Southam’s brave National Top Club run comes to an end in the last 16

Southam Uniteds ladies line up ahead of their National Top Club last 16 encounter against Kings. Picture submitted

Previous winners of the competition, King’s were strengthened by the availability of their Amy Rose youngsters, who had been knocked out the previous day and 2014 National champion Natalie Melmore.

Nevertheless, Patsy Tandy got Southam off to a great start, winning the singles 21-10.

However, that was as good as it got for the visitors, with defeats for Velisa Brown and Rosemarie Geden in the pairs, Heather Tredgold, Sandi Couchman and Mal Eaton in the triples and the rink of Marie Bromwich, Sue Thornicroft, Wendy Jeffs and Chris Cooke.

Despite the 3-1 defeat, Southam can look back on a memorable year, having won the the County Top Club for a third successive year and progressed to the latter stages of the national competition with a membership of only 16 ladies.

Southam United held their Finals Day on Saturday with most of the contests going down to the wire.

In the ladies’ two-wood, Mal Eaton beat Heather Tredgold by a shot while, in the singles, Chris Cooke fought back from an early deficit to beat Rosemarie Geden.

Cooke then paired up with Rosalie Ward to beat Tredgold and Velisa Brown in the final of the ladies’ pairs on the extra end.

Ted Coupe retained the men’s singles title, beating Denis Ward. However, he lost to Ken Tredgold in the two-wood.

Ward gained some consolation in the handicap where he overcame Mike Daniels.

In the drawn pairs, Ken Tredgold and Richard Thornicroft beat Ward and Doreen Mitchie with the last shot, while Sue Thornicroft overcame Janet Thornley to claim the novices’ singles in another close contest.

 Royal Leamington Spa’s Ray White went down 21-14 to Lee Williamson (Cheltenham BC, Gloucestershire) in the first round of the Bowls England Men’s National Singles at Victoria Park.

Meanwhile, Warwickshire’s Amy Rose team suffered a 48-31 defeat to a Devon side containing Commonwealth gold medallist Natalie Melmore in their preliminary round encounter.

 Whitnash’s Maureen Tims won the county four-wood singles last Friday, beating Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jamie-Lea Winch (Thornfield BC) 21-14 in the final.