, having TPOd Irwin (then for 3 with the remaining ball), extracted a 3-ball break. However, hamperedness after 2-back interrupted Mulliner's flow although he kept the innings by hitting the 3-back pioneer. Irwin missed the lift but then hit the joined-up balls from 30 yards and developed a 2-ball break which he turned into a 3-ball break to the peg. 3-2.

Patmore lifted Surbiton hopes as he set off on his second triple of the day with Williams on peg and penult. He had no problems with the first peel at 4-back and looked well set but over-approached 6 when trying to bombard an errant escape ball with the peelee. Williams elected to take a 7 yard quasi-double with the backward ball instead of a 7 incher with the other and hit to make it 3-3.

Ian Plummer had not had the best of days with his hitting and, when 1 and 4 against Ian Lines' penult and 4-back, he seemed an unlikely saviour for Surbiton. But two good breaks later took him to peg and 4-back and suddenly the pressure was back on Bowdon. However, Ian Lines rose to the challenge and hit from B-baulk and took his 4-back ball to the peg and pegged out Plummer. Three missed long shots later (one very close indeed), the Bowdon player pegged out to clinch the tie.