Pairs Cup Finals

 

ilmcote Social Club hosted the final rounds of the Pairs Competition on 31 March. The evening started out with a re-shoot of the draw between Tim Stephens and Alan Brookes and Karl McMillan and Richard Groom for a place in the quarter finals. Neither pair shot as well as they did in the first match but Stephens and Brookes each found a bull to score 43.2 which won the match.

 

In the quarter finals the match between Ashleigh Clarke and Graham East who scored 47.3 and James Wilby and Alan Crichton scoring 47.4 was won by just one clean bull. Lester Langford and Andrew Clingan managed four dirty bulls for 44 points but though Stephens and Brookes shot two clean bulls. 42.2 points was not enough to go through to the next round. Jamie Clarke shot his second mini possible in the match with his brother Adam against seasoned shooters Paul Lowe and Steve Parrack to win with 49.8 points. Paul Clingan shot a mini possible in the match against Andy Smith and Will Cemis but with 46.5 points to Clingan and Sammy Skye Unitt’s 45.3 they pushed through to the semi final.

 

In the first of two hard fought semi finals, Wilby and Crichton lost 61.3 to Langford and Clingan 64.5. The Clarke brothers, last year’s winners, gave an excellent performance with Jamie shooting 35.3 and Adam 34.1 but undeterred, Andy Smith also shot a possible for 35.5 and Will Cemis supported him with 34.4. It was not just bulls but clean bulls which determined this match seeing Smith and Cemis through to the final.

 

The new pairing of Langford and Clingan were not overwhelmed by Smith and Cemis who won this competition in 2012/13 and 2013/14. They settled in to the target Langford matching Smith’s score of 34.3. Clingan put in two clean bulls and ended on 32.2 points. Cemis under pressure only shot one clean bull so with 32.1 he and his partner Smith were narrowly defeated. A good win for Langford and Clingan, especially given Langford’s inexperience.

 

 

Report by Juana Everett, to be published on 7th April 2016